* Background is here and here if you need it. First District Appellate Court, with Justice Mikva delivering the opinion…
This appeal requires us to interpret subsection (h) of section 7-10 of the Election Code (10 ILCS 5/7-10(h) (West 2020)). That subsection sets the minimum number of signatures petitioners, Susan F. Hutchinson, Mark Curran, and Nancy Rodkin Rotering (candidates), were required to submit to appear on the ballots for their respective parties in the upcoming June 28, 2022, General Primary Election. Candidates are seeking their respective parties’ nomination for the Second Judicial District’s seat on the Illinois Supreme Court. Respondents, Alan Spellberg, Cacilia Masover, and Nancy Waites (objectors), objected to the candidates’ nomination papers on the basis that they contained too few signatures. A hearing officer recommended that the candidates’ names appear on the primary ballots. The Illinois State Board of Elections (Board) rejected the hearing officer’s recommendation, found that the candidates had not submitted enough signatures, and ordered their names not to appear on the ballots. On judicial review, the circuit court of Cook County reversed the Board’s decision. Objectors have filed an appeal to this court. For the following reasons, we agree with the circuit court that the Board’s decision rests on an incorrect interpretation of section 7-10(h). We find that the candidates have submitted sufficient signatures and that their names should appear on the primary ballots. We therefore reverse the decision of the Board and affirm the circuit court. […]
The candidates each submitted enough signatures to appear on the ballots seeking their respective parties’ nomination for a seat on our supreme court. The circuit court’s judgment reversing the Board’s decision and ordering the candidates’ names to appear on the ballots is affirmed.
After a third police officer was shot in less than a week, the trend of heightened violence and brazen disregard for police shows just how empowered criminals really are in J.B. Pritzker’s Illinois. Yesterday’s shooting comes just days after another officer was shot in the same neighborhood and a U.S. Marshal and his K-9 dog were shot while serving an arrest warrant.
The ever-prompt Gary Rabine sent out a release last night in response…
Three police officers have been shot in the same week in one of the most dangerous periods in history for law enforcement. The only person in this gubernatorial race who has actively represented an individual who attacked a police officer is Fake-GOP-Candidate, Richard Irvin. This is in addition to his decade and a half long career representing sexual predators and wife beaters. Richard Irvin has no idea how to deal with the crime problem in this state because for too long he has been part of the problem. It’s time we fully support law enforcement, hold criminals accountable, and get rid of horrible prosecutors like Cook County State’s Attorney, Kim Foxx.
Yikes.
From a Democratic oppo book…
ALEXANDER NUNEZ
Nunez “Kicked” Police Officer On The Face And Shoulder. “[Alexander Nunez] knowingly caused bodily harm to Ofc. Shettles in that he kicked OFC Shettles on the left shoulder and left side of the face, knowing said victim to be a peace officer, while performing his official duties.” [People of the State of Illinois v Alexander Nunez, Count 1, 7/5/16]
Nunez Punched Victim In The Face. “[Alexander Nunez] knowingly caused bodily harm to Moenkemier, Michal J, a family or household member of the defendant, in that said defendant punch Michael in the face with a closed fist.” [People of the State of Illinois v Alexander Nunez, Count 3, 7/5/16]
Tom DeVore, an attorney who is running for Illinois Attorney General’s Office, is accused of having a sexual relationship with a married 27 year old woman, while legally representing her during COVID-19 mask mandates and business shut-downs. According to police reports and body camera footage that we have obtained, DeVore, who is 52 years old, is being accused by the family of a 27 year old woman of manipulating her and telling her that she would receive a big settlement from the state in order to have her “doing things.” Although both individuals are consenting adults, the Illinois Supreme Court has a rule that prohibits such conduct and has even said that it could result in disciplinary proceedings against any attorney involved in such conduct.
According to a recent incident report, there was a disturbance between DeVore and his girlfriend, Riley N. Craig, age 27, that required police response while they were staying at the President Abraham Lincoln Hotel in Downtown, Springfield on April 20, 2022.
Just your normal, everyday, run-of-the-mill attorney general candidate.
The first topic addressed was the prison situation. Irvin is familiar with what has been taking place but isn’t happy with it.
“I know they’ve been closing down a couple of wings, which to me suggests eventually they’re going to try to close the whole prison,” Irvin told The Leader. “To do that without talking to the community and recognizing how valuable those jobs are to the community, I think is wrong.
“This governor has done that — done executive orders and made decisions without including the other leaders. As next governor, I’ll definitely give everybody a seat at the table and make sure we talk about things before we make decisions and insure that when jobs are getting taken away from a community, which they should never be, that I’m going to talk to people first before it happens.
“As governor, I’ll make sure that we don’t take away jobs, that we actually bring jobs to the city.”
At issue is organizers' request to ban police from wearing their uniforms while marching; organizers then came up with a "soft uniform," but Irvin and police said no. Irvin, who is running on law enforcement endorsements, said he wouldn't attend and pulled the city's float.
When it became apparent that Aurora Pride organization would have difficulty recruiting the remaining required officers willing to take additional shifts, APD and the City met with organizers of the Pride Parade and began working closely with them to mitigate the issue. APD introduced Aurora Pride to other police departments and organizations which could provide sworn law enforcement personnel.
On Monday, June 6th, Aurora Pride informed APD that after reaching out to neighboring jurisdictions and state law enforcement agencies, they were unable to fill the additional sworn law enforcement slots needed for the overall safety of the parade.
Fraternal Order of Police President John Catanzara is demanding that three of his union’s strongest City Council supporters choose between their loyalties to his group and their allegiance to the firefighters union.
At a stormy meeting last week, Catanzara insisted that the three council members, all former firefighters — Nick Sposato (38th), Anthony Napolitano (41st) and Jim Gardiner (45th) — pledge their support to Erin Jones, a Chicago Police Department detective challenging incumbent state Sen. Rob Martwick (D-Chicago). […]
Napolitano added that he doesn’t support Martwick — he just didn’t like how Catanzara handled the situation.
Last night, Napolitano endorsed Martwick’s opponent. Click here.
* Raja…
The Daily Herald’s editorial board wrote, “In his three terms in Congress, U.S. Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi of Schaumburg has quickly established himself as one of the most prominent Democrats on Capitol Hill, a legislator who can lead on tough issues while still working collaboratively across the aisle. He’s an accessible, hardworking left-of-center politician who has earned a positive ranking in the Bipartisan Index calculated by the nonprofit Lugar Center and the McCourt School of Public Policy at Georgetown University.”
The Editorial Board continued, “At a time of growing partisan and extremist rancor in the House, Krishnamoorthi has found ways to work effectively with colleagues of both parties to address the dangers of vaping, build workforces and address stock trading by members of Congress. He’s helped protect the nation from COVID-19 and advance technical education. He is an able and likable problem solver who gets things done — someone with the experience to understand how to work effectively when his party controls the House and when it does not. Why would Democrats in Illinois’ 8th Congressional District want to lose those skills?”
They concluded, “We have endorsed Krishnamoorthi in previous elections and we have been happy with his performance. We strongly endorse him in the June 28 Democratic primary.”
* CD1…
Democratic candidate for Congress Karin Norington-Reaves today announced the endorsement of the Teamsters Joint Council 25, who represent more than 100,000 members in Illinois and Northwest Indiana with 25 local union affiliates.
“As the daughter of a sheet metal worker and granddaughter of both a carpenter and ironworker, I will always stand with the working men and women of this district,” said Norington-Reaves. “As the head of workforce development for Chicago and Cook County, I helped more than 100,000 people find a quality job, many of them union jobs. Unions are the gateway to a strong, stable economic future for so many families. I am proud to have The Teamsters’ support for my campaign, and will be a champion for them in Congress.”
“Karin has 30 years of experience in community development, advocacy, and job creation,” said Terrence J. Hancock, President of Teamsters Joint Council 25. “We have seen Karin’s work in our communities, adding to our membership ranks, and helping working men and women find family-sustaining careers. We know Karin will stand with us every step of the way as our next Congresswoman and continue to support policies and programs that create good-paying jobs, support working families, and spur economic growth in the 1st District. We are proud to stand with her.”
* More…
* Republican attorney general candidate: ‘Where they do not enforce the law, we will enforce it’: David Shestokas, an Orland Park attorney and former assistant Cook County state’s attorney, said during an interview with the Daily Herald editorial board that he would assign attorneys from the attorney general’s office to monitor “people like Kim Foxx in Cook County and Eric Rinehart in Lake County and other prosecutors around the state who fail to enforce the law.”
Conservative Congresswoman Mary Miller released a new television advertisement today titled “Red Flag Rodney Davis,” which contrasts Miller’s record of support for the Second Amendment with RINO Rodney Davis’ record supporting federal gun confiscation for years.
“I am honored to have President Trump’s endorsement and a perfect A rating from the National Rifle Association and Gun Owners of America,” said Miller, who is a member of the House Second Amendment Caucus and the House Freedom Caucus. “My opponent, RINO Rodney Davis, was rated lower because he supported gun confiscation for years and even bragged about working with Nancy Pelosi to try and get his gun control legislation passed by the House. As a Constitutional conservative and defender of the Second Amendment, I will always oppose the Biden-Pelosi gun confiscation agenda.”
Mary Miller received a perfect “A” rating from the National Rifle Association for her record of support for the Second Amendment, after also receiving an “A” rating from Gun Owners of America.
Miller’s opponent, RINO Rodney Davis, was rated lower because he has been the key Republican sponsor of red-flag gun confiscation for the past three years. In 2019, RINO Rodney Davis said he was trying to work with Nancy Pelosi to pass a red-flag gun confiscation bill to “take some Americans’ guns away.” See for yourself below:
Voiceover: RINO Rodney Davis claims to be a conservative, but he votes like a liberal. Rodney Davis sided with Joe Biden voting for red flag gun confiscation that allows the government to seize your guns.
Davis: That’s why the Red Flag Law is so important and should be put on the court.
Voiceover: That’s why President Trump endorsed Mary Miller for Congress. Mary is A-rated by the NRA. Unlike Rodney Davis, Trump is with Miller because RINO Rodney Davis can’t be trusted.
Miller (No relation): I am Mary Miller and I approve this message.
* Meanwhile, from Rodney Davis…
Mary Miller is using the Biden Basement Strategy to avoid scrutiny of her campaign, her record in Congress, and her personal financial history, and local reporters are starting to speak out about it.
“For someone who says they’re a ‘fighter,’ Mary Miller sure is afraid to face local reporters and answer questions about her record. You can’t stand up for your values and advocate for your constituents when you’re afraid of scrutiny. It’s time for Miller to stop using the Biden Basement Strategy and start answering questions. Voters deserve to know why a child sex predator is working on her campaign, why her business is incorporated in Delaware, why she’s been chronically fined for not paying taxes, if she’ll move into the 15th District, and so much more. If Miller refuses to answer questions, she isn’t fit to serve.” - Davis campaign spokesperson Aaron DeGroot
From the release…
Ive been asking @RepMaryMiller’s campaign folks plus a bevy of GOP officials/sources for more than a week about when her next campaign event is going to be.
“I understand it’s hard for Americans to understand the truth during election season,” Rep. Mary Miller says before she obfuscates her voting record on military funding. She routinely ignores local reporters who show up to cover her at public events. https://t.co/D6GfizBeVk
Democrat JB Pritzker’s successful 2018 run for governor involved hitting his Republican rival, then-Gov. Bruce Rauner, over and over for the “fatal mismanagement” of multiple Legionnaires’ disease outbreaks that were tied to 13 deaths at the state-run Quincy Veterans’ Home.
Another gubernatorial election is here, and Republicans are using that same political strategy against Pritzker, accusing him of “criminal negligence” for three dozen COVID-19 deaths at the LaSalle Veterans’ Home two years ago.
The political attack worked once, contributing to a nearly 16-percentage-point drubbing Pritzker inflicted on Rauner. Illinois GOP leaders are hoping it will work again, this time in their candidates’ favor.
In both instances, the horrible death tolls at LaSalle and Quincy were shocking, and families suffered. Both tragedies unfolded in state-run facilities for veterans, with poor decision-making by state officials in charge of the homes. Audits bore that out, and litigation arose in both cases.
Republicans are seizing on those similarities to poke at the governor’s leadership and highlight what the GOP regards as hypocrisy by Pritzker. But Democrats point out that some of the facts surrounding the two deadly catastrophes are vastly different.
Pritzker has tried to make that case. Likewise, the son of one victim in Quincy sees important distinctions. And a nationally-known public health expert with no partisan interest in Illinois’ gubernatorial election this fall said comparing Quincy to LaSalle is an act of medical ignorance.
“Not even going to the politics, but I think it’s just sloppy thinking overall because you can’t compare an environmental pathogen that is not spread person-to-person to a pandemic pathogen that is spread efficiently from person to person,” said Dr. Amesh Adalja, a senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins University Center for Health Security who was extensively quoted by WBEZ after the Quincy Legionnaires’ outbreaks.
Over the last month, reports of major problems at the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) show that the current administration is not capable of providing the appropriate care for Illinois’ most endangered youth. The agency’s downward spiral continues under Pritzker’s lead, with a new report finding that DCFS is placing innocent vulnerable kids in the Cook County Juvenile Detention Center — and keeping them there despite a judge ordering them to be released.
Cook County Public Guardian Charles Golbert, who is in charge of legal representation for the county’s abused and neglected kids, told WBEZ that “it’s a huge civil rights violation. It’s unimaginably cruel…and it’s exploding.”
These children being held in jail are in addition to the 343 foster children who were trapped in psychiatric hospitals after doctors cleared them for release, according to last month’s damning report by the BGA that outlined a variety of horrific departmental failure and abuse.
Just a few days ago, state child welfare workers were removed from their duties following the death of an 8-year-old girl who was murdered by her mother just hours after a long-overdue visit from DCFS staff.
Cook County Public Guardian Charles Golbert believes DCFS’ violations may have caused Amaria’s death, according to a report by the Chicago Tribune.
Despite the ongoing crisis for kids in the state’s care, J.B. Pritzker continues to defend his leadership of the agency, including his chosen agency director Marc Smith, who has already been held in contempt of court 11 times since January of this year.
“Under Pritzker, we’ve seen the worst mismanagement of this critical state agency that has continuously mistreated our state’s most vulnerable children,” said Irvin for Illinois campaign spokesperson Eleni Demertzis. “Illinois needs a leader who will right the wrongs at these agencies providing care to those who rely on them, and that leader is Richard Irvin.”
I pointed out to the Irvin campaign that the candidate has called for the firing of the director, but has proposed no actual reforms. I was told this…
We’ve called for Smith to be fired because he’s obviously not able to do the job. Beyond that we’d have to get into office to assess the needs of the agency and what needs to be done. It’s very obviously a troubled agency and has been for some time.
* I asked DCFS for its full response to the WBEZ report…
Below are the questions and what I provided to WBEZ. This is from Bill McCaffrey…
As a statement, you can attribute to me:
“DCFS does everything possible to ensure that its youth in care receive the proper care and support. In cases when a child become the responsibility of DCFS after they are ready to be released, we take immediate action to place youth in appropriate settings and continue our efforts until youth are placed. There are a variety of factors that can influence when a youth is released from the justice system. In some cases, the judge has ordered the youth to be placed into a secure facility, which means placement out of state. In other cases, the youth’s family is not willing to accept the youth after release, which means DCFS is tasked with finding foster parents or a residential facility that is willing to accept the youth and has the ability to provide the proper supports.”
Q. What are the barriers preventing the state from placing youth who are supposed to be released from the JTDC?
A. There are a variety of factors that can influence when a youth is released from the JTDC. In some cases, the judge has ordered the youth to be placed into a secure facility, which means placement out of state. In other cases, the youth’s family is not willing to accept the youth after release, which means DCFS is tasked with finding foster parents or a residential facility that is willing to accept the youth and has the ability to provide the proper supports.
Q. What changes need to be made to ensure no wards are left in jail unnecessarily?
A. DCFS is adding beds, developing new programs for youth in care and providing funding to our private partners to both expand their facilities and increase their salaries to attract and retain workers. From 2019 to 2021, we added 90 beds. This year, we have already added 37. And we have 74 beds in development right now that will be available for our youth.
Q. Is the state reimbursing the county for the cost of care when youth are left in the JTDC?
A. No
Q. What is the impact on young people to be left in jail awaiting placement?
A. Youth receive educational, medical and therapeutic services while at the JTDC. In addition, the Department offers Mentorship services for youth that will transition to a placement within Cook County.
Q. Is DCFS planning to make any changes to end the practice of leaving kids in the JTDC awaiting placement?
A. DCFS is working with partners at Northwestern University to review data and analyze trends on RUR youth, as well as trends on our incarcerated and detained youth and their needs. DCFS has weekly meetings to discuss case planning, resources and barriers, as well options for additional services that can be provided to prepare youth for their future placement. (Mentorship is currently available for youth being placed within Cook County.)
Invitations by Lightfoot staffers to donors and supporters, obtained by the Tribune, have made clear Tuesday’s event in River North is her campaign launch.
The mayor currently faces five challengers, all of whom have raised questions about high crime and criticized her leadership as being unnecessarily divisive. So far, her opponents include South Side Ald. Roderick Sawyer, son of a former mayor; former Chicago Public School CEO Paul Vallas; Illinois state Rep. Kam Buckner; Southwest Side Ald. Raymond Lopez; and businessman Willie Wilson.
During more than three years in office, Lightfoot has faced spikes in crime, has not run as transparent an administration as promised and engaged in constant fights with unions representing teachers and police — all while struggling to forge good relationships with politicians or leaders in the city’s business community.
* The most puzzling game in politics is predicting which side of her face the mayor will be talking out of on any given day. For instance…
Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot escalated her ongoing feud with the Cook County criminal courts system on Monday when she said judges shouldn’t allow people charged with violent crimes out on bail because they are guilty if they have been charged.
“We shouldn’t be locking up nonviolent individuals just because they can’t afford to pay bail. But, given the exacting standards that the state’s attorney has for charging a case, which is proof beyond a reasonable doubt, when those charges are brought, these people are guilty,” Lightfoot said. “Of course they’re entitled to a presumption of innocence. Of course they’re entitled to their day in court. But residents in our community are also entitled to safety from dangerous people, so we need to keep pressing the criminal courts to lock up violent dangerous people and not put them out on bail or electronic monitoring back into the very same communities where brave souls are mustering the courage to come forward and say, ‘this is the person who is responsible.’ ”
Letting people who have been charged with violent crimes out on bond “undermines the legitimacy of the criminal courts,” she said.
But…
Over 1 in 4 murder trials ends in a not guilty in Cook County. Over 1 in 3 robbery trials.
But homicides are up all over the country, not just liberal cities. In fact, the pandemic-era murder rate has increased far more in red states that supported Donald Trump in 2020 than blue states that voted for Joe Biden. Crime has also increased in cities that are home to traditional “tough on crime” prosecutors, including Oakland, directly across the bay from San Francisco.
According to John Pfaff, a law professor at Fordham University, the dramatic rise in homicide rates between 2019 and 2020 was essentially uniform in 69 large jurisdictions, regardless of whether they were home to progressive prosecutors. “It’s really an attempt by opponents of reform to leverage the increase in crime and the fear that has generated, and to blame the wrong thing,” says Nicholas Turner, president of the Vera Institute of Justice, a progressive nonprofit that works to combat mass incarceration.
*** UPDATE *** Press release…
Today, Mayor Lori E. Lightfoot announced the launch of her re-election campaign for the office of Mayor of Chicago.
“I don’t look or sound like any other mayor we’ve ever had before, and I’ve had to fight to get a seat at the table. And, like so many in our city, I’ve had to fight to have my voice heard,” said Mayor Lori Lightfoot. “That’s why I’ll never back down from fighting every day to turn your voice into action.”
“When we got knocked down by COVID, we came together as a City and we got right back up. Because that’s who we are – and that’s how we’ve been able to make so much progress, despite all that’s been thrown at us.
“Of course there are tough challenges ahead. We have a lot of work to do, because change just doesn’t happen overnight. But together, we will make our city safer, fairer, and more equitable for all. Now, let’s get back to work.”
Since assuming office following her historic election in 2019, Mayor Lightfoot has undertaken an ambitious agenda of expanding opportunity and inclusive economic growth across Chicago’s neighborhoods and communities. She has led the city through the unprecedented challenges of a global pandemic with tough, fair leadership – all while keeping her campaign promises. Mayor Lightfoot has:
Increased Chicago’s minimum wage to $15 an hour for hundreds of thousands of workers.
Expanded funding for community-based violence prevention and implemented measures to combat gang violence.
Championed the creation of a new civilian police oversight body, advancing Chicago on a path toward police reform.
Forged an equitable and inclusive vaccine distribution program and made unprecedented investments in public health, with a particular focus on the communities most devastated by the virus.
Passed transformative, unprecedented budgets, including historic investments in affordable housing, youth programs, mental health and environmental justice.
…Adding… Rep. Buckner…
Candidate for Mayor Kam Buckner today released the following statement in response to Lori Lightfoot’s re-election announcement:
“Mayor Lightfoot has proven to be utterly ill-equipped to lead Chicago. Carjackings and violence are at record highs, economic disinvestment is drying up our neighborhoods, our schools are under-resourced, our police department is over-extended and under-staffed. Instead of a public safety plan, she’s raised bridges, put up barricades and demanded curfews. Yesterday, three years too late, she announced a single piecemeal public safety measure, which is once again not part of any strategic vision for making Chicagoans safer.
“When Chicago votes for a new Mayor, they’re picking a new direction for our city. I’m a skilled negotiator who’s brought people together to get things done and passed groundbreaking, comprehensive laws around clean energy, banning ghost guns, and public safety and justice.
“As the son of a CPS teacher and law enforcement officer who grew up on the South Side and as State Representative for a district that spans South Chicago to the Gold Coast, I know our people and our communities. And I know we can only thrive if we have a Mayor with a plan.”
Gov. J.B. Pritzker continues to take heat from political opponents about crime in Illinois and Chicago.
Republican candidate Jesse Sullivan, who faces five others in the GOP primary for governor, called for emergency federal involvement in the crisis by opening an investigation into the activities of Chicago’s more than 50 known street gangs under the USA PATRIOT Act, the post-9/11 law that facilitates investigations into domestic terrorism.
“Last October, you acted on a letter from the National Association of School Boards calling for an investigation into the activities of lawfully-assembled parents, concerned over strenuous COVID restrictions and the discovery that schools across America were integrating Critical Race Theory (“CRT”) into their curriculum,” Sullivan said in a letter to President Joe Biden and Attorney General Merrick Garland. “To the best of my knowledge, those protests resulted in zero fatalities.”
Sullivan then noted in Chicago alone, there have been more than 250 lost lives this year. He urged prompt deployment of the National Guard after three police officers were shot in less than a week.
“Somehow, 28 months in [to the COVID-19 pandemic], J.B. Pritzker is still signing monthly COVID disaster proclamations, but he is unwilling or unable to act on an even more pressing crisis – the senseless violence ravaging the streets of Chicago,” Sullivan said. “It’s time for Governor Pritzker to immediately declare a state of emergency and bring out the National Guard to help our undermanned and outgunned police department.”
Pritzker was asked about that Monday and said he has never failed to do what’s been asked of him.
“I will tell you that I have never once hesitated when asked by local law enforcement or by local mayors to provide help from the National Guard. I have never ever hesitated to do that, and I’ve done that several times,” Pritzker said.
* More from yesterday…
Q: Some of the Republican candidates have asked for the National Guard to be called out to combat recent violence involving law enforcement. And so what do you say to that?
A: Well, I think you know that I have called up the National Guard whenever local mayors that I’ve spoken to have wanted that done, have needed that done in their local communities. And I’ll continue to make the National Guard available whenever it is necessary.
* And from Pritzker’s second appearance yesterday…
Q: It has been a wild weekend, we have had another police officer shot at… Your Republican opponents are saying it’s your fault, that you have not been tough enough on crime, and you have not been standing with the police.
A: Let me start by offering my sympathies and my solidarity with officers and with their families. They are heroes. They really are. They do amazing work on the streets of Chicago and our police all across the state of Illinois. And I support that work with everything that I am working on. I want to remind you that we’ve made major investments in support of police. In particular in building back our Illinois State Police, which provides so many officers to backup Chicago Police Department, as well as police departments all over our state, was, as you know, devastated and decimated under the prior administration. We’ve been adding back hundreds of officers. And they’re doing terrific work. They were out when there was looting in 2020. They were called upon, we even brought in the National Guard to support local police. We continue to do that whenever we’re asked to. Maybe most importantly, we’ve been addressing the underlying causes of crime, fighting poverty, making sure we’re providing health care for communities most in need. And that also is an enormous support for our local law enforcement. So you know, for people who talk, that’s easy, we’re actually doing things and the people that stand with me that are in Springfield have voted to help our local police.
* He was also asked about Sullivan’s other point…
Q: COVID extension on emergency orders? Why sign that? What’s that all about?
A: You’re talking about our disaster declaration. Yeah, well, let me remind all of you that, like a flood, you know, floods don’t have a time limitation to them. They end whenever they end. So in Illinois, COVID-19 is like a massive flood that has taken place. It has been going on for a couple of years now. People getting the disease are needing to treat it, are needing to use the executive orders of the office of governor in order to help people get through this terrible time. Ianybody who’s paid attention, and I think the people who have been complaining about this have not been, can see that the disaster declarations and the executive orders have been ramping down over many months now. And so as we ramp them down, we’re also providing the supports that people need beyond the executive orders. But we’re in a different situation now than we were months and months ago. And we’re going to continue to provide support. We’re still in COVID-19, we still have a pandemic, there is still a federal disaster that’s been declared. And so we’re going to keep providing the services that people need and ramping down because we can see that there are fewer and fewer people who are needing hospitalizations when we get surges. Thank God
* Pritzker was asked about his COVID game plan earlier in the day as well…
Q: As you know well, hospitalizations are going up for COVID. As cases going up, you know, what’s your game plan for going ahead, any thought about masking?
A: So I want to remind you that at the height of Omicron, really at the height of COVID-19, we had about 7400 people in the hospital. Today, we have around 1600 people in the hospital. What I watch most closely around COVID, to determine whether we need to take state action is the situation in our hospitals, and whether we’re keeping people safe and healthy. As you know, one of the big differences between a year ago and several months ago and now is we have widespread availability of treatments, of therapeutics. So if people do get sick from COVID, we have for example that is available, widely available, you can have your doctor prescribe it to you, and specifically within the first five days of feeling symptoms. Very importantly, we’re trying to keep people safe and healthy and remind them that if you haven’t been vaccinated, now’s a great time to go do it. If you haven’t received your booster, now is the perfect time to go do that. I’m somebody who’s of an age over 50. So I’ve had a second booster. And I encourage anybody over 50 to go get that booster. But that is one of the reasons why even though you’ve seen case numbers go up, you have not seen hospitalizations go up commensurate with that.
There is also federal relief available for states with emergency orders, including SNAP benefits. Without a state order, those federal benefits go away.
…Adding… The governor’s office pointed to this example…
Beginning April 2021, all eligible SNAP households are eligible to receive a minimum EA [emergency allotment] of $95. … EA will continue as long as the COVID-19 public health emergency is in effect. When the public health emergency ends, EA will only be available for one additional month.
* A 150 official told me last night that, depending on how well the companies have planned for this strike, “projects will shut down pretty quickly over the next week or so. Most projects in need of aggregate will try to do other things on the project to wait out the strike, but there’s only so much that can be done without aggregate.” Official 150 statement…
This morning, the International Union of Operating Engineers Local 150 commenced a strike against three major material producers at facilities across Northern Illinois in protest of unfair labor practices committed against its members.
In recent days, Local 150 filed federal unfair labor practice charges with the National Labor Relations Board against the three companies – Lehigh Hanson, Vulcan Materials, and Lafarge Holcim – for bad faith bargaining and violations of employees’ federally protected rights. These companies began busing in replacement workers yesterday at several locations, despite having negotiations scheduled today and tomorrow.
The companies produce aggregate materials including sand, gravel and crushed stone that are essential to the production of asphalt, concrete, and many other construction materials. Collectively, they operate approximately 35 quarries and facilities across Northern Illinois that employ approximately 300 Local 150 members, who were classified as “essential workers” throughout the pandemic. These workers operate heavy equipment that is critical to the routine operation of these facilities.
Local 150 President-Business Manager James M. Sweeney issued the following statement:
“The companies’ aggressive encroachment against their employees’ rights has damaged decades of goodwill and cooperation in our industry. They have disregarded these workers’ health and safety and appear unwilling to negotiate in good faith.
These workers take pride in the tireless work they have done to keep critical construction work going throughout the pandemic, and despite their efforts, their employers have taken unilateral steps to treat them more like adversaries than partners.
As we prepared for this week’s negotiations, we received reports that several companies began importing replacement workers from across the country. We remain willing to negotiate in good faith with the companies and have offered several dates to work toward a fair and equitable resolution, but these workers demand to have their rights, their health and their safety protected at work.
These men and women are highly skilled professionals who cannot simply be replaced and who will not be treated as commodities by multinational corporations more concerned with continuing to generate record profits rather than protecting the safety of the very workers who are the bedrock of their success.”
The companies are using non-union employees/management to load at the quarries. We’ll see how long that lasts. I’ve asked the governor’s office for a statement.
*** UPDATE 1 *** From the companies…
Hello Rich,
Please see below for a statement from the Chicago Area Aggregate Producers Association, comprised of Lehigh Hanson, Vulcan Materials and Lafarge:
“We are proud of our strong relationship with Local 150, evidenced by 55 years without a work stoppage. We value our employees and provide them with competitive wages, comprehensive benefits and a safe work environment. We remain committed to moving forward with a new contract and urge cooperation from our Local 150 partners.” - Spokesperson for Chicago Area Aggregate Producers Association
The union says about 300 members are on strike.
…Adding… Geneva sped up a project because of the strike…
Due to a pending strike by construction material suppliers, the City of Geneva has adjusted the work schedule for the Third Street sanitary sewer system repair project. […]
The City accelerated the schedule to make sure the roadway would be fully repaired in a timely fashion well ahead of the Swedish Days festival later this month.
*** UPDATE 2 *** Jordan Abudayyeh…
The Governor urges the companies involved to return to the bargaining table ready to negotiate in good faith with workers who deserve fair wages and safe working conditions. Illinoisans deserve the work of restoring their roads during this important season to continue uninterrupted.
Gov. JB Pritzker just gave $55,000 to outgoing state Sen. Melinda Bush, who’s running for the state Democratic Central Committee. The donation is jaw-dropping since Bush is facing Lauren Beth Gash, the incumbent member of the Democratic Central Committee in the 10th District.
Gash is also a former state rep who served at a time when she was the sole Democrat from Lake County serving in the General Assembly. She made it her mission to change that and the county has since transformed from red to blue.
Gash also voted to elect Congresswoman Robin Kelly as party chair over Pritzker’s preferred candidate. Kelly won but she’s now up for reelection among members of the Dem central committee.
Still, Gash was unfazed by Pritzker’s maneuver. “The reason so many community leaders and grassroots volunteers from the 10th District are supporting me is because they’ve worked side by side with me to turn the 10th Congressional District from red to deep blue at all levels of government,” she told Playbook. “People in the district know me well and they know I know how to win for Democrats.”
As y’all know already, Sen. Bush is also pushing Mary Edly-Allen for her former Senate seat. MEA is up against Rep. Sam Yingling in the primary. Yingling howled when Pritzker endorsed MEA. Late yesterday afternoon, MEA’s campaign reported a $55,000 contribution from Gov. Pritzker’s campaign.
According to Rep. Yingling’s campaign website, Lauren Beth Gash has endorsed Yingling’s Senate bid. As noted above, Bush and LBG are running against each other for state central committee. No love lost there between those two. Bush at one point talked about running against Gash for Lake County Democratic Party Chair, but didn’t pull the trigger. For a whole lot of reasons (many of them having to do with Statehouse politics), Pritzker has now come down firmly on Bush’s side.
* Sen. Bush is also backing Laura Faver Dias for Yingling’s current House seat. From an LFD press release…
“I am proud to endorse Laura Faver Dias for State House of Representatives in Illinois’ 62nd District,” said Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker. “Her experience as an educator and small business owner has made her a fierce fighter for students, parents, and immigrant families. She has proven herself to be an effective leader and will deliver major progress for families in the 62nd District and across our state.”
“It is really special to be endorsed by our state’s governor. Governor Pritzker is an impressive leader who has managed to take meaningful action on a wide range of issues—from climate change to reproductive rights—all while ensuring Illinois stayed steady during both an economic and public health crisis,” said Democratic candidate for State Representative Laura Faver Dias. “My campaign is proving that people are ready for a fresh perspective and an authentic community leader. Through door-knocking, meaningful conversations, and a focus on real issues that impact everyday folks, a powerful coalition has been built.”
Laura Faver Dias has also been endorsed by State Senator Melinda Bush, Service Employees Illinois Union (SEIU), Personal PAC, Planned Parenthood Illinois Action PAC, Lake County Federation of Teachers, Vote Mama, National Association of Social Workers PAC, Gun Violence Prevention PAC (G-PAC), Brady PAC, Giffords PAC, Citizen Action, Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers District 1, Teamsters Joint Council 25, Stand for Children, International Union of Operating Engineers Local 150, Laborers’ International Union of North America (LIUNA), Illinois Federation of Teachers, Illinois National Organization of Women, Indo American Democratic Organization, and Illinois Education Association (IEA).
Just after 8 this morning, LFD reported a $55,000 contribution from Gov. Pritzker’s campaign fund. LFD is up against two fellow Democrats, Terry Wilke and Thomas Maillard. Neither has raised much money.
Maillard is also running for reelection to the state central committee. His opponent is Hal Sloan. Sen. Bush is backing Sloan. I’m told to expect another $55K from Pritzker to Sloan very soon.
* This is the story of the consistent and strong efforts of regular people who pressured their governments and, eventually, with the assistance of elected officials and lots of news media reports, turned multiple tragedies into literally a lifesaving moment. Let’s start the post with this piece from last August…
She’s not alone. Halle Quezada witnessed a 13-year-old girl drown at a Rogers Park beach in 2018. She says people on the shore searched frantically for anything that would float.
“It was just chaos in those moments, and there was absolutely nothing available to help,” said Quezada, who knows the girl’s family.
Quezada launched a petition and started publicly advocating for changes. Among other things, she wants water rescue flotation devices, like the life preservers already posted at harbors and near the river; restored lifeguard hours; and numbered beaches and break walls so people can easily provide their location to 911 if they call about a swimmer in distress. […]
“When we do put up certain measures, you are increasing your risk of liability by representing that those areas … have been determined to be swimmable or usable areas,” said the Park District’s Timothy M. King. “From a legal standpoint, the best thing to do right now is nothing, because that’s the only way to not take on that increased risk of liability.” […]
“Our argument is not about liability. What it really is, is about making sure that people are … observing the rules to not swim where they’re not supposed to swim and at times they’re not supposed to swim,” said board president Avis LaVelle. “If we put these rings where we tell people not to swim that’s winking at us telling people not to swim there.” […]
“I’m not encouraging people to go into the water, but this is something that is needed,” Leon said. “If there would have been a life ring a water rescue station near where my father ended up drowning, no doubt in my mind (he would have survived).” […]
“If we can’t compel park districts to protect their kids (from) a leading cause of death for their age group, then we’ll look to compel them to protect our kids because they have to by law,” Quezada said.
During a vigil Tuesday evening to honor Miguel Cisneros, the 19-year-old who drowned Aug. 22 after jumping into Lake Michigan off Pratt Pier, community members renewed their call for the city to install lifesaving devices along the lakefront.
“Signs are OK, but they do not save lives,” said Maria Diaz, Cisneros’ mother. “They cannot be tossed at people to be rescued. I’m asking for them to put life rings or some sort of flotation device all along the lakefront. I want to carry on Miguel’s legacy (of) being a good samaritan, helping other people, and if this could avoid another loss then … his death will not be in vain.” […]
At the Park District’s monthly board of commissioners meeting Wednesday, the agency responded to those calls with a multi-pronged plan focused on reinforcing messaging surrounding “not safe to swim” locations. […]
Halle Quezada, who has become a driving force behind the movement to provide life rings on the lakefront after witnessing a drowning in 2018, was not appeased by the district’s plan, which she called “doing the least to control bad PR.”
The emphasis on “not safe to swim” locations amounts to victim blaming, said Quezada, who spoke during the board meeting’s public comment portion.
As neighbors pitched in to fund and install their own life rings at Pratt Pier, the park district repeatedly took them down, telling Ald. Maria Hadden (49th) it was because they “couldn’t vouch” for them and they could become a liability.
On Friday, Chicago Park District CEO Mike Kelly was asked at a press conference if he regretted that move.
“No,” said Kelly. “I don’t regret it. I think I made the right decision then, and I think I’m making the right decision now.” […]
Kelly made clear on Friday his reluctance to bring life rings to areas where swimming isn’t sanctioned– places like Pratt Pier.
“We’re in the life safety business, and teach-kids-to-swim business,” he said, opposing “anything that gives a semblance of comfort to going in that water where it says do not swim.”
Benjamin recoiled when he heard Kelly’s words.
“In the last 12 months alone, there have been 9 drowning incidents in Chicago along the lake, where life rings could have saved a life,” he said. “These are human lives.”
Mike Kelly resigned the following month for different direct reasons, but the same overall attitude.
State legislators are considering a new bill that would require life-saving equipment at all public access points along Lake Michigan following an outcry last summer over safety measures at Rogers Park beaches. […]
Rep. Kelly Cassidy (D-Rogers Park) helped lead the effort to install life rings at city beaches and is the main sponsor of the state legislative proposal. Requiring safety devices at public access points along the entirety of the state’s Lake Michigan shoreline can help prevent future drownings, she said.
“That this bill is needed is a tragedy, but it also represents what happens when a community comes together to solve a problem,” Cassidy said in a statement.
Water safety advocates scored a major victory in the last month with the successful advancement of the Lake Michigan Rescue Equipment Act.
The bill passed unanimously through the Illinois State House on March 2, and passed through the House Human Services Committee on March 30. It now goes to the desk of Governor Pritzker to be signed into law.
The bill comes after a decade-long grassroots community campaign for lakefront water safety — an issue exasperated by the drowning death of 19-year-old Miguel Cisneros at Pratt Pier last summer.
State Representative Kelly Cassidy (D-14), head sponsor of the bill, said, “Fundamentally, this is about preventing tragedies like Miguel’s death. Raising awareness of the power of Lake Michigan and helping people understand the risks and ways to stay safe is top of mind.”
According to the Great Lakes Rescue Project, there have been 1,044 drowning deaths on the Great Lakes since 2010 — roughly half of which were on Lake Michigan. And citywide, Roger’s Park holds the highest rate of drowning deaths of any neighborhood, a title it has held since 2010.
Life rings will be required at all Lake Michigan access points in the state after Gov. JB Pritzker signed a new law that some Far North Side neighbors and officials have been seeking for years.
Pritzker on Thursday signed the Lake Michigan Rescue Equipment Act, which mandates that private and government-owned piers, beaches and drop-off points along Lake Michigan have life saving equipment such as life rings.
The bill was introduced by Rep. Kelly Cassidy (D-Rogers Park) after the drowning death of 19-year-old Miguel Cisneros last summer near Farwell Pier.
Neighbors installed life rings at the pier following Cisneros and at least two other drowning deaths at the location, but those rings were removed by the Chicago Park District. The incident led to a new wave of advocacy for life rings along the lakefront, helping to change park district policy and now state law.
Of the Great Lakes, experts say Lake Michigan has the highest rate of drownings. But just days after Governor JB Pritzker signed a new law mandating lifesaving rings be installed on all piers and drop-off points along Lake Michigan, a life was saved at North Avenue Beach.
“A person on the lakefront saw someone struggling in the water. They stayed dry. They grabbed a life ring,” said Dave Benhamin, co-founder and executive director of Great Lakes Surf Rescue Project. “They threw it in. They helped pull the person out. They saved a life. they put the life ring back. And then everyone went on with their day.”
