* This bill passed without any interest group opposition…
Illinois House members on Wednesday approved and sent to the governor’s desk follow-up legislation to make it easier for police to carry out the controversial criminal-justice reform bill passed and signed into law one year ago.
Senate Bill 3512 was approved on a 67-42 vote in the House, with no Republican votes. The bill passed the Senate in October on a 40-17 vote. […]
The bill’s language, which was negotiated with the chiefs group and other law-enforcement organizations, also would delay until July 1 the effective date of new police training requirements and a new police officer decertification process. […]
[Ed Wojcicki, director of the Illinois Association of Chiefs of Police] said he supports the delays because personnel need more time to be trained to carry out the law.
* Capitol News Illinois…
The bill outlines that when someone is detained, law enforcement must allow them to make up to three phone calls within three hours of being detained. If the individual is moved from one detention center to the next, the three phone calls and three hours will restart.
But House Minority Leader Jim Durkin, R-Western Springs, argued that the bill did not provide enough clarification between the words “police custody” and “detention”.
“Police custody means that they’re not free to leave. That means that they’re sitting in a squad car and under the way you’ve drafted your bill, that means that the police have to give that person three phone calls,” Durkin said.
But the bill clarifies that the definition of “detention” is police stations, places that operate municipal police departments, county police departments and other law enforcement agencies.
That was not a serious objection. But I suppose it’ll make for a cheap direct mail hit.
* Center Square…
Durkin warned the measure could lead to witness tampering and intimidation, particularly in domestic violence situations.
“What you’re describing is felony tampering of a witness, leader,” Slaughter said.
“It doesn’t make a difference, you’re still allowing that phone call to be made,” Durkin said. “Sure they can get charged down the line but the fact is the call is going to be made and they’re going to scare the hell out of that victim who has been the subject of abuse by the family member.”
They could do that with only one phone call. But, again, direct mailers galore.
*** UPDATE 1 *** Oops. I forgot about Greg Hinz’s interview of Speaker Welch that also touched on a new anti-crime package…
Welch: We’re still early in the process. We’ve only had one day of session this year. But there’s some things that we’re looking at. Certainly in the carjacking space. We’re looking at things in organized retail theft space. We’re looking at all of the things that we can possibly do, legally, constitutionally that we will be able to agree on, Democrats and Republicans. Everyone’s at the table right now. I do anticipate some things getting done this session that’s going to continue to build on success we had 2021. But specifically around carjackings, organized retail theft in particular.
[Hinz brings up Mayor Lightfoot’s “contention that there are people released on electronic monitors who shouldn’t be.”]
Welch: On the electronic monitoring issue that the mayor is raising, our lawyers are looking at that. You’ve got to remember the things that we have to do also have to pass constitutional muster. […]
Welch: Crime is a concern to all of us, that you do the crime you should do the time. We should also want to make sure our friends in law enforcement have the resources that they need, that law enforcement needs to be properly funded. That they need to be trained and educated. Those are things that we can help do in on budget as well. And those are part of the conversations that are ongoing as well.
Please excuse all transcription errors.
*** UPDATE 2 *** Feigenholtz is backtracking…
State Sen. Sara Feigenholtz (6th), who was a proud supporter of last year’s massive criminal justice reform bill, appeared to have a severe case of buyer’s remorse during the Zoom session.
“We are looking very closely to some of the reforms that we enacted,” Feigenholtz said. “It’s a big bill, and we’re gonna have to go back and make a lot of changes and remediate.”
“I don’t think that anybody bargained for repeat offenders and people who were in possession of a gun and accused of violent crime to be released on a [recognizance] bond,” she continued. […]
“We have a lot of work to do,” Feigenholtz said.
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Question of the day
Friday, Jan 7, 2022 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Today in the rotunda…
* The Question: When do you usually take down your holiday decorations?
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COVID-19 roundup
Friday, Jan 7, 2022 - Posted by Rich Miller
* It’s only a one-day movement, but hospitalizations actually dropped by 2 since yesterday after more than doubling in the past four weeks. ICU admissions increased very slightly and ventilator usage dropped a bit. Positivity rates are still climbing, however. And for the second day in a row, IDPH is reporting more than 100 deaths per day. IDPH…
The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) today reported 201,428 new confirmed and probable cases of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Illinois, including an increase of 444 deaths since December 31, 2021.
Currently, IDPH is reporting a total of 2,382,437 cases, including 28,361 deaths, in 102 counties in Illinois. The age of cases ranges from younger than one to older than 100 years. Since December 31, 2021, laboratories have reported 1,322,127 specimens for a total of 45,992,122. As of last night, 7,096 individuals in Illinois were reported to be in the hospital with COVID-19. Of those, 1,123 patients were in the ICU and 639 patients with COVID-19 were on ventilators.
The preliminary seven-day statewide positivity for cases as a percent of total test from December 31, 2021 – January 6, 2022 is 15.2%. The preliminary seven-day statewide test positivity from December 31, 2021 – January 6, 2022 is 18.5%.
A total of 19,535,937 vaccines have been administered in Illinois as of last midnight. The seven-day rolling average of vaccines administered daily is 42,098 doses. Since December 31, 2021, 294,687 doses were reported administered in Illinois. Of Illinois’ total population, 73% has received at least one COVID-19 vaccine dose and more than 64% of Illinois’ total population is fully vaccinated, and 40% boosted according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
All data are provisional and will change. Additional information and COVID-19 data can be found at https://dph.illinois.gov/covid19.html.
Vaccination is the key to ending this pandemic. To find a COVID-19 vaccination location near you, go to www.vaccines.gov.
* On to the news roundup. I posted this Bloomberg story earlier today…
Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker has asked the Biden administration for Covid-19 tests to help resolve the latest dispute between Chicago Public Schools and its teachers union, a disagreement that’s led to the cancellation of classes for three straight days.
I followed up with the governor’s office about what all he said to the reporter and was told that Pritzker mentioned the things they’d offered CPS and what he’d asked the White House to do for the school district.
I then asked what state help Pritzker had directly offered CPS. I was told the state had offered SHIELD tests, vaccination clinics and masks for the past several weeks.
The city has not yet taken the state up on those offers.
Sigh.
* Meanwhile the Chicago Board of Education has filed an Unfair Labor Practices charge against the Chicago Teachers Union…
On Tuesday, January 4, 2022, the CTU illegally directed its members, including teachers, related service providers, and PSRP’s, not to report to work as directed but to work remotely instead from January 5 until the earlier of January 18 or when CPS meets certain health metrics. The refusal to report to work deprives students of instructional days. Pursuant to Section 4 of the IELRA, only the Board of Education has the authority to direct employees in their work. The CTU’s directive violates Section 14(b)(3) of the IELRA and also constitutes an illegal work stoppage in violation of Section 13(b) of the IELRA. Further, through its directive to its members, CTU has breached the collective bargaining agreement so as to indicate repudiation or renunciation of its terms in violation of Section 14(b)(3) of the Act.
CBE respectfully requests the Executive Director immediately issue a complaint on its unfair labor practice charge, an expedited briefing schedule regarding its request for injunctive relief, and that the matter be transferred directly to the IELRB for a decision on the merits and its request for injunctive relief.
Regarding the unfair labor practices, CBE requests an Cease and Desist Order; an affirmative order prohibiting all future strikes from occurring prior to completing the process required by Section 13(b) of the Illinois Educational Labor Relations Act, 115 ILCS 5/1, and any and all other relief the Illinois Educational Labor Relations Board deems appropriate.
* Peoria Journal Star…
Health officials aren’t mincing words about the dire situation facing Peoria-area hospitals as new COVID-19 cases continue to mount and more patients are being treated.
“This is the worst that I’ve ever seen it since March of 2020 when we started all of this,” said Bob Anderson, president of OSF HealthCare Saint Francis Medical Center, during Thursday’s COVID news briefing.
“We’ve traded problems. In the beginning, there was a lot of concern about having enough PPE (personal protective equipment) and enough ventilators,” Anderson said. “We have the supplies; now I’m missing the nursing personnel, the techs, even the EVS (EnVironmental Services) – the housekeeping personnel that we need in order to clean the rooms, in order to bring people up from the emergency room. When I don’t have those, things slow down, and it makes it very hard.”
* Press release…
Mid-West Truckers Association (MTA) has announced the cancellation of the 61st Annual MTA Convention and the 2022 Mid-West Truck and Trailer Show, scheduled for February 4 & 5, 2022 in Peoria, Illinois.
“With the sudden increase in COVID cases and the concern for the health of our members and exhibitors, we have reluctantly made the decision to cancel the Show for 2022,” said Don Schaefer, Executive Vice President of the Mid-West Truckers Association.
“Our concern and those expressed by potential attendees and exhibitors means cancelling the Truck & Trailer Show is the right decision. We realize the difficulties in producing such an event are compounded due to the recent “perfect storm” of issues brought on by the omnicron COVID virant and its effect on staffing capabilities and potential health problems for the most vulnerable. We have seen the devastation this has caused even among our own members.”
* From the Trib…
According to a spokeswoman for Cook County Chief Judge Timothy Evans’ office, 45 judges have tested positive for COVID-19 throughout the pandemic — nine of them this week.
At the Dirksen courthouse, meanwhile, at least 44 people have been diagnosed with COVID-19 after being in the courthouse since mid-December, according to letters sent to courthouse employees by U.S. District Chief Judge Rebecca Pallmeyer. […]
Meanwhile, at the Cook County Jail on the Southwest Side, 404 people in custody were positive for COVID-19 as of Wednesday, according to Sheriff Tom Dart’s office. That accounts for about 7 percent of detainees. In addition, 478 sheriff’s office employees, a category that includes correctional officers, courthouse security deputies and more, were positive as of Wednesday.
* Sun-Times…
The Chicago Police Department has canceled officers’ days off this weekend as the Fraternal Order of Police blamed COVID-19 for a staffing shortage. […]
The FOP, which represents rank-and-file officers, estimates 21% of the police force — about 2,600 officers — are on medical leave, with COVID-19 being the driving factor.
The number of officers on medical leave at any one time before the pandemic averaged about 1,000, according to the union.
The department has about 12,000 officers.
* More…
* Here’s Who Will Be Eligible for New COVID Antiviral Pills in Illinois
* Illinois comptroller again suspends unpaid fines from tax refunds for eligible taxpayers
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* This non-GRF debt has been piling up at about $2 million a week since September, when the state made its last payment. Here’s Greg Hinz…
As Springfield prepares for an abbreviated spring legislative session, one issue that hasn’t received much attention beyond the pages of Crain’s is about to pop to the fore. That’s how the state—and its employers and workers—will pay off a $4.5 billion debt in Illinois’ unemployment insurance program. […]
The jobless figures since have slid down, with the Illinois unemployment rate now at 5.7%. But the state still owes Uncle Sam and, with hopes fading that Congress will forgive the debt, the feds are entitled to their money and roughly $2 million a week in interest. […]
[Illinois Comptroller Susana Mendoza] says the state probably will have to tap some of the roughly $3.2 billion in funds left over from the last federal COVID relief bill, known as the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, or ARPA.
* Greg interviewed Speaker Chris Welch today and brought up the subject…
Greg Hinz: Mendoza was suggesting just the other day that we ought to tap some of these ARPA funds, the federal covid relief funds that we still aren’t available to deal with it. I hear even from some labor folks, they’re worried that if you guys don’t do anything, some benefit cuts would automatically go into effect. Do you expect to deal with that issue and if so, how?
Speaker Welch: I had a conversation with Comptroller Mendoza this week in Springfield. It’s something that we talked about when we announced that we were paying off the balance on the loan that we took out two years ago. And now this is something that we’re turning our attention to. This is an issue that is on the table for us to address. We agree that it’s something we want to address. How we want specifically to do it, we don’t know yet. It’s still early. But this issue is on the table for us to come up with a solution to
A.D. Quig: Are you open to using ARPA dollars to pay back a significant portion of that loan?
Speaker Welch: Well, I’m sure we’re gonna have to use some portion of the ARPA dollars to pay that back. Again, I don’t want to get ahead of the process. I want to make sure all stakeholders have input on this, the Senate side the governor’s office. But I think we’re going to have to be open to anything. And certainly that’s a real possibility.
As always, please excuse all transcription errors.
The governor’s office told me that agreed bill process meetings are starting “and we’re going to work together to find a responsible solution.”
If not, there’s going to be a large tax hike on employers and a big benefit cut for unemployed workers.
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* Tribune…
Illinois hospitals running short on inpatient beds are increasingly housing patients in their emergency rooms, creating a situation some doctors say threatens the quality of care.
As of Sunday night, the most recent state data available, Chicago hospitals had 239 people waiting in beds in ERs for space elsewhere in the hospital to open up — the highest level ever measured during the pandemic. An additional 220 people were waiting in ERs in hospitals in suburban Cook County, and with more still in the regions covering DuPage and Kane counties (50), Lake and McHenry counties (39) and Will and Kankakee (27). […]
The Tribune has previously reported how this fifth pandemic surge came at a perilous time for Illinois hospitals, as they struggled with fewer workers trying to care for more people. The vast majority of those patients weren’t seeking treatment for COVID-19 and were often sicker from delaying needed care earlier in the pandemic.
* This surge is different and worse. It’s stressing our entire healthcare system and more people are winding up in the hospital for other reasons. Here’s Ed Yong at The Atlantic…
“We have a lot of chronically ill people in the U.S., and it’s like all of those people are now coming into the hospital at the same time,” said Vineet Arora, [Dean for Medical Education of the University of Chicago Biological Sciences Division]. “Some of it is for COVID, and some is with COVID, but it’s all COVID. At the end of the day, it doesn’t really matter.” (COVID patients also need to be isolated, which increases the burden on hospitals regardless of the severity of patients’ symptoms.) […]
Every part of the health-care system has been affected, diminishing the quality of care for all patients. A lack of pharmacists and outpatient clinicians makes it harder for people to get tests, vaccines, and even medications; as a result, more patients are ending up in the hospital with chronic-disease flare-ups. There aren’t enough ambulance drivers, making it more difficult for people to get to the hospital at all. Lab technicians are falling ill, which means that COVID-test results (and medical-test results in general) are taking longer to come back. Respiratory therapists are in short supply, making it harder to ventilate patients who need oxygen. Facilities that provide post-acute care are being hammered, which means that many groups of patients—those who need long-term care, dialysis, or care for addiction or mental-health problems—cannot be discharged from hospitals, because there’s nowhere to send them. […]
Brunson works in a cardiac ICU, not a COVID-focused one, but her team is still inundated with people who got COVID in a prior surge and “are now coming in with heart failure” because of their earlier infection, she said. “COVID isn’t done for them, even though they’re testing negative.” Hospitals aren’t facing just Omicron, but also the cumulative consequences of every previous variant in every previous surge.
The final graf…
There’s a plausible future in which most of the U.S. enjoys a carefree spring, oblivious to the frayed state of the system they rely on to protect their health, and only realizing what has happened when they knock on its door and get no answer. This is the cost of two years spent prematurely pushing for a return to normal—the lack of a normal to return to.
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Campaign notebook
Friday, Jan 7, 2022 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Press release…
Congressman Bobby Rush announced his endorsement of Democrat Alexi Giannoulias for Illinois Secretary of State along with a group of African-American elected officials who had previously endorsed Alderperson Pat Dowell for the statewide office.
Rush made his endorsement in a video, stating, Giannoulias has “always been there for our community. He knows our community. He understands our community. He knows what we need. He will be a partner to solve some of the issues that we are confronting…He will be with us and for us.”
Meanwhile, several present and former elected officials who had endorsed Dowell are now pledging their support Giannoulias as the Democratic nominee to replace Secretary of State Jesse White who is not seeking re-election in 2022. […]
The list of new endorsements includes: Ald. Howard Brookins (21st); Committeeperson Preston Brown Jr. (34th); State Sen. Mattie Hunter (3rd); former Illinois State Senate President Emil Jones, Jr; former U.S. Senator Carol Moseley Braun; MWRD Commissioner Kimberly Neely Du Buclet; Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle; Ald. Rod Sawyer (6th); and Ald. Christopher Taliaferro (29th).
The video is here.
* He announced his reelection on January 6th? Sends a message…
State Rep. Chris Miller, R-Oakland, is running for reelection to the Illinois House in the new 101st district, he announced Thursday.
Miller’s announcement comes a year to the day he attended a Washington, D.C., rally where President Donald Trump spoke, an event that preceded the attack on the U.S. Capitol, and earned Miller the ire of his Democratic colleagues.
“As Democrats continue their assault on our way of life, I am eager to stay in the fight to preserve our freedom in this state and to push back on J.B. Pritzker and the Chicago Democrats’ hostile takeover of Illinois,” Miller said in a statement.
* Press release…
Today, the International Association of Bridge, Structural, Ornamental and Reinforcing Iron Workers Union announced their endorsement of Nikki Budzinski in Illinois’ 13th Congressional District. The Ironworkers (IW) represent 120,000 members in North America. The union represents ironworkers who work on bridges, structural steel, ornamental, architectural, and miscellaneous metals, rebar and in shops across North America.
The Ironworkers’ endorsement is the latest in a broad coalition of support that Budzinski is building, including U.S. Senator Dick Durbin, U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth, the Illinois AFL-CIO, EMILY’s List, State Treasurer Mike Frerichs, Rep. “Chuy” García, Rep. Sean Casten, Rep. Cheri Bustos, Rep. Jan Schakowsky, State Senator Christopher Belt, Assistant Majority Leader Jay Hoffman, House Democratic Caucus Chair LaToya Greenwood, State Representative Katie Stuart, UFCW Local 881, United Brotherhood of Carpenters (UBC), Illinois Federation of Teachers (IFT), SEIU State Council, United Steelworkers (USW), IBEW Locals 51, 146, 193, 309, 601 and 649, Communications Workers of America (CWA), Sheet Metal Air Rail and Transportation Workers’ Union, Heat and Frost Insulators, Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU), Associated Fire Fighters of Illinois (AFFI), Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers (BAC) Local 8, Elect Democratic Women, Pastor T. Ray McJunkins, County Chairs Bill Houlihan (Sangamon), Mark Pohlman (Jersey), Paul “Snow” Herkert (Calhoun), Ben Curtin (Christian) and Pam Monetti (Macoupin).
* Politico has a story on Wednesday’s elections bill passage…
Five new [Cook County] subcircuit court districts were created, which will include judges that serve under the county’s purview. That means that over the next 10 years, some 55 judicial vacancies will no longer be countywide seats. They would be in a subcircuit court district.
The goal of the bill carried by Rep. Elizabeth Hernandez and Senate President Don Harmon is to create smaller judicial districts that better represent communities and allow for more minority candidates in judicial seats.
But yesterday, a day after the bill passed both chambers and was sent to the governor, lawmakers realized the measure might have some unintended consequences.
Because those seats would move out from under the purview of Cook County, the Cook County Democratic Party would lose power to slate — or endorse— some judicial candidates. Getting slated means the party promotes candidates on glossy fliers, makes robocalls and knocks on doors. It’s difficult for candidates not slated to compete against that kind of muscle. Those who get slated, judicial candidates and everyone from the governor to water reclamation commissioners, pay $40,000 each for the perk.
Last month, for example, nine judicial candidates were slated for vacancies, which comes to $360,000 in the Cook County Democrats’ coffers.
Along with decentralizing the judicial process, the bill could see Cook County Democrats’ coffers depleted. So there’s already some talk about reworking the bill.
Harmon, though, says the concerns are overblown. There still should be plenty of judicial vacancies filled by the county, he told Playbook. “Our intent was to follow the model from 1991, where some but not all judicial vacancies were assigned to subcircuits. If people are reading it differently, we would certainly correct it.”
…Adding… Press release…
Illinois State Representative Kelly Cassidy and Chicago Alderwoman Maria Hadden (49th Ward) have announced their endorsement for Illinois Secretary of State Democratic candidate Anna Valencia. Cassidy and Hadden now join Women for Valencia—a growing coalition of more than 50 prominent women leaders across the state, including U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth, Congresswoman Lauren Underwood, Ulta Beauty Chairwoman Mary Dillon and more—in calling for Illinoisians to rally behind Valencia, now the only woman remaining in the race.
“With another Republican candidate entering the Illinois Secretary of State’s race this week, we need to make sure the Democratic Party puts forth its best candidate. There is too much at stake,” said Representative Cassidy. “I am endorsing Anna Valencia because her unparalleled passion for public service and unwavering commitment to fighting for women and other marginalized communities is needed at the state’s table. I encourage Illinoisians to join me in the critical support of a proven leader, who can guide the Secretary of State’s Office into the next era.”
“Anna Valencia’s impressive record as City Clerk of Chicago speaks for itself—from streamlining and modernizing government services, to her innovation and leadership on the CityKey ID program for residents with barriers of access to government-issued identification,” said Alderwoman Hadden. “I am proud to endorse Anna, a qualified woman of color with strong experience, leadership and ethical values, who will give the Democratic Party the best chances at winning in November.”
Cassidy and Hadden’s support come on the heels of a momentous week for Valencia’s campaign, which just secured the support of U.S. Senator Dick Durbin on Tuesday. Following the news, fellow U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth reinforced her support for Valencia with a call to action for Illinois voters and donors.
“Now as much as ever, we must do everything we can to ensure women, including women of color, are represented at all levels of government,” said Senator Duckworth. “I urge Illinoisans to join me in helping elect Anna Valencia. As the first woman to serve as our Secretary of State, I know she will help us build a better, more equitable Illinois for everyone.”
Valencia entered the race in June 2021. In just six months, the Granite City, Ill. native has built a strong statewide coalition of support from a robust slate of highly-respected elected officials, business leaders, political groups and labor unions—including the Associated Fire Fighters of Illinois (AFFI) and Illinois Nurses Association - The Nurses Union (INA). Valencia has also secured support from the national Latino Victory Fund and other influential organizations and leaders from across the state and nation.
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* Tribune…
CTU’s proposal submitted last week called for a negative test result to return to buildings and an expansion of the in-school weekly testing program that’s mandatory for unvaccinated staff members and voluntary for students. About 33,000 tests were administered the last week of school before winter break, with district officials promising for months that capacity would reach 40,000 weekly tests. CPS CEO Pedro Martinez expressed frustration again Wednesday that the testing program has not grown faster.
Lightfoot said Wednesday that the CTU wants the program mandatory for all, unless parents opt out, a plan she opposes because it’s “morally repugnant” to take the decision out of parents’ hands. COVID testing, she said, is a “quasi-medical procedure.”
As of late last month, 41,690 students and 24,933 staff members were registered for the testing program, according to the district. CPS officials said some students may have registered before getting vaccinated in the fall and decided later not to show up for weekly testing.
Morally repugnant? That’s odd.
CPS administers nasal swab tests. I do not know why they don’t use the SHIELD test from the U of I. All you do with those tests is spit into a test tube, which makes them less than the “quasi-medical procedure” swab (although that’s silly as well and the General Assembly acted on this very point last year by exempting testing from the Right of Conscience Act, so her legal argument doesn’t hold up, either). They’ve been made available by the state to all school districts.
* Illinois Families for Public Schools did some research on opt-out testing and found this…
Despite Mayor Lightfoot’s claims that an opt out procedure would be a legal nightmare, we did some research over the past couple of days and found 34 districts in IL doing notification plus opt-out testing along with at least two CPS charters, CICS Ellison and Horizon Science Academy Belmont. These districts include:
Barrington 220, Bethalto 8, CICS Ellison 299, Crystal Lake/Round Lake CCSD 46, Des Plaines CCSD 62, Evanston 65, Evanston 202, Fenton 100, Flossmoor 161, Georgetown-Ridge Farm CUSD 4, Glenbrook HS 225, Homewood 153, Horizon Science Academy Belmont 299, Huntley 158, Joliet Township 204, Kirby 140, Macomb 185, Naperville 203, New Trier 203, Northbrook 28, Northbrook Glenview 30, Oak Lawn HS 229, Oak Park 97, River Ridge CSD 210, River Trails 26, Riverside 96, Skokie/Morton Grove 69, Speed SEJA 802, Streator 44, Streator Township 40, Thornton 205, West Chicago 33, West Northfield 31, Will Co 92, Woodland 50.
The full list, with supporting links, is here.
…Adding… Mark asked the bishops this very question at a Statehouse press conference…
…Adding… With a hat tip to a commenter, “Dr. Robert Murphy is a professor of infectious disease at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine and is the executive director for the Institute of Global Health” and was asked this morning on WGN whether he thought “Chicago public schools are safe enough to open and have in person learning”…
It is not safe to open the schools. I’m sorry. It’s very bad to do home learning. I mean, that doesn’t work as good, everybody knows that. But look at what’s happening. They can’t even keep the schools open. They didn’t have enough employees to work to keep the schools open.
If that’s the case then we need federal intervention right freaking now. What’s a single mom going to do if she has to leave her job to take care of her kids? If she’s fired for non-attendance or quits, she won’t be receiving any extra unemployment assistance. And there’s no longer an eviction moratorium to protect her and her family.
Most school districts are trying to do what’s right and taking a targeted approach rather than shutting down entirely. Then again, most school districts are run better than CPS and have unionized workforces who are more interested in collaboration than CTU.
In my own opinion, Mayor Lightfoot should back away from this fight, which she and the CTU have obviously personalized, and hand the keys to the district’s CEO and board chair. Maybe they can do what she obviously cannot.
…Adding… Bloomberg…
Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker has asked the Biden administration for Covid-19 tests to help resolve the latest dispute between Chicago Public Schools and its teachers union, a disagreement that’s led to the cancellation of classes for three straight days.
“I spoke in the last couple of days with the White House to ask them for help for Chicago Public Schools,” Pritzker said in an interview Thursday. “There is a challenge all over the nation in need of testing but I think there is an urgent need in Chicago because we want to get those kids back in school.” […]
“Parents are suffering, children are suffering when they can’t get back in school and I understand teachers need to be safe in school as kids are,” he said. “The parties need to come together and find common middle ground and I have not yet seen that but I am hopeful.”
…Adding… Sun-Times…
As the Omicron variant shatters Illinois COVID-19 case and hospitalization records, suburban doctors say they’re seeing more children come down with severe coronavirus cases than ever before.
Advocate Children’s Hospital locations in Park Ridge and Oak Lawn have had up to 38 kids admitted with the virus this week, a figure that has tripled over the past month, Advocate Aurora Health leaders said Thursday.
About a quarter of the infected youngsters have required intensive care, according to the hospital’s chief medical officer, Dr. Frank Belmonte. It’s the most children the network has treated for COVID since the pandemic hit, and Omicron is presenting a new set of challenges.
…Adding… This number shows the opposite of what I think the Sun-Times was trying to say. It’s a pitifully small number when you consider there are well over 300K kids in CPS…
An online petition that seeks a return to in-person learning criticizes the union’s latest labor action as “a step in the wrong direction that defies the opinions of public health leaders and puts our kids’ safety and health back at risk.” By Thursday night, it had received more than 2,100 signatures.
Yawn.
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* We discussed this legislation yesterday…
Among the elected officials showing support of a new bill for increased protection efforts towards Department of Child and Family Services (DCFS) workers is Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker.
The governor announced his support for the legislation on Thursday, Jan. 6, two days after DCFS worker Deidre Silas was stabbed to death during a home visit in Thayer, Illinois. Authorities arrested 32-year-old Benjamin Reed who is charged with first degree murder and aggravated battery with a deadly weapon.
Silas’ death comes more than four years after Whiteside County DCFS worker Pam Knight was beaten and killed during a welfare check in Milledgeville on Sept. 29, 2017. Knight’s attacker, Andrew Sucher, signed a plea deal for 21 years in jail with no parole.
* Response from Kyle Hillman at the National Association of Social Workers, Illinois Chapter…
While we are not surprised, we are still disappointed to hear the news that actions to protect social workers, case workers and investigators of DCFS are once again relying on sentence enhancements proven to be ineffective. While we grieve for the families who are facing the unthinkable tragedies before them, we are reminded that these tragedies were preventable and a result of unsafe and unsupported work environments that ask employees of DCFS to engage in highly dangerous situations without the same precautions afforded to other at-risk professions.
Social Workers, Case Managers, and Investigators at DCFS already have strong enhanced penalty legislation, in fact, they are one of the only professions written into the same legislation protecting legislators. It is a felony to even threaten one of these workers, much less assault one of them, and yet crimes against these workers continue and lives continue to be lost. Make no mistake the legislation being proposed will not prevent the next tragedy in DCFS just as existing penalty enhancements protecting these positions have also failed.
As a state, we need to look critically at existing DCFS policies that place these workers consistently in dangerous environments. We need a complete overhaul how we do risk assessments on visits, how we create teams to investigate, the training provided to these teams including conflict de-escalation and safety assessments, and what technology for emergency situations are we providing these workers.
Social Work is not a calling, it is a licensed profession that demands safe work environments, supports and compensation equal to the risks being asked of them. DCFS has failed to deliver this and the questions that should be asked is why and what changes are we making to rectify this.
The murder of Pamala Knight should have been a wake-up call for DCFS and the state, and yet several years later we are grieving yet another preventable death. Several years later we are still discussing sentence enhancements that would neither have prevented these tragedies nor will prevent future ones.
As a state we can make meaningful reforms that will prevent future families from having to experience these tragic moments. Our hope is that the Governor and General Assembly will commit to ending this cycle of tragedies in the department and pass meaningful reforms that prevents violence from ever happening against our state workers.
Emphasis added.
33 Comments
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