* Not unexpected, but I do hate to see him go…
November 5, 2021 - Following 10 terms of service to the people of the 15th District, State Representative John C. D’Amico announced he will retire from his seat effective today.
D’Amico has chaired the House Transportation: Vehicles and Safety Committee while working closely with Secretary of State Jesse White, D’Amico passed legislation that created the Graduated Driver’s License (GDL) program for teens. The program increased the minimum number of practice driving hours to receive a GDL, and allows parents/guardians to view a minor’s driving record online. According to the Illinois Department of Transportation, the graduated driver’s license program has reduced teen driving deaths by 74%.
D’Amico also led a reform on distracted driving legislation that included restricting the use of cell phones by teens while driving, then a ban on the use of cell phones by drivers in all school and construction zones, the statewide ban on texting while driving, and ultimately the ban of handheld cellphones while driving.
To combat drunk driving, D’Amico sponsored legislation that requires repeat driving under the influence (DUI) offenders to use Breath Alcohol Ignition Interlock Devices (BAIID), and closed loopholes that made it easy for offenders to get out of DUI charges on technicalities. As a result of this work Rep. D’Amico was awarded Legislator of the Year from Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) in 2015.
Under D’Amico’s leadership, Illinois became a model state for transportation safety legislation providing the framework for many other local and state governments.
D’Amico remains committed to the great people of the 15th district and the State of Illinois and is ready to serve should the opportunity arise, “I have not ruled out running for office in the future,” D’Amico said. However, for now is looking forward to spending time with his wife and their three grown children. “I would be remiss if I did not thank my family for their love and support throughout my political career,” D’Amico said.
“It has been an honor and privilege to represent the people of the 15th District. None of my legislative efforts would have been possible without the vote of confidence from all the supporters sending me to Springfield,” D’Amico said. “I want to thank all of my colleagues who have helped create safer roadways for all Illinoisans.”
D’Amico is now the political director for the plumber’s union, but I don’t think he believed he could do either job totally effectively while he was doing both. Best of luck!
*** UPDATE *** Weighted vote…
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* Friday news dump…
Vahooman “The Shadow” Mirkhaef’s name was on the FBI’s search warrant of Sandoval’s Statehouse office…
Vahooman “Shadow” Mirkhaef owns Cub Terminal LLC. His companies, including Cub Terminal, have contributed hundreds of thousands of dollars to political campaigns, with Sandoval being a beneficiary.
* From the charges…
Defendant VAHOOMAN MIRKHAEF operated a business known as Cub Terminal located in the Village of McCook. MIRKHAEF sought approval from the Illinois Department of Transportation (“IDOT”) for the purchase of property located adjacent to MIRKHAEF’s McCook business (the “McCook Property”).
State Senator A was an Illinois State Senator and the Chairman of the Senate Transportation Committee. As Chairman of the Senate Transportation Committee, State Senator A was in a position to assist with obtaining IDOT approvals for MIRKHAEF’s purchase of the McCook Property, and was in a position to influence and advise IDOT officials concerning the sale of the McCook property. The State of Illinois was a government that received in excess of $10,000 in federal benefits during each year in 2018 and 2019. […]
On or about January 21, 2019, MIRKHAEF caused State Senator A to be paid in excess of $15,000 in cash.
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* Shruti Singh at Bloomberg…
Chicago’s police pension obligations could increase by another $3 billion total through 2055 if the state of Illinois passes a proposed law designed to force the city to acknowledge its probable liabilities for annual pay increases to retirees.
Illinois State Senator Robert Martwick is preparing to push legislation in 2022 to change eligibility restrictions for cost of living adjustments for police retirees, saying current law understates the impact of those costs. The new law would bring rules for police in line with firefighters, and make the city’s future costs more transparent, he said.
“It’s making the unfunded liability reflect what the actual numbers are,” Martwick said in an interview regarding the bill he’s pressing for. “That will require the city to put in the necessary payment.”
Chicago officials oppose the measure, calling it a burden. The extra liabilities added would be “unaffordable,” said city Chief Financial Officer Jennie Huang Bennett. […]
The legislation would remove a requirement that police retirees be born before 1966 to be eligible for a 3% automatic annual increase in payments. Martwick says the state legislature repeatedly has made the required birth date later to include more retirees, meaning the actual costs for Chicago end up being higher than expected.
Passing bills for firefighters these days is much easier than passing bills for police. So, we’ll see. Your thoughts?
* Related…
* Chicago Wins Stable Outlook Trio for First Time in Pandemic
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* Drudge posted this Fox New York story on his site…
When researchers in Iowa first began testing deer for COVID-19 in April of 2020, they didn’t find any signs of the virus for months. That changed in the fall when the first positives popped up in September and October.
Then in a seven-week period from just before Thanksgiving until January 10, 82.5% of the deer tested positive, signs that it was spreading rapidly among white-tailed deer.
The research by Penn State and the Iowa DNR is still in peer review, but they write it’s the first to show evidence of widespread dissemination of COVID-19 in wildlife and that it shows that deer have the potential to be a “major reservoir host” for the virus.
The threat for deer hunters is minimal. There is no evidence, yet, that COVID-19 can transmit from deer to humans. Also if deer meat is properly prepared and cooked, there’s no risk consuming venison.
But as we work through vaccinations to stop the spread in humans, the concerns and questions are the scientific what ifs — the potential that COVID survives in the wild and continues to mutate. If so, new strains, potentially more resistant to vaccines, could develop that could find a way to jump back to humans again.
* I asked Jordan Abudayyeh at the governor’s office if IDNR had done any deer studies. She pointed me to this from the USDA…
[The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS)] ccollected a total of 481 samples between January 2020 and March 2021 from Illinois, Michigan, New York, and Pennsylvania. We detected SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in 33 percent of those samples. The results varied by State (Illinois = 7 percent of 101 samples contained antibodies; Michigan = 67 percent of 113 samples; New York = 19 percent of 68 samples; and Pennsylvania = 31 percent of 199 samples). Although the results indicate that certain white-tailed deer populations in these States were exposed to SARS-CoV-2, they should not be extrapolated to represent the prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in the deer populations as a whole. […]
Did the deer get the virus from people, the environment, or other deer?
We do not know how the deer were exposed to SARS- CoV-2. It’s possible they were exposed through people, the environment, other deer, or another animal species.
Could the deer spread the virus to people?
There is no evidence that animals, including deer, are playing a significant role in the spread of SARS-CoV-2 to people. Based on the available information, the risk of animals spreading COVID-19 to people is low.
Do deer show clinical signs of illness?
This was not the focus of our study. However, there were no reports of clinical illness associated with SARS-CoV-2 in the deer populations we surveyed, and clinical signs of SARS-CoV-2 have not been observed in wild white-tailed deer. In addition, captive deer experimentally infected with SARS-CoV-2 as part of a USDA Agricultural Research Service study did not show clinical signs of illness. […]
Is hunter-harvested game meat safe to eat?
There is no evidence that people can get COVID-19 by preparing or eating meat from an animal infected with SARS-CoV-2, including wild game meat hunted in the United States. However, hunters can get infected with many other diseases when processing or eating game.
* Also from Jordan…
DNR will work with USDA to test between 500-1000 deer this winter for COVID.
As the USDA report pointed out, ARPA included money for testing animals and the feds would be working with states on how to do this.
Finding out if animals can spread the disease to humans, or which can do so, could be important to stopping the spread.
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COVID-19 roundup
Friday, Nov 5, 2021 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Jake Griffin…
Illinois health officials are reporting a spike in the number of new COVID-19 cases among young children just as many have become eligible for the vaccine.
More than 16% of the new cases reported Thursday were in children ages 5 to 11, according to Illinois Department of Public Health records. Federal regulators this week approved use of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine for that age group.
* The case count is up by a few thousand over the past week, but there were 150,000 or so tests reported yesterday alone. The significant jump in the fully vaccinated rate is because the CDC is finally allowing states to submit their data corrections, according to the governor’s office. Sometimes, for instance, the person’s name who got the second shot wasn’t matched up to the first shot. Hospitalizations are still plateaued and up a bit from the day before…
The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) today reported 17,462 new confirmed and probable cases of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Illinois, including 183 additional deaths since reporting last Friday, October 29, 2021. Of Illinois’ total population, 66% has received at least one COVID-19 vaccine dose and almost 61% of Illinois’ total population is fully vaccinated according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
On Wednesday, November 3, 2021, IDPH adopted CDC’s recommendation for children ages 5 to 11 years to receive the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine. The vaccine for children ages 5 through 11 years is a smaller dose (10 µg), a third of the dose for individuals 12 years and older (30 µg). The Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine is administered as a series of two doses, 3 weeks apart, for all eligible individuals.
Currently, IDPH is reporting a total of 1,712,986 cases, including 25,948 deaths, in 102 counties in Illinois. The age of cases ranges from younger than one to older than 100 years. Since reporting on Friday, October 29, 2021, laboratories have reported 820,983 specimens for a total of 36,109,599. As of last night, 1,257 individuals in Illinois were reported to be in the hospital with COVID-19. Of those, 282 patients were in the ICU and 148 patients with COVID-19 were on ventilators.
The preliminary seven-day statewide positivity for cases as a percent of total test from October 29-November 4, 2021 is 2.1%. The preliminary seven-day statewide test positivity from October 29-November 4, 2021 is 2.5%.
A total of 15,911,477 vaccines have been administered in Illinois as of last midnight. The seven-day rolling average of vaccines administered daily is 52,670 doses. Since reporting on Friday, October 29, 2021, 368,687 doses were reported administered in Illinois.
*All data are provisional and will change. Additional information and COVID-19 data can be found at http://www.dph.illinois.gov/covid19.
Vaccination is the key to ending this pandemic. To find a COVID-19 vaccination location near you, go to www.vaccines.gov.
* More…
* Cook County Department of Public Health now using 2020 census for COVID-19 vaccination rates, case counts
* Workers at big companies must be vaccinated or tested weekly as of Jan. 4
* Hanging on to employees is tougher than ever. Here’s how Chicago-area companies are navigating the Great Resignation: What’s driving workers out the door? Seventy-four percent of employers responding to a survey in July by Chicago-based outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas Inc. said departing workers are seeking more flexibility, and nearly 60% pointed to burnout as the top reason. Perceived low-wages, child-care and COVID-19 concerns were also factors.
* Chicago kids ages 5-11 line up for COVID-19 vaccine: ‘It’s important because I don’t want to get anyone sick
* Mayor Lori Lightfoot pushes vaccines for kids and gives city workers time off for shots, but CPS criticized for not doing enough
* Pfizer says new antiviral COVID-19 pill cut hospital, death risk by 90%
* Britain authorizes Merck’s molnupiravir, the world’s first approval of oral covid-19 treatment pill
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Question of the day
Friday, Nov 5, 2021 - Posted by Rich Miller
* I asked yesterday whether you agreed or disagreed with this statement by Democratic Rep. Dan Didech…
We won’t lose a single Democrat because they voted for PNA repeal or they voted for the Black Caucus pillars. We will lose members if the national dynamics are insurmountable and if people don’t work their own districts.
* Email today from retiring Republican Rep. Mark Batinick…
Great question of the day yesterday. I do think Dan is kidding himself.
There was about a 20-point difference in partisan governor’s race results in my district between 2014 and 2018. Is it going to swing back 20 points? Likely not. But 10+? Maybe. You can overcome some things with hard work, but at some point things fall apart. I did about 13 points better than US Rep. Randy Hultgren in 2018. Let’s split that in half. I over-performed by 6.5 and he under-performed by 6.5. I had to work my rear off to do that. That might be near the limit.
Plus in 2018 I hadn’t taken any votes my district hated. And I went to a lot of doors where people hated Trump AND Madigan. It was easy for me to separate myself from what was going on nationally.
The state Dems are mirroring what is happening nationally. Crime is getting to be a problem here. Carjackings are happening in the suburbs. We have had increased issues in the 97th. Overdoses are up. Parent rights are a big deal.
So what is the Dem going to say at the door who voted for the crime bill, to decriminalize fentanyl, and take away parents rights? And why the heck would a suburban moderate appreciate giving the incarcerated the right to vote?
Most of the “bubble” reps have ridden the wave the last 3 cycles. It’s a lot different trying to survive one. They just have NO idea what it is like.
We can’t run on Madigan and they can’t run on Trump. I will be enjoying it all from the peanut gallery.
* The Question: Do you agree with Didech or Batinick? Take the poll and then explain your answer in comments, please…
bike trail guide
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* Background is here if you need it. Alice Yin at the Tribune…
Cook County commissioners voted Thursday to amend a guns and ammunition tax that was found unconstitutional by the Illinois Supreme Court, aiming to give the measure another lifeline by designating that money for violence prevention.
In a 12-2 vote, with three commissioners absent, the county board approved the amendment, which states all revenue from the firearm and ammunition tax must go toward programs or operations geared toward gun violence prevention. The passage follows an Oct. 21 ruling from the state’s highest court that found the levy was unconstitutional. […]
The board’s two Republican commissioners, Sean Morrison and Peter Silvestri, opposed the amendment. Before the vote, Morrison read a separate opinion from Illinois Supreme Court Justice Michael Burke that said, “The majority’s analysis wrongly leaves the door open for a municipality to enact a future tax on firearms or ammunition that is more narrowly tailored to the purpose of ameliorating the cost of gun violence.” […]
Commissioner Larry Suffredin, a Democrat and vocal gun control advocate, brushed off Morrison’s warnings. He noted that Burke was acting as a “lone justice” when he issued his opinion against future taxes with a narrower focus.
The court didn’t take up the 2nd Amendment issue because the tax issue was sufficient to strike down the ordinance. So, we’ll see what happens now, but you gotta figure they’re all going back to court.
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* I just do not yet believe anything he told CNN except the possible Quixotic run for the presidency and the possibility that there’s no place for him in his party…
Rep. Adam Kinzinger is actively weighing whether to seek his political fortunes in the Senate, the Illinois governor’s mansion or even the White House, despite serious questions about whether there’s any future at all for a Donald Trump critic like him in today’s GOP.
Acknowledging his potential career options and timeline for the first time since announcing his retirement from the House last week, Kinzinger told CNN he is considering at least a statewide run if not a presidential one, and that he’ll “probably” make his decision on whether to launch a bid for governor or senator by January.
“The key is, how do we restore the honor of the party in the country?” Kinzinger told CNN, adding that he “definitely” wouldn’t rule out a White House run in 2024.
A presidential bid would be a long shot for the Illinois Republican, who voted to impeach Trump and has become one of the most vociferous critics of the former President and his own party.
But a statewide race in Illinois could be just as much of an uphill climb. In either primary, Kinzinger would have to win over a base that is still very much beholden to Trump. In a general election, he’d be running in a fairly blue state, where few Republicans have won statewide races in the past decade or so, including former Gov. Bruce Rauner and former Sen. Mark Kirk.
This is getting tiring.
To my eyes, he’s hoping for an eventual TV gig and maybe some foundation stuff. A brief presidential bid could help that endeavor.
Nobody seems to want to challenge Duckworth, so he’d probably get through the primary. But the reason nobody wants to challenge Duckworth is that she’s very popular, so defeating her would be quite tough and losing a US Senate election wouldn’t help him get a TV gig.
Running for governor would take him out of the national spotlight entirely.
Maybe I’m wrong here, and I’ll fully admit it if I am, but just the other day Kinzinger was saying he didn’t have time to run for reelection because of the big national fight he wants to engage in. How’s he gonna run against Duckworth or Pritzker while fulfilling his promise to fight the MAGA elements in his party?
Again, this is getting tiring.
* On to a fundraising appeal from Marie Newman’s campaign manager Nick Uniejewski…
Richard,
Let’s break down what happened in the last week.
When the General Assembly drew a new congressional map and passed it shortly after midnight last Thursday, they tried to shut out a strong progressive champion from Congress.
I guess they don’t know Marie and our hundreds of volunteers.
Marie is the first woman to represent the Southwest Side and suburbs, and she’s been fighting for the people ever since she took office in January. Already, she’s tackled postal delivery issues, train delays, and is delivering real results for working families in all parts of the district.
But a powerful few still want to shut her out and protect the status quo.
We need Marie Newman to keep fighting for the people across Chicagoland. Can you chip in today so a strong progressive champion can fight off a tough primary challenge?
Throwing the General Assembly under the bus definitely has its political advantages.
* More…
* Rep. Mike Murphy set to become new Chamber of Commerce president and CEO
* State Sen. McClure to run in the 54th district
* Illinois Republicans feel new momentum following Virginia election; Democrats say they’ll keep state blue in 2022
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“It drives people crazy”
Friday, Nov 5, 2021 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Dave Dahl…
The twice-a-year changing of the clocks – as Daylight Saving Time ends this weekend, giving us an extra hour – would come to an end, if some Illinois lawmakers have their way.
“It drives people crazy,” said State Rep. Mike Zalewski (D-Chicago). “Parents with small kids are affected, and you’re physiologically affected, so i would be for one way or the other” between Standard Time and Daylight Saving Time, as long as Illinois sticks to it year-round.
The argument for this rests not only on removing an annoyance but also on health grounds. At least one lawmaker, State Rep. Tim Butler (R-Springfield), says he would prefer Standard Time year-round, so people could get to school and get to work after sunrise.
Complaining about Daylight Saving Time is like complaining about the weather as long as nobody who actually runs things also takes up the cause. But I’d much rather “fall back” than “spring forward.” Gives us an extra hour of sleep.
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