Capitol Fax.com - Your Illinois News Radar
SUBSCRIBE to Capitol Fax      Advertise Here      About     Exclusive Subscriber Content     Updated Posts    Contact Rich Miller
CapitolFax.com
To subscribe to Capitol Fax, click here.
Reader comments closed for the holiday weekend

Friday, Oct 11, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Link Wray will play us out…

  Comments Off      


Protected: SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - Update to today’s edition (Updated)

Friday, Oct 11, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller

This post is password protected. To view it please enter your password below:

  Comments Off      


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

Friday, Oct 11, 2024 - Posted by Advertising Department

[The following is a paid advertisement.]

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

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

CTA: See how it works.

  Comments Off      


IEA releases member poll, with eye on major pension upgrade

Friday, Oct 11, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Click here for the poll results. Click here for crosstabs. Daily Herald…

As states across the nation struggle to staff schools, many Illinois teachers say they are considering leaving the profession, a recent poll shows.

The Illinois Education Association Tuesday released survey data showing nearly 60% of educators and support staff [IEA members only] have considered leaving their jobs. Pay, pension benefits and increasing workload are among the reasons cited for job dissatisfaction, according to the poll.

IEA President Al Llorens specifically noted the state’s two-tiered pension system, which requires teachers hired after Jan. 1, 2011, to work until age 67 for full benefits. Teachers hired before 2011 can retire at age 55.

“A majority of our members have thought about leaving their jobs,” Llorens said. “If there was any question why there’s a teacher and education support staff shortage, there should not be one now.”

* WGEM…

[IEA President Al Llorens] said the other major issues causing people to forgo teaching is the tiered pension system.

Teachers hired before 2011 are in Tier 1. They can get their full pension by age 55 if they’ve worked for at least 35 years, or by age 60. Tier 2 teachers can’t get their full pension until they’re 67.

“It’s simply not fair to have folks working right next to folks that are doing the same job but getting a reduced pension benefit,” Llorens said.

He said two solutions are eliminating Tier 2, making all teachers Tier 1 employees, and the state increasing education funding.

Organized labor is involved in a big push to upgrade Tier 2 pensions to the old Tier 1 plan, which was dropped partly because of its cost and because the state hadn’t been making sufficient payments.

The governor was asked about this idea last spring. Click here to read his response.

  14 Comments      


Finally, a CTU fiscal proposal that doesn’t involve magic beans

Friday, Oct 11, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller

* This won’t solve the deficit problem, of course, but CPS needs all the help it can get, so maybe it should start helping itself…


* From the National Association of Social Workers, Illinois Chapter…

Today, the National Association of Social Workers, Illinois Chapter (NASW-IL), in partnership with the Chicago Teachers Union (CTU), calls for urgent action to address the mental health crisis affecting students in Chicago Public Schools (CPS). NASW-IL recently announced a workload based safe schools ratio that once again shows major deficiencies in how CPS addresses mental health in schools. This data driven approach backed by recent state Medicaid funding changes, would allow CPS to hire a workforce of school social workers adequate to meet the rising needs of its students. This proposal advocates for a workload-based staffing model that estimates CPS requires at least 2,031 school social workers to support students’ mental health, a number that could be conservative given the level of trauma experienced by Chicago’s youth.

An Urgent Mental Health Need in CPS

With a student population of over 300,000, CPS is facing critical challenges in providing adequate mental health support. Recent data shows that 1 in 5 students in the United States experiences a mental health disorder each year, and suicide is the second leading cause of death among youth aged 10-24. In Chicago, where students are disproportionately affected by trauma, the need for accessible mental health services is particularly acute.

Medicaid Funding Opportunity: A Path to Sustainable Mental Health Support

In 2023 (retro to 2021), to support student well-being, Illinois amended its Medicaid State Plan, allowing schools to bill Medicaid for services provided to eligible students. Given that the majority of CPS students are Medicaid-eligible, this new funding source offers CPS an immediate pathway to generate resources specifically designated for mental health services.

“Medicaid funding presents a transformative opportunity for CPS to bridge the gap in mental health support,” said Joel L. Rubin, Executive Director “By billing Medicaid for both general education and IEP students, CPS can secure the resources necessary to build a qualified team of social workers who can address the critical needs of our students.”

Chicago Public Schools was one of the first schools to be put into a Healthy Schools Campaign Cohort to provide free training, technical assistance and peer-learning opportunities to expand Medicaid billing, to date they have not implemented this option.

According to Latesha Newson, LCSW, NASW-IL Board President,” With the Illinois Medicaid plan amendment by Gov. Pritzker - CPS now has the mechanism to fund such a transformation that would promote healthy and thriving students, schools, and communities. Whether CPS is failing to capture one penny or millions it is unconscionable that CPS wouldn’t take every step to address the immense trauma our kids are facing.”

Key Highlights:

    • 2,031 school social workers were estimated to meet the current mental health needs in CPS, a number that may be conservative given Chicago’s unique challenges (compared the estimated 610 currently.)
    • Medicaid Billing Expansion: CPS can bill Medicaid for services provided to both general education and IEP students yet only bills for IEP services, complete billing would generate sizeable means to support the mental health workforce.
    • Long-Term Impact: More social workers mean better attendance, improved behavior, and academic gains, fostering a positive learning environment.

Call to Action

NASW-IL urges CPS leadership, policymakers, and community stakeholders to adopt this proposal and implement Medicaid billing immediately. Investing in a qualified team of social workers is an investment in the future of Chicago’s youth, ensuring every student has access to critical mental health resources.

  13 Comments      


Go read the rest

Friday, Oct 11, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Sam Stecklow at the Invisible Institute…

After lengthy delays, Illinois police regulators are one step closer to strengthening their ability to strip officers of their ability to work in law enforcement. The move aims to prevent officers who commit misconduct at one agency from simply moving on to another — a phenomenon sometimes called “wandering cops.”

Regulators with the Illinois Law Enforcement Training and Standards Board (ILETSB) released draft administrative rules earlier this month that will allow the agency to begin tackling hundreds of cases in which a police department, prosecutor’s office or member of the public has filed a complaint seeking to strip a police officer of their certification.

The regulations are the first step in implementing several provisions around police decertification included in the 2021 criminal justice reform SAFE-T Act. The process has been “stalled” for years, according to Impact for Equity, a Chicago-based law and policy nonprofit organization. […]

The proposed rules allow for “discretionary decertification” of officers, who were previously only subject to “automatic decertification” if they had been convicted of a felony or certain misdemeanors.

The rules would create a new Certification Review Panel of ILETSB, which would hear complaints about allegations against officers, such as excessive force, tampering with camera footage or other evidence, false statements, failure to intervene in another officer’s misconduct, or “other unprofessional or unethical conduct or practice harmful to the public.” The categories of misconduct are set out in the state statute but not the rules themselves.

Lots more, so go read the rest. The draft rules are here.

* Lake County News-Sun…

In late October, Gov. JB Pritzker stood in the event hall of the Illinois Beach Hotel to celebrate the completion of a $73 million Illinois Beach State Park shoreline restoration project.

He praised it as a “model” for the country. The breakwaters will save the beach from erosion, rejuvenate area communities and provide habitat for endangered species, the governor said.

But now, water-safety nonprofit Great Lakes Surf Rescue is sounding an alarm over a spate of drownings at the park over the summer, pointing to the recently installed breakwaters as the culprit and calling for improved safety measures. […]

Dave Benjamin is the co-founder of Great Lakes Surf Project, which tracks Great Lakes drowning statistics, provides water safety training and works to raise awareness about water safety. An advocate for water safety for well over a decade, he is critical of the breakwater project.

“You just spent $73 million to increase the water hazards for your beachgoers, and you didn’t do anything to protect the beachgoers,” he said.

Go read the rest.

* What’s being mostly lost in all this is that dipping into TIF money would once again be using one-time revenue to plug a long-term deficit…

Johnson responded by saying he’s ready to use TIF funds to provide revenue to CPS and help close the city’s own $982 million 2025 budget shortfall, but he did not commit to dipping into the accounts to the extent necessary to provide the roughly $485 million Martinez says is needed.

It’s unclear if Johnson supported the plan that the City Council would even approve it, according to members of the body.

To meet Martinez’s request, the city would have to delay or cancel projects in the pipeline to build infrastructure, support affordable housing developments and make capital improvements at the city’s schools and parks.

Putting one-time cash into the permanent spending base is mostly how CPS got itself in so much trouble. Anyway, go read the rest

* Sun-Times…

Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle is pitching a good news budget for next year: no layoffs, new taxes or tax hikes.

Her proposed $9.89 billion spending plan includes investments in generative artificial intelligence to help county workers do their jobs more efficiently — not to replace them — along with replenishing a fund to help communities helping migrants or hit hard by flooding, and putting solar panels on county facilities to ultimately lower energy costs and save the county money. […]

In her budget speech in the county’s downtown boardroom, Preckwinkle looked back at the beginning of her tenure in 2010 when the county faced a dire $500 million deficit, and what it took to get to where the county is today. Lots of planning, tough choices (including layoffs), thoughtful spending, and a clear long-term vision, she said.

“We avoid using one-time revenues for recurring expenses,” Preckwinkle said. “We don’t borrow more than we need. We don’t spend more than we have, and we don’t do quick fixes.”

Go read the rest.

  7 Comments      


As lawsuits and strike threats fly, Pritzker calls on Stellantis to live up to its commitments on Belvidere plant

Friday, Oct 11, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller

* August…

The United Auto Workers union says it is prepared to possibly strike after claiming Stellantis hasn’t kept its end of the bargain to reopen the idled Belvidere assembly plant.

In the UAW-Stellantis agreement last fall, the automaker said it would make a nearly $5 billion commitment to reopen the plant which was indefinitely idled in February 2023. […]

Under the contract, the union is able to strike once an issue goes through the grievance procedure.

A statement from the UAW shared the language of the grievance filed:

“The Company has informed the Union that it will not launch the Belvidere Consolidated Mopar Mega Hub in 2024, it will not begin stamping operations for the Belvidere Mega Hub in 2025 and it will not begin production of a midsize truck in Belvidere in 2027. The Company’s failure to plan for, fund and launch these programs constitute a violation of the U.S. Investment letter in the P&M and OC&E Collective Bargaining Agreements. During 2023 National Negotiations the parties agreed to the investment plan for Belvidere to address job security concerns impacting bargaining unit members throughout the entire system. The Company’s failure to honor its commitments in the U.S. Investment letter is a serious concern to all bargaining unit members.

* A few days ago…

Automaker Stellantis continued its counterpunch to the United Auto Workers union with eight more lawsuits filed on October 4 against the union and 23 of its local chapters. These follow a suit filed October 3 against UAW and the local representing Stellantis’ Los Angeles Parts Distribution Center, which voted to request strike authorization from the UAW’s International Executive Board.

Although the two sides completed a new labor agreement in 2023, the UAW claims the automaker is violating that contract. Stellantis is charging that the UAW is seeking to initiate an unlawful strike against the company. […]

The Jobs Bank was a project started by General Motors in the 1980s “and adopted by Ford and Chrysler due to pattern bargaining,” Stellantis explained. It guaranteed that UAW employees would be paid a majority of their potential hourly wages, even if their positions were suspended or eliminated. According to Stellantis, it “generally prohibited the Detroit automakers from laying off employees.”

“The company understands that this situation is extremely unsettling for its Belvidere employees, which is why it agreed during 2023 negotiations to place these employees on temporary layoffs, which provide 74% of pay and full healthcare benefits,” Stellantis stated. But it emphasized that it will not reestablish “contract provisions” that contributed to bankruptcy filings by both Chrysler Corp. and General Motors within recent memory.

More on the union’s jobs bank demand…

Kevin Gotinsky, the director of the union’s Stellantis Department, disputed the company’s framing of the situation.

“Stellantis is falsely comparing its commitments in our current contract to the jobs bank program from decades ago. The jobs bank program offered non-production work to members whose jobs had been outsourced,” Gotinsky said in a statement Monday. “If Stellantis lives up to its commitments and reopens Belvidere Assembly and builds the Belvidere parts megahub, our members will be back to work soon and the cost to the company will be minimal. These employees can and are willing to perform work today. That is all they want, to have a future and be able to provide for their families as agreed to in our contract.”  […]

“It is laughable that Stellantis claims our proposal to reopen Belvidere is ‘outrageous.’ In just the last nine weeks, Stellantis has p*ssed away $1 billion in stock buybacks for a total of $3 billion in stock buybacks this year.  Our proposal would cost a fraction of that and would go directly to the autoworkers who have built this company,” [UAW President Shawn Fain] said. 

* Sen. Bernie Sanders is in town today with Fain…

U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders will join United Auto Workers President Shawn Fain in Belvidere for a “Rally with the Working Class to End Trump’s NAFTA 2.0.”

The rally is scheduled at 10 a.m. Friday at the UAW Local 1268, 1100 W. Chrysler Drive in Belvidere.

* Gov. Pritzker issued this press release at 10 o’clock…

Today, Governor Pritzker issued the following statement:

“For over two years, the State of Illinois has offered its complete and full support so that the Stellantis plant in Belvidere can reopen as soon as possible and put our people back to work after Stellantis management chose to shut it down. Working families’ lives have been turned upside down and they deserve peace of mind.

Throughout labor negotiations, I maintained contact with auto workers, Stellantis executives, and UAW representatives to offer unprecedented state support for an agreement that would result in thousands of good, union jobs and billions in private investment. ​

Our Illinois workforce is second to none, and Stellantis knows it. With significant work and support from the state of Illinois, a historic national contract was signed that will restart the Belvidere plant. It is good for workers, good for the company, and good for Illinois. ​ Ensuring auto workers get back to work with higher wages, good benefits, and valuable opportunities in a growth industry remains one of my highest priorities. That’s why I call on Stellantis to live up to the commitments it made a year ago to Illinois workers. There is every opportunity to begin the restart at Belvidere, and there is no time to waste.”

  17 Comments      


Today’s quotable: George McCaskey

Friday, Oct 11, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Colleen Kane at the Tribune…

The Bears are confident in President/CEO Kevin Warren to break ground on a new stadium next year.

Warren said Wednesday the goal remains to begin construction on a $4.7 billion stadium project on Chicago’s lakefront at some point in 2025. When [Chairman George McCaskey] was asked whether he’s confident in that timeline, he said, “Yes. We’re confident in Kevin.”

But McCaskey acknowledged progress has to be made as the Bears seek public funding for nearly half of the project.

“There’s a veto session in November, there’s a lame-duck session in January and then there’s a spring session right after that,” McCaskey said. “So at some time in one of those sessions, we’re going to have to have some sort of enabling legislation to allow the project to move forward.”

Is “enabling legislation” a new way of saying “state government handout”?

  48 Comments      


Buried nugget and magic beans

Friday, Oct 11, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller

* The Sun-Times interviewed embattled CPS CEO Pedro Martinez. Scroll way down…

Both borrowing and TIFs would be one-time band-aids. That’s why the mayor and CPS say they are looking to Springfield for more long-term sustainable solutions.

The CTU blamed Martinez for not going downstate earlier in the spring to lobby for more funding for CPS.

Martinez on Wednesday said the city was too focused on other issues, such as a few CPS-related bills on an elected school board, school cops and selective enrollment programs.

He added that officials from Gov. JB Pritzker’s office told Martinez and Board of Education President Jianan Shi in a “heated” meeting in May that CPS and the city didn’t appear aligned on funding as their top legislative goal.

The current strife doesn’t help CPS make its case. But Martinez said he’d like to go down earlier in the spring session and make funding the top priority.

The mayor never asked the governor or legislative leaders for additional CPS funding, even though he was saying publicly that the state “owes” CPS $1.1 billion (which isn’t true). Instead, he was more focused on a new stadium for the Bears and some other issues.

* And now for the magic beans, via WTTW…

Before Martinez publicly called for TIF funds to be used to balance CPS’ budget, CTU leaders called for all funds now set aside in TIF districts to be returned to taxing agencies, which would allow CPS officials to balance the district’s budget.

That would likely violate state law and upend Johnson’s already approved plan to phase out the city’s decades-long reliance on TIFs and use those funds for a wide-ranging slate of projects designed to expand the supply of affordable homes and good-paying jobs.

  33 Comments      


Open thread

Friday, Oct 11, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Isabel is still off today. Talk amongst yourselves.

  1 Comment      


Protected: SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - Supplement to today’s edition and some campaign stuff

Friday, Oct 11, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller

This post is password protected. To view it please enter your password below:

  Comments Off      


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

Friday, Oct 11, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller

This post is password protected. To view it please enter your password below:

  Comments Off      


Live coverage

Friday, Oct 11, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller

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

  Comments Off      


Selected press releases (Live updates)

Friday, Oct 11, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller

  Comments Off      


Caption contest!

Thursday, Oct 10, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller

* I had to give a speech today, which took me out of the office for a couple of hours. Isabel is still under the weather, so I have pretty much nothing for you. Sorry about that. But here’s a pic from 20 years ago at the Illinois State Fair. That’s me on the left and Isabel on the right…

Photo credit: Devin Miller.

  34 Comments      


Madigan/McClain trial coverage roundup

Thursday, Oct 10, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Click here to follow along in real time. CBS 2…

Both Madigan and McClain were in court Wednesday during jury selection, where attorneys made a small dent in questioning around 180 potential jurors.

U.S. District Judge John Robert Blakey warned that attorneys would have to adjust their timelines if questioning continued at such a slow rate.

Some questions potential jurors were asked included:

    • Whether they feel like there’s an issue with the political system in Illinois.
    • Whether they feel that lobbying is a bad thing.
    • Whether they feel politicians shouldn’t mix business and politics.
    • Whether they could consider the evidence regardless of their personal feelings about the Democratic Party in Illinois?

How would you answer those questions?

* Related…

    * Questioning or juror panel continues in Madigan corruption trial as both sides seek to weed out bias: U.S. District Judge John Robert Blakey has given the parties wide leeway in their questioning and said he will not put a time limit on the process. But before taking a mid-morning break, he told the lawyers that at their current pace, they will not get to opening statements until the week after next, which will extend the trial beyond the 10 weeks originally scheduled. “I am not going to rush you guys at all. I’m not,” Blakey said. “It’s an important process, and it’s going to take as long as it needs to take. But if the trial is going to be 11 weeks, we need to let the jurors know that.”

    * Michael Madigan meets a few of the people who could decide his fate — just 3 jurors chosen: Two men and one woman were the first to be chosen as jurors in the racketeering conspiracy trial of former Illinois House Speaker Michael J. Madigan on Wednesday, launching a selection process that got off to a slow start. One is an educator. Another works for Amazon. And the third says he works in insurance. Now, they’ll help decide the fate of one of the most powerful politicians in Illinois history. That man, Madigan, spent the day listening to lawyers interview potential jurors, including one person who said Madigan had a reputation for “doing things his way” and for being involved in “shady dealings.” He was excused from the panel.

    * Three jurors selected so far to hear evidence in Madigan corruption trial: McClain, who had not been to the courthouse since his conviction in May 2023 in the related “ComEd Four” bribery case, sat at a table behind Madigan for most of the proceedings. The two longtime friends only seemed to acknowledge each other once in the courtroom, when, after a break, Madigan could be seen offering a half-wave, which McClain returned with a smile. … The third person selected, Juror 16, said flat-out he did not want to participate, but he was selected anyway. An insurance underwriter with three school-age kids, he grew up in the 19th Ward and said he knows Ald. Matt O’Shea but is not particularly political. He said he most recently went to O’Shea’s office for a block party permit. Asked if it was successful, the juror replied, “It was a good party.”

    * Several jurors chosen, but process slow-going in Mike Madigan corruption trial jury selection: “An impartial jury is always difficult in a case like this because everybody is going to have heard about the case. Anyone who says they haven’t heard about the case is probably lying. Anyone who said they haven’t heard about at least Michael Madigan is probably lying,” criminal defense attorney Steve Greenberg said. “You want to endear yourself to the jurors. So, both sides are going to be talking to them. They’re going to want to be likable. They’re going to use some humor when they’re asking questions. They’re going to try and relate to the jurors.”

  15 Comments      


Group says Clerk Martinez Tribune op-ed has ‘fundamental and incurable flaws’

Thursday, Oct 10, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller

* What follows are excerpts from a Tribune op-ed by Cook County Circuit Clerk Iris Martinez along with excerpts of a rebuttal I requested from the Illinois Network for Pretrial Justice…

• Cook County Circuit Clerk Iris Martinez: In the first 50 weeks of the PFA, out of 90,872 cases, defendants missed court 67,416 times. This includes defendants charged with violent felonies.

    • Illinois Network for Pretrial Justice: The Circuit Clerk also claims “defendants missed court 67,416 times” in “the first 50 weeks” after the law changed, but she does not indicate any source for these numbers, define what she considered to be “missing court,” or clarify how many of these cases were already pending when the law changed and thus were initiated under the money bond system. In contrast, the Cook County Circuit Court’s September 28, 2024 Pretrial Fairness Act Weekly Dashboard (encompassing three additional weeks of data) indicates only 65,298 criminal cases have been filed since the law went into effect. The transparently absurd claim that more court dates have been missed than cases have been filed raises serious concerns that Martinez’s numbers have fundamental and incurable flaws.

• Martinez: There are currently 31,393 active warrants for arrest in Cook County; they include cases before the PFA.

    • Illinois Network for Pretrial Justice: First, because the Circuit Clerk refuses to provide data to either reporters or other court stakeholders, it is unclear what universe of cases she is considering or what she is labeling as a “failure to appear.” As the Chief Judge’s initial letter in response points out, the circuit clerk “did not provide clear parameters,” making it nearly impossible to understand—much less dispute—her claims.

    For example, Martinez points to 31,393 felony cases that have open warrants, but the vast majority of these warrants predate the Pretrial Fairness Act and were issued under the money bond system. This is not an analysis of behavior under the Pretrial Fairness Act but instead an attempt to wrongly assign blame for tens of thousands of warrants issued under the money bond system to the Pretrial Fairness Act by obscuring when those warrants were issued.

There’s more, so click here for the full Martinez op-ed and click here for the full Illinois Network for Pretrial Justice response.

* Also, the Sun-Times ran a story on this topic last month. Excerpt…

But in response to questions on Wednesday, Martinez declined to discuss her office’s methodology or explain how it reached some of the figures cited in the letter. For example, the total number of cases during the period Martinez cited was 30,000 higher than those released by Chief Judge Timothy Evans’ office.

A spokesperson for the clerk’s office acknowledged its analysis included all active warrants in Cook County in its calculations, including warrants filed years before cash bail was abolished.

  19 Comments      


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

Thursday, Oct 10, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller

This post is password protected. To view it please enter your password below:

  Comments Off      


The Importance Of Energy Storage

Thursday, Oct 10, 2024 - Posted by Advertising Department

[The following is a paid advertisement.]

Recent polling shows 72% of Illinoisans support incentives for energy storage, and a majority of Illinoisans would be likely to for a candidate that supports building more energy storage in the state.

But it’s not just popular. It’s urgent — Building more storage today is the best way to save Illinois families and businesses from rapidly rising energy costs. By guaranteeing a backup of affordable energy at times when heat waves, storms, or cold snaps threaten
the grid, storage is the key to affordable, reliable energy independence.

Save families money and make energy more reliable. With energy costs set to rise, we need energy storage now. Learn more about energy storage and outstanding bills about it here.

  Comments Off      


Question of the day

Thursday, Oct 10, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller

* I used to hang out in Miami Beach during the coldest months and occasionally in the spring, but as I got older I realized that the Fort Myers Beach/Naples area was more my speed. Since then, I’ve spent a lot of time in southwest Florida and have run into a ton of people I know or who know me. I also have quite a few friends and family in that part of the world. The area is just loaded with Illinois snowbirds and transplants (and subscribers and blog and column readers).

* The Question: Do you have friends and family in southwest Florida, and how are they doing after two successive hurricanes?

  49 Comments      


A look at the state law behind the latest city council threat

Thursday, Oct 10, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller

* From a few days ago…

Can the City Council force the mayor or his administration to show up for a hearing?

No. The City Council lacks subpoena power and would simply be requesting the mayor or his administration show up.

“We just don’t have that direct subpoena power like, say, Congress or the New York City Council does,” [Ald. Scott Waguespack] said. “So we really just have to ask and hope that they show up. My guess is that they would not.”

* Turns out, Wags was partly wrong…


65 ILCS 5/10-4-4…

In municipalities of more than 500,000, the corporate authorities may investigate the enforcement of the municipal ordinances, rules and regulations, and the action, conduct and efficiency of all officers, agents and employees of the municipality. In the conduct of such investigations the corporate authorities may hold public hearings. Each member of the corporate authorities shall have power to administer oaths, and the clerk of the municipality, by order of the corporate authorities, shall issue subpoenas to secure the attendance and testimony of witnesses and the production of books and papers relevant to such investigations and to any hearing before the corporate authorities or any member thereof.

Any circuit court of this state upon application of the corporate authorities, or any member thereof, may in its discretion compel the attendance of witnesses, the production of books and papers, and the giving of testimony before the corporate authorities or any member thereof, by attachment for contempt or otherwise in the same manner as the production of evidence may be compelled before the court.

In other words, state law gives the city council the power to investigate “officers, agents and employees” of the City of Chicago. School board members and appointees are not city officers, agents and employees. But, if the council officially investigates someone at the city connected to this mess, it could then conceivably subpoena the current and future CPS board members as witnesses.

I kinda doubt they’ll go through with it, but expect a court challenge if they do.

  13 Comments      


Showcasing The Retailers Who Make Illinois Work

Thursday, Oct 10, 2024 - Posted by Advertising Department

[The following is a paid advertisement.]

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

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

  Comments Off      


Open thread

Thursday, Oct 10, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Isabel is taking another day off due to illness. What’s going on by you?

  7 Comments      


Live coverage

Thursday, Oct 10, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller

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

  Comments Off      


Selected press releases (Live updates)

Thursday, Oct 10, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller

  Comments Off      


Afternoon roundup

Wednesday, Oct 9, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Bond Buyer…

Illinois’ bonds are underappreciated, Wells Fargo Head of Municipal Markets Strategy Vikram Rai said Monday as he released a report on the state titled, “Why Illinois Beckons.”

“All the negative news was drowning out all the positive news and the positive developments about Illinois’ improving story,” Rai said during Monday’s municipal market weekly call, noting that Illinois, the sixth largest U.S. state by population, has a larger gross domestic product than Saudi Arabia.

While Rai acknowledged that the biggest credit challenge Illinois faces involves its long-term liability burden, he argued in the call and in the report that the state is on the upswing.

* Tribune…

It could be months before Deerfield-based Baxter International is able to fully ramp back up its supplies of IV fluids, after its largest manufacturing plant was damaged by Hurricane Helene, Baxter said Wednesday – something that could have serious implications for hospitals.

The hurricane last month led to flooding at Baxter’s North Cove plant, in Marion, N.C., forcing the company to temporarily shut down the facility. That plant was the largest manufacturer of intravenous and peritoneal dialysis solutions in the U.S. Intravenous solutions are used in hospitals and other care settings to deliver medication, keep patients hydrated and/or address electrolyte imbalances.

Baxter said in a statement Wednesday that its goal is to return to 90% to 100% allocation of certain IV solutions by the end of 2024, by re-starting the plant in phases and by importing products from other Baxter facilities.

For now, Baxter is limiting how much customers can order based on their past purchases, medical necessity and inventory, allowing them 60% of what they normally get. Baxter is also ramping up production of the products at its plants outside of the U.S. to help fill the need.

Related news about a Springfield hospital is here.

* WSIL…

Lt. Governor Juliana Stratton will embark on a three-day tour of Southern and Central Illinois from October 9-11, 2024.

She will make stops in Bloomington, Springfield, Murphysboro, Carbondale, Metropolis, Marion, Herrin, and Vienna.

The trip is to demonstrate the Lt. Governor’s commitment to uplifting communities across the state, driven by her role as Chair of the Governor’s Rural Affairs Council.

The tour will highlight economic initiatives, celebrate historical landmarks, and engage with local leaders and residents.

*** Statewide ***

* WGLT | Illinois physicians, public health officials launch ‘Adults Need Vaccines Too’ campaign: The campaign, launched by the Illinois Academy of Family Physicians (IAFP) and the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH), comes amid low vaccination rates. The vaccine rate among adults currently aims for a 70% goal.

* Nextstar | Illinois to replace diesel buses with new electric models: The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA) is making $27 million of funding available for cities to replace diesel public transit buses with all-new electric models. According to the IEPA, the grant will cover 75% of the cost of an electric bus and charging infrastructure, with a minimum award of $300,000 to government and transit agencies that apply.

* CNI | Advocates seek support for drug price control board: Citizen Action/Illinois, along with other groups, convened a town hall meeting in Rockford Tuesday – the fifth in a series of such meetings the group has held since last spring – to push for passage of House Bill 4472, which would establish a Health Care Availability and Access Board. That five-member board, appointed by the governor, would have authority to set caps on the prices paid by both insurance plans and consumers for certain high-cost drugs.

* Sun-Times | Illinois Secretary of State’s office revokes 5 ‘Oct. 7′ license plates: State officials say the controversial plates were yanked after being deemed “hate speech or fighting words,” but civil libertarians say the decision raises constitutional questions about suppressing political expression.

*** Chicago ***

* Tribune | Mayor Johnson drops ShotSpotter veto plan, political brawl over police tool continues: South Side Ald. Jeanette Taylor, 20th, was absent for the September vote. She told the Tribune earlier this week she planned to vote against the mayor in a bid to keep acoustic gunshot technology in Chicago. Taylor doing so would likely mean 34 votes in favor of it, the minimum needed to override Johnson’s veto.

* Block Club | South Side Officials Raise $2.5 Million In Effort To Keep ShotSpotter In Chicago: Community leaders including Ald. Stephanie Coleman (16th), Ald. Peter Chico (10th), St. Sabina’s Father Michael Pfleger and former Chicago Public Schools CEO Arne Duncan joined Ald. David Moore (17th) at City Hall Tuesday morning to demand the city continue to use ShotSpotter to “save lives.” ShotSpotter, which uses a network of sensors to detect and report the sound of gunshots, began to be phased out in late September. Mayor Brandon Johnson, who fulfilled a campaign to discontinue the service, has since announced a “request for information” for companies interested in replacing the first responder technology.

* Sun-Times | Johnson cancels 2 months of police academy classes, orders layoff lists to cut $75M: At an emergency Cabinet meeting Tuesday, Chief Operating Officer John Roberson ordered other department heads to identify personnel cuts and to submit their proposals by Friday. The goal is to find $75 million more in savings in 2025.

* WBEZ | An international chess tournament got underway this morning in the Cook County jail: In a room of the Chicago jailhouse - walls were covered in flags representing other nations – like Mexico, Switzerland and Brazil. The tournament is only for people behind bars.

*** Cook County and Suburbs ***

* Daily Southtown | Thornton Township trustees cite safety concerns in skipping meeting, Trustee Jerry Jones resigns: Township official and close Henyard ally Keith Price, who Henyard said was tasked with bolstering security at the Township Hall, shot back with claims he offered to install metal detectors and criticized trustees for insisting the board meet downstairs instead of upstairs, where Henyard feels more safe. “Many of you remember the supervisor had concerns about safety because it was a lot of attacks on her,” Price said. “The board would not comply.”

* Crain’s | Cook County tax collections tumble to a 10-year low: Cook County’s tax collection rate fell to its lowest level in more than a decade as south suburban property owners felt the strain of record-high increases and a tight turnaround between tax bills. The county collected 95.1% of property taxes billed for tax year 2023 as of Sept. 1, a month after bills were due, down about 1.3 percentage points from the same period for the previous year and making for the highest delinquency since 2012, according to an analysis from the office of Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas. Read the full analysis here.

*** Downstate ***

* WBEZ | In the wake of Sonya Massey’s death, Springfield will test a new way to handle mental health calls: Now, change is coming to the state capital. Sangamon County will be one of the first in Illinois to pilot a statewide plan to send clinicians to mental health crises instead of police. However, even proponents of the change aren’t sure it would have prevented what happened to Massey, raising questions about how best to work with people in the midst of mental health emergencies.

* SJ-R | ‘It should have surfaced.’ Debate over allegation against sheriff’s husband boils over: Speakers at Tuesday’s Sangamon County Board meeting and a board member himself reiterated concerns that an allegation of unwanted physical contact against the husband of current Sangamon County Sheriff Paula Crouch wasn’t brought to the public’s attention during a background search last month. Board chairman Andy Van Meter said the investigation of battery against Robert S. Crouch Jr., now the Riverton Police Chief, wasn’t relevant to the determination of Paula Crouch’s fitness for office.

* Effingham Daily News | Effingham considers ban on camping on public property: The ordinance would prohibit people from sleeping or camping on publicly owned property. It would also prohibit people from sleeping in their car for more than two hours between the hours of midnight and 6 a.m. without prior permission from the city. … The first violation would trigger a $75 fine. Six or more violations in a 24-month period would result in a fine of $750 or incarceration, according to the proposal.

* WCIA | Douglas Co. board suspends animal shelter manager indefinitely: The Douglas County Board made the decision at their meeting Tuesday afternoon and was unwilling to confirm an exact reason for the disciplinary action at this point. The board told the manager, Spencer Hall, she’s being suspended with pay indefinitely. She is one of just two employees working at the animal shelter. Last week, she criticized the Douglas County State Attorney’s decision to temporarily resolve a Murdoch dog-abuse case, which resulted in the owner taking back four of the seized dogs from the shelter.

* SJ-R | New business brings locally, organically grown groceries right to your door: The Farms Of Illinois is a supply chain delivery system launched by farmer and entrepreneur Clint Bland, whose goal is to bring organic produce to your door without skimping on farmer’s livelihood. “I’m taking a different approach here and trying to promote each of these businesses and keeping their name,” Bland said. “Twin Willows processes their pork, and the farms sell Twin Willows pork. It has their farm name on it and it’s more of a promotion, that’s why I call it an alliance.”

* WCIA | U of I alum, Hot Ones host Sean Evans to sound siren against Purdue: Sean Evans, host of the Emmy-nominated YouTube series Hot Ones, will be sounding the air raid siren before kickoff at Memorial Stadium. An Illinois alum, Evans graduated in 2008 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in broadcast journalism.

Isabel gathered several of these stories.

  10 Comments      


Since my name was used in the debate…

Wednesday, Oct 9, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Ald. Byron Sigcho-Lopez and Caise D. Hassan writing in the Tribune…

State funding for CPS has decreased as a share of total funding. According to Chalkbeat Chicago, CPS’ share of funding from Illinois, based on the state’s evidence-based funding (EBF) formula, dropped from 24% to 21%. Even government watchdog Rich Miller, in an article critical of Johnson, estimates CPS should receive under the EBF law $503 million of the withheld funds.

Way to twist my words there, folks. I never said CPS “should” receive that money. Also, zero state funds are being “withheld.” That’s just a ridiculous thing to say.

* But first, let’s go to the Chalkbeat article…

Chicago gets about 21% of the funding distributed through the state’s evidence-based formula — which allocates money to districts based on their students’ needs — but serves about 18% of Illinois’ students, said State Superintendent Tony Sanders.

“I think it’s important to note that we still have districts that are below what Chicago was funded,” Sanders said.

Data show 49 Illinois districts are still below 70% adequately funded, compared to 72 districts last year and 430 districts in 2018, right after the state’s funding formula was revamped. Chicago is considered 79% adequately funded. […]

CPS’s budget includes a total of $2.6 billion in state funding.

CPS is getting a slightly lower percentage of EBF money because the district moved up a tier on its adequate funding levels. That’s actually good news.

* Now, from my column…

According to the Illinois State Board of Education, if the state had decided last fiscal year to just all of a sudden abandon the funding “ramp” and immediately reach 90% adequacy, the total state cost would’ve been $2.5 billion.

Of that $2.5 billion, the ISBE says, Chicago would’ve received $503 million, less than half the $1.1 billion that Mayor Johnson claims the state owes.

So, where does the $1.1 billion number come from? According to the state board, that amount would’ve been owed to Chicago last fiscal year if the state immediately funded schools at 100% of their adequacy levels. However, the board points out that 100% funding is not in state law, despite what the mayor is saying.

Again, that $505 million for CPS would require an immediate outlay of $2.5 billion for all schools. And that’s base spending, not one-time.

* Back to the op-ed…

Gov. JB Pritzker, who sent his children to private schools in Chicago, rejected Johnson’s request that Springfield release $1.1 billion in funds earmarked for CPS. Pritzker smacked CPS from the bully pulpit, saying that the General Assembly should not throw more money at a financial mess — a mess his wealthy circle, as we shall argue, created.

That’s not what he said, but whatever. He can defend himself. But they blast a guy for sending his kids to private school while the president of the Chicago Teachers Union has a kid in private school? Puh-leaze.

* Again, to the op-ed…

Pritzker and former Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s billionaire peers on Wall Street dug this huge hole in CPS’ finances. These bankers introduced “toxic swaps” and other outrageous debt instruments to CPS as an alternative method of funding to traditional municipal bonds. These ended up costing Chicagoans billions more in interest than the traditional offerings.

I can think of a very uncharitable way to read their little “analysis,” especially considering some of the alderperson’s past statements, but I won’t go there.

* One more excerpt…

Pritzker should collaborate with Johnson, the General Assembly and the new school board to improve our schools. The rhetoric about taking over CPS is unproductive and beyond the state’s authority.

Literally nobody is talking about a state take-over of CPS.

* From the Pritzker administration…

Governor Pritzker shares the belief that a well funded public school system is critical to the success of our state. That’s why, to date, his administration has increased funding for CPS by 14%. That number jumps to 16.6% when accounting for estimated FY25 investments. Overall, during that time, the administration has increased funding for EBF by $1.8 billion. We look forward to further discussions next Spring when, in partnership with the General Assembly, Governor Pritzker will continue to make responsible decisions, investment in public schools across the state, and balance our seventh straight budget.

  21 Comments      


Question of the day

Wednesday, Oct 9, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller

* The jury selection process continues in the federal corruption trial of former House Speaker Michael Madigan. Click here to follow along, but here’s a fun little quote…


* The Question: What would you ask the potential Madigan jurors to find out if they will be neutral? Explain if necessary, snark is not discouraged.

  46 Comments      


Rockford’s new permanent casino posts big numbers

Wednesday, Oct 9, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Nexstar Media…

Hard Rock Casino Rockford brought in the 2nd highest casino gambling revenue of any casino operating in Illinois, according to the Illinois Gaming Board.

In September 2024, Hard Rock Casino Rockford brought in $13,717,722 in revenue. Of that, $3 million is allocated to the state, and $843,040 to Rockford and the surrounding cities.

That makes Rockford’s casino the second largest in revenue in the state, behind the Rivers Casino Des Planes, which brought in $41.5 million in September. […]

On Monday, Rockford City Council voted on a one-year contract to use the casino tax revenue to support Rockford Promise college scholarships, the planned International Women’s Baseball Museum, and the economic development of high-risk neighborhoods. The beneficiaries could change each year when the contracts expire.

* Meanwhile, let’s move on to Hannah Meisel…

Illinois surpassed $2 billion in tax revenue last year from all types of gambling and the state lottery – a record bolstered by continued growth in video gambling, sports betting and the opening of several new casinos.

But that growth comes at the expense of Illinois’ traditional riverboat casinos and the horse racing industry, which has been on a downward trajectory for decades.

An annual report published last week by the General Assembly’s fiscal forecasting arm laid out the state’s record nearly $2.1 billion in revenues, nearly half of which was earmarked for infrastructure projects, while most of the remainder went to education.

While the Illinois Lottery continues to make up a significant portion of the state’s wagering revenues, it might soon be eclipsed by Illinois’ ever-growing video gambling industry. In the last fiscal year, the lottery netted $886 million in state tax revenue while video gambling’s state taxes climbed to $848 million. […]

COGFA’s report indicates overall casino revenue growth is mainly due to the success of Rivers Casino in Des Plaines and the opening of five new casinos statewide in the past few years. A sixth, in Chicago’s south suburbs, is slated to open later this fall.

Illinois’ nine riverboat legacy casinos, most of which have been running for about three decades, have seen their revenues decline “for nine consecutive years,” according to the report. Visits to casinos in East St. Louis, East Peoria and Joliet’s Harrah’s Casino have seen significant drop-off.

Go read the rest. COGFA’s report is here.

  7 Comments      


Today’s quotable

Wednesday, Oct 9, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Brad Biggs…

Bears President and CEO Kevin Warren says his focus for a new stadium project remains on the Museum Campus in Chicago, with a goal of breaking ground on construction in 2025. […]

Warren said he remains optimistic even as the Bears have struggled to gain traction for public money to get the project rolling.

“Me worn down?” he said. “Never. These stadium projects … that’s why you do them once every 30, 40, 50 years. I’m actually energized by it because anything that is great in life, anything that lasts 50 years, takes a lot of energy and effort.

Biggs goes on to note that the last stadium project for the Bears was completed a mere 21 years ago.

  28 Comments      


End of an era

Wednesday, Oct 9, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller

* SJ-R…

Yelloh, formerly known as Schwan’s Home Delivery, announced last month it’s closing its delivery service this November. The company cited multiple insurmountable business challenges for the decision, including economic and market forces, as well as changing consumer lifestyles.

In a Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification, or WARN act, filed to the state of Illinois on Sept. 30 by parent group Cygnus Home Service, LLC, 119 Illinoisians will be affected across the state from the layoff. The final day of work for employees will be Nov. 22 of this year. […]

Founded in 1952, the Minnesota-based frozen food delivery giant has grown to nationwide size as a leader of the country’s largest fleet of yellow freezer trucks. The business operates as a direct-to-consumer frozen food service, with 1,100 employees nationwide. The company changed its name from Schwan’s to Yelloh in 2023 after their yellow-colored vehicles.

Yelloh Board Member Micahel Ziebell said in a statement the food supply chain disruption during the pandemic affected the business, alongside other challenges to maintain operation in a digital landscape.

I grew up eating Schwan’s. My Uncle Bill was a Schwan’s driver. We lived in rural Iroquois County, so deliveries were always appreciated. Plus, its butter brickle ice cream was heaven. Seriously. Heaven.

Several years ago, I saw a Schwan’s truck go by and chased the driver down and got a menu. It wasn’t good. Lots of meh frozen food and no butter brickle. I didn’t realize that they’d since upgraded their menu, or I would’ve given them another go.

Anyway, just a little story about a very unique part of rural Illinois life that is now gone.

  32 Comments      


Astonishing results from Illinois Supreme Court commision study on lawyer bullying

Wednesday, Oct 9, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller

* WCIA…

On Oct. 1, the Illinois Supreme Court Commission on Professionalism released a study on the impact of bullying in the Illinois legal profession. With over 6,000 Illinois lawyers as respondents, they’re using the data to raise awareness for National Bullying Prevention Month. […]

18% of survey respondents said they left a job practicing law because of bullying. That means almost 10,000 attorneys currently practicing in Illinois have left a career opportunity for this reason alone.

Overall, the responses found that while bullying impacts lawyers from all backgrounds, it disproportionately affects female attorneys, attorneys with disabilities, attorneys of color, younger attorneys and LGBTQ+ attorneys.

* From the press release…

The study found lawyers from groups traditionally underrepresented in the legal profession experienced bullying at higher rates:

    • 38% of female lawyers were bullied, compared to 15% of male lawyers
    • 38% of lawyers with an impairment that substantially limits a major life activity were bullied, compared to 23% of lawyers without that level of disability
    • 29% of LGBTQ+ lawyers were verbally bullied related to their sexual orientation, compared to 3% of heterosexual lawyers

In breaking down experiences of bullying by race:

    • 36% of Middle Eastern/North African lawyers were bullied
    • 35% of Black/African American lawyers were bullied
    • 34% of Hispanic lawyers were bullied
    • 32% of multiracial lawyers were bullied
    • 28% of Asian American lawyers were bullied
    • 23% of white lawyers were bullied

In addition, younger attorneys were more likely to experience bullying, with the probability of being bullied decreasing for each increasingly older group of lawyers. Thirty-nine percent of lawyers aged 25 to 35 were bullied, compared to 12% of lawyers aged 66 to 75.

That’s all just insane. Forget about the differences between categories for a moment and just think of the crazy number of attorneys who said they’ve been bullied.

* More…

The report outlines recommendations that workplaces, bar associations, law schools, government organizations, and others can take to help prevent bullying in the legal profession.

These include:

    • Legal workplaces should develop, implement, and enforce anti-bullying policies. These policies should clearly define bullying, detail concrete and meaningful remedial actions for engaging in bullying (including mandatory training, reprimand, demotion, termination, or other consequences), outline the process for reporting bullying, require an investigation of the allegations and documentation of the results, and prohibit retaliation for reporting. Existing anti-harassment policies that only prohibit harassment based on a protected class are insufficient.
    • Legal workplaces should conduct training specific to their organization’s anti-bullying policies and procedures to equip lawyers with tools to respond, whether they are being targeted by bullying or witnessing it.
    • Law schools should also offer educational programs and training to law students on bullying prevention.
    • Courts should enforce anti-bullying standards in courtrooms and litigation activities.
    • The Illinois Attorney Registration and Disciplinary Commission (ARDC) should continue to review the bullying complaints it receives and, when such complaints show bullying behavior that violates the Illinois Rules of Professional Conduct, recommend appropriate remediation or disciplinary measures to send a strong message against the bullying.
    • Bar associations should use their resources and reach to advance programs that educate members on the prevalence and impact of bullying in the legal profession.
    • Lawyers being bullied should respond in the way they feel best safeguards their rights, well-being, and career.

The full report is here.

  37 Comments      


The Importance Of Energy Storage

Wednesday, Oct 9, 2024 - Posted by Advertising Department

[The following is a paid advertisement.]

Recent polling shows 72% of Illinoisans support incentives for energy storage, and a majority of Illinoisans would be likely to for a candidate that supports building more energy storage in the state.

But it’s not just popular. It’s urgent — Building more storage today is the best way to save Illinois families and businesses from rapidly rising energy costs. By guaranteeing a backup of affordable energy at times when heat waves, storms, or cold snaps threaten
the grid, storage is the key to affordable, reliable energy independence.

Save families money and make energy more reliable. With energy costs set to rise, we need energy storage now. Learn more about energy storage and outstanding bills about it here.

  Comments Off      


Open thread

Wednesday, Oct 9, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller

* I asked Isabel to take the morning off because she’s not feeling well. So, talk amongst yourselves, but keep it Illinois-centric, please.

  5 Comments      


Protected: SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - Supplement to today’s edition

Wednesday, Oct 9, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller

This post is password protected. To view it please enter your password below:

  Comments Off      


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

Wednesday, Oct 9, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller

This post is password protected. To view it please enter your password below:

  Comments Off      


Live coverage

Wednesday, Oct 9, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller

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

  Comments Off      


Selected press releases (Live updates)

Wednesday, Oct 9, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller

  Comments Off      


Isabel’s afternoon roundup

Tuesday, Oct 8, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller

* Peoria Journal Star…

American Water, the national utility that includes a division in Illinois, said Monday that it would be suspending billing for the foreseeable future after a cybersecurity breach that caused it to shut down its online customer portals.

The company said that on Oct. 3, it found unauthorized activity in its computer systems. Later investigation revealed the breach, which forced it to shut down MyWater, which serves as a customer portal to pay bills and answer customer service questions. […]

The company did confirm that the incident had no impact on its water or wastewater facilities, with those centers remaining fully operational. In addition, it reassured customers that their water was still safe to drink.

American Water serves 14 million across 24 states, including Illinois. Illinois American Water has operations in 148 communities across the state, including Peoria, Pekin and Lincoln.

* Time’s a ticking…


*** Statehouse News ***

* WCIA | Central IL statehouse race focuses on economic development, revitalization of district: The race for the 104th Illinois House District is starting from an interesting position. Republican State Representative Brandun Schweizer is the incumbent for the seat, but he’s only held it for less than a year. Schweizer’s lack of time to establish himself as an incumbent means this race is much more similar to a race for an open seat. Schweizer was appointed to the seat after former Rep. Mike Marron abruptly retired last year. The 21-year-veteran of the Marine Corps is the latest in a line of Republicans who held the seat, which includes Vermilion County and parts of Champaign County outside of the Champaign-Urbana Community.

*** Chicago ***


* Block Club | Midway Armory Can’t Become Police Station, City Says — But Southwest Siders Aren’t Giving Up: “I think what the Mayor’s Office has attempted to do through the ordinance is to try to rewrite state law,” said Ald. Marty Quinn (13th), one of the alderpeople pushing for a new police district. A rally will be held 11 a.m. Saturday outside the Midway Armory to show support for a new police district. The rally is organized by Alds. Marty Quinn (13th), Jeylu Gutierrez (14th), Raymond Lopez (15th), Stephanie Coleman (16th), David Moore (17th), Derrick Curtis (18th), Mike Rodriguez (22nd) and Silvana Tabares (23rd), state Sen. Mike Porfirio and state Rep. Angie Guerrero-Cuellar.

* Block Club | Englewood Fire Station Left Without A Truck Because City Has No Available Spares: The Englewood fire station at 7101 S. Parnell Ave. has been operating without a truck since Saturday, said Patrick Cleary, Chicago Firefighters Union Local 2 president. The truck’s brakes went out, and when a crew from the firehouse brought it to the Fire Department’s “shop” where spare trucks are stored, they were told the city did not have any available trucks, Cleary said.

* Block Club | Family Of Man Who Died After Riot Fest Raising Money For Services — And Seeking Answers: Stephen Shult, 58, died Thursday from complications of injuries suffered Sept. 22 at Riot Fest in Douglass Park, according to his family and the Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office. The fundraiser to help pay for Shult’s funeral and burial services has raised over $7,000 as of Monday evening as the local music festival community grapples with his death. To make a donation, click here.

* ESPN | DePaul women’s coach Doug Bruno on medical leave indefinitely: CHICAGO — DePaul women’s basketball coach Doug Bruno will be away from the team indefinitely after he suffered a medical incident last month, the school announced Monday. Bruno, 73, is at home recovering and will return to the team when he’s able. Associate head coach Jill M. Pizzotti has assumed the role of interim.

*** Cook County and Suburbs ***

* Injustice Watch | Check your judges: Judges are powerful officials whose choices on the bench touch many aspects of our lives, from traffic tickets to divorces, lawsuits, evictions, and criminal cases. They can take or restore someone’s freedom, enforce or overturn state laws, and perpetuate or correct injustices. That’s why Injustice Watch created this guide to Cook County’s judicial elections on Nov. 5, 2024. This year, 75 circuit court judges and two appellate judges are running for reelection in Cook County. Voters will be asked whether each judge should be retained for another term. A judge must receive 60% “yes” votes to keep their seat.

* Daily Southtown | Dolton Mayor Tiffany Henyard tries to make key appointments previously blocked by judge: Dolton Mayor Tiffany Henyard tried to make appointments to posts including police chief that were recently blocked by a judge, and was mocked and ridiculed by residents during her short visit to a trustee-called meeting Monday night. Henyard arrived an hour after the trustees meeting began and tried to give her report, but residents in the audience kept shouting her down.

* Insurance Journal | Illinois Manufacturer to Pay $1.3M After Plant Explosion: Chemical products manufacturer AB Specialty Silicones LLC will pay $1.3 million in penalties after an explosion and fire at its Waukegan, Illinois plant in May 2019 claimed the lives of four workers. The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration reached a settlement agreement with the company after an investigation revealed AB Specialty Silicones failed to ensure electrical equipment complied with OSHA standards. The company also used propane-powered forklifts to transport flammable liquids in areas where employees handled flammable liquids and gases.

* Daily Herald | DuPage Farm Bureau supports horticulture and agricultural education in Glenbard: Student enrollment in this program has grown 70% since its inaugural year in 2023-24. As a part of the courses, students participate in a number of field-based experiences, including leadership development and career exploration.

* Daily Herald | Libertyville Mayor Donna Johnson to face challenge in run for reelection: Libertyville Mayor Donna Johnson won office unopposed four years ago, but will be challenged in her bid for a second term next year. Village Trustee Matthew Hickey, whose four-year term is up for contest in April, has launched a campaign for the Libertyville’s top elected post.

*** Downstate ***

* SJ-R | Central Illinois first responder dies in two-vehicle crash: Chelsie M. Sonneborn, 32, was an emergency medical technician in Franklin. Sonneborn was driving on Illinois 104 near Rees Station Road on Oct. 3 when her vehicle collided head-on with a pickup truck, according to the Morgan County Coroner’s Office. The crash happened around 4 p.m. […] The crash is being investigated by the Illinois State Police and the Morgan County Coroner’s Office.

* Northern Illinois University Alumni Association | Robert Yadgir, ‘86, Receives Alumni Achievement in Public Service Award: Yadgir served as director of communications and senior policy advisor to Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White from 1999 to 2023 and as director of public relations for the Office of the Cook County Recorder of Deeds while White held that position from 1993 to 1999. Yadgir has also served since 2012 as volunteer executive director of the Jesse White Foundation, which supports programs benefiting at-risk youth and provides educational opportunities for low-income students, including the famous Jesse White Tumblers.

*** National ***

* AP | Supreme Court seems open to upholding regulations on ghost guns, hard to trace weapons used in crime: In arguments that ranged to classic cars and Western omelets, key conservative justices seemed open to the government’s argument that kits for quickly making nearly untraceable guns at home can be regulated like other firearms. Two conservative justices, Chief John Roberts and Amy Coney Barrett, previously joined with the three liberals to allow the rule to go into effect and seemed skeptical of the arguments that the Biden administration overstepped by trying to regulate gun parts.

* NYT | Tracking Hurricane Milton: Milton was a Category 4 hurricane in the Gulf of Mexico Tuesday afternoon Eastern time, the National Hurricane Center said in its latest advisory. The hurricane had sustained wind speeds of 155 miles per hour. Follow our coverage here.

* Smithsonian Mag | Explore Abraham Lincoln’s Life and Legacy Through Rare Copies of Historic Books and Documents: A new exhibition—“Abraham Lincoln: His Life in Print”—opened this week at the Grolier Club in New York City. Using books, documents and ephemera, the show follows Lincoln’s rise from a one-room log cabin in Kentucky to the White House. A catalog published by Marquand Books also accompanies the exhibition, with chapters on Lincoln’s political journey, presidential legacy, assassination and many other topics. The more than 200 artifacts on display come from the Americana collection of David M. Rubenstein, an American businessman and philanthropist who recently wrote a new book exploring presidential history.

  3 Comments      


Crain’s: Mayor belatedly looking at cuts, tax hikes as deadline looms

Tuesday, Oct 8, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller

* From one of my newspaper columns last month…

Holman leaves as the city is gearing up to face what is estimated as at least a $982.4 million budget deficit next fiscal year.

But the city has long known this massive deficit was coming. Almost a year ago, the city released a two-year budget forecast with a “base outlook” that projected a $986 million deficit in fiscal year 2025, which is only a few million dollars away from the current city projection. The city’s 2023 budget report predicted a “negative outlook” of a $1.14 billion deficit by 2025.

And now the city is apparently hoping to convince the General Assembly to help it out. One outlet reported the other day that city officials are “talking to state lawmakers about its budget concerns,” although I personally couldn’t find anyone who has had any serious talks with the city. Pritzker said the city hasn’t spoken with him, either.

Instead of planning for months to face that challenge - and adjusting this year’s spending and revenues to mitigate future damage - the mayor appeared to ignore the fiscal peril and then when it couldn’t be ignored any longer, he postponed his budget address until the end of the month.

* And now this…

Mayor Brandon Johnson’s team has told city department leaders to prepare to cull their staff budgets through what his office has described as an “exercise” in case layoffs are needed to close the city’s $982 million 2025 budget shortfall.

In order to stave off deep personnel cuts and avoid a fight with organized labor, Johnson is weighing whether to push for a large property tax increase that would go back on a campaign promise, but may prove easier than committing to the staff reductions necessary to balance the books and garner the required 26 votes in the City Council to approve his spending plan. […]

The mayor’s office scheduled a meeting this morning with department leaders to explain the spending cuts, according to two sources familiar with the meeting. Johnson’s budget team held a meeting with labor leaders last week to prepare them for the policy. […]

Until now, departments have not been explicitly told to prepare for layoffs, instead being directed to find between 3% and 5% reductions in their budgets that could come from program reductions or other cost-saving measures. Going deeper would be difficult without affecting personnel.

It would’ve been a whole lot easier to raise property taxes during his first few months in office than it will be now, when he is embroiled in numerous battles with literally every faction on the city council and will be planning on the fly.

  24 Comments      


Rate the new Personal PAC ad

Tuesday, Oct 8, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Press release…

A new targeted digital ad, underscoring 3rd District appellate court judicial candidate Kenton Skarin’s ties to Justice Clarence Thomas and extreme anti-abortion organizations like the Heritage Foundation, will begin running today, pro-choice organization Personal PAC announced. Personal PAC has endorsed Judge John Anderson in the race.

“We support Judge John Anderson because of his decades of legal and judicial experience, along with his proven track record of service and leadership,” said Personal PAC CEO Sarah Garza Resnick. “The extreme, anti-choice ties of Clarence Thomas protege Kenton Skarin, on the other hand, make his candidacy unacceptable–and this ad will make sure voters understand this contrast clearly.”

The ad will be airing primarily on Hulu and other streaming services, targeting voters in the 3rd Appellate District.

More background at the link.

* Ad…

* Script…

Justice Clarence Thomas voted to strip away a woman’s reproductive rights, and he has a strong ally in local judge Kenton Skarin.

Skarin served as a clerk for Clarence Thomas, helping prepare extreme opinions.

Thomas even flew to our district to celebrate Skarin becoming a judge.

Skarin has been involved with the Heritage Foundation, which authored the extreme Project 2025 agenda to take away even more rights.

Vote instead for highly-rated Judge John Anderson.

  14 Comments      


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

Tuesday, Oct 8, 2024 - Posted by Advertising Department

[The following is a paid advertisement.]

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

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

CTA: See how it works.

  Comments Off      


‘This is the top of the mountain here, the very very top’

Tuesday, Oct 8, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller

* You can follow along in real time by clicking here. The Sun-Times coverage page is here…


* Jason Meisner…

Chicago has long been known as a place where there are no coincidences. But one of the biggest political racketeering cases in the city’s history — USA v. Michael J. Madigan — actually did land randomly at the bench of a judge nicknamed the “Son of RICO.”

U.S. District Judge John Robert Blakey turned 5 the year his father G. Robert Blakey’s revolutionary legislation, the federal Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations statute, was signed into law.

The statute, designed to go after organized crime, made the elder Blakey into legal royalty. His son chose a legal path that, for the most part, kept his boots on the ground. “Jack” Blakey spent most of his career as a prosecutor, both for the federal government and at Cook County’s rough-and-tumble criminal courthouse.

But he kept in touch with the RICO legacy, helping draft the Illinois racketeering legislation that focused on powerful street gangs. And in 2014, as a nominee for the federal judgeship, his introduction to the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee also mentioned his famous father.

The Illinois Street Gang and Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Law can be found here. Mike Madigan voted for it.

* More on the judge’s background…


* Carol Marin’s column on his judicial appointment…

So what are the reservations about Blakey?

One, he was Cook County State’s Attorney Anita Alvarez’s point man in fighting the appointment of a special prosecutor to investigate the egregious failures of her office and the Chicago Police Department in the 2004 death of David Koschman at the hands of a nephew of then-Mayor Richard M. Daley. Blakey’s arguments trampled on his own assertions of an impartial grand jury probe when he disclosed confidential investigative reports, all in an effort to undermine the credibility of the witnesses central to his office’s investigation.

He lost. Big time.

And then — again on Alvarez’s behalf — he led the prosecution of the NATO 3. It was a debacle, a terrorism case in which the jury rejected the terrorism charges with lightning speed, convicting only on lesser felony counts.

Let’s not kid ourselves. Nobody gets to be a federal judge without clout.

* More…

    * Tribune | Prospective jurors arrive for landmark Madigan racketeering trial: More than 1,000 jury summons were sent out to residents across Northeast Illinois. The “vast majority” could not be available for a trial as long as Madigan’s, U.S District Judge John Robert Blakey said in court last week. But 180 prospective jurors are expected to answer questions this week, beginning Tuesday with a lengthy questionnaire. In-person questioning is expected to begin Wednesday. If the full panel of 12 jurors and 6 alternates is selected in time, they will hear opening statements Oct. 15.

    * Tribune | As Madigan corruption trial kicks off, focus will be on those three taboo words: quid pro quo: Chicago Ald. Daniel Solis was a year into his stunning turn as an FBI mole when he allegedly called up the most powerful politician in Illinois and floated three little words that are virtually taboo in the state’s political lexicon. Quid pro quo. With the feds listening in, Solis told then-House Speaker Michael Madigan, their prime investigative target, that the developers of a West Loop apartment tower understood that in order to get approvals done in City Hall they had to hire Madigan’s private law firm to do their property tax appeals, according to federal prosecutors. “I think they understand they’ve got some issues that they still have to deal with me in terms of zoning,” Solis, then the head of the City Council’s Zoning Committee, told Madigan on the June 23, 2017, call, according to prosecutors. “And I think they understand how this works, you know, the quid pro quo, the quid pro quo.” Madigan allegedly responded, “OK.”

    * Tribune | Breaking down the charges in the Michael Madigan indictment: Madigan, 82, the former speaker of the Illinois House and head of the state Democratic Party, and his longtime confidant, ex-lobbyist Michael McClain, 77, are charged in a 117-page, 23-count superseding indictment filed in October 2022 with racketeering conspiracy and a host of other crimes.

    * Jon Seidel | The case against Mike Madigan, laid out in explosive court documents: The former Illinois house speaker is charged with a racketeering conspiracy and other crimes spanning five alleged schemes. While his trial is expected to begin this week, federal prosecutors have already detailed their case in a series of crucial court filings.

    * WTTW | Michael Madigan to Get His Day in Court, More Than 2 Years After Bombshell Racketeering, Bribery Indictment: Madigan, who represented the 22nd District on Chicago’s Southwest Side for 50 years and who served as House speaker for 36 years, is alleged to have orchestrated multiple corruption schemes, wielding his political power to reward loyal allies and enrich himself. Prosecutors have alleged these various schemes “occurred in parallel” and frequently overlapped with one another, as Madigan and McClain were sometimes recorded on government wiretaps discussing multiple conspiracies over the course of single conversations.

    * Center Square | Lawmakers recall former Illinois House speaker’s tactics ahead of corruption trial: Democratic State Rep. Kelly Cassidy said she was forced to resign from her job with the Cook County Sheriff’s Office in 2018 after she called for an investigation of sexual harassment allegations against a Madigan aide. “My supervisor at the time came to me and said that the speaker’s chief of staff had called to see if I was still employed there and asked me if that was something that they did ordinarily and I said no. She said, ‘I didn’t think so,’ and it seemed ominous,” Cassidy said. Cassidy added that she opposed one of Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart’s bills a little bit later, and somebody in Madigan’s leadership team turned it into a public issue. “I ultimately had to resign the position because of that controversy they created. All of that, each of these things, were in the immediate aftermath of me speaking up, pointing out problems within his [Madigan’s] administration,” Cassidy said.

    * ABC 7 | Process to select jury in former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan’s trial begins Tuesday: Charged along with Madigan is former ComEd lobbyist Michael McClain. A federal grand jury handed down a superseding indictment in October 2022, adding a new charge of conspiracy. According to the indictment, his job was to conceal and hide the illegal operation of the enterprise shielding Madigan from the criminal activity.

    * AP | Former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan goes to trial Tuesday: But starting Tuesday, as potential jurors first report to court, the spotlight turns to the Chicago Democrat who was once considered the most powerful force in Illinois politics. “This is the top of the mountain here, the very very top,” former federal prosecutor Phil Turner said.

    * Jon Seidel | Madigan judge has experience with Shakespeare, Michael Jordan — and law used to target ex-House speaker: Judge John Blakey’s father wrote the federal racketeering law that has famously been used to take down organized crime figures. But Blakey also established himself as an authority on the subject long before Madigan’s historic trial.

    * Jon Seidel | Michael Madigan among the cast of powerful characters ensnared in corruption cases: Most of them were convicted, some went to prison. Here’s a look at the individuals and businesses caught in the crossfire ahead of Madigan’s trial.

  11 Comments      


Raoul, other attorneys general file lawsuit against TikTok

Tuesday, Oct 8, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller

* AP…

More than a dozen states and the District of Columbia have filed lawsuits against TikTok on Tuesday, alleging the popular short-form video app is harming youth mental health by designing its platform to be addictive to kids.

The lawsuits stem from a national investigation into TikTok, which was launched in March 2022 by a bipartisan coalition of attorneys general from many states, including California, Kentucky and New Jersey. All of the complaints were filed in state courts.

At the heart of each lawsuit is the TikTok algorithm, which powers what users see on the platform by populating the app’s main “For You” feed with content tailored to people’s interests. The lawsuits also emphasize design features that they say make children addicted to the platform, such as the ability to scroll endlessly through content, push notifications that come with built-in “buzzes” and face filters that create unattainable appearances for users.

In its filings, the District of Columbia called the algorithm “dopamine-inducing,” and said it was created to be intentionally addictive so the company could trap many young users into excessive use and keep them on its app for hours on end. TikTok does this despite knowing that these behaviors will lead to “profound psychological and physiological harms,” such as anxiety, depression, body dysmorphia and other long-lasting problems, the complaint said. […]

TikTok does not allow children under 13 to sign up for its main service and restricts some content for everyone under 18. But Washington and several other states said in their filing that children can easily bypass those restrictions, allowing them to access the service adults use despite the company’s claims that its platform is safe for children.

The lawsuit is here.

* From AG Raoul…

Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul today announced that his office filed a lawsuit against TikTok for its harmful business practices targeting children and allegedly deceiving the public about the social media platform’s dangers.

Today’s lawsuit stems from a bipartisan nationwide investigation announced by Raoul in March 2022. Illinois’ action seeks injunctive relief to address TikTok’s misconduct as well as monetary penalties.

In addition to Illinois’ lawsuit, 13 other states filed separate enforcement actions today against TikTok for violations of state consumer protection laws. In their lawsuits, Raoul and the attorneys general allege that TikTok’s business model, which seeks to capture as much user time and attention as possible to sell advertising, has targeted youth, including teenagers and even younger children, in ways that take advantage of them.

“American children and teenagers are in the grip of a devastating mental health crisis,” Raoul said. “The addictive features on TikTok’s social media platform interfere with sleep and education, and contribute to depression, anxiety, body dysmorphia and thoughts of self-harm. In Illinois, we will always put our children and young people first. I am committed to holding TikTok and any other social media companies accountable for putting profits ahead of our children’s safety and well-being.”

The U.S. surgeon general has found there are ample indicators that social media can have a profound risk of harm to the mental health and well-being of children and adolescents. Eighth and 10th graders now spend an average of three-and-a-half hours per day on social media. According to the surgeon general, adolescents who spend more than three hours on social media per day face double the risk of experiencing poor mental health outcomes, including symptoms of depression and anxiety.

The use of TikTok is pervasive among young people in the United States. In 2023, 63% of all Americans ages 13 to 17 who responded to a Pew Research survey reported using TikTok, and most teenagers in the U.S. used TikTok daily.

Raoul alleges that TikTok uses design features that are addictive and that exploit young users’ psychological vulnerabilities to keep them repeatedly using the platform for prolonged periods of time. Many of these product features have been linked to damaging psychological outcomes. According to the complaint filed by the Attorney General’s office, TikTok’s platform drives compulsive behavior, interfering with sleep and education, and includes features that can exacerbate issues young people have with depression, anxiety, body dysmorphia and thoughts of self-harm.

Thoughts?

  28 Comments      


Open thread

Tuesday, Oct 8, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller

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

  12 Comments      


Isabel’s morning briefing

Tuesday, Oct 8, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller

* ICYMI: What will Johnson’s CPS power play mean in Springfield? More state funding — or more headaches for mayor. Sun-Times…

State Rep. Curtis Tarver, D-Chicago, said the political turmoil would undermine the case Johnson hopes to make for additional state funding for CPS.

Johnson has argued repeatedly and emphatically that the state “owes” CPS more than $1.1 billion.

“Everyone wants to help children, but I don’t think anyone wants to help him — given his lack of leadership,” Tarver said. “I don’t believe he has four city legislators that are willing to give him, give CPS any money, and I doubt that he has anybody outside of the city of Chicago who wanted to do so, and primarily because there’s been no plan put forth about what they would do with the money.”

* Related stories…

*** Isabel’s Top Picks ***

* Sun-Times | Madigan judge has experience with Shakespeare, Michael Jordan — and law used to target ex-House speaker: Judge John Blakey’s father wrote the federal racketeering law that has famously been used to take down organized crime figures. But Blakey also established himself as an authority on the subject long before Madigan’s historic trial.

* Jill Jaworski | Opinion: The city’s $1.5B bond refinancing plan is a no-brainer. Here’s why: Mendoza’s entire argument against the refinancing rests upon an egregiously repeated false claim that there is some kind of shadowy “additional borrowing” outside of the “cost-saving refinancing component.” Mendoza’s op-ed repeats misinformation, stating that the bond offering would “create a slush fund for operating expenses.” In fact, the authorizing ordinance specifically stipulates that the entire $1.5 billion transaction can only be legally used for cost-saving refinancing purposes. Any other use of proceeds from the sale of the bonds would require another amendment passed by the City Council. Mendoza’s op-ed seems to have been written without any consultation or understanding of the ordinance in question.

* PJ Star | ‘More than a sports writer’: Retired Peoria Journal Star columnist dies at age 83: Theobald had a personality as enormous as his talent, handling the biggest stories, standing up to the biggest challenges. He was terrifying in the newsroom when he was irritated, an irascible character who’d strip down to his classic old man undershirt, cigarette between his lips, spoiling for a clash.

*** Statehouse News ***

* KMOX | Illinois State Rep. Jay Hoffman discusses amendment to raise income tax on state wealthiest: In November, Illinois voters will be asked if they would support an additional 3% income tax on those making more than $1 million a year. Illinois State Rep. Jay Hoffman (D) says the trade off would be property tax relief.

* Daily Herald | House 51st candidates discuss Democratic control of Springfield: Incumbent Nabeela Syed said she consistently works across the aisle, but defended the record of state Democrats. The Palatine Democrat highlighted the accomplishments of her party by invoking the legacy of former Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner. “I probably think about Bruce Rauner more often than I would like to, because I hear about the horror stories from when social services all across our state were about to shut their doors,” Syed said. “They were about to stop their services because Gov. Rauner was cutting funding.”

*** Statewide ***

* SJ-R | Job postings will look different in Illinois next year. Here’s what you need to know: Employers with more than 15 employees are required to share pay scale and benefits in job postings. In the case that these postings show up on a third-party job site like LinkedIn or Indeed, they would be required to either to show on that site or have that information linked. The Illinois Department of Labor will be receiving complaints of job postings not including this now-required information. From there, the department will notify the employer and give a set date for when it must be remedied.

* SJ-R | Frozen food delivery service announces closure, 119 Illinois employees to be laid off: Yelloh, formerly known as Schwan’s Home Delivery, announced last month it’s closing its delivery service this November. The company cited multiple insurmountable business challenges for the decision, including economic and market forces, as well as changing consumer lifestyles. In a Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification, or WARN act, filed to the state of Illinois on Sept. 30 by parent group Cygnus Home Service, LLC, 119 Illinoisians will be affected across the state from the layoff. The final day of work for employees will be Nov. 22 of this year.

*** Chicago ***

* WGN | City of Chicago shells out millions in overtime pay while CFD needs new ambulances, contract: CFU: Members of the Chicago Firefighters Union (CFU) spoke out Monday, saying the City of Chicago is spending millions on overtime pay for paramedics — money, they say is needed for new ambulances, on top of a new contract. The Chicago Fire Department has been operating for more than three years without a contract, which has capped the department’s expansion of its ambulance fleet. CFD currently has 80 ambulances, but ideally, they would like to have 127, which would move the department in line with the national average when it comes to the residents-to-ambulance ratio in major cities — 21,000-to-1.

* FOX Chicago | Chicago Fire Department adopts new cleaning tech to fight cancer risks: “Furniture is no longer made of wood. Carpet is no longer made of typical textiles,” said Mark Smith of Alliance Safety Solutions. “Everything is now petroleum-based. So that petroleum base burns hotter. It burns quicker. And it has more polyaromatic hydrocarbons.” Which is where a new massive machine comes in. It’s called a high-pressure liquid carbon dioxide cleaner.

* Tribune | Biden EPA requires Chicago to dramatically speed up replacement of toxic lead pipes: Chicago must replace every toxic lead pipe connecting homes to water mains within two decades — an aggressive deadline imposed this week by President Joe Biden after his administration initially proposed giving city officials twice as long to complete the job. The more stringent requirement is part of a broader package of changes in federal regulations intended to protect Americans from a metal so dangerous it is unsafe at any level of exposure.

* Tribune | Lurie, Comer and Advocate Children’s named best children’s hospitals in Illinois by U.S. News: “We’re obviously very proud to be ranked No. 1,” said Dr. Marcelo Malakooti, chief medical officer at Lurie. “I think the rankings are an important tool and guide for families when they might have a complex child and they’re trying to figure out what works best for their families and the specific conditions they might have.” He said he’s confident Lurie will be back in the top 10 nationwide “in the near future.” While it’s important to Lurie to focus on clinical outcomes, the hospital also prioritizes “holistic comprehensive care that really extends beyond the areas that are being ranked,” he said, which includes family support, community outreach and cutting edge treatments.

* Block Club | Trump To Address The Economic Club Of Chicago Next Week: The interview, co-hosted by the Economic Club and Bloomberg News, will take place next Tuesday, Oct. 15. Trump’s visit marks his first return to the city since a contentious July interview with members of the National Association of Black Journalists.

* Sun-Times | After 23 years behind bars, Chicago man set free as he appeals murder conviction: A Cook County judge on Monday appeared reluctant to release a man from prison while he continues to fight his murder conviction, but did anyway at the order of a state appellate court. Judge Angela Petrone ordered Kevin Jackson, 43, released on electronic monitoring while he appeals her ruling earlier this summer that denied his bid to vacate his conviction in a 2001 gas station shooting on the South Side.

* Chicago Mag | Why Is the Chicago Marathon So Fast?: Olympic marathon champion Frank Shorter once said, “There are three reasons Chicago is fast: It’s flat, it’s flat, it’s flat.” (“The only hill is with 400 meters left,” says Rupp.) Knowing they won’t face uphill stretches, runners display “a kind of fearlessness,” says Pinkowski. But flatness is not the only factor: Because of Chicago’s grid system, the course has few twists and turns, with some straightaways going for miles, allowing runners to build up a head of steam.

*** Cook County and Suburbs ***

* Daily Herald | Lockport woman sentenced to jail for role in Jan. 6 U.S. Capitol riot: A federal judge sentenced a Lockport woman to serve time in jail for her role in the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol but not her husband, who instead must serve probation, court records show. On Oct. 1, U.S. District Judge Reggie Walton sentenced Kelly Lynn Fontaine, 54, to serve 21 days in jail for engaging in “disorderly or disruptive conduct.”

* Crain’s | Hyzon in race against time as it revs up new hydrogen fuel cells in Bolingbrook: Hyzon Motors, a small clean-tech company that came to Bolingbrook three years ago, is about to find out whether its big bet on hydrogen-powered trucks is going to pay off before it runs out of cash. The company is set to begin commercial production of new, larger fuel cells that turn hydrogen into electrical power for semitrucks. Hyzon developed a 200-kilowatt fuel cell to replace a 110-kilowatt model, giving it an edge. The company says the new fuel cells are 30% lighter and smaller and 25% more cost-efficient than using two smaller systems.

* Daily Herald | Underwood, Marter blame each other for cancellation of congressional candidate forum: In an email to the Daily Herald on Monday afternoon, league co-presidents Tania Traverso and Nadia Kanhai said the forum was canceled because both candidates wouldn’t agree to a virtual forum. “This decision was made by the LWV Aurora Area alone without any input from either candidate,” Traverso and Kanhai said. The group’s statement didn’t explain why the league moved away from an in-person discussion, as both Underwood and Marter had agreed to such a program.

*** Downstate ***

* ABC Chicago | Video shows driver running tanker off road, causing deadly leak in central Illinois: investigators: Investigators showed the girl dashcam video from the tanker. She acknowledged she was at the wheel when her minivan passed the tanker then cut it off to avoid a collision with oncoming traffic. The tanker hit a trailer on the side of the highway.

* WSIL | Federal Grant to Address Nursing Education Shortage in Rural, Underserved Areas in Southern Illinois: McKendree University’s Division of Nursing was recently awarded $980,000 from Congressionally Directed Spending (CDS), which Senator Dick Durbin secured as part of the 2024 fiscal year’s Consolidated Appropriations Act. This grant pays the tuition cost for 60 students who have been enrolled in McKendree’s MSN nurse educator program.

* Chicago Reader | Champaign-born phenom Somi brings her African immigrant heritage to her vocal jazz: Jazz singer Somi Kakoma is a multihyphenate talent—she’s also a composer, actor, and writer—but she’s best known for her rich, soaring voice. Born in Champaign to parents who’d come to the U.S. from Rwanda and Uganda, Somi split her childhood between Zambia and Illinois. Her father worked as a professor at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, where in the early 2000s she earned a dual degree in cultural anthropology and African studies; she then pursued a master’s in performance at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts. Her work is informed by her multinational upbringing and activist spirit, honoring the distinctive traits that make cultures and communities precious while celebrating the universals that connect them—and condemning forces of division such as racism, xenophobia, and misogyny.

*** National ***

* Daniel Kaplan | Political ads dominating sports telecasts with seemingly no end in sight: It’s not just you if it seems the commercial breaks of sporting events are inundated with political advertising. Listen to a political podcast, and invariably the host or guests will note they were watching say the LSU game one Saturday and the tsunami of political ads was inescapable (that one comes from The Bulwark podcast). I have even noticed them in solid blue New York, dashing my boast that I live in a city that political advertising avoids.

  18 Comments      


Protected: SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - Supplement to today’s edition and some campaign news

Tuesday, Oct 8, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller

This post is password protected. To view it please enter your password below:

  Comments Off      


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

Tuesday, Oct 8, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller

This post is password protected. To view it please enter your password below:

  Comments Off      


Live coverage

Tuesday, Oct 8, 2024 - Posted by Isabel 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.

  Comments Off      


Selected press releases (Live updates)

Tuesday, Oct 8, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller

  Comments Off      


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

Support CapitolFax.com
Visit our advertisers...

...............

...............

...............

...............

...............

...............

...............


Loading


Main Menu
Home
Illinois
YouTube
Pundit rankings
Obama
Subscriber Content
Durbin
Burris
Blagojevich Trial
Advertising
Updated Posts
Polls

Archives
July 2025
June 2025
May 2025
April 2025
March 2025
February 2025
January 2025
December 2024
November 2024
October 2024
September 2024
August 2024
July 2024
June 2024
May 2024
April 2024
March 2024
February 2024
January 2024
December 2023
November 2023
October 2023
September 2023
August 2023
July 2023
June 2023
May 2023
April 2023
March 2023
February 2023
January 2023
December 2022
November 2022
October 2022
September 2022
August 2022
July 2022
June 2022
May 2022
April 2022
March 2022
February 2022
January 2022
December 2021
November 2021
October 2021
September 2021
August 2021
July 2021
June 2021
May 2021
April 2021
March 2021
February 2021
January 2021
December 2020
November 2020
October 2020
September 2020
August 2020
July 2020
June 2020
May 2020
April 2020
March 2020
February 2020
January 2020
December 2019
November 2019
October 2019
September 2019
August 2019
July 2019
June 2019
May 2019
April 2019
March 2019
February 2019
January 2019
December 2018
November 2018
October 2018
September 2018
August 2018
July 2018
June 2018
May 2018
April 2018
March 2018
February 2018
January 2018
December 2017
November 2017
October 2017
September 2017
August 2017
July 2017
June 2017
May 2017
April 2017
March 2017
February 2017
January 2017
December 2016
November 2016
October 2016
September 2016
August 2016
July 2016
June 2016
May 2016
April 2016
March 2016
February 2016
January 2016
December 2015
November 2015
October 2015
September 2015
August 2015
July 2015
June 2015
May 2015
April 2015
March 2015
February 2015
January 2015
December 2014
November 2014
October 2014
September 2014
August 2014
July 2014
June 2014
May 2014
April 2014
March 2014
February 2014
January 2014
December 2013
November 2013
October 2013
September 2013
August 2013
July 2013
June 2013
May 2013
April 2013
March 2013
February 2013
January 2013
December 2012
November 2012
October 2012
September 2012
August 2012
July 2012
June 2012
May 2012
April 2012
March 2012
February 2012
January 2012
December 2011
November 2011
October 2011
September 2011
August 2011
July 2011
June 2011
May 2011
April 2011
March 2011
February 2011
January 2011
December 2010
November 2010
October 2010
September 2010
August 2010
July 2010
June 2010
May 2010
April 2010
March 2010
February 2010
January 2010
December 2009
November 2009
October 2009
September 2009
August 2009
July 2009
June 2009
May 2009
April 2009
March 2009
February 2009
January 2009
December 2008
November 2008
October 2008
September 2008
August 2008
July 2008
June 2008
May 2008
April 2008
March 2008
February 2008
January 2008
December 2007
November 2007
October 2007
September 2007
August 2007
July 2007
June 2007
May 2007
April 2007
March 2007
February 2007
January 2007
December 2006
November 2006
October 2006
September 2006
August 2006
July 2006
June 2006
May 2006
April 2006
March 2006
February 2006
January 2006
December 2005
April 2005
March 2005
February 2005
January 2005
December 2004
November 2004
October 2004

Blog*Spot Archives
November 2005
October 2005
September 2005
August 2005
July 2005
June 2005
May 2005

Syndication

RSS Feed 2.0
Comments RSS 2.0




Hosted by MCS SUBSCRIBE to Capitol Fax Advertise Here Mobile Version Contact Rich Miller