Capitol Fax.com - Your Illinois News Radar

Friday, Jan 10, 2025 - Posted by Rich Miller

* First, a little business…

House Speaker Chris Welch making notable leadership changes:
Budgeting will be led by Kam Buckner, Eva-Dina Delgado and Will Guzzardi.
Buckner also assumes the speaker pro-temp position from Jehan Gordon-Booth #twill pic.twitter.com/rTksqPne75

— Ben Szalinski (@BenSzalinski) January 10, 2025

Subscribers know more.

* Isabel and I have been working since Saturday, so it’s been a long and often weird week…

I need a short fuse, long week longneck song

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Protected: SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - Leaders; 60; HRO (Updated x1)

Friday, Jan 10, 2025 - Posted by Rich Miller

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Isabel’s afternoon roundup

Friday, Jan 10, 2025 - Posted by Isabel Miller

* WTVO…

Illinois received the federal government’s largest grant in the nation for expansion of the state’s electric vehicle charging infrastructure.

Gov. JB Pritzker announced on Friday that $114 million in funding from the U.S. Department of Transportation will allow the state to build 14 truck charging hubs. The stations will add 345 individual charging ports for heavy-duty freight vehicles.

The second highest amount awarded to another state was $55 million, Pritzker said.

An additional $39 million in state funding will be used to build 1,476 charging stations at 242 locations across the state.

*** Statehouse News ***

* Capitol News Illinois | Bills addressing warehouse quotas, nursing homes, prostitution pass in session’s final days: HB 2547 would also require employers to provide new warehouse employees with a written description of their quota requirements when hired, as well as any “potential adverse employment action,” essentially disciplinary actions, that they may face if the quota is not met. The employer must give the employee a written update within five days if they make any changes to quotas.

* Crain’s | Illinois AG pushes back on Walmart’s plans to roll back DEI programs: Raoul, along with 12 other state attorneys general, sent a letter to Walmart President and CEO Doug McMillon calling for the company to reconsider its decision to phase out supplier diversity programs, close down the Center for Racial Equality, end equity training for staff, and remove the words “diversity” and “DEI” from company documents.

*** Statewide ***

* Sun-Times | Illinois joins IRS Direct File program, allowing some taxpayers to file federal taxes for free: The federal agency confirmed to the Sun-Times on Friday that the state is now a part of the program, joining 24 other states such as Wisconsin, Idaho and California. The Illinois Department of Revenue declined to immediately comment. Direct File was piloted in 2024, across 12 states, and has been pitched as the free government alternative to tax prep services like TurboTax, who have been accused as predatory by courts and the federal government.

* IPM News: IVF patients in Illinois worry, feel uncertain about access and treatments as Trump returns to office: Dr. Eve Feinberg is a board member of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine and she specializes in Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine. “I do feel relatively safe in Illinois,” she said. “I think that Senator Duckworth has made incredible strides towards protecting Illinoisans and towards expanding access to infertility coverage in the state of Illinois, but I worry a lot about government interference in health care, and specifically government interference in the arena of IVF.”

*** Chicago ***

* WBEZ | Immigration advocates warn a proposal for Chicago police to help ICE could be illegal: Immigration advocates and attorneys are sounding the alarm about an ordinance that would allow Chicago police with federal immigration enforcement, saying the one-page proposal would open the door to constitutional rights violations and legal challenges that could leave taxpayers on the hook for multimillion dollar settlements.

* WTTW | Overnight Closures Announced Ahead of Reversible Lanes on Kennedy Expressway Reopening Next Week: The reopening of the express lanes comes after more than 10 months of construction work on the Kennedy that began in March and that was initially supposed to wrap up in the fall. IDOT officials said additional time was needed to test the reversible lane access control system.

*** Cook County and Suburbs ***

* Tribune | Dream Team? The exec who bought Michael Jordan’s former Highland Park mansion is offering co-ownership shares for $1M: According to a new release, John Cooper, who is a general partner with Lincolnwood-based HAN Capital, is offering an unspecified number of co-ownership shares in the estate, which the retired Chicago Bulls player had tried to sell for more than 12 years. Jordan had once asked as much as $29 million for the mansion, which sits on 8.4 acres. Cooper, a Lincolnshire resident, declined to comment when reached on his cellphone Thursday evening. However, according his news release, co-owners would be responsible for 2% of the estate’s annual expenses, or an estimated $25,000 per owner, and would be allowed exclusive access to the property for the same designated week each year. Co-owners also would be permitted to invite up to 24 guests during their weeklong stay, including children.

* CBS Chicago | Beloved Blue Island, Illinois high school music teacher is a finalist for Grammy: Next month, Dr. Justin Antos will be rubbing elbows with Beyonce and Taylor Swift at the Grammy Awards—and it will not be for what he is doing in the recording studio, but for his accomplishments in the classroom. […] Antos’ excellence in teaching, and passion for music, have led him to be among the 10 finalists for the 2025 Music Educator Award—given by the Recording Academy and the Grammy Museum.

*** Downstate ***

* PJ Star | Peoria Public Schools says new cellphone policy is helping students focus in class: Peoria Public Schools District 150 said Thursday that its new cellphone pouch initiative was showing progress in the first half of the 2024-25 school year, with improvements in student engagement and a better work environment being displayed. The district said in a news release that a majority of students, teachers and principals at its 17 middle and high schools approved of the pouches, brought in at the beginning of the school year as part of an effort to reduce student distractions and create a “more focused and engaging learning environment.”

* WTTW | Eagle Watching Events Kick Off This Weekend as the Nation’s Bird Makes Itself at Home in Illinois for the Winter: On Saturday, the Forest Preserve District of Will County will celebrate the birds during its annual Eagle Watch event at Four Rivers Environmental Education Center in Channahon, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Four Rivers is ideally located at the convergence of the DuPage, Kankakee and Des Plaines rivers, where they join to form the Illinois River.

* Fox Chicago | Off-duty Belvidere police officer charged with sexual assault, abuse: On March 19, Belvidere police received a complaint that a woman was sexually assaulted by Kozlowski while he was off-duty. Belvidere police contacted Illinois State police to launch an investigation and placed Kozlowski on paid administrative leave. On Thursday, Kozlowski was indicted by a Boone County Grand Jury on one count of criminal sexual assault and two counts of criminal sexual abuse, all felonies.

*** National ***

* The New Republic | Biden Launches Hail Mary to Block Some of Trump’s Mass Deportations: The department noted that roughly 600,000 Venezuelans and more than 200,000 Salvadorans living in the U.S. would be permitted to stay for another 18 months, while the program maintaining their status faces an uncertain future under Trump. Homeland Security cited “environmental conditions” in El Salvador, such as heavy storms, “that prevent individuals from returning,” as well as a “severe humanitarian emergency” in Venezuela under the “Maduro regime.” Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro was sworn in on Friday for a third six-year term, despite a six-month-long election dispute and international condemnation.

* Press Release | President Biden Signs Underwood-Backed Bill to Increase Social Security Benefits for 3 Million Americans: Under the Social Security Fairness Act, over 2.1 million retirees on Social Security will receive an average increase of $360 per month. Furthermore, over 700,000 surviving spouses will see an increase between $700 and $1,190 in their monthly benefits, on average. Underwood has been a cosponsor of the legislation since she first came to Congress in 2019 and fought for its passage into law.

* CNN | Supreme Court signals it will uphold ban on TikTok over national security concerns and other takeaways from oral arguments: During more than two hours of oral arguments, many of the justices appeared to view the sell-or-ban law approved by Congress in April not as one that primarily implicates the First Amendment but rather as an effort to regulate the potential foreign control of an app used by 170 million Americans.

* New York Post | Yankees fans who mauled Mookie Betts at World Series banned from all MLB stadiums indefinitely: The two fans who grabbed Mookie Betts’ wrist and tried to rip the ball out of his hand during Game 4 of the World Series at Yankee Stadium have been banned “indefinitely” from attending any MLB games, The Post has learned. The fans, Austin Capobianco and John P. Hansen, were ejected from the game and banned from Game 5 in The Bronx, which proved to be the final game of the season.

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Mayor Johnson again claims to actively work with the state when no such work appears to exist (Updated)

Friday, Jan 10, 2025 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson said this last night at the University of Chicago’s Institute of Politics…

My finance and my budget team has been working with the state around how we generate more revenue so that the evidence based funding model [for public schools] can be fully funded

I checked with the governor’s people earlier today, so they ran their traps and could find no evidence of the mayor’s latest claim.

* As you’ll recall, Gov. JB Pritzker said earlier this week that the mayor had called him maybe five times since Johnson has been in office…

“They don’t reach out very often. And it seems like they don’t have good relationships in Springfield, in part because they don’t do the outreach that’s necessary,” Pritzker said. “I’ve always taken calls from the mayor….(and) he has my direct number.”

…Adding… Now he’s making threats about something that may never even happen…

Mayor Brandon Johnson's message to Illinois General Assembly on future of CTA president Dorval Carter:

“Any attempt to hold hostage the people of Chicago for anyone's political gain, we're certainly not going to acquiesce to those levels of constraints.” https://t.co/DWU88foFrG pic.twitter.com/WyNSKqzzDs

— Alice Yin (@byaliceyin) January 10, 2025

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Voting open for Illinois flag redesign

Friday, Jan 10, 2025 - Posted by Isabel Miller

* Illinois Flag Commission…

After reviewing more than 4,800 entries for the Illinois state flag redesign contest, the Illinois Flag Commission is excited to kick off the public voting period that will run through Feb. 14.

After the public voting period has ended, the votes will be counted and the results will be sent to the Illinois General Assembly. Your input during this period will help guide the General Assembly’s final decision on the future of our state’s flag later this year.

Click here to cast your vote! You can submit one vote every day.

Also, please tell us which flag you’re supporting.

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Dr. Ngozi Ezike agrees to $150K fine for violating Ethics Act

Friday, Jan 10, 2025 - Posted by Isabel Miller

* The Illinois Answers Project back in 2022…

The state’s former public health director — a well-regarded advisor to Gov. JB Pritzker during the COVID-19 crisis — is under investigation by a state ethics agency for taking a CEO job at a medical non-profit overseen and funded by the state agency she led.

Dr. Ngozi Ezike, a steady, reassuring figure alongside Pritzker during pandemic news conferences, stepped down from her $178,000-per-year state post in March. In April, she accepted an offer to lead Sinai Health System — one of the state’s top medical nonprofits.

The Illinois Ethics Act requires department heads like Ezike to wait a year before accepting positions with companies that hold contracts overseen by their departments, or with companies their departments license or regulate. And while in office they cannot engage in job negotiations with companies that lobby their agencies.

The law is designed to prevent the cozy revolving door between state officials and the companies their agencies fund and regulate.

* The Executive Ethics Commission issued its decision today…

This cause is before the Executive Ethics Commission (“Commission”) upon joint Motion of the Attorney General Kwame Raoul, in his official capacity and pursuant to his authority under Sections 20-45 and 20-50 of the State Officials and Employees Ethics Act (“Ethics Act”), and Dr. Ngozi Ezike, Respondent and former Director of the Illinois Department of Public Health (“IDPH”), requesting the Commission grant approval to their negotiated resolution of the matter (the “Settlement Agreement”).

The Complaint in this matter was filed on October 13, 2023. Respondent filed written objections to the sufficiency of the Complaint, and the Commission found the Complaint legally sufficient to proceed on February 20, 2024. On November 8, 2024, the Attorney General and Respondent jointly filed the Settlement Agreement, including:

1. Conditional Stipulations in which Respondent:

(a) admits a violation of the Ethics Act and the facts comprising the violation, in that she accepted employment and compensation from an entity which had contracts involving IDPH with a cumulative value of $4.2 million and over which she had exercised regulatory and licensing authority in the year before her departure from State employment, and

( b) agrees a fine of $150,000 should be levied against Respondent;

2. Respondent’s Mitigation Statement; and

3. The underlying investigatory report issued by Petitioner on February 21, 2023.

* From Ezike’s mitigation statement…

The Ethics Act prohibits high ranking employees, referred to as “h-list employees”, from knowingly accepting employment or compensation from an entity, or its parent or subsidiary, that has or had contracts with a cumulative value of $25,000 or was the subject of a regulatory or licensing decision during the year prior to leaving State employment, regardless if the employee participated in or had knowledge of a contract or a licensing or regulatory decision. 5 ILCS 430/5-45(h). The Ethics Act does not define the term “contract” or “licensing or regulatory decisions” and the ethics training provided while Dr. Ezike was a State employee did not include definitions of these terms.

According to the OEIG Report, “A determination of whether an employee is restricted pursuant to 5-45(h) is based only on whether the agency contracted with, licensed, or regulated the prospective employer, information readily available to H-listers such as Dr. Ezike.” Dr. Ezike disagrees with this statement. First, the plain language of the Ethics Act applies the prohibition to entities that were the subject of any licensing or regulatory decision within a year before leaving state employment, not only those licensed or regulated. Second, the information necessary to conduct a revolving door determination is not always easily ascertainable. H-list employees must make their own revolving door determinations using their own knowledge, publicly available resources, or information they can gather from others, such as a chief of staff or ethics officer, and hope that the information is accurate. The OEIG does not provide h-list employees with an opportunity to seek a determination before accepting other employment. Rather, h-list employees are urged to review EEC precedent and consult their ethics officer, although they do not have the ability to require an ethics officer to give them a written opinion or require other staff to provide information. Thus, it is up to each h-list employee to decide what information they need to request from the agency, and there’s no guarantee they can get the needed information from their agency, particularly if the individuals they rely on for information don’t know the proper questions to ask or what is considered a “contract” or a “licensing or regulatory decision.” As a result, employees are left to rely on 4 information they can gather and advice from their ethics officer and then hope the information is complete and the ethics officer is correct. […]

As part of a final effort to do everything she could before signing a contract with Sinai, Dr. Ezike emailed the OEIG and disclosed that she was going to sign a contract with Sinai and asked if there were any concerns. The OEIG responded with the following advice:

“The OEIG does not make determinations for employees subject to the restrictions of section 5-45(h) of the Ethics Act (h-listers). As you are an h-lister, we encourage you to continue to consult with your counsel and your ethics officer with respect to this employment opportunity, or any other employment opportunities you are offered during the year following the termination of your State employment.”

That’s precisely what Dr. Ezike did. She relied on the information she was provided by her ethics officer and chief of staff, and she consulted and followed the advice of her counsel. She asked the two people within the agency that would have responsibility or access to the needed information and was told there weren’t any contracts and that Sinai wasn’t the subject of any licensing or regulatory decisions. She worked closely with private counsel who gave her a written opinion indicating it was permissible to accept employment. […]

It is also worth noting that the Director of IDPH is required to be a physician, and if the renewal of a hospital license is considered a licensing decision under the revolving door, a director would be precluded from working for any health system, in any capacity, for a year.

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It’s just a bill

Friday, Jan 10, 2025 - Posted by Isabel Miller

* The first bill filed in the new GA is about hemp. HB1…

Creates the Prevention of Use of Hemp Cannabinoid Products Intended for Human Consumption by Ingestion or Inhalation by Persons Under 21 Years of Age Act. Permits the sale and possession of hemp cannabinoids by persons 21 years of age or over. Provides that no person shall offer or sell hemp cannabinoid products to consumers in the State unless the person applies for and holds a hemp retailer license issued by the Department of Financial and Professional Regulation. Provides that no person shall sell ready-to-eat hemp products to end consumers without holding a hemp food establishment license issued by the Department of Public Health. Provides that a hemp food establishment that sells ready-to-eat cannabinoid products shall be exclusively licensed and located in the State. Provides that hemp food establishments and hemp retailers shall require proof of age from a purchaser of any cannabinoid products before selling the product to that person. Provides that the Department of Financial and Professional Regulation shall administer and enforce the provisions of the Act relating to licensing and oversight of hemp distributors and hemp retailers unless otherwise provided in the Act. Establishes standards for the issuance of licenses under the Act. Provides for criminal and civil penalties for violation of the Act.

* BenefitsPro, a magazine focused on employee benefit news…

The Illinois House is considering a new pharmacy benefit manager regulation bill.

Rep. Thaddeus Jones, D-South Holland, Illinois, introduced the bill earlier this week.

The bill could prohibit a PBM from:

- Steering patients toward its own pharmacy.
- Requiring a patient to use an in-network pharmacy.
- Paying a pharmacy an amount less than the national average drug acquisition cost for the drug dispensed.

The bill could require a PBM to provide detailed annual reports and cooperate with annual audits.

Jones wants the bill to apply to PBMs that work with self-insured employer health plans as well as to PBMs contracting with issuers of fully insured individual and group health insurance. The bill would apply to “any health benefit plan,” not simply to “any group or individual policy of accident and health insurance or managed care plan,” according to the bill synopsis.

* Rep. Rita Mayfield filed HB1170…

Amends the Public Community College Act. Provides that the Illinois Community College Board shall develop and maintain a program to provide free tuition at one community college in each R3 Area (designated as such under the Cannabis Regulation and Tax Act) using money appropriated from the Cannabis Regulation Fund. Authorizes the Board to adopt any rules necessary. Amends the State Finance Act to make related changes.

* Capitol News Illinois…

Lawmakers this week passed a bill aimed at boosting the development of renewable energy generation, but its proponents said the final measure was a “skinny” version of what they had hoped to pass. […]

The IEC, and the Clean Jobs Coalition more broadly, didn’t endorse the bill, taking a neutral stance. Kady McFadden, a lobbyist speaking on behalf of ICJC, said she was “disappointed” by the final bill, noting the elements that were cut out or pared down.

Walling and others expressed a desire for broader legislation in the spring. […]

The IEC and ICJC brought hundreds of people to the Capitol Tuesday to advocate for other climate- and energy-related bills, including bills limiting the use of natural gas for heating buildings and reforming the transit systems in the Chicago area.

Cunningham is also considering legislation that would boost incentives for transmission line construction, a critical step as the state increasingly relies on renewable generation.

* HB1205 from Rep. David Friess…

Amends the Election Code. Provides that the county board or board of county commissioners of a county with a population of less than 100,000 may, by ordinance or resolution, dissolve a municipal board of election commissioners within that county and transfer its functions to the county clerk.

* HB1155 from Rep. Will Guzzardi…

Amends the University of Illinois Act. Provides that the Board of Trustees shall direct the University of Illinois System, in addition to the Office of Investments and external investment managers, to not invest the assets of any endowment fund in the stocks, securities, or other obligations of any fossil fuel company or any subsidiary, affiliate, or parent of any fossil fuel company. Provides that this does not preclude the de minimis exposure of any funds held by the endowment fund to the stocks, securities, or other obligations of any fossil fuel company or any subsidiary, affiliate, or parent of any fossil fuel company. Requires the Board of Trustees to direct the University of Illinois System, in addition to the Office of Investments and external investment managers, to not invest in any prime commercial paper or corporate bonds issued by a fossil fuel company. Provides that, beginning one year after the effective date of the amendatory Act, the Board of Trustees, subject to an affirmative determination of prudence and in accordance with sound investment criteria and consistent with its fiduciary obligations, shall direct the University of Illinois System to ensure that any endowment fund does not have any indirect investments; defines “indirect investment”. Provides that the Board of Trustees shall direct the University of Illinois System, in addition to the Office of Investments and external investment managers, to adopt updates to its written investment policies, if necessary, to meet the requirements of these provisions and publish a copy of those updated policies within 90 days after the adoption of the updated policies. Effective immediately.

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Open thread

Friday, Jan 10, 2025 - Posted by Isabel Miller

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

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Isabel’s morning briefing

Friday, Jan 10, 2025 - Posted by Isabel Miller

*** Isabel’s Top Picks ***

* Sun-Times | Illinois joins Justice Department lawsuit against RealPage and big landlords: The civil antitrust complaint filed Tuesday alleges the companies coordinated to keep rents high by using an algorithm to help set rents and privately sharing sensitive information to boost profits. The amended lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of North Carolina against RealPage and six landlords. They include Chicago-based LivCor; Cushman & Wakefield, whose residential property management business formerly operated independently as Pinnacle; Camden Property Trust; Greystar; Willow Bridge Property and Cortland Management.

* CBS | Earth records hottest year ever in 2024, passing major symbolic climate threshold: “It’s a red flag”: American monitoring teams — NASA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the private Berkeley Earth — were to release their figures later Friday but all will likely show record heat for 2024, European scientists said. The six groups compensate for data gaps in observations that go back to 1850 — in different ways, which is why numbers vary slightly.

*** Statehouse News ***

* Capitol News Illinois | Lawmakers give small boost to renewable developments, delay broader reform: Lawmakers this week passed a bill aimed at boosting the development of renewable energy generation, but its proponents said the final measure was a “skinny” version of what they had hoped to pass. The bill comes as several state officials warn that Illinois is falling behind on its clean energy goals. The state’s main funding mechanism for renewable energy projects also faces a potential $3 billion budget shortfall in the coming years.

* Capitol News Illinois | Potawatomi land transfer clears General Assembly: Nearly two centuries after losing its reservation in Illinois in a land sale that most people now concede was illegal, the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation could soon get its land back. In the final hours of a lame duck session Tuesday, the Illinois House gave final approval to a bill authorizing the state to hand over to the tribe a 1,500-acre state park in DeKalb County, land that largely overlaps the tribe’s original reservation.

* Center Square | Illinois General Assembly approves rules Republicans say are unfair: Without debate, the Senate approved its rules. Senate Majority Leader Kimberly Lightford, D-Maywood, explained a few committee additions, and changes to how senators conduct themselves. “We will specifically require senators to avoid threats, inciting violence or other assaults in debate,” Lightford said.

*** Statewide ***

* Tribune | Federal government to deliver Chicago and Cook County millions in disaster relief funds for severe storms and flooding: Communities in Illinois will receive a portion of $12 billion in federal disaster recovery funds for severe storms and flooding over the last two years, including $426 million for Chicago, $244 million for Cook County, $96 million for the town of Cicero and $89 million for St. Clair County.

* Tribune | Bird flu: Here’s what Illinois residents should know, following the first US death from the virus: Nationally, there have been 66 confirmed cases in humans during this latest outbreak, and a man in Louisiana recently died from the virus. He became sick after he was exposed to a backyard flock and wild birds, and he was older, with underlying health conditions. In Illinois, there have been no confirmed cases yet of humans with the virus. But there have been detections of bird flu in two commercial flocks of poultry in the last 30 days in Illinois, affecting 81,200 birds. The Illinois Department of Natural Resources also said in late December it was monitoring “a large event of waterfowl mortality” at numerous locations due to bird flu.

*** Chicago ***

* Crain’s | Moody’s flags the risk that O’Hare project costs could rise: Aviation watchers breathed a sigh of relief late last spring when the city of Chicago sewed up a deal with the airlines at O’Hare International Airport to move ahead with a major terminal upgrade and expansion. Although the two sides have agreed on a budget, ratings agency Moody’s is keeping a close eye on the potential risk that costs could keep climbing until the airport locks in construction contracts. Work is scheduled to start late this summer on a satellite concourse before starting on the centerpiece of the project, a new global terminal.

* Sun-Times | Casino operator Bally’s faces no city fines for demolition debris dumped into Chicago River: Bally’s will not be fined for a mishap at the site of its future casino that sent demolition debris into the Chicago River last month, officials confirmed Thursday. Demolition work at the site can resume as early as Friday, according to a city spokesperson. Bally’s and its general contractor were required by the city’s buildings department to submit a “corrective action plan” after the incident.

* NPR | Chicago has started powering its municipal buildings with renewable energy: In effort to fight climate change, cities across the country are working to go green - think solar panels, trees, electric buses. Well, the country’s third-largest city just took a major step. At the start of the year, Chicago began sourcing all of the electricity in its municipal buildings from 100% renewable energy. Juanpablo Ramirez-Franco, of member station WBEZ and the environmental newsroom Grist, has this story.

* Tribune | Chicago area to see some snow, accumulation during Friday morning commute, Weather Service says: Chicago-area residents will wake up to a light blanket of snow Friday morning that could complicate the morning commute, according to the National Weather Service. Snow was forecasted to begin falling between 5:30 and 6 a.m. Friday and would likely amount to about an inch or an inch and a half, tapering off around midafternoon as the snowstorm moves to the east, according to David King, a meteorologist with the weather service.

*** Cook County and Suburbs ***

* Sun-Times | Slain gunman who targeted far-right provocateur Nick Fuentes had mounting legal battles: Lyons had been scheduled to appear in Cook County court the following morning in a pending criminal case stemming from a hit-and-run crash in Proviso Township in September, court records show. Reports obtained from the Berwyn and Mahomet police departments offer a window into Lyons’ psyche at the time of the crime spree. But the records don’t provide any indication why he targeted Fuentes, whose apartment building had become a magnet for his critics after the address was leaked online in response to a controversial social media post he made.

*** Downstate ***

* WIFR | Winnebago Co. veterans speak about battle between the county board and VAC: At Thursday night’s county board meeting, the VAC’s former community outreach liaison, Ray Richmond, raised his concerns over the commission’s most recent annual report, citing issues such as financial mismanagement. Richmond says despite what’s being claimed, the VAC’s budget has not been cut but has been going up the past couple of years, as well as its expenses. “I’m a veteran, I’m a taxpayer myself, I’m a homeowner myself, and I understand that other taxpayers and homeowners would like to know what’s happening with their tax dollars,” Richmond says. “Well, it goes to the Veterans Assistance Commission, but how? How’s it being utilized? Why is it being utilized the way that it is? Those questions need oversight and if we do not do that, it’ll continue to run amuck.”

* Capitol News Illinois | “All our future money is gone”: The impossible task of providing child care in rural Illinois: Over the past decade, Illinois has lost nearly 4,300 licensed child care providers, a 33% decline. As a result, it has also lost nearly 38,000 licensed child care slots for kids, outpacing the rate at which the child population is shrinking.

* SJ-R | Rochester school board hires law firm to investigate superintendent on leave: The Rochester Board of Education has hired an Monticello, Illinois-based law firm to investigate the district superintendent who was placed on paid administrative leave. Board President Amy Reynolds didn’t detail following Thursday’s special board meeting why Dan W. Cox was being investigated. Miller, Tracy, Braun, Funk & Miller, Ltd. was hired by the board, Reynolds said at the meeting. The announcement followed a two-and-a-half hour executive session.

* WCIA | Tuscola potential home of $750 million corn wet-milling plant: The China-based company, Fufeng USA Inc., is looking to build a $750 million corn wet-milling plant somewhere in the country, and Tuscola is one of their options. Their nationwide search includes the site of the former LyondellBasell plant that closed three years ago. Brian Moody, Douglas County Economic Development Corp. executive director, said Tuscola could see a huge economic impact if selected by the company.

* Rockford Register Star | Hard Rock Casino Rockford rakes in nearly $100M in 2024: Despite closing for more than two weeks starting Aug. 12 as the casino transitioned to the big joint and out of the temporary location on Bell School Road, the Hard Rock made 41% more in revenue than the $69.1 million it did in 2023, according to data from the Illinois Gaming Board.

*** National ***

* Bloomberg | LA Fire Hydrants Running Dry Poses New Danger in Combating Blazes: As the Palisades and Eaton fires spread on Tuesday night, multiple crews reported losing that crucial firefighting tool. The issue wasn’t California’s water management, as some including President-elect Donald Trump and Elon Musk have suggested, but rather systems that simply aren’t designed to handle fires of such ferocity burning in or near urban areas.

* Better Conflict Bulletin | Meta Drops Fact-Checking Because of Politics, but Also Because It Wasn’t Working: There were 302 fact checks of Facebook content in the U.S. conducted last month. But much of that work was conducted far too slowly to make a difference. For example, Politifact conducted 54 fact checks of Facebook content in January 2020. But just nine of those fact checks were conducted within 24 hours of the content being posted to Facebook. And less than half of the fact checks, 23, were conducted within a week. This is slightly less than 10 fact checks per day in the US. And if fact checks take days to complete, then most people will view viral falsehoods before any label is applied.

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Live coverage

Friday, Jan 10, 2025 - Posted by Isabel Miller

to follow the Madigan trial. Click here and/or here to follow breaking news. Hopefully, enough reporters and news outlets migrate to BlueSky so we can hopefully resume live-posting.

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Selected press releases (Live updates)

Friday, Jan 10, 2025 - Posted by Isabel Miller

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Isabel’s afternoon roundup

Thursday, Jan 9, 2025 - Posted by Isabel Miller

* Earlier today, I told you about SoS Giannoulias’ push to raise the age for mandatory road tests to 87. From AAA…

The crash rate of drivers ages 16-17 years was nearly double that of drivers ages 18-19 and approximately 4.5 times that of drivers ages 30-39, 40-49, and 50-59 Drivers ages 60-69 had the lowest crash rate. Crash rates began to increase beyond age 70; however, drivers ages 70-79 had crash rates similar to or lower than those of drivers ages 30-59, and drivers age 80 and older had crash rates higher than those of drivers ages 30-79 but lower than those of drivers younger than age 30. Rates of injury crashes generally followed a pattern very similar to overall crash involvement rates.

Rates of fatal crashes followed a somewhat different pattern. Fatal crash involvements per 100 million miles driven were the greatest for drivers age 80 and older.

* Sun-Times…

It’s been nearly half a century since a little-known Georgia peanut farmer hoisted a nine-year-old girl and her kid sister into the air at a South Shore church and gave them each a kiss on the cheek before introducing himself to Chicago.

“Hello everyone, my name is Jimmy Carter” Kimberly Ray can still hear the Democratic presidential candidate saying at that April 1976 campaign event. […]

But the passion of his Chicago supporters wasn’t enough. Carter won the presidency in 1976, but lost Illinois to incumbent President Gerald Ford. Four years later, he lost the state again, losing his reelection bid to Republican Ronald Reagan, who was born in Tampico, Illinois.

Of course, that 1980 defeat did not end Carter’s legacy. As the nation’s longest living former president, Carter developed a reputation for his humanitarian efforts.

“I know my mother would have been so proud of him,” Kimberly Ray said of Carter’s work since Angie Ray’s death in 2005. “His body of work is not just being an amazing president, but genuinely caring about people.”

* Governor JB Pritzker attended President Carter’s funeral today…

The five living presidents made a rare simultaneous appearance on Thursday at Jimmy Carter’s funeral. Before 1991, there was only one other period in U.S. history, around 1861, when more than five presidents were even alive at the same time. https://t.co/lCTj50sPJA pic.twitter.com/atEQlhIzEa

— The New York Times (@nytimes) January 9, 2025

*** Statehouse News ***

* Bloomberg | Pritzker says Illinois is ‘on guard’ for any Trump hit to budget: Pritzker is expected to propose a spending plan for the year starting July 1 in just over a month, and his budget office’s five-year analysis is projecting a deficit of about $3 billion for fiscal 2026. Pritzker described the upcoming budget as “challenging” but added that since taking office, he’s addressed a number of fiscal crises in Illinois. “We are doing the best that we can to try to predict the things that might happen,” Pritzker told reporters in Springfield on Wednesday. He said he’s weighing the possibility that potential changes “will create another hole in the budget,” adding that President Donald Trump’s actions are “so unpredictable.”

* Press release | IDPH Approves New Conditions for Treatment with Medical Cannabis: The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) has approved four conditions to be added to the list of medical issues that may be treated with medical cannabis. The four newly approved conditions are endometriosis, ovarian cysts, uterine fibroids, and female orgasmic disorder. The approval by IDPH Director, Dr. Sameer Vohra, comes following a thorough review by the Medical Cannabis Advisory Board (MCAB) and IDPH staff.

*** Statewide ***

* Illinois Soybean Association | Illinois Declares Soybean as Official State Bean : “I would like to extend our gratitude to Representative Matt Hanson and the Illinois General Assembly for officially designating the soybean as the state bean of Illinois. This bill helps raise awareness of the importance of soybeans to our state’s economy and agricultural sector,” said Andrew Larson, Director of Government Relations & Strategy at the Illinois Soybean Association. “We thank Representative Hanson for his work highlighting the importance Illinois farmers play in our state.”

*** Chicago ***

* Tribune | CPS CEO Pedro Martinez injunction hearing postponed by judge: On Dec. 24, Judge Joel Chupack granted Martinez’s request for a temporary restraining order to prevent Board of Education members from attending contract negotiations with the Chicago Teachers Union without his approval; or block him from the “performance of his job duties.” Representatives for Martinez and the school board agreed to defer the hearing because the school chief’s court order — or injunction — is complicated by the Jan. 15 meeting in which 10 newly elected and 11 members appointed by the mayor will be seated, William J. Quinlan, Martinez’s attorney said.

* Block Club | One Alderwoman’s Crusade To Ban Legal Weed Dispensaries In Her Southwest Side Ward: Ald. Silvana Tabares (23rd) does not want the marijuana business in her ward. So she’s going door-to-door with a pen and a clipboard, asking neighbors to sign petitions to block licensed dispensaries from setting up shop at all. “As an alderman, I want family-friendly businesses that anybody can enjoy. Like an Andy’s Frozen Custard,” Tabares said. “Residents are signing. They agree with that.”

* Sun-Times | Three of CPD’s most notorious bad actors trigger $33.75 million in settlements: Three former police officers implicated in scores of wrongful conviction cases are coming back to haunt Chicago taxpayers yet again. Former Detective Reynaldo Guevara and former Sgt. Ronald Watts took their place alongside Jon Burge and his midnight crew of Area 2 detectives as the Chicago Police Department’s most notorious bad actors and legal liabilities. Another round of costly proof is on Monday’s agenda for the City Council’s Finance Committee.

* Sun-Times | After decades in prison and 8 years in court, Mark Maxson settles wrongful conviction suit for $8.75 million: Eight years after he was freed from prison for a South Side murder that another man has confessed to, alleged police torture victim Mark Maxson has settled his federal wrongful conviction lawsuit against the city for $8.75 million. […] Maxson’s settlement must be approved by the City Council. He and the city’s Law Department have signed off on the agreement in federal court, records show. It’s among almost $40 million in legal settlements the Finance Committee will consider Monday, including $17.5 million for Thomas Sierra in his wrongful conviction case against retired Chicago Police Detective Reynaldo Guevara.

* WTTW | Developer Moves Forward With Lincoln Park Apartment Complex, Setting Stage for Fight Over Aldermanic Prerogative: Sterling Bay will hold a community meeting at 6 p.m. Jan. 15 at 1840 N. Marcey St., the site of the planned development that would build two towers — one reaching 25 stories and the other 15 stories — across the north branch of the Chicago River from the planned Lincoln Yards megadevelopment, which has yet to get off the ground. That meeting, designed to again give community members a chance to weigh in on the project, is the first step on a path that could result in the apartment complex’s approval by the City Council despite the opposition of Ald. Scott Waguespack, whose 32nd Ward includes the proposed development.

* Tribune | Bird deaths plummet at McCormick Place Lakeside Center after safety film installed: In 2023, the death toll for a single day was so high — at least 960 birds — that the carnage became national news. But this fall, when bird collision monitors performed their usual daily searches of the building’s grounds, they found something remarkable: just 18 dead birds.

* Tribune | Chicago couple first to sue ex-Sgt. Ronald Watts in line for $7.5M settlement: Attorneys have proposed a $7.5 million payout to settle the first of more than 150 federal lawsuits alleging phony arrests by corrupt ex-Chicago police Sgt. Ronald Watts and his team, records show. Ben Baker sued Watts and the city in 2016, alleging the longtime tactical sergeant in charge of the Ida B. Wells housing complex pinned bogus drug cases on him — and in one instance, his partner, Clarissa Glenn — in retaliation for refusing to pay Watts a $1,000 bribe. Baker spent about 10 years in prison before his conviction was thrown out.

* Tribune | Today in Chicago History: ‘McCaskey, you’re a bum!’ The coin flip that cost the Chicago Bears Terry Bradshaw: “McCaskey, you’re a bum!” former Chicago sportswriter Jack Griffin hollered from the back of the room to Bears owner George Halas’ son-in-law. “You couldn’t even win a coin flip!” The Steelers used the No. 1 pick to draft quarterback Terry Bradshaw, who led owner Art Rooney’s team to eight American Football Conference Central Division titles and four Super Bowl titles in 14 years.

* Crain’s | What’s next for the controversial hot tub boats on the Chicago River: Hot tub boats on the Chicago River captured the attention of the masses last winter when a couple was caught on camera publicly fornicating aboard one of the new vessels. Other river users had also reported negative interactions with the boats and wanted the program to end. We are now well into season two of hot tubs cruising the Chicago River, and not only are the controversial boats not going away, the company behind them is doubling down. The Chicago Electric Boat Co. introduced two new vessels in December and plans to add another two in February, bringing the total fleet to six.

*** Cook County and Suburbs ***

* WBEZ | Highland Park massacre suspect regains some phone privileges; trial to begin next month: Robert Crimo III is now allowed to call his parents from Lake County Jail, Judge Victoria Rossetti ruled during a brief court hearing Thursday. Crimo has had his communication privileges revoked several times over the two years he’s been jailed on charges he fatally shot seven people and injured at least 48 others from a rooftop overlooking the north suburb’s 2022 Fourth of July parade.

* Daily Herald | Suburban schools using PowerSchool software affected by data breach: Mundelein High School District 120 Superintendent Kevin Myers posted information to his community on the district’s website. “While information from District 120 students and staff was accessed, PowerSchool informed us they are confident data collected during this breach has already been destroyed without evidence of being misused or shared,” Myers wrote. “The breach occurred on Dec. 28 and was reported to D120 on Jan. 7. We were one of many school districts impacted.”

*** Downstate ***

* NBC Chicago | Shabbona Lake State Park to be transferred to Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation: The state park, located in DeKalb County, is situated on land that was illegally seized and auctioned off by the United States government in the 1800s, with officials saying in statements that they were rectifying an historic wrong in transferring ownership of the park to the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation. […] According to the Chicago Sun-Times, the legislation would require the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation to maintain the land as a public conservation area. A spokesperson told the newspaper when the bill was introduced that the state park would remain open to the public.

* SJ-R | Feeling lucky? Springfield alderman wants to revive talk about a casino here: A Springfield alderman wants to revive discussion about the possibility of Springfield getting in line for a casino license from the State of Illinois. A resolution that the city be included for consideration of receiving a casino license was shelved by the Springfield committee of the whole in 2022. But possible revenue streams and jobs has Ward 2 Ald. Shawn Gregory more than interested in the venture.

*** National ***

* Columbia Journalism Review | Net Neutrality Is Dead (Again). Journalism Could Suffer.: Matt DeRienzo, the executive director of the group Local Independent Online News Publishers, also wrote in 2017 about what the repeal would mean for local journalism. Independent sites that had sprung up to fill gaps in the sector rely on “an Internet based on a level playing field for all publishers and readers, regardless of size or resources,” he argued. The end of net neutrality would mean that big internet and wireless providers could charge individual publishers for differing levels of speed and access, “a scenario in which a handful of big companies with deep pockets could squeeze out” small outlets. This, DeRienzo wrote, would “severely limit citizens’ access to information and could be devastating to local news.” Since then, there hasn’t been a lot of clear evidence that these negative effects have occurred. But they could feasibly have been obscured by the general decline in the industry’s financial health. Either way, the recent verdict is clearly not good news for beleaguered smaller publishers fighting for every competitive advantage they can get.

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Protected: SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - New stuff (Updated x2)

Thursday, Jan 9, 2025 - Posted by Rich Miller

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Roundup: Ex-Speaker Madigan back on the stand

Thursday, Jan 9, 2025 - Posted by Isabel Miller

* Tribune…

Former House Speaker Michael Madigan testified in his corruption trial Wednesday that he was taken aback when then-Ald. Daniel Solis told him over the phone that the developers of a West Loop condo tower understood “the quid pro quo” of hiring Madigan’s law firm.

“A great deal of surprise and concern,” Madigan said of the reaction in his head when Solis, who turned out to be working undercover for the FBI, uttered the phrase.

Solis seemed like a stand-up guy and straight arrow, and the comment continued to eat at him, the former speaker said under direct examination by his attorney, Daniel Collins.

“I decided that I wanted to have a face-to-face meeting with Mr. Solis to give me an opportunity to tell him that I would not be involved in a quid pro quo,” Madigan told the jury.

* Capitol News Illinois…

A few weeks later, Solis brought the developer to Madigan’s downtown Chicago law office to meet with the speaker and his law partner, Vincent “Bud” Getzendanner. In the meeting, which lasted a little over half an hour, Madigan was mostly silent, letting Getzendanner explain how the firm usually handled property tax appeals for large developments.

But prosecutors were most interested in what happened before the meeting, when Madigan pulled Solis into his office and closed the door, admonishing the alderman in a near-whisper.

“Over the phone, you made a comment that there, that there was a quid pro quo,” Madigan said in the video, to which Solis replied: “Oh, I’m sorry. Yeah.”

“You shouldn’t be talking like that,” Madigan continued. “You’re just recommending our law firm because if they don’t get a good result on the real estate taxes, the whole project would be in trouble. Which is not good for your ward. So you want high-quality representation.”

* Madigan on the Chinatown deal…

Cotter has begun to ask Madigan about the Chinatown deal: "You requested that Mike McClain recommend a Republican lobbyist to try and help?"

Cotter: "I asked for his advice. I told him the situation: 'Mike, what would you advise?'"

— Jon Seidel (@SeidelContent) January 8, 2025

Q: At any time does McClain say anything to you about law firm fees that would be lost?
"The answer is no."
Q: You never told him this land transfer bill had anything to do with potential law firm clients?
"That’s correct."

— Jason Meisner (@jmetr22b) January 8, 2025

* Sun-Times…

Madigan spent much of his testimony Wednesday distancing himself from McClain and another key figure, former Ald. Danny Solis (25th), who secretly recorded Madigan for the FBI.

While Blakey agreed that the “door is open” for the “bandits” recording to be played at trial, it’s not clear whether it will be played during Madigan’s cross-examination by prosecutors or later, during a rebuttal case they’re expected to bring. […]

Bhachu argued that the recording became relevant when Madigan testified he was “angry” at associates of his who allegedly did no work while being paid thousands of dollars by ComEd. The claim is part of the same alleged conspiracy that led to McClain’s earlier conviction.

Defense attorneys have adamantly opposed letting jurors hear the “bandits” tape, and up until now they’ve been successful in preventing it. Madigan made the comment in August 2018 to McClain while discussing former Chicago Federation of Labor President Dennis Gannon.

* Courthouse News reporter Dave Byrnes…

* Courthouse News Service…

When [Mike McClain’s] attorney Patrick Cotter began his own cross-examination of Madigan, Cotter asked if Madigan’s friendship with McClain survived all their years together.

“It did, until recently,” Madigan responded.

The comment sparked a chorus of winces and “oohs” from those watching Madigan’s testimony.

Cotter got in his own lick in at the former speaker. The attorney asked if McClain helped arrange meetings between Madigan and the leaders of companies like ComEd on “multiple” occasions.

“I met with people from those companies, I don’t know if I’d call it multiple,” Madigan responded.

“Did you do it more than once?” Cotter asked.

“Yes,” the speaker answered.

* Fox Chicago…

“Did you ever actually take any official action to benefit a piece of Com Ed-supported legislation because of any job that Com Ed may have given to somebody you referred to, Mike McClain?” Cotter asked.

“No,” said Madigan.

“Basically Madigan threw Mr. McClain under the bus,” said former prosecutor Patrick Collins, who observed the proceedings today. “He’s basically said, ‘all those tapes the jury heard, that was McClain freelancing. Mr. McClain’s lawyer is now cross-examining and has a difficult job. If he says, ‘wait a minute, my guy was doing it all at your request,’ then he’s effectively admitting part of the scheme. And he’s not doing that. We’re seeing Mr. Cotter going around the edges of this.” […]

Testimony is wrapped up for the rest of the week, so prosecutors likely won’t get their chance to cross-examine Madigan until next week, on Jan. 13.

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It’s just a bill

Thursday, Jan 9, 2025 - Posted by Isabel Miller

* Sun-Times…

Older drivers in Illinois wouldn’t be subject to regular mandatory road testing until age 87 under new legislation introduced in Springfield this week by proponents aiming to loosen some of the strictest rules in the nation.

The bill drafted by Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias along with a bipartisan group of lawmakers would also create a new system for immediate relatives to ask the state to step in if they think their loved ones are no longer fit to drive. […]

Current law requires drivers who are 79 or 80 to take a behind-the-wheel test to renew their licenses. From age 81 to 86, they have to take the test every two years, and after that it’s every year.

Mandatory testing in Illinois started at age 75 before a temporary increase implemented early in the COVID-19 pandemic was made permanent.

* Politico…

State Rep. La Shawn Ford has filed a bill that would establish “a procedure for a special recall election” for the mayor of Chicago. It’s the same bill he’s filed every year since 2015, though it’s likely to raise eyebrows this time as Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson has faced persistent criticism, dreary polling numbers and a failed independent recall effort.

To the bill: “I’ve filed this every General assembly since Laquan McDonald was assassinated and Rahm Emanuel was mayor. This is nothing new, and it’s not personal. It’s about good policy,” Ford told Playbook of the legislation that has yet to get approval from Illinois lawmakers. “I think there should be a mechanism in place to allow for voters to recall the mayor of the city of Chicago.”

Ford even filed the bill the year he ran for mayor in 2019.

House Bill 1084 would also spell out the process for “a special successor election or special runoff election” to occur after a successful recall.

* HB1089 filed by Rep. Maurice West…

Creates the Illinois Container Fee and Deposit Act. Provides for a deposit value of 10 cents to be paid by consumers on each beverage container sold in the State by a dealer for consumption. Provides that, upon the return to a dealer or person operating a redemption center, the dealer or redemption center shall pay the value of the deposit back to the consumer as a refund. Sets forth requirements for administration of the program. Provides certain exemptions to the program. Requires that the refund value be clearly indicated on all beverage containers sold in the State. Provides for the Environmental Protection Agency to certify redemption centers. Prohibits snap-top beverage containers. Provides that persons violating the Act shall be guilty of a Class C misdemeanor. Prohibits the manufacture of certain beverage containers. Prohibits the disposal of beverage containers at sanitary landfills. Provides that deposits not passed on to the consumer through bottle redemption shall be distributed as follows: 75% to the Agency for environmental and conservation-related programs and 25% to each distributor in proportion to the number of beverage containers sold by each distributor in the State. Amends the State Finance Act to create the Illinois Container Fee and Deposit Fund. Effective immediately.

* HB1141 filed by Rep. Will Hauter…

Amends the Illinois Insurance Code. Provides that a group or individual policy of accident and health insurance or managed care plan that is amended, delivered, issued, or renewed on or after January 1, 2026 shall provide coverage for medically necessary general anesthesia, regardless of the duration, for any procedure covered by the policy, and that medical necessity shall be determined by the attending anesthesiologist or licensed anesthesia provider. Provides that an individual or group policy of accident and health insurance is prohibited from denying payment or reimbursement for anesthesia services solely because the duration of care exceeded a preset time limit. Amends the State Employees Group Insurance Act of 1971, the Counties Code, the Illinois Municipal Code, the School Code, the Health Maintenance Organization Act, the Limited Health Service Organization Act, the Voluntary Services Plans Act, and the Illinois Public Aid Code to require coverage under those provisions. Effective immediately.

* Rep. La Shawn Ford filed HB1143…

Creates the Compassionate Use and Research of Entheogens Act. Establishes the Illinois Psilocybin Advisory Board. Provides a timeline for the Board. Provides that the Department of Public Health, the Department of Agriculture, the Department of Financial and Professional Regulation, the Illinois State Police, and the Department of Revenue may adopt rules and implement the Act. Provides for licensing to operate a service center, facilitate psilocybin services, manufacture psilocybin products, and test psilocybin products by certain State agencies, with certain requirements. Provides for the lawful manufacture, delivery, and possession of psilocybin products. Provides procedures for psilocybin services, including requirements for certain sessions, plans, and forms. Limits the sale of psilocybin products with certain restrictions. Provides for investigations and inspections under the Act. Provides for certain fees, fines, actions against a licensee, criminal penalties, and civil penalties for violations of the Act. Provides for administrative hearings and other requirements for disciplining an applicant or licensee. Provides requirements for psilocybin-producing fungi as a crop, food, or other commodity. Provides for labeling and packaging requirements. Imposes a tax on psilocybin. Establishes the Psilocybin Control and Regulation Fund and Illinois Psilocybin Fund as special funds in the State treasury. Limits home rule powers. Makes other provisions. Makes corresponding changes to the State Finance Act. Amends the Freedom of Information Act. Exempt certain correspondence and records under the Act. Amends the Illinois Independent Tax Tribunal Act of 2012. Adds the Act to the jurisdiction of the Tax Tribunal. Amends the Illinois Vehicle Code. Adds psilocybin or psilocin to the list of prohibited substances for a person driving or in actual physical control of a vehicle. Amends the Illinois Controlled Substances Act. Removes psilocybin or psilocybin products from the definition of “Controlled Substance”. Removes psilocybin and psilocyn from the list of Schedule I controlled substances. Effective immediately.

33 Comments

Open thread

Thursday, Jan 9, 2025 - Posted by Isabel Miller

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

7 Comments

Isabel’s morning briefing

Thursday, Jan 9, 2025 - Posted by Isabel Miller

* ICYMI: New General Assembly sworn in as House, Senate take different tones. Capitol News Illinois…

A new Illinois General Assembly was sworn in for the next two years on Wednesday, with the House and Senate ceremonies taking two starkly different tones.

The House inauguration ceremony, conducted in an auditorium on the University of Illinois Springfield campus, was at times boisterous, featuring speeches that were more politically divisive and sometimes led to jeering. […]

Senators from across Illinois were sworn in Wednesday in the newly renovated Senate chamber. The room had been closed for 2 ½ years while the Senate conducted business in a modified auditorium in a separate building on the capitol complex. […]

[Senate President Don Harmon’s] acceptance speech had one overarching message: be kind. He asked senators to work across the aisle, including on behalf of their constituents who didn’t vote for them.

* Related stories…

∙ Tribune: Calls for unity, naked partisanship mark inauguration ceremonies in Springfield
∙ Sun-Times: Freshly inaugurated Illinois legislators meet ‘critical moment’ after lame-duck infighting
∙ WCIA: Legislators inaugurated for 104th Illinois General Assembly

*** Isabel’s Top Picks ***

* Tribune | Illinois’ plan to transition residents from downstate developmental facility has residents waiting months to leave, report says: Equip for Equality, a federally mandated independent organization helping oversee the governor’s plan, said Wednesday in a midpoint assessment report that Choate residents who are supposed to be transitioning to more home-like settings are waiting too long to be moved or that Illinois officials are sending those residents to other large, state-run facilities.

* Tribune | Lawsuits allege negligence in mental health center suicide, another issue for embattled state agency: Anthony Stringfellow Jr., 19, died by hanging on Feb. 7, 2023, at the Madden Mental Health Center near Maywood, according to two lawsuits that between them list the Illinois Department of Human Services, the state, the facility and individual care providers as defendants. His death occurred despite guidelines intended to make hospitals treating patients with mental illness safer for those who would attempt to harm themselves. The negligence allegations are in a November 2023 complaint filed with the Illinois Court of Claims that names IDHS as a defendant and in an amended complaint filed in Cook County in June 2024 that names three doctors and a nurse as defendants.

*** Statehouse News ***

* WAND | Protections for domestic violence survivors: Pritzker plans to sign Karina’s bill: “We’ve heard from law enforcement the challenge of moving guns from a home or a person,” Pritzker said. “I think law enforcement got to a point where they felt they could effectuate the Karina’s law and it’s the right idea, the right thing to do, I will sign the bill.”

* 21st Show | Four More Years: State Rep. Kelly Cassidy discusses Illinois protections for reproductive, transgender healthcare: State Rep. Kelly Cassidy has been a member of the Illinois House since 2011. She was lead sponsor on the Reproductive Health Act, which, among other things, made abortion access a fundamental right in Illinois. Cassidy was also lead sponsor of legislation a few years ago creating legal protections for people who provide or receive reproductive and gender-affirming care. She gives her take on what protections Illinoisans have and what type of actions might be expected from the federal government in regards to this type of care.

* WCIA | ISP could be required to inform witnesses of dash cam recordings with bill on Pritzker’s desk: State Troopers may soon be required to tell witnesses they are still being recorded from dash cameras if a bill on Governor J.B. Pritzker’s desk is signed into law. A bill that passed both chambers of the legislature unanimously requires State Police officers to tell victims their car’s dash cameras will continue to stay on and record if they ask to turn their body cameras off.

* WAND | Pritzker on Trump’s talks of a Canadian 51st state: ‘Just a distraction’: On Truth Social, the president-elect posted an image of a map of Canada with the words “51st State” inside its borders. Pritzker says it’s just a distraction. “Donald Trump says an awful amount of things that I think are intended to distract us from other things,” Pritzker said. “I think this idea of attacking or making Canada the 51st state that’s just another one of those.”

Isabel started working for me in the summer of 2022, after the Senate chambers was closed for remodeling. She was a House page for a day when she was a kid, but I guess I never brought her across the hall to the Senate back then. Oops https://t.co/25JzW1iTeM

— Capitol Fax (@capitolfax) January 8, 2025

*** Statewide ***

* Tribune | Illinois casinos close out 2024 with holiday boost from new Wind Creek and Hard Rock Rockford gambling venues: The state’s 16 casinos generated $157 million in adjusted gross receipts — up 11% over December 2023 — and drew nearly 1.25 million visitors last month, according to data published Wednesday by the Illinois Gaming Board. Rivers Casino Des Plaines remained the state’s busiest casino in December with $43 million in adjusted gross receipts and 264,000 visitors, but newcomers are making their mark on the Illinois gambling landscape.

*** Chicago ***

* WGN | Mayor Johnson says his relationships in Springfield transcend politics: Mayor Brandon Johnson on Wednesday responded to a not-so-subtle jab made by Gov. JB Pritzker a day earlier about the mayor’s relationships in Springfield, saying they go deeper than politics. “I have personal relationships with individuals who are friends of mine, which quite frankly go far deeper than a political office,” Johnson said at a press event for the opening of the new Roseland Health Hub.

* Sun-Times | Johnson running out of time for course correction with Pritzker, City Council: An already contentious relationship still can be salvaged if a mayor and governor who need each other to solve their respective budget troubles start communicating frequently and privately, instead of taking public shots at one another.

* ABC Chicago | Roseland mental health clinic reopening, CARE program expanding, Chicago mayor says: What had been a shuttered mental health clinic is reopening to provide no-cost mental health resources to the people of Roseland. Mayor Brandon Johnson joined Chicago Department of Public Health Commissioner Dr. Olusimbo “Simbo” Ige, elected officials and community leaders for the ribbon cutting for the facility that has been renamed the Roseland Health Hub.

* Tribune | Board of Ethics said it did not give Mayor Brandon Johnson an opinion about CPS leave: Despite City Hall’s claims, the Chicago Board of Ethics said it did not provide Mayor Brandon Johnson’s administration with an opinion about whether he should resign from Chicago Public Schools to avoid a conflict of interest. The ethics board told the Tribune this week it has “no documents showing any written opinions” about Johnson taking a leave of absence from CPS, nor has it ever issued any written or oral opinions or guidance about CPS leaves by city officials or employees.”

* Chalkbeat Chicago | Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson talks class size, contract talks, school board appointments: Chalkbeat sat down with Johnson in his office on the fifth floor of City Hall for a brief interview Tuesday to discuss that and other topics like class size, migrant students, and Martinez. The following has been edited for length and clarity.

*** Cook County and Suburbs ***

* Daily Herald | District 203 board member censured for ‘unprofessional’ conduct: The resolution outlines various instances in which Kelley Black made “false or disparaging” comments on social media about the school board, made statements harming the district’s bargaining position in ongoing negotiations or improperly used her standing as a board member with regard to her own student.

*** Downstate ***

* BND | Feds send $120M to help in metro-east recovery from July flooding: The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development announced Tuesday that St. Clair County will get $89.5 million in grant money to help in disaster recovery from the flooding caused by 8 inches of rain that fell on July 16. The agency said in a news release the money could be used to rebuild homes, develop affordable housing, help small businesses, repair roads and support projects to reduce the risks of damage from future storms.

* Herald-Whig | Quincy prepares to cut operating budget by $2 million: After receiving new personal property replacement tax projections Monday, the City Council introduced an ordinance to cut $2 million from the city’s operating budget in fiscal year 2026. Although the amount matches the 2024 property tax subsidy, highlighting another route aldermen could have taken to meet departments’ needs this year, the immediate force behind the budget cut is falling state-allocated personal property replacement tax revenue said Comptroller Sheri Ray.

* Herald-Whig | Three airlines make their case for Quincy passenger service contract: In November, the city asked the U.S. Department of Transportation to terminate the current contract with Southern Airways Express due to excessive cancellations and delays, leading to lower numbers of users flying out of Quincy. The three finalists include Cape Air, which intends to primarily fly newer Tecnam P2012 aircraft configured with nine seats, similar to the current planes used by Southern. Cape Air was Quincy’s EAS provider until 2022 when the company requested to be removed due to their own struggles meeting schedules while battling post-pandemic pilot shortages.

* SJ-R | Springfield officially appoints new director of Planning and Economic Development: Amy Rasing was approved for the position at Tuesday night’s city council meeting with a 9-0 vote. […] “Business development is something that falls into the rolls I’ve had over the years,” Rasing said. “I have partnered with businesses and helped businesses develop marketing plans. Working in a nonprofit many of you know nonprofits are looking for ways to promote themselves and promote the good things they do.”

* WCIA | Ameren IL gives tips to restore power in winter weather: The most recent snowstorm knocked out power for people across Illinois and some cities ended up with 20,000 homes in the dark. If you’re still waiting for it to be fixed… it may be a problem that you have to deal with. There’s a couple of different things to look at like your weather head and meter base. One Ameren employee said ice is his worst enemy — and it can cause a chain reaction.

* The Southern | SIU political experts: History will treat Jimmy Carter ‘kindly’: John Shaw and John Jackson of the Paul Simon Public Policy Institute point toward Carter’s efforts in brokering a peace between Israel and Egypt that continues today, creating the Department of Education and Department of Energy and pioneering work regarding climate change among a list of accomplishments. Carter died Dec. 29 at 100 years old, more than a year after the death of his wife, former first lady Rosalynn Carter. Services to honor the former president will be held in Georgia and Washington, D.C., from Saturday, Jan. 4, through Thursday, Jan. 9.

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

Thursday, Jan 9, 2025 - Posted by Rich Miller

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Live coverage

Thursday, Jan 9, 2025 - Posted by Isabel Miller

You can click here and here to follow the Madigan trial. Click here and/or here to follow breaking news. Hopefully, enough reporters and news outlets migrate to BlueSky so we can hopefully resume live-posting.