A hate crime investigation is underway after two nooses were found at the York Community High School football field in west suburban Elmhurst.
The nooses - made of rope - were found hanging from metal bleachers at the field between noon and 2:30 p.m. Sunday by a group of adults who had gathered to play an informal game of soccer, police said.
The group took the nooses down and contacted authorities Monday, police said. Investigators found messages on the tape used to attach the nooses to the bleachers.
One message read “Let them play!” and the other read “Hear us now! Please!” police said.
In a letter to parents, the superintendent of Elmhurst Community School District 205 wrote in part, “Regardless of intent, this act decries the principles, values and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., whose holiday we paused to celebrate today… We further pledge to be courageous leaders, who will ensure that symbols of hatred, oppression and violence have no place in our school district and in the city of Elmhurst.”
Ain’t nobody gonna listen to your argument on anything if that’s how you behave.
Hopefully, the folks advocating for restarting high school sports will universally condemn this despicable nonsense. The rhetoric is getting way out of hand as it is.
Illinois marijuana sales brought in over a billion dollars last year.
The sales tax from cannabis can help cities like Springfield, but because of a state law, the capital city can’t currently use any of the sales tax revenue.
“It’s a conundrum for us because here we are getting this money, we want to spend it and allocate it, but we can’t because our hands are tied due to state law,” City of Springfield Budget Director Bill McCarty said.
The reason being that Springfield only has two dispensaries selling recreational products — both owned by the same company, Ascend Wellness.
If McCarty were to disclose the revenue the city’s received from the tax, he would in effect be disclosing their sales, which is a violation of state law.
The only people with access to the confidential information are McCarty, Mayor Jim Langfelder, deputy mayor Bonnie Drew and city attorney Jim Zerkle.
Per guidance received from the Illinois Department of Revenue, McCarty said the city would need at least five recreational dispensaries before it could disclose cannabis revenue as the law is currently constructed.
“Therefore, we’re simply sitting on the money,” McCarty said. “I know how much has come in, but it’s all mixed in with our regular sales tax. So it’s not reported individually out there anywhere, and I’m not reporting it. We’re also not putting it in the budget, and we’re also not spending it.”
* So, I checked with the governor’s office…
The administration remains committed to ensuring the new adult-use cannabis industry benefits communities across the state which is why the Cannabis Regulation and Tax Act does not prevent municipalities from spending revenue received from taxes imposed on the sale of cannabis. Though Springfield is currently home to only one dispensary, they are legally allowed to spend tax dollars received from the dispensary if they do not identify the source of the funding in their budget.
Background…
Springfield is one of 44 municipalities with only one dispensary. The IL Dept. of Revenue includes cannabis dollars in lump sum payments to municipalities, which include general sales tax and the motor fuel tax, which publicly protects the source of any cannabis tax dollars.
As President Donald Trump prepares to leave office with his party in disarray, Republican leaders including Sen. Mitch McConnell are maneuvering to thwart his grip on the GOP in future elections, while forces aligned with Trump are looking to punish Republican lawmakers and governors who have broken with him. […]
Republicans on both sides of the conflict are acknowledging openly that they are headed for a showdown.
“Hell yes, we are,” said Rep. Adam Kinzinger of Illinois, one of the 10 House Republicans who voted to impeach Trump.
Kinzinger was equally blunt when asked how he and other anti-Trump Republicans could dilute the president’s clout in primaries.
“We beat him,” he said.
* Meanwhile, in Illinois, here’s Democratic US Rep. Sean Casten…
ince the results of the elections in November were certified, multiple members of the Illinois Republican Party have continued to question the outcomes without valid justification. Local Republican officials have been demanding a full recount of votes in DuPage County, mobilizing rallies and using incendiary rhetoric that directly echoes language used by the Proud Boys and other domestic terror groups who attacked the United States Capitol last week.
In one of several mass communications calling for a recount on the basis of factually inaccurate claims, the DuPage County Republican Party Chairman falsely claimed the DuPage County Clerk is breaking the law and that she needs to be held “accountable.” While these individuals are now attempting to distance themselves from the violence on January 6th, we cannot ignore their contributions to the disinformation campaign that led to it. The language being used by those seeking to overturn a free and fair election in DuPage County is virtually identical to the language being used by those groups who are planning those attacks—from the “stop the steal” battle cry that’s since been removed from Facebook for its threat to public safety to suggesting that supporters “fight” election results extrajudicially. Any political party who fails to curtail this language must, if only out of an abundance of caution, be assumed to be supporting these insurrectionists.
Words matter, and the events of the last week have made it abundantly clear what these particular words can incite. U.S. intelligence agencies have informed us that there are multiple terror groups seeking to mobilize attacks on the U.S. Government and all fifty state capitals in or around January 20th; Our entire national security, intelligence and civil protection apparatus, including federal, state, and local agencies are focused on identifying and stopping these actors.
To that end, I call on the leadership of the Illinois Republican party, and upon public officials at all levels of state and local government, to immediately and publicly disavow and condemn these actions, affirm the certified results of the November election, and use their position of leadership to make it abundantly clear that while the terrorists who attacked the Capitol last week may have had a political agenda, they do not have the support of the party of Lincoln.
I asked for a comment from the ILGOP last week and heard nothing back. The state Republican Party regularly demands reporters ask questions of Gov. Pritzker, so turnabout, etc.
Trump will no longer be a handicap to Republicans in the Chicago suburbs and in places like Champaign County, where he could manage no more than 37 percent of the vote and where the once-dominant GOP lost six countywide offices since Trump became president. Democrats also have gained a pair of seats in both the Illinois House and Senate since 2016.
Trump’s loss, combined with the demise of Michael J. Madigan, the longtime Speaker of the House who has bedeviled Republicans in the Legislature for 50 years, makes January 2021 one of the best months for the Illinois GOP in years.
The political pendulum may finally be moving in favor of Republicans in the Land of Lincoln.
The worst of it may be over for the party for now, but the suburbs have been trending more Democratic since the 1990s just as Downstate has been trending more Republican. Neither trend is likely to stop.
What I’m saying is that Illinois Republicans have opportunity, even now. Democrats are quite capable of soiling their own nest. But to reach millions of voters in the middle, the GOP somehow has to cleanse a brand that now is horridly tarnished. Please, give me real choice on Election Day.
Easier said than done. Party leaders can only do so much. If the GOP base doesn’t settle down, those primaries are gonna be something to behold.
State Senator Heather Steans (D-Chicago) today announced her resignation after 12 years of service, declaring “it’s time for fresh faces and new energy” in Springfield.
“It’s been the privilege of a lifetime to represent the most diverse Senate district in the State of Illinois,” Steans said. “I’ve benefited tremendously from the many perspectives of the people a I’ve represented. We’ve made great progress together, and now it’s time to pass the baton.”
During her tenure, Steans has been a leader on issues affecting women and the LGBTQ community, introducing and passing the historic bill that legalized gay marriage in Illinois, the first state to address this vital civil rights issue through the legislative process. She sponsored and passed the landmark House Bill 40, which will ensure that abortion remains legal in Illinois if the Roe v. Wade decision is ever overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court. And Steans was the Senate sponsor of the Equal Rights Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which was finally ratified by the Illinois legislature in 2018.
“For every significant piece of legislation expanding women’s or LGBTQ rights in the past 12 years, Heather has been a leading voice,” said Terry Cosgrove, President and CEO of Personal PAC. “Her fingerprints are all over the tremendous gains we’ve made in Illinois in ensuring that our fundamental rights are protected.”
Steans played the key legislative role in expanding access to healthcare to hundreds of thousands of Illinoisans under the Affordable Care Act, commonly known as Obamacare. She was a strong supporter of social equity legislation, including sponsoring the legalization of cannabis in Illinois that contained the largest criminal drug records expungement and social equity considerations in the country.
The cannabis legalization law, which Steans wrote and passed through the Senate, contains strong social equity requirements that have yet to be realized in the law’s implementation. It was the first legal cannabis law in the nation to be created through legislation rather than by referendum and has brought tens of millions of dollars of revenue to state and local coffers during the economic downturn caused by the coronavirus.
“Heather has been a valiant partner in forcing state government to address the historic racism and discrimination that has left too many of our families behind,” said former-state senator Toi Hutchinson, now serving as the Illinois Cannabis Regulation Oversight Officer. “Heather’s voice and leadership in that ongoing battle will be missed.”
Steans said that one of her greatest joys as State Senator was working with the many not-for-profit organizations throughout her district, which includes the Rogers Park, Edgewater, Andersonville and Ravenswood neighborhoods of Chicago.
“There are hundreds of people across our community who are working and fighting every day to protect our most vulnerable and give everyone a shot at a better life,” Steans said. “It’s been my privilege to work closely with those citizen-activists over the past 12 years and I will continue to support their efforts after leaving the Senate.”
Steans’ resignation is effective January 31, 2021. Her successor will be chosen by a weighted vote of the Democratic committeemen and committeewomen from the wards that make up the Seventh Senate District. Whoever is appointed will serve out the final two years of Steans’ term and must run to retain the seat in the 2022 election, when all Illinois House and Senate seats will be on the ballot.
Her two House members are Reps. Greg Harris and Kelly Cassidy.
*** UPDATE 1 *** From Rep. Cassidy…
I intend to seek the appointment to the Senate.
…Adding… Press release…
Illinois Senate President Don Harmon issued the following statement regarding Senator Heather Steans’ decision to leave the Illinois Senate.
“Heather Steans forever changed this state for the better. People across Illinois had their rights recognized and protected thanks to her leadership.
She is a forceful advocate for progress and problem solving, who fearlessly tackled many of the biggest issues in our society and was always looking for her next challenge.
“I wish her the best in her next adventures and thank her for all she has done for the Senate and the great state of Illinois.”
…Adding… Numbers…
If @RepKellyCassidy becomes Sen. Cassidy and is replaced in the House by someone with no prior GA service (and likewise for former Sens. Manar and Brady) here's how the ol' chart will look.
“For as long as I’ve known and worked with Senator Heather Steans, she has been a clear eyed and hardworking champion for services and supports for persons with disabilities and mental illnesses. In the nearly 50 years IARF has advocated on behalf of our social safety net, few legislators have as consistently and effectively taken up the mantle of ensuring Illinois government met its obligation to adequately support our service array as Senator Steans. From leading the charge to increase wages for direct support professionals to constantly working to improve the Medicaid program for enrollees and social service providers, Heather gave a strong voice in the General Assembly to those who so often felt they never had one. We wish Senator Steans all the best in her future endeavors..she will be missed.”
*** UPDATE 2 *** This looks like a done dealio…
Illinois House Majority Leader Greg Harris has indicated he's not pursuing the soon-to-be vacant state Senate seat now held by Sen. Heather Steans. State Rep. Kelly Cassidy is interested in moving to the Senate. She's the clear frontrunner for the seat.
I deleted an earlier tweet that incorrectly said Cassidy would have total power to pick her House replacement. Neither she nor Osterman quite has enough votes on their own to break the 50%-plus-one threshold.
…Adding… Colleen Connell, Executive Director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois…
“We join those across Illinois in recognizing the incredible accomplishments of Heather Steans during her tenure in the Illinois Senate. Over the past 12 years, the ACLU of Illinois has been proud to stand by her side in advancing marriage equality, advancing access to reproductive health care for all women in Illinois, protecting children under the care of DCFS, implementing critical protections from discrimination in health care based on religion and the effort to legalize cannabis. Senator Steans has been a leader for progress in Illinois and her voice in the Senate will be missed.”
…Adding… IWIL Training Academy President Barbara Flynn Currie…
“Few women in Illinois have done more to press for equality in public life and promote women in public office than Senator Heather Steans. IWIL Training Academy is enormously proud of her service in the General Assembly and to the numerous graduates of our academy who call her a mentor and friend. We salute her accomplishments in the Senate and look forward to her next chapter.”
Senator Heather Steans serves as Vice-President of IWIL Training Academy and is a long time member of the board of directors.
Illinois Women’s Institute for Leadership (IWIL) Training Academy prepares and trains Democratic women to run for elected office, seek public appointments, and govern effectively at all levels in Illinois. Each year, IWIL Training Academy accepts a diverse class of twelve women from around the state into an intensive year-long training program. The organization provides participants with the expertise and support needed to put together successful campaigns and lead in their communities. IWIL Training Academy is one of only a handful of groups around the country dedicated to ensuring that when women seek political office, they are prepared.
The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) today reported 4,318 new confirmed and probable cases of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Illinois, including 33 additional deaths.
- Champaign County: 2 females 60s, 1 male 60s
- Clay County: 1 male 70s
- Cook County: 1 male 60s, 3 females 70s, 5 males 70s, 3 females 80s, 3 males 80s, 2 females 90s, 2 male 90s
- DuPage County: 2 females 80s
- Effingham County: 1 female 80s
- Marion County: 1 male 60s
- Montgomery County: 1 female 90s
- Peoria County: 2 females 90s
- Rock Island County: 1 male 70s
- Sangamon County: 1 female 70s
- Vermilion County: 1 male 60s
Currently, IDPH is reporting a total of 1,076,532 cases, including 18,291 deaths, in 102 counties in Illinois. The age of cases ranges from younger than one to older than 100 years. Within the past 24 hours, laboratories have reported 71,533 specimens for a total 14,898,528. As of last night, 3,335 in Illinois were reported to be in the hospital with COVID-19. Of those, 713 patients were in the ICU and 395 patients with COVID-19 were on ventilators.
The preliminary seven-day statewide positivity for cases as a percent of total test from January 12–18, 2021 is 5.7%. The preliminary seven-day statewide test positivity from January 12–18, 2021 is 6.9%.
As of last night, 781,350 doses of vaccine were delivered to providers in Illinois, including Chicago. In addition, approximately 304,600 doses have been allocated to the federal government’s Pharmacy Partnership Program for long-term care facilities. This brings the total Illinois doses to 1,085,950. IDPH is currently reporting a total of 508,732 vaccines administered, including 69,976 for long-term care facilities. Yesterday, a total of 13,169 doses were administered. The 7-day rolling average of vaccines administered daily is 22,134 doses.
*All data are provisional and will change. In order to rapidly report COVID-19 information to the public, data are being reported in real-time. Information is constantly being entered into an electronic system and the number of cases and deaths can change as additional information is gathered. For health questions about COVID-19, call the hotline at 1-800-889-3931 or email dph.sick@illinois.gov.
With the state of Illinois launching multiple health care staffing contracts to increase hospital staffing, the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) is adjusting its mitigation metrics to reflect the additional staff. With the change, Regions 8, 9, 10, and 11 will move from the most restrictive Tier 3 to Tier 2. In addition, Region 1 and 6 have met the metrics to move to Tier 1, and Regions 3 and 5 have met the metrics to return to Phase 4 of the Restore Illinois Plan.
Hospital leaders and local health departments have communicated to IDPH that their primary capacity challenge is the need for additional staffing and stressed that state-facilitated staffing contracts will be critical in addressing this challenge. With this surge staffing program, IDPH and hospital leaders feel confident that metrics can safely move away from utilizing medical/surgical bed limits to move across mitigation tiers, allowing more regions to advance. The adjustment also recognizes the substantial progress the state has made since November 20, 2020 when Tier 3 mitigations were put in place.
“Hospital leaders have made clear the importance of staffing in their continued response to this pandemic and conveyed that staffing contracts will be extraordinarily valuable in their ability to meet the needs of their communities,” said IDPH Director Dr. Ngozi Ezike. “We are pleased to see most of our regions move out of Tier 3 mitigations with this change, and it is critical that we maintain this progress. With new variants of COVID-19 spreading, it is more important than ever to follow the public health guidance that keeps people safe – wear your mask and watch your distance.”
To address capacity issues reported by Illinois hospitals, IDPH, in partnership with the Illinois Emergency Management Agency (IEMA) and the Department of Healthcare and Family Services (HFS), has launched a surge staffing program. The program leverages the state’s larger contracting power to engage multiple staffing vendors and create access to a talent pool at greater scale than any individual hospital could achieve. Hospitals with rooms available to increase capacity but lacking the personnel to staff their beds may partner with the state to procure the staff they need. Hospitals that create orders will enter into a contract with the state to access this new staffing pool.
Hospital leaders have conveyed that due to the progress the state has made as well as the volatility in medical/surgical capacity this time of year, the state’s remaining metrics will appropriately monitor capacity and spread. While IDPH is working to allow regions greater flexibility in lifting the most stringent mitigations, public health officials will continue to carefully monitor hospital needs and test positivity in order to maintain the state’s progress.
This is particularly critical as new variants circulate. Early studies for the SARS-CoV-2 variant B.1.1.7, which was first identified in the United Kingdom, have shown the variant may spread more rapidly and easily than what we have seen previously. Experts are predicting another possible surge due to this new variant in the next several months. Because of this, it is vital for people to remain vigilant and continue to wear their masks, keep 6-feet of distance, avoid large gatherings, and get vaccinated when they are eligible.
Four cases of COVID-19 were confirmed Thursday in the Capitol Complex and Bank of Springfield Center shortly before or after the Illinois House and Senate concluded their sessions for the week.
It’s unclear whether the outbreaks will play a role in when lawmakers will return to Springfield.
One case was confirmed in the Capitol Complex — which includes the Capitol building where the Senate met from Friday through Wednesday.
Three cases were confirmed through rapid testing at the BOS Center, where the House met from Friday through Thursday to accommodate social-distancing recommendations during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to Steve Brown, an aide to House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch, D-Hillside.
Earlier this month, Sangamon County put out the call to health care responders – the group of people known for vaccination purposes as “Phase 1A” – to fill up available weekend slots for receive the dose at the Department of Public Health. But that weekend, I began to notice social media postings from people who weren’t health care workers who had gotten their appointment to get a shot. Curious, I tried it, too. The online form asked if I was a health care worker. I accurately answered “no”… and it then proceeded to take me through the rest of the process and schedule my appointment.
I called the health department, which acknowledged a “glitch” in the online system that allowed the general public the ability to schedule appointments. While the glitch is now fixed, the department decided to honor the appointments that had been made. I asked if I should proceed with my appointment, and was told that I should, for a couple of reasons:
* The county is going to considerable expense to schedule staff on weekends to keep up a fast pace of vaccinations. They want to make sure every slot is filled, and not a single dose goes to waste. So when appointments are made, they want to make sure they are carried out.
* County health officials are hoping that media members like myself can help spread the word about the importance of the vaccine and clear up misconceptions about it and the vaccination process. In reality, members of the media are also part of Phase 1 because of the role we play in communicating important health and safety information to the public. You may question whether we are “essential” workers; in fact, you may vehemently disagree with that characterization. And you may have a point. But that is the system that’s been set up.
* As we all know, members of Congress have been offered vaccinations under an Obama-era executive order about continuity of governance. But members of the Illinois General Assembly have to wait their turn. Growing numbers are not happy…
If it’s essential for us to gather with 200 people almost every week, then we are essential enough to get a vaccine. We had an outbreak at session this week. Do we need to pass de-coupling, cannabis, etc bills or no? Vaccinate legislators and staff so we can work. @GovPritzker
* I asked Gov. Pritzker on Friday whether legislators should be vaccinated. As I told subscribers that afternoon, Pritzker said elected officials will receive the vaccination when they are eligible with the rest of the population. So, for example, if they’re over 65, they can qualify when those folks are vaccinated. Pritzker pointed out that he hasn’t yet been vaccinated and that legislators would, like himself, not be eligible for “special dispensation.”
* The Question: Should legislators receive the COVID-19 vaccination ahead of the spring session? Take the poll and then explain your answer in comments, please…
* Senate Majority Leader Kimberly Lightford wrote an op-ed in response to a misleading (surprise!) Tribune editorial…
I’ve seen misguided criticism that we are eliminating cash bail too fast. It’s a two-year phase-in. Two years. How much bureaucratic foot-dragging did they want?
Others complain about new training requirements that are designed to familiarize police with uncomfortable situations and hopefully reduce violent encounters. It’s exactly what community voices have been calling on for decades. They argue that trust won’t be restored between the police and the public until training, supervision and accountability reforms ensure everyone is protected without bias. […]
Before the Senate adjourned in May, we changed our rules so Senate committees could meet via Zoom during this pandemic. Over the summer and fall, the Senate hosted 32 legislative hearings covering well over 100 hours of testimony regarding the Legislative Black Caucus agenda.
These were public hearings. We invited Illinois House members. Law enforcement groups testified. Media outlets covered the hearings. As we had discussions, we also negotiated legislation.
Nothing should have been a surprise to anyone paying attention.
Lobbyists for law enforcement groups were invited to be part of the process. In fact, police groups won key concessions. It’s hard to claim you were shut out when your lobbyists were getting things changed.
As a result of that lobbying, the elimination of qualified immunity was removed from the bill as were restrictions on collective bargaining rights.
* But the misinformation is overwhelming. Here’s a Sun-Times op-ed by Jason Johnson, the president of a group called the Law Enforcement Legal Defense Fund…
And the public — especially communities hard-hit by violence and crime — want more police, not less. Residents of impoverished and often dangerous urban areas overwhelmingly want more (53%) or the same (41%) police presence in their communities according to a poll conducted this summer by Gallup for the Center for Advancing Opportunity after the George Floyd incident. A similar Gallup poll found a staggering 68% of residents in Chicago’s South Side wanted the police to spend more time in their neighborhood — only 5% wanted the police around less.
Um, there’s nothing in the bill that would reduce police presence in those communities.
* Notice the sheriff doesn’t say how this bill would be so devastating to law enforcement…
I’m very sorry to announce the dismantling of public safety as we know it. The elected officials that snuck and voted in…
What we’re seeing here is a group of people accustomed to always getting their way being told they can’t have veto power.
* And the usual process argument…
Thank you to the over 650 of you who signed the petition urging Gov. Pritzker to veto HB3653. I transmitted our letter to Gov. Pritzker today. We could have gotten many more signatures, but I wanted the Governor to receive our letter before he takes action on this legislation. pic.twitter.com/4JONcpsqfZ
Like he’d have been a “Yes” if they had more hearings. Right.
* A trailer bill will likely be needed and laws can always be altered in the future if things go awry…
Legislators have taken a giant step toward reforming the criminal justice system in Illinois by approving a bill that would do away with cash bail, but the experiences of other states that tried similar reforms show it’s not a sure thing.
If Gov. J.B. Pritzker signs the measure into law, Illinois will become one of a handful of states that have enacted major changes regarding cash bail.
California and New York passed similar laws in recent years, but they were dropped because of public opposition. New Jersey, which was one of the first states to eliminate cash bail, under a reform passed in 2014, has weathered challenges and is seen as a success.
“Other jurisdictions who have implemented similar reforms offer important lessons that we would be wise to pay attention to — both in terms of what to do and what not to do,” said Roseanna Ander, director of the University of Chicago Crime Lab.
People just need to take a breath and stop believing all the outlandish rhetoric. We saw where that got us with the recent election.
* Not even remotely as severe, and Leader McConchie has really stepped up about the insanity in DC, but still a starkly mixed message tweeted in sequence…
Today we celebrate the birth and extraordinary life of an American hero. We must also remember his death at the hands of those who sought to tear this country down rather than build it up. Thank you #MLK and all those who fight for justice throughout America. https://t.co/2CNlFrJEAr
…Adding… I forgot I had this prisoner inoculation response in my in-box. From Jordan Abudayyeh…
The facts are clear: despite taking all precautions, prisons across the nation and in Illinois have had major outbreaks with hundreds of staff going in and out every day. As a result, the risk of infection for incarcerated individuals and staff working in the facilities has been very high. The federal government’s guidance is clear that because of the high risk of infection, incarcerated individuals should be vaccinated in Phase 1B, along with personnel. Indeed, the federal Bureau of Prisons has already been vaccinating federal inmates.
If Donald Trump had invoked the Defense Production Act to produce more vaccine or encouraged people to wear masks to prevent infections, we wouldn’t find ourselves with such scarcity and rapid spread.
“Increased rates of transmission have been observed in congregate living settings. Based on local, state, or territorial epidemiology and implementation considerations, jurisdictions may choose to vaccinate persons who reside at congregate living facilities (e.g., correctional or detention facilities, homeless shelters, group homes, or employer provided shared housing units) at the same time as the frontline staff, because of their shared increased risk of disease. CDC, 12/20)”
Deaths from COVID per 10,000:
DOC staff – 1
DOC inmates – 24
IL Adults – 18
The state’s only departure from ACIP and CDC guidance has been to lower the age from 75 to 65 for those in Phase 1B, a policy change that days later the federal government decided to adopt as well.
The goal is to get as many high risk individuals vaccinated as quickly as possible and the state is committed to following the best practices from the experts to accomplish that goal.
…Adding… Leader McConchie response…
“All human life is precious and prisoners deserve to be vaccinated along with the general population,” said Illinois Senate Republican Leader Dan McConchie. “Additionally, I believe inmates with pre-existing conditions that put them at greater danger of death from COVID-19 should be vaccinated along with those with pre-existing conditions in the general public. The point is that people with pre-existing conditions who are at the highest risk, whether they be incarcerated or in the general public, deserve the opportunity to be vaccinated next. Right now, it’s not even an option for those under 65 with high risk medical conditions to get the vaccine, even if a doctor insists it is needed to help protect their life or health.”
Days after being deposed as Illinois House speaker, Michael Madigan has vacated his Springfield apartment, fueling speculation that he will resign the Illinois House seat he has held since 1971.
Madigan’s decision to vacate his apartment at Lincoln Tower, about a block from the Illinois State Capitol, was first reported by Mark Maxwell, a television reporter in Springfield.
The pic…
Looking more and more like someone other than Michael Madigan will represent his district in Springfield for the first time in 50 years. Spotted staffers clearing out his apartment furniture today. No official resignation yet. pic.twitter.com/LK0AxA9dOM
There’s widespread speculation that after losing the powerful speaker’s chair, Madigan isn’t long for the legislature.
“I don’t have any intel on this but my instinct is I just can’t see a situation where he would stick around as a rank and file member. I just don’t,” said Rep. Buckner.
However, Madigan is still chairman of the Illinois Democratic Party and controls millions in campaign funds. Rep. Zalewski doesn’t see him holding on to that role, either, or the role of chief architect of the 2021 remap.
“I think as the year progresses you’ll see the speaker address his future in a number of ways. The chairmanship of the party will be part of that, the leadership of the party’s political arm will be part of that. This isn’t going to be hard to figure out. He’s going to transition out. I think you’ll see him retire to a private life and I wish him the best on that. And I think Chris will be the quarterback on the remap,” said Zalewski.
* Mitchell Armentrout writes a perspective. Here’s the beginning, but you should read the whole thing…
When Mike Madigan first took office in Illinois, same-sex marriage was unheard of, gambling was limited to racetracks and computers were confined to laboratories.
Fast-forward through nearly a quarter of Illinois’ 202-year existence, and the Southwest Side powerhouse has finally given up most of his grip on a state that has undergone tectonic shifts both culturally and politically.
Lots more will be written about this topic. But just imagine the 1970 Madigan being told about the 2021 MJM. The power may not have surprised him, but the dramatic shift in his ideology likely would.
Go to the 2:06 mark and you’ll see Madigan denying he ever recommended anyone for work at ComEd or Exelon or had ever referred anyone. “No,” Madigan said while shaking his head.
* State Week: The End of an Era: This week, Illinois lawmakers wrapped up the work of the 101st General Assembly. And there is a new House Speaker - Chris Welch - after Michael Madigan lost the support of his caucus after nearly four decades in power. Rich Miller of Capitol Fax joins the panel.
* Mark Brown has an excellent column about Speaker Chris Welch’s rise to power. He reminds us that Welch stood up to be the lead plaintiff in a lawsuit against then-Comptroller Leslie Munger over her blatantly unconstitutional refusal to pay legislator salaries…
By taking the heat for them, Welch earned the appreciation of his fellow legislators, Democrats and Republicans.
As Michael J. Madigan proved over a nearly four-decade career as House speaker, the speakership doesn’t depend on popularity with the public but on the speaker’s standing among his members.
Welch’s ascendance was years in the making — the result of thoughtful efforts to build relationships with other lawmakers while enhancing his profile as a leader.
He took a leading role in 2019 in getting Black and Latino legislators to work together to create the state’s Access to Justice Program, funding legal services for immigrants and for people who need help getting their criminal records expunged.
That paid off in the speaker contest when Welch, after gaining the support of the 22-member Black Caucus, persuaded the House’s nine Latino members to back him — putting him more than half way to 60.
* And Derrick Blakley talked to actual House Democrats about Welch’s rise…
“Chris’ history of serving as chair of the Executive Committee, the heaviest committee in Springfield where all the huge legislation come through, and his experience with the special (Madigan) investigatory committee he chaired this year,” said Rep. Buckner. “And it was important to me that we find somebody who could get to 60 votes by putting together a coalition of downstate moderates, suburban women, and the Black and Latino caucuses.” […]
After decades under Madigan’s tight-fisted rule, lawmakers are looking for more freedom under Welch.
“I think that his personality is collaborative and being new, he knows that we all have to work together,” said Rep. Kifowit. “He’s promised a 10 year term limit on leadership. He’s very accessible. He’s always been open and ready to listen to new ideas. We can contact him. By email. By cellphone!” […]
Legislators also chafed at Madigan’s tight control on legislative matters. Until recently, lawmakers had to choose three bills to prioritize and no more. On the political side, candidates in swing districts were counseled to shy away from progressive stances.
“They’ve been told in the past under Madigan, being in a district that can flip-flop, they can’t or shouldn’t vote on certain things. There were a lot of folks who took umbrage with that. I think Chris wants to give people a little more independence, a little more autonomy, “said Rep. Buckner. […]
“Speaker Madigan just presented the rules and we’d vote on them without discussion from anybody,” said Rep. Harper. “But Speaker Welch said in a spirit of collaboration, he would wait until he gets input from members of both parties on the rules before we vote on them. It’s a new day when it comes to having a little bit more input on matters that used to be only decided by leadership or a small group of people.”
* Related…
* New state House Speaker Emanuel ‘Chris’ Welch made commitments for reform to force out Madigan. Can he keep them?: “With diversity, you’re going to have a lot of thought. And with a lot of thought you’re going to get a lot of opinions. When you get a lot of opinions, you’re going to get a lot of disagreements. Well, we’re going to learn from each other because we’re all going to be around that table,” he said. “That was an overwhelming theme that I heard from my colleagues and they’re going to be in the room.”
* Commentary: Reflections give insight into new Illinois House Speaker Chris Welch: The Institute recently asked 25 prominent Illinoisans to recommend five books about the state to provide students a nuanced, well-rounded understanding of our state. We received recommendations from U.S. Sen. Richard Durbin, former Gov. Jim Edgar, former U.S. Congressman and Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, Rep. Welch, and others. Mr. Welch’s intriguing recommendations were “Boss: Richard J. Daley of Chicago” by Mike Royko, “Mayor Harold Washington: Champion of Race and Reform” by Roger Biles, “Dreams from My Father” by Barack Obama, “Our Culture of Pandering” by Paul Simon, and “American Pharaoh,” the book I had given him.
“The legislature is going to be a check on the executive branch,” newly elected House Speaker Chris Welch flatly declared to me in an interview the other day.
Welch was responding to a question I posed to him about his Jan. 13 inaugural address, when he asked not-so-rhetorically, “Why is it difficult to ensure that families’ unemployment checks continue unabated and arrive on time so struggling families can feed their children? Why is that hard to grasp?”
Welch’s predecessor as House speaker, Michael J. Madigan, stayed completely mum about Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s handling of the COVID-19 crisis and resulting mass unemployment, though the governor occasionally took verbal shots at Madigan and called on him to resign if he refused to answer questions about the ComEd investigation.
Not a single House committee hearing has been held about the backlog of unemployment checks at the Illinois Department of Employment Security or, for that matter, all the other migraine headaches legislators have been dealing with as desperate constituents turn to them for assistance when they can’t get through to a state agency. That could very well change.
Rep. Fred Crespo, D-Hoffman Estates, warned the governor last week via the publication Center Square that the House could “hold up some of these funds, even federal dollars” to IDES if members don’t start getting answers to their questions. Crespo was instrumental in corralling votes for Welch and has been the chair of the House General Services Appropriations Committee.
“It’s not a threat, I think it’s more, I think it’s an education,” Crespo told Center Square. “They’re new, and make sure they understand the process.”
“I’m going to have an open and ongoing relationship with the governor to express what I’m hearing from our members,” Welch told me.
Welch didn’t come right out and say it, but what he is hearing from his members about the governor ain’t all that great these days, as Rep. Crespo could attest.
In the just-concluded lame-duck session of the Legislature, in which both of Pritzker’s top priorities failed to pass, the governor’s administration appears to have gotten a taste of what may come later this year.
A bill to decouple the state from federal business tax breaks (depending on whom you talk to) worth $400 million to $1 billion to the state coffers received just 50 votes in the wee hours of last Wednesday morning. Nine Black Caucus members did not vote for the bill. Most voted either “present” or took a walk, but Rep. Debbie Meyers-Martin, D-Olympia Fields, voted “No.”
Black Caucus members are usually reliable votes for revenue increases. Not that day.
Welch didn’t vote on the decoupling bill, either. He explained early on Wednesday morning that he was “distracted” (though the roll call was held open for quite a long while) and would vote for the bill again when the time came, but that time never came.
The Senate played games with the governor’s must-have cannabis cleanup bill, waiting until almost 2 a.m. on Wednesday to pass it pretty much as the governor wanted. But by then it was too late for the House to act.
The Senate seemed to many to be deliberately slow-walking important bills for the governor and for others during the last couple days of session. “I’m pretty sure this bill that we’re debating right now was sent to us about six hours ago from the House,” grumbled one senator at 5:37 a.m. on Wednesday.
The House Democrats were heavily distracted by their election of a new speaker, and some white north suburban Democrats were prepared to go “on strike” if the cannabis bill was passed without allowing their dispensaries to move to better locations, which was a deal-killer for the Black Caucus.
In the end, the lame-duck session was a significant failure for the Pritzker administration. Yes, there were tons of extenuating circumstances. But the administration knew ever since the veto session was canceled in November that a lame-duck session was a distinct probability. They had two months to prepare and now have precious little to show for it except for the Black Caucus agenda that they weren’t in charge of.
Pritzker’s huge legislative success in 2019 was an aberration. It was a legislative expression of joy and relief at having a governor who wanted to work with them to get big things done after 12 years of gubernatorial ineptitude and outright hostility toward the General Assembly. But if they don’t address whatever issues there are with Senate President Don Harmon, woo the new House speaker and start tending to member egos, they’re in for a very rough spring.
* Sorry for coming a day late to this. Busy week. ABC News…
The number of people seeking unemployment aid soared last week to 965,000, the most since late August and a sign that the resurgent virus has likely escalated layoffs.
The latest figures for jobless claims, issued Thursday by the Labor Department, remain at levels never seen until the virus struck. Before the pandemic, weekly applications typically numbered around 225,000. They spiked to nearly 7 million last spring, after nationwide shutdowns took effect. Applications declined over the summer but have been stuck above 700,000 since September.
The high pace of layoffs coincides with an economy that has faltered as consumers have avoided traveling, shopping and eating out in the face of soaring viral caseloads. More than 4,300 deaths were reported Tuesday, another record high. Shutdowns of restaurants, bars and other venues where people gather in California, New York and other states have likely forced up layoffs. […]
Economists say that once coronavirus vaccines are more widely distributed, a broader recovery should take hold in the second half of the year. The incoming Biden administration, along with a now fully Democratic-led House and Senate, is also expected to push more rescue aid and spending measures that could accelerate growth.
The Illinois Department of Employment Security (IDES) reported 94,944 new unemployment claims were filed during the week of Jan. 4 in Illinois, a 109% increase from the week before.
For comparison, during the same timeframe last year, 12,703 people filed claims in Illinois. That’s a 647% increase. […]
There were 45,387 new unemployment claims were filed during the week of Dec. 27 in Illinois.
There were 110,486 claims filed in Illinois the week of Dec. 20.
To: State of Illinois Agency Leadership
From: Janel L. Forde, Director
Date: January 14, 2021
Subject: Guidance for Employees | Beginning January 17th
Over the past week we have all been troubled by recent events at our U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. and the potential for protests at state capitols beginning January 17th has been widely reported. The health and safety of our employees and members of the public is always a primary concern. The Illinois State Police (ISP), Illinois National Guard (ING), and Illinois Emergency Management Agency (IEMA) are coordinating with local and federal law enforcement to implement additional security measures and restrictions in downtown Springfield, including our state capitol, to ensure the safest inauguration week possible.
The Illinois Department of Central Management Services (CMS) encourages all employees to work remotely beginning January 17th through January 19th, if possible, due to the anticipated protests in downtown Springfield.
Sunday January 17th and Monday January 18th – Employees that are not scheduled to work and considering accessing a state facility are encouraged to instead work remotely.
Tuesday January 19th – Regular workday – Employees encouraged to work remotely.
Agencies may keep employees at home and designate them as being in “on-call” status on Wednesday January 20th if they are unable to perform their job duties remotely.
CMS will continue to work with the State law enforcement agencies, regarding additional guidance as the nature of these events develop. We will also update your agency if this guidance changes during the week.
Agencies should notify the following CMS contacts if the intention is to shift all employees to remote designation and not reporting to a state facility. This will allow CMS to coordinate with its custodial and security vendors and specific sites.
A Facebook page maintained by Downers Grove Democratic state Rep. Anne Stava-Murray as a forum for her legislative work has apparently been deactivated.
The account’s disappearance followed a lengthy online squabble over a post Stava-Murray made following her vote in support of a criminal justice reform bill the state legislature approved and was sent to the governor’s desk Wednesday as well as a bill she proposed to remove police officers from schools. […]
The post received largely negative responses from those who responded to it, many complaining the legislator wasn’t following the will of her constituents. […]
Posters began attacking the representative on her personal Facebook page after her legislative page was shuttered.
* It’s now back online…
Apologies for the “thin blue line folks” moniker that has seemed to offend many. I should have been more specific like:…
Duckworth to Facebook: Stop Advertising Military Gear Next to Posts about the January 6th Insurrection
Following last week’s violent insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, combat Veteran and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), a member of the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation and the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC), who served in the Reserve Forces for 23 years, sent a letter to Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg calling on him to immediately remove advertisements from companies promoting and selling products that could equip white nationalists, neo-Nazis and other domestic extremists groups. Duckworth is demanding that Facebook take responsibility for giving organizations and individuals that engaged in insurrection and seditious conspiracy a platform and operational tool. She is also calling on Facebook to immediately conduct a review into its role in supporting, aiding or hosting individuals and organizations that attacked the United States Capitol and to strengthen its corporate governance by adding to its Board of Directors a subject matter expert in violent online extremism and domestic terrorism. Duckworth was joined by Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) and Sherrod Brown (D-OH) on this letter.
In part, the Senators wrote: “Facebook must hold itself accountable for how domestic enemies of the United States have used the company’s products and platform to further their own illicit aims. Whether through negligence or with full knowledge, Facebook is placing profit ahead of our Nation’s democracy. Advertisements of semi-automatic rifles and body armor appearing alongside of news coverage of the January 6, 2021 deadly violent insurrection are outrageous.”
They continued: “Facebook must disavow and actively shun customers that sought to block the execution of the Electoral Count Act. We hope that you share our outrage over the chilling reality that violent insurrectionists and seditionists inflicted death and injury against law enforcement that renders the peaceful transfer of power an impossibility.”
* These are daily COVID-19 raw testing numbers for the BOS Center and the Statehouse by date. They do not include results. As you’ll see, these are both rapid tests (Binax) which have high numbers of negative results, and the far more accurate PCR tests. Click here for an explanation about the difference.
There are 177 state legislators (although a few couldn’t make it to town). An unknown (to the public) number of staff members were also at both venues. Everyone who took a rapid test also got a PCR test, according to the governor’s office, which is why there are two rows. Click the pic for a larger image…
Sheesh, people. What are you thinking?
* Meanwhile, from the Senate Democrats…
Last night, correspondence was sent notifying you of a positive COVID-19 test on the Capitol Complex. Our initial email suggesting that everyone quarantine and be tested was based on the information we had at the time and stated out of an abundance of caution. Now that contact tracing has concluded, we have more information.
As previously stated in last night’s correspondence, we have been told there was minimal contact between the affected person and our members and staff.
To further clarify, we have been told the affected person was not on or near the Senate floor for inauguration and did not come into contact with any guests of the Senate Democratic Caucus. We have also been told the affected person did not come into contact with any of the witnesses who testified before the Executive Committee or members of the press.
We have been told that anyone who was in direct contact with the affected person has been contacted by phone. However, it is our understanding that none of our Members or staff were in “close contact” with the affected person as defined by the Center for Disease Control (CDC).
Well, at least that’s good news. But keep in mind that lots of people weren’t taking tests.
Following a decrease in COVID-19 test positivity rates and hospitalizations throughout Illinois, Governor JB Pritzker announced regions across the state are now eligible to move out of Tier 3 mitigations, the strictest tier of Illinois’ resurgence mitigation plan, implemented shortly before Thanksgiving, in response to a surge of COVID-19 statewide and across the Midwest. After weeks of careful consultation with public health experts to balance the need to save lives and support our hospital systems with protecting our economy, the Governor announced that regions could resume moving out of the tiered resurgence mitigations (Tier 3, Tier 2, and Tier 1) and back into Phase 4 on a data-driven basis.
The Governor also announced adjustments to the resurgence mitigations in light of ramped up vaccination efforts across the state, with Tier 1 of the resurgence mitigation plan now allowing restaurants and bars in a qualifying region to resume indoor dining with limited capacity. Youth and recreational sports may also resume play following the Illinois Department of Public Health’s (IDPH) All Sports Policy in all regions moving out of Tier 3.
In addition, the Governor announced Phase 1A of the Illinois COVID-19 Vaccination Administration Plan is on track to be substantially completed next week, with the entire state moving to Phase 1B on Monday, January 25. In accordance with local progress, IDPH has permitted local health departments who have already substantially completed their 1A populations to move forward with 1B in order to leave no vaccine on the shelves. While vaccine shipments from the federal government remains limited, the state is aggressively building out its capacity to prepare, with hundreds of additional pharmacy sites coming online starting Monday and the Illinois National Guard deploying to support local health department vaccination sites starting Tuesday, both initially only available to the 1A population.
COVID-19 Mitigations
The State of Illinois remains committed to following the guidance of public health experts by implementing mitigations to keep communities safe. In response to decreased positivity rates, hospitalization rates, and hospital bed usage, any region that has met the metrics for a reduction of mitigations will move out of Tier 3 to less restrictive measures beginning today.
Governor Pritzker and IDPH first announced the Resurgence Mitigation Plan on July 15, 2020, taking a regional approach to suppress the spread of the virus. After a wave of COVID-19 surged across Illinois and the nation last fall, all 11 of the Restore Illinois regions moved into Tier 3 mitigations on November 20, 2020. By adhering to meaningful mitigations throughout the holiday season, the state was able to bring down rates of community spread, allowing for regions to once again move forward in the state’s mitigations plan effective January 15, 2021.
IDPH will continue to work with local health departments to monitor regional resurgence, with the guiding short-term goal of getting as many regions as possible back to Phase 4, the last step before Phase 5, when we have enough vaccine and therapeutics available to fully reopen.
As of today, regions that will move into Tie 2 include:
Tier 2
• Region 1 - North
o Boone, Carroll, DeKalb, Jo Daviess, Lee, Ogle, Stephenson, Whiteside, Winnebago
• Region 2 - North-Central
o Bureau, Fulton, Grundy, Henderson, Henry, Kendall, Knox, La Salle, Livingston, Marshall, McDonough, McLean, Mercer, Peoria, Putnam, Rock Island, Stark, Tazewell, Warren, Woodford
• Region 5 - Southern
o Alexander, Edwards, Franklin, Gallatin, Hamilton, Hardin, Jackson, Jefferson, Johnson, Marion, Massac, Perry, Pope, Pulaski, Saline, Union, Wabash, Wayne, White, Williamson
At this time, Regions 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, and 11 will remain in Tier 3 Mitigations, with several likely to meet the metrics to move to Tier 2 in the coming days if current trends hold.
IDPH will continue to monitor the regional metrics and move regions down to Tier 2, to Tier 1, and ultimately back to Phase 4 of the Restore Illinois plan on a rolling basis.
In order to move to Tier 2 mitigations, a region must meet the following metrics:
1. A test positivity rate below 12 percent for three consecutive days, as measured by the 7-day rolling average; AND
2. Greater than or equal to 20 percent available staffed ICU and medical/surgical hospital beds for three consecutive days, on a 3-day rolling average; AND
3. A sustained decrease in the number of people in the hospital with COVID-19 for seven out of 10 days, on a 7-day average.
In order to move to Tier 1 mitigations, a region must meet the following metrics:
1. A test positivity rate below 8 percent for three consecutive days, as measured by the 7-day rolling average; AND
2. Greater than or equal to 20 percent available staffed ICU and medical/surgical hospital beds for three consecutive days, on a 3-day rolling average; AND
3. No sustained increase in the number of people in the hospital with COVID-19 for seven out of 10 days, on a 7-day average.
In order to move to Phase 4, a region must meet the following metrics:
1. A test positivity rate less than or equal to 6.5 percent for three consecutive days, as measured by the 7-day rolling average; AND
2. Greater than or equal to 20 percent available staffed ICU and medical/surgical hospital beds for three consecutive days, on a 3-day rolling average; AND
3. No sustained increase in the number of people in the hospital with COVID-19 for seven out of 10 days, on a 7-day average.
These metrics continue to be part of a data-driven approach that helps manage the risk of community transmission as well as hospital availability.
As the pandemic has evolved, so has the state’s response. The updated plan accounts for months of continued deliberations by public health officials as well as the rollout of the first COVID-19 vaccines. The key change to the Mitigation Plan announced in July is resuming indoor dining with capacity limits in Tier 1.
Restaurants and bars in Regions in Tier 1 can open indoor dining with capacity limited to the lesser of 25 people or 25 percent of room capacity. Additionally, establishments must serve food and indoor tables must be limited to no more than four people, with reservations limited to two hours. Outdoor dining regulations across the resurgence plan and Phase 4 remain unchanged. […]
Additionally, Regions moving out of Tier 3 mitigations can resume youth and recreational sports under the statewide All Sports Policy. Greater levels of play will be permitted as metrics improve into the subsequent tier.
The Illinois Department of Public Health website updated the status of high school sports on Friday.
According to the site, low-risk sports can play conference and intra-region games. Low risk sports include boys and girls bowling, cheerleading, dance, girls gymnastics and boys swimming and diving and badminton.
The site says medium-risk sports (soccer, volleyball, water polo) can have practices but not play games. Higher-risk sports (basketball, football, hockey, lacrosse, wrestling) can hold no-contact practices.
The Chicago Department of Public Health (CDPH) and Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) today announced the first case in Illinois of the SARS-CoV-2 variant B.1.1.7 first identified in the United Kingdom. The case was identified by the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine through sequencing analysis of a specimen from bio-banked samples of COVID-19 positive tests.
The new strain was first identified in the United States about two weeks ago in Colorado and has since been identified in several other states. Evidence suggests that this variant can spread more easily than most currently-circulating strains of COVID-19, but there is no evidence that the new strain affects the sensitivity of diagnostic tests or that it causes more severe illness or increased risk of death. In addition, data suggest current vaccines will be effective and safe in providing protection against the variant.
“This news isn’t surprising and doesn’t change our guidance around COVID-19. We must double down on the recommended safety strategies we know help stop the spread of this virus,” said CDPH Commissioner Allison Arwady, M.D. “In order to protect Chicago, please continue to wear a mask, practice social distancing, wash your hands often, do not have outside guests in your home, and get vaccinated when it is your turn.”
CDPH, IDPH and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), in collaboration with various public health agencies, are closely monitoring this strain.
“When we learned of this and other COVID-19 variants, we increased our surveillance efforts by performing genomic sequence testing on an increased number of specimens,” said IDPH Director Dr. Ngozi Ezike. “We will continue to collaborate with our academic partners, local health departments like CDPH, hospitals, and the CDC to monitor for additional cases.”
A follow-up case investigation by CDPH found that the individual had travelled to the UK and the Middle East in the 14 days prior to the diagnosis. CDPH has worked to identify close contacts of the individual to reinforce the importance of adherence with quarantine and isolation measures.
CDPH is also working with the CDC and IDPH to contribute to national SARS-CoV-2 strain surveillance. Building regional capacity and coordination for this more advanced, specialized molecular laboratory public health work is a top priority for CDPH. Last year, prior to the detection of this variant, CDPH awarded $3 million to lay the groundwork for a Regional Innovative Public Health Laboratory, in partnership with Rush University Medical Center and working with laboratories and academic centers across the City, to increase public health surveillance of possible COVID-19 variants in the Chicago region.
“It is important to monitor the spread of virus variants,” said Dr. Egon Ozer, an assistant professor of medicine in infectious diseases at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. “We expected this variant to show up eventually. We will continue to sequence and study these samples.”
Some data show a higher concentration of the virus in the respiratory tract for the UK variant that could be related to a higher infectivity and easier spread of the variant, but this needs to be confirmed, Ozer said. Some modeling and molecular data also seem to indicate the variant may attach more strongly to the receptor of the human cell, but this also remains under study. Importantly, no data suggests an increased severity of illness, and early studies have shown the vaccine is still effective against this variant.
Dr. Ozer, Dr. Judd Hultquist, Dr. Ramon Lorenzo Redondo and their team in the Northwestern Pathogen Genomics and Bioinformatics Group have been sequencing virus samples obtained from the Northwestern Medicine Diagnostics Molecular Biology Lab and other collaborating institutions. Their goal is to identify populations of SARS-CoV-2 viruses circulating in the city and see how they change over time in their ability to cause disease and spread. In December, the Northwestern team sequenced 180 random residual samples from individuals who came to Northwestern clinics or other sites for COVID-19 testing or screening that would have otherwise been discarded.
The COVID-19 virus – also known as SARS-CoV-2 – like other viruses, constantly changes through mutation, and new variants of a virus are expected to occur over time. According to the CDC, this variant is estimated to have first emerged in the UK during September 2020. Other novel variants of SARS-CoV-2, which also might change the way the virus transmits or behaves, have been identified in South Africa, Nigeria, Brazil, Japan and the US. More novel strains are likely to be identified in the coming weeks and months.
As a pre-cautionary measure, the CDC earlier this week announced that all international passengers headed to the United States will first need to show proof of a negative coronavirus test, a policy which goes into effect on Jan. 26. The new policy requires all air passengers, regardless of vaccination status, to get a test for current infection within the three days before their flight to the United States departs, and to provide written documentation of their test results or proof of having recovered from Covid-19.
Everyday preventive actions by the public can help to slow the spread of all known COVID-19 variants, including wearing a mask, washing hands often, staying six feet away from others and avoiding crowds, avoiding non-essential travel and getting vaccinated when it is your turn.
* Catching up on some stuff today. Here’s a Wednesday press release…
The Illinois General Assembly passed the Predatory Loan Prevention Act today, which will implement a 36 percent interest rate cap on consumer loans, including payday and car title loans. The legislation, SB1792, which passed with a bipartisan vote in both chambers, was filed as part of the Illinois Legislative Black Caucus’ economic equity omnibus bill, and was sponsored by Rep. Sonya Harper and Sen. Chris Belt. Senator Jacqueline Collins, chair of the Senate Financial Institutions, spearheaded the broad coalition that supported the measure.
In Illinois, the average annual percentage rate (APR) on a payday loan is 297 percent, and the average APR on an auto title loan is 179 percent. Federal law already protects active-duty military with a 36 percent APR cap. This bill would extend the same protection to Illinois veterans and all other consumers. Seventeen states plus the District of Columbia have 36 percent caps or lower.
A coalition of more than 50 consumer, faith, labor, community and civil rights organizations, along with financial institutions, Secretary of State Jesse White, Treasurer Michael Frerichs, Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle, an and the Offices of the Illinois Treasurer and Secretary of State, support the legislation (full list at bottom).
Another economic equity bill, SB 1480, caps interest rates on payday and car title loans and to limit the use of criminal history records as a basis for employment and housing decisions. Peters, Tarver and Buckner voted for it.
Peters said the bill limits payday lenders ability to charge interest rates to 36%, down from more than 300%.
“We would love it to be a lot smaller,” he said. “But the payday loan industry tried to send down an army of people to start (Sen.) Jackie Collins (D-16th) from getting that done, and what we knew was if you put that bill on the board, most people aren’t voting against it. You know you’d get more than 30 in the Senate, because you don’t want it to say for you politically that you stood in the way of payday loan reform.”
A measure that caps the annual percentage rate lenders can place on the unpaid balance of a payday loan at 36% and calls for disparity studies for certain industries received broad, bipartisan support in the House.
“These payday loan lenders need to be under strict, strict regulation,” said Rep. Andrew Chesney, a Republican from Freeport. “They prey on our communities, I would argue they’re a detriment to our communities.”
One provision of the Black Caucus’ extensive agenda limits the interest payday loan providers can charge to 36%.
“How many of you want to get a credit card from Macy’s or Neiman Marcus at 80%, 99% — this is preying on certain communities. It’s really targeting. … It’s a remake, rebirth of redlining, housing covenants and all the other ills and hells that decimated my community,” said Sen. Jacqueline Collins (D-Chicago). “And what we’re trying to do is ensure that they have an opportunity to build economic stability.”
That measure passed despite critics saying it’ll leave low-income individuals without any access to capital.
“There are many citizens – not just in Illinois but all across the country who don’t necessarily have the credit rating that would necessarily allow them to go to the company, lending institutions and borrow money, but nevertheless have a cash need or capital need, maybe short term or to put a new roof on their house or repair a car,” Sen. Dale Righter (R-Mattoon) said.
The legislation also included an interest cap on payday loans, diversity requirements in state contracting and purchasing and the removal of lead water pipes in public water systems.
“This pillar is part of the Black Caucus’ agenda to end systemic racism,” Harper said. “In this pillar, we are addressing several different areas such as banking and investment, economic mobility, small business and entrepreneurship, procurement and the Business Enterprise Program, industry-specific equity, housing, land-use gentrification, and pay equity and worker’s rights.”
Republican state Rep. Deanne Mazzochi said there were too many details left out of the legislation which could lead to future legal issues.
“I am an attorney. I deal with this kind of stuff all the time in terms of loose language and legislative statutes, and I will tell you they can lead to very unjust results,” Mazzochi said.
The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) today reported 6,642 new confirmed and probable cases of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Illinois, including 123 additional deaths.
- Adams County: 1 male 60s, 1 female 90s, 1 male 90s, 1 female 100+
- Champaign County: 1 male 60s, 1 male 70s
- Christian County: 1 male 50s
- Coles County: 1 male 80s
- Cook County: 1 male 30s, 1 female 50s, 2 males 50s, 3 females 60s, 6 males 60s, 3 females 70s, 4 males 70s, 7 females 80s, 10 males 80s, 3 females 90s, 6 males 90s
- DeKalb County: 1 male 80s
- DuPage County: 1 male 60s, 1 female 70s, 1 male 80s, 2 females 90s
- Edwards County: 1 female 70s
- Franklin County: 1 male 80s
- Henderson County: 1 female 80s, 1 female 100+
- Henry County: 1 female 80s
- Iroquois County: 1 male 50s
- Jasper County: 1 female 80s
- Jefferson County: 2 males 70s
- Kane County: 1 male 60s, 2 females 70s, 1 female 80s, 1 male 80s
- Kankakee County: 1 male 60s, 1 male 80s
- Kendall County: 1 male 50s
- Lake County: 1 female 80s, 1 male 80s
- Lawrence County: 1 male 70s
- Macoupin County: 1 female 90s
- Madison County: 3 females 80s, 1 female 90s
- McHenry County: 1 male 30s, 2 males 70s, 1 female 80s, 1 male 80s, 1 male 90s
- McLean County: 1 male 80s, 1 male 90s
- Monroe County: 1 female 90s
- Peoria County: 1 female 60s, 1 male 70s, 1 female 90s
- Randolph County: 1 male 60s, 1 female 80s
- Richland County: 1 female 60s
- Schuyler County: 1 male 80s
- Shelby County: 1 female 80s
- St. Clair County: 1 male 60s, 3 males 70s, 1 male 80s, 1 female 90s
- Tazewell County: 1 male 40s, 1 male 60s, 2 males 70s
- Vermilion County: 1 male 40s, 1 female 50s, 1 male 70s
- Will County: 2 males 70s, 2 males 80s
- Williamson County: 1 female 70s
- Winnebago County: 1 male 60s
- Woodford County: 1 female 70s, 1 female 80s
Currently, IDPH is reporting a total of 1,059,324 cases, including 18,049 deaths, in 102 counties in Illinois. The age of cases ranges from younger than one to older than 100 years. Within the past 24 hours, laboratories have reported 107,156 specimens for a total 14,564,776. As of last night, 3,446 in Illinois were reported to be in the hospital with COVID-19. Of those, 712 patients were in the ICU and 386 patients with COVID-19 were on ventilators.
The preliminary seven-day statewide positivity for cases as a percent of total test from January 8–14, 2021 is 6.5%. The preliminary seven-day statewide test positivity from January 8–14, 2021 is 7.7%.
As of last night, 726,475 doses of vaccine were delivered to providers in Illinois, including Chicago. In addition, approximately 268,525 doses have been allocated to the federal government’s Pharmacy Partnership Program for long-term care facilities. This brings the total Illinois doses to 995,000. IDPH is currently reporting a total of 447,348 vaccines administered, including 56,624 for long-term care facilities. The 7-day rolling average of vaccines administered daily is 27,125 doses.
*All data are provisional and will change. In order to rapidly report COVID-19 information to the public, data are being reported in real-time. Information is constantly being entered into an electronic system and the number of cases and deaths can change as additional information is gathered. Information for deaths previously reported has changed, therefore, today’s numbers have been adjusted. For health questions about COVID-19, call the hotline at 1-800-889-3931 or email dph.sick@illinois.gov.
Governor JB Pritzker has activated 250 members of the Illinois National Guard for State Active Duty in response to the warnings issued this week by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) regarding threats to state capital cities in the days leading up to the inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden. Our state public safety agencies, including the Illinois State Police (ISP), Secretary of State Police and Illinois Emergency Management Agency (IEMA) are working in tandem with local and federal counterparts to protect the residents of Illinois while safeguarding the right to peaceful protest.
At the request of the U.S. Department of Defense, the Governor also activated an additional 100 members of the Illinois National Guard in support of the 59th Presidential Inauguration in Washington D.C. These additional troops will join the approximately 200 members of the Guard that were previously activated by the Governor.
“Following the violent siege at our nation’s capitol and reports from federal law enforcement on threats to state capitals, I am bringing all resources to bear to protect our residents and our democratic process,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “Our exemplary members of the Illinois National Guard will be working closely with our State Police as well as local and federal authorities to keep our capital city safe. We will continue to be fully transparent with the public on any new information and the steps we are taking to respond.”
On Monday, January 11, the Federal Bureau of Investigations issued an intelligence bulletin pointing to the potential for armed protests at all 50 state capitals and in Washington, D.C. in the days leading up to the inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden.
“As with recent previous deployments, the Illinois State Police will work side by side with the Illinois National Guard and our local partners to execute our mission of protecting the democratic process,” said ISP Director Brendan F. Kelly.
The Illinois National Guard will not interfere with peaceful protestors exercising their first amendment rights. The role of the soldiers is to aide local authorities in enforcing street closures and designated perimeters.
“Our Soldiers and Airmen come from every community across Illinois and each has sworn to protect their communities, their state and their nation,” said Maj. Gen. Rich Neely, the Adjutant General of Illinois and Commander of the Illinois National Guard. “We draw our strength from our communities and are proud to serve in our communities.”
Over the last 12 months, Illinois public safety agencies have undergone hundreds of hours of cross training and tactical planning. These preparedness efforts have been enhanced by our skilled mutual-aid network.
“Illinois’ robust mutual-aid network allows for expedited resource sharing from personnel to equipment,” said IEMA Director Alicia Tate-Nadeau. “Our local partners are an invaluable tool to enhance our state’s overall readiness. These associations and organizations are a testament to the strength of our state’s response capabilities.”
*** UPDATE *** Ugh…
In preparation for potential armed events this weekend and leading up to President-elect Joe Biden's inauguration, the Illinois Secretary of State Capitol Police is putting up plywood over certain windows. More details here: https://t.co/OeBCLj3zg4 Photos by Aaron Brown. pic.twitter.com/MbDMbnARJV
Now in Springfield: Office of the Architect of the Capitol is putting plywood over windows "at the request — out of an abundance of caution — of the Secretary of State Capitol Police and our law enforcement partners," according to IL SOS spox. pic.twitter.com/taY9qSIO50
* I’ve been telling subscribers about this bill, but here’s Center Square…
Illinois lawmakers also sent Pritzker legislation that would grant prejudgement interest of 9% annually for wrongful death or personal injury cases. Illinois has historically not granted interest in judgments of this kind.
Supporters, including the Illinois Trial Lawyers Association, said the bill would ensure defendants and insurers no longer benefit from delaying resolution of meritorious injury cases.
Rather than accepting responsibility for their wrongful conduct and fairly compensating injured people or their families, insurance companies, corporations and other wrongdoers frequently deny timely justice to those injured or killed due to negligence,” ITLA President Larry Rodgers Jr. said. “If signed by the governor, HB 3360 will end these maneuvers and more fully and fairly compensate victims for the harm they suffer. Defendants and insurers will no longer benefit from delaying resolution of meritorious injury cases that will eventually go to trial. The wrongdoers will now be liable for their delay tactics in the form of prejudgment interest on all elements of damages awarded by a jury.”
Civil justice reform advocates called the measure one final parting gift from outgoing House Speaker Michael Madigan to the state’s trial lawyers.
“Speaker Madigan is a known ally of the state’s trial bar,” said American Tort Reform Association president Tiger Joyce. “It seems he’s hoping to give this parting gift to his trial lawyer pals in his last days of leadership and simultaneously set up his colleague Sen. [Don] Harmon for future political aspirations. I implore Gov. Pritzker to veto it and instead look to his neighboring governors and pass much-needed liability reforms.”
Future political aspirations? Where did he pull that out of? Maybe just stick to the bill’s merits, dude. You have a decent argument.
* Hannah Meisel at WUIS takes a look at what’s coming up and what we’ve been through on IDPH mitigations. It’s a solid read, so have a look…
Governor JB Pritzker on Friday will unfreeze all of Illinois’ 11 regions from the so-called Tier III Coronavirus mitigations he implemented statewide in November as the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic raged.
But that doesn’t mean the automatic return of indoor dining in Illinois. First, a region would have to qualify to exit Tier III mitigations, followed by moving backward through Tier II and Tier I mitigations. Only then would a region enter back into Phase 4 of Pritzker’s Restore Illinois economic reopening plan, where indoor dining is allowed.
Pritzker’s tiered mitigation program includes restrictions on industries beyond restaurants and bars, but those businesses have been both the most vocal about restrictions, and their closure for indoor service has been the most readily apparent change for most Illinoisans, making it emblematic of the mitigations.
After Pritzker revamped his Restore Illinois plans in July — including splitting the state into 11 regions instead of four, and implementing a tiered mitigation strategy to deal with a likely resurgence of COVID-19 in the fall — two regions saw a shutdown of indoor dining in August. Region 4 (Metro East) and Region 7 (Kankakee and Will counties) triggered Tier I mitigations when their positivity rates (based on a seven-day rolling average) reached 8% or above for three days in a row.
As the headline says, go read the whole thing. I’ve already bookmarked it for future reference.
*** UPDATE 1 *** The governor’s PowerPoint presentation describing the days ahead is here.
*** UPDATE 2 *** Important news…
My explainer on how a region of IL gets indoor dining back under COVID-19 protocols was published 12 hours ago but is already out of date as @GovPritzker says he's revising Tier I mitigations to allow for them (no region currently meets those metrics). https://t.co/OucDgPrhQm
Maxwell: What level of press access can you commit to?
Welch: I know what you’re doing, you just want to do your job. And I do believe, from this perspective, government should be transparent.
Maxwell: Even if it’s uncomfortable at times?
Welch: Absolutely. I don’t like all the questions you ask, you know that, but you gotta be transparent. […]
Maxwell: Did you mean 20 years ago, that younger version of yourself was just in the wrong place at the wrong time, or that that younger version of yourself hit a woman?
Welch: I didn’t hit a woman. But I still think I could have handled the situation differently. I think, the way you handle a situation to something that either escalate or de-escalate. Obviously, I didn’t handle the situation to the point where someone didn’t get so upset that they went and made a police report. I can say in that incident, I cooperated fully, answered all questions. And that’s all there was was a police report. There was no arrest there was no charges. And that was 20 years ago.
Maxwell: The police report says there was an arrest, you’re disputing that now that there was not?
Welch: I was asked to come down to the station and answer questions a couple hours later, they said, ‘Mr. Welch, you’re free to go.’
Maxwell aside: That’s one reason he defended Speaker Madigan’s rights to due process during the ComEd corruption case. Welch said he and the entire black community knows how it feels to be wrongly accused. He plans to bring that perspective from a life as a black man in America to his new job.
Welch: Here in 2021, a state that was founded in 1818, for the first time we have a Black person as Speaker of the House. If that doesn’t give you hope, I don’t know what does.
The police report claims he was arrested, but we’ll need to check the actual records.
Hours before a General Assembly was to be inaugurated and still short the votes he needed to be elected speaker, Emanuel “Chris” Welch intensified his campaign to persuade House Democrats he should be the one to lead them after Michael Madigan’s decadeslong tenure.
“I spent time going member by member, talking to each and every one of them, to try to address their concerns,” Welch said in a phone interview Thursday. “There were no specific promises made, but everything comes down to people knowing you and trusting you and believing in you. And the fact that I listened to them and heard what their concerns were, I think was extremely important. I know what everyone’s issues are.” […]
Welch said Thursday the allegations “have come up in every election that I’ve been in.” He said that if anyone undertakes an investigation “and comes to me, I’ll cooperate, just like I’ve always done.”
“But I think people need to move away from the distractions and focus on the difficult work ahead,” Welch said.
The second-term Yednock didn’t join 70 others in the House in voting for Emanuel Chris Welch to be the new speaker. He says the process was too fast with many candidates changing by the day. Yednock says Welch was one of the last candidates to join the process and he never had a chance for a personal meeting to learn his views. With that in mind Yednock says he wasn’t comfortable voting on a new speaker without more time to choose.
The Democrat from Ottawa does say he supports Welch and is hoping to hear more from him in the near future.
* You have to read the whole thing to appreciate just how awful this story is. Here we have a couple of Illinois Department of Corrections employees traveling to Washington, DC to protest in favor of overturning a legitimate presidential election and it’s all presented by the Galesburg Register-Mail as some fun little road trip…
When Anthony Tew made his way into President Donald Trump’s rally Jan. 6, he was not expecting that day would become infamous.
Tew, a corrections officer at Hill Correctional Center, and a friend, Correctional Officer Lee Gabbert, were on their way back from a trip to Chicago for a court appearance when he joked with his friend about attending the rally. It started as a joke, but he had some time off coming up, and his friend did too.
The two left on Monday afternoon, Jan. 4, arriving on Tuesday morning. After seeing the sites nearby and checking into their hotel room, they arrived at the rally at 6 a.m. Wednesday. […]
When Trump left, the two joined the march for a short stretch in a large group. Once they neared the Capitol building, Tew and his friend departed, tired from standing around for five hours. When they made it back to their hotel room, the insurrection had already begun.
As she prepared to board a military aircraft bound for Washington, D.C., on Thursday, Airman Bridget Wood admitted she didn’t get a good night’s sleep.
A member of the Illinois National Air Guard, she is one of 200 guard members being sent to the nation’s capital amid concerns about the potential for violent protests surrounding President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration. The mission’s historic nature and last week’s deadly riots resulted in a powerful combination of adrenaline and nerves that kept her awake.
“You’d have to be a little bit crazy if you didn’t feel nervous,” said the 20-year-old from Morton. “But I’m also excited to be going.”
Eighteen members of the Illinois Air National Guard’s 182nd Airlift Wing left their Peoria base Thursday morning. The group consisted entirely of security forces, a reflection of a recent FBI warning about the possibility of armed protests surrounding the swearing-in ceremony on Jan. 20.
* From Speaker Welch’s chief of staff Jessica Basham…
Good morning, members and staff:
I am a confirmed positive.
I have been tested daily, and yesterday I received notice that my rapid test was positive. I have been made aware of 2 other confirmed positives, and my PCR results came back, confirming my own positive.
Please self-isolate for 14 days, as I recommended in both my earlier email and in the written guidance sent to you before returning to Springfield.
While I had no symptoms yesterday morning, I did start to show mild symptoms yesterday evening, and I’m currently quarantining at home. I plan to get some rest, and will respond to emails as soon as possible.
Here’s some info from DPH concerning quarantine recommendations. Additional information can be found at the links below. I will share further info I receive as it becomes available.
Generally, the CDC currently recommends a quarantine period of 14 days. Further, local public health authorities determine and establish quarantine options for their jurisdictions and may decide to continue using a 14-day period and/or shortened options for certain lower risk close contacts. However, the following options to shorten quarantine are acceptable alternatives:
• Quarantine can end after Day 10 without testing and if no symptoms have been reported during any day of the daily monitoring period. With this strategy, residual post-quarantine transmission risk is estimated to be about 1% with an upper limit of about 10%.
• Quarantine can end after Day 7 if a RT (Reverse Transcriptase)-PCR test is negative and if no symptoms were reported during any day of the daily monitoring period. The earliest a specimen may be collected and tested would be on Day 6 with quarantine being discontinued no earlier than Day 8. With this strategy, the residual post-quarantine transmission risk is estimated to be about 5% with an upper limit of about 12%. This option is not recommended for children in daycares or K-12 schools.
With both options the following additional criteria through Day 14 must be met:
• correct and consistent mask use (including within homes),
• social distancing,
• hand hygiene,
• environmental cleaning and disinfection,
• avoiding crowds,
• ensuring adequate indoor ventilation,
• monitoring for symptoms of COVID-19 illness, and
• minimizing contact with persons at increased risk for severe illness, including vulnerable and congregate populations.
Hang in there, Jessica. We’re all pulling for you.
…Adding… This may not turn out well at all…
Illinois State Rep. Michael Madigan, D-Chicago, takes a phone call along with Chief of Staff Jessica Basham, left, on the floor prior to the swearing in ceremony for the 102nd General Assembly in the Illinois House of Representatives at the BOS Center on Wednesday. https://t.co/iGb2tCAs9Opic.twitter.com/tUkeFOLfov
Welch himself tested positive for the virus in November. Basham could not be reached for comment to provide any further details about the Hillside Democrat, the person who tested positive this week or whom they may have come into contact with.
But Steve Brown, a spokesman for the speaker’s office, said Welch was tested on Thursday, the results were negative, and he would self-quarantine.
