Reader comments closed for the holidays
Wednesday, Dec 20, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller * As I write this, we have raised $57,524 since the week after Thanksgiving to buy Christmas presents for foster kids. That’s just amazing. It means we’ve helped Lutheran Social Services of Illinois buy 2,301 presents. Wow. Thank you so very much! And, hey, if you’re a procrastinator, you can always click here at any time to donate. Even if it’s after Christmas, LSSI will use your donation to help those foster kids. * Isabel and I will be back on January 8. We will try to update with any truly big news, but you will of course have our Live coverage and Live Ed Burke trial coverage posts to rely on, as well as all the feeds on the right side of the page if you need a news fix. * And now it’s time for our annual tradition of Christmas songs loved by my mother when she was a child. Mom always gets a kick out of this. Here’s Frosty the Snowman, Suzy Snowflake and Hardrock, Coco and Joe…
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And the winners are…
Wednesday, Dec 20, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller * The 2023 Wordslinger Golden Horseshoe Award for Best CapitolFax.com Commenter goes to JS Mill…
Same. And the voting was not close. * Congratulations to everyone who won this year… Best Place to Gather for Dinner During Session Weeks: Maldaner’s Best Place to Gather for Drinks, Etc. During Session Weeks: Boone’s Best Senate Democratic Legislative Assistant/District Office Manager: Lacey Stauffer Best Senate Republican Legislative Assistant/District Office Manager: Barb Frobish Best House Democratic Legislative Assistant/District Office Manager: Liz Moody Best House Republican Legislative Assistant/District Office Manager: Karla Dirks Best Democratic State Senate Staff Member: Selena Gorman Best Republican State Senate Staff Member: Brad Carlson Best Democratic State House Staff Member: Kendra Piercy and Kylie Kelly Best Republican State House Staff Member: Jen Passwater Best Government Spokesperson/Comms: Jason Rubin Best Statehouse-Related Public Relations Spokesperson: Monique Garcia and Becky Carroll Best Democratic Illinois State Representative: Rep. Lance Yednock Best Republican Illinois State Representative: Rep. Norine Hammond Best Democratic Illinois State Senator: Sen. Cristina Castro Best Republican Illinois State Senator: Sen. Sue Rezin Best Contract Lobbyist: Liz Brown-Reeves and Dave Sullivan Best In-House Lobbyist: Mark Denzler and Jen Walling Best Do-Gooder Lobbyist: William McNary and Nita Kelly Best Legislative Liaison: Allison Nickrent and Wendy Miller Butler Best State Agency Director: Heidi Mueller Best Statewide Staffer: Emily Miller and Andy Manar Lifetime Achievement: Susan Catania Best US Representative: Nikki Budzinski Best Statewide Officer: Gov. JB Pritzker The Wordslinger Golden Horseshoe Award for Best CapitolFax.com Commenter: JS Mill
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*** UPDATED x4 *** Isabel’s afternoon roundup
Wednesday, Dec 20, 2023 - Posted by Isabel Miller *** UPDATE 1 (by Rich) *** Hmm… ![]() ![]() And here’s update 2… ![]() Update 3…
* WTTW…
* Crain’s…
* Daily Herald…
* As subscribers know, Coburn withdrew a week ago. SJ-R…
* Release the bloopers!…
* More…
* WTTW | ‘It’s a Human Dignity Issue’: Data Reveals Racial, Economic Disparities in Access to Quality Nursing Home Care Across Chicago: An analysis by WTTW News and the Hyde Park Herald/South Side Weekly found that the disparity between access to quality nursing home care for Black and White Chicagoans is stark: Three of the city’s five-star homes, as rated by Medicare, house majority White residents and are concentrated on the city’s North Side. There is another five-star home on the North Side that did not submit demographic data for 2021 to the Illinois Health Facilities & Services Review Board (HFSRB), the agency that collects this information. * ABC Chicago | UIC under federal investigation for discrimination by Education Department : The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign was added to the list of schools a few weeks ago. Other newly added schools include Springfield, IL Public Schools District 186, MNIT, UC Davis and Drexel University. * Capitol News Illinois | High court says unless pavement markings or signs are present, cyclists are merely ‘permitted’ users: That distinction means the city of Chicago is not liable for damages sustained by a bicyclist who was injured after he hit a pothole on a city street that had no such signage. * Patch | Rosemont Medical Co. Accused Of Filing False Claims Settles For $14.7M: BioTelemetry Inc., headquartered in Malvern, Pennsylvania, and its subsidiary, LifeWatch Services Inc., based in Rosemont, will pay more than $14.7 million after being accused of violating the False Claims Act, authorities said. “Diagnostic companies, like other providers, are expected to bill federal healthcare programs only for medically necessary services,” Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Brian Boynton, head of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Civil Division, said in a news release. “We will hold accountable those who misuse taxpayer-funded programs for their own enrichment.” * AP | Some state abortion bans stir confusion, and it’s uncertain if lawmakers will clarify them: [A] provision included in a law enacted by Congress in 1986 and signed by Republican President Ronald Reagan said abortion must be available when a pregnant woman’s life is at risk during a medical emergency. But a lack of clarity over how to apply that rule and other exceptions in state laws has escalated the trauma and heartache some women experience while facing serious medical issues but unable to access abortion in their home states. * Billboard | Mitski, Father John Misty & More Artists’ Online Shops Affected After Merch Company SCP Shuts Down: SCP Merchandising, an Illinois-based merch company used by artists including Mitski, Father John Misty and Carly Rae Jepsen, has shut down, according to a member of SCP leadership still on-site after the company laid off its staff over the weekend. Based on accounts from multiple former SCP employees on LinkedIn, the company’s employees were abruptly laid off on Sunday evening (Dec. 17). * ABC Chicago | Xfinity hack could impact 36 million customers: Xfinity concluded on Dec. 6 that usernames and passwords for some customers were stolen along with names, contact information, last four digits of social security numbers, dates of birth and/or secret questions. The company says it is still taking a complete stock of what was stolen. * Reuters | Tesla blamed drivers for failures of parts it long knew were defective: Wheels falling off cars at speed. Suspensions collapsing on brand-new vehicles. Axles breaking under acceleration. Tens of thousands of customers told Tesla about a host of part failures on low-mileage cars. The automaker sought to blame drivers for vehicle ‘abuse,’ but Tesla documents show it had tracked the chronic ‘flaws’ and ‘failures’ for years. * NYT | How College Football Is Clobbering Housing Markets Across the Country: “College athletics, in particular college football, have become so enormous in this country, particularly in the Southeast, that it has caused this phenomenon of short-term rentals,” said Adrien Bouchet, director of the DeVos Sport Business Management Program at the University of Central Florida. “On one hand it creates value, but on the other hand, it definitely hurts people that have lived in and around the university for a long time.” * Good Morning America | Chicago Christmas market shoppers find unclaimed money: ABC News’ DeMarco Morgan heads to the city’s Christkindle Market with members from the Illinois State Treasurer’s office to help holiday shoppers see if they have any unclaimed money. * Sun-Times | Chicago may get a ‘moist’ Christmas, but snow unlikely: forecast calls for rain, temps in the 50s: The forecast is likely to be “mild and moist,” according to Todd Kluber, a meteorologist with the NWS. The good news is weather probably won’t cause travel woes for those staying in the Midwest. “Temperatures are fortunately gonna be well above freezing through Christmas,” Kluber said. “Freezing precipitation is not an issue for us for that holiday period and around that holiday travel time.” * Dave Joachim | Great Outdoor Recipes For Christmas, Hanukkah And New Years: Nibble and nosh your way to New Year’s Eve with appetizers like homemade Boursin cheese spread. When it’s chilly, sip on hot Southern Comfort cider. And when it snows, make maple taffy on snow! The holidays are the best time to invite friends and family over for a get-together and celebrate the many blessings that you have.
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Another population ‘estimate,’ another Krishnamoorthi response
Wednesday, Dec 20, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller * An absolutely ridiculous story from the Center Square…
Oh, for crying out loud. * The actual 2010 Census full count showed Illinois had 12,830,632 people. The full 2020 Census count showed Illinois had 12,812,508. Therefore, on its face, those annual estimates were wildly wrong to the point of absurdity, even though they were loudly trumpeted every single year by the Illinois Policy Institute and its fellow travelers, including the Chicago Tribune editorial board. And then, you’ll recall, this happened in 2022…
* As you know, US Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi has been pestering the US Census Bureau for nearly two years about its inane annual estimates. I sent Krishnamoorthi the Center Square story and asked for a response…
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Some cause for concern, but hospitalizations are significantly lower than a year ago
Wednesday, Dec 20, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller * CBS 2…
The governor no longer has the authority to order masks at the healthcare facilities because his COVID disaster declaration is expired. And if you click here and then click the Hospital Visits tab, you’ll see that emergency room visits and hospitalizations are lower than they were at this time last year (with COVID hospitalizations just a bit more than half of that mid-December 2022 number). The online data hasn’t been updated since Saturday, but hospitalizations were definitely trending downward at that time. That being said, I know a whole lot of people who have COVID right now, but none are in the hospital. * Here is what IDPH told me today…
More here. * Meanwhile, in Springfield via Steven Spearie at the SJ-R…
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Chicago temp casino performing way below expectations
Wednesday, Dec 20, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller * Jennifer Shea at the Bond Buyer…
* According to Illinois Gaming Board data, in November alone, video gaming machines produced $186,224 in tax revenue for Decatur, which was one of the highest in the state. Chicago is about 38.5 times as large as Decatur. So, if Chicago had video poker machines, it had the possible potential of raking in almost $7.2 million in taxes during November. * Joliet, which has two full-blown casinos in the area, pulled in $135,116 from video gaming taxes that same month. Chicago’s population is almost 18 times that of Joliet. Extrapolating that out, Chicago could be expected to reap as much as $2.43 million in taxes from casinos in November. Figure it’s somewhere in between. If so, that would likely cover the city’s budget for the coming year. That somewhere-in-between number might possibly still be lower than the projections for Chicago’s temporary casino and would be much lower than the projections for the permanent casino site. However, are those Chicago projections realistic? Well, Joliet’s two casinos generated $980.097 in tax revenues during November. Extrapolated out, that could be $17,641,738 for Chicago, or something like $212 million for the year, which is about what Bally’s projected. * But, so far, Chicago is just sputtering along. And this is from the Civic Federation in October…
As noted, that money is supposed to shore up the first responder pension funds. If that doesn’t happen, the General Assembly could be asked to step in yet again. * Back to the Bond Buyer…
* The added bonus to local video gaming machines is that the drinking establishments are mostly (not all) locally owned. I don’t gamble, I don’t encourage gambling and I don’t have any financial interest in casinos or video poker or anything else like that. But the bottom line here is that the city has left a ton of tax revenue on the table since video gaming was legalized in 2009. And it might have done better than an actual casino going forward. I guess we’re going to find out.
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It’s just a bill
Wednesday, Dec 20, 2023 - Posted by Isabel Miller * 25 News Now…
* Rep. Bob Morgan’s HB4282…
* Rep. Travis Weaver’s HB4285…
* HB4283 from Rep. Kevin Schmidt…
* HB4289 from Rep. Ryan Spain…
* Rep. Dan Caulkins’ HB4291…
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Question of the day: 2023 Golden Horseshoe Awards
Wednesday, Dec 20, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller * The 2023 Golden Horseshoe Award for Best US Representative goes to Nikki Budzinski…
Some of that was snark, of course, but Budzinski had a ton of nominations that couldn’t be ignored even though she’s just starting out. Let’s hope she can live up to the hype. * The 2023 Golden Horseshoe Award for Best Statewide Officer yet again goes to Gov. JB Pritzker…
We may have to retire this category until his poll numbers tank. /s * On to our final 2023 category…
Remember to explain your nomination or it won’t count. Thanks. …Adding… The winner will be announced at 4:30ish today, so get your nominations in now, please. * I expressed doubt yesterday that we could raise a total of $55,000 by the end of the day to buy Christmas presents for foster kids. Instead, we surpassed $56,000. That’s so great! Thanks! This is our final day of fundraising. I haven’t spoken with the folks at Lutheran Social Services of Illinois for at least a couple of weeks, but I have to believe they’re thrilled with your generosity this year, because I sure am. Because of you, LSSI can buy presents for 2,256 foster children in Illinois. You done really good, folks. But we still have time to help more kids. LSSI serves a total of 2,530 foster children. So, if you haven’t yet done so or if you have a few extra bucks available ahead of the holidays, please click here. Thanks! Merry Christmas!
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More new laws
Wednesday, Dec 20, 2023 - Posted by Isabel Miller * NBC Chicago…
* Sen. Loughran Cappel…
* QC Times…
* Sen. Morrison…
* WTHI…
* Sen. Preston…
* Sen. Preston…
* WAND…
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Open thread
Wednesday, Dec 20, 2023 - Posted by Isabel Miller * What’s going on in your part of Illinois?…
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Isabel’s morning briefing
Wednesday, Dec 20, 2023 - Posted by Isabel Miller * ICYMI: Officials investigating death of migrant child staying at Chicago shelter. Tribune…
- Health care specialists have questioned both the conditions and coordination of care not only in the warehouse at 2241 S. Halsted St., but in the entire 27-shelter system. - Jean Carlos had been sick for a couple of days prior to his death, his parents told police. * Related stories… ∙ Sun-Times Editorial Board: City’s migrant shelter program needs overhaul after 5-year-old’s death ∙ CBS: More sick migrants, worries about conditions at Chicago shelter where a 5-year-old died * Isabel’s top picks… * Capitol News Illinois | Public health officials urge caution around respiratory illnesses: IDPH issued a health alert last week to hospitals, long-term care facilities and local health departments advising the use of masks and using screening techniques to reduce the spread of COVID-19 and other respiratory illnesses, particularly in areas of the state with elevated levels of COVID-19 hospitalizations. * Shaw Local | Why some congressional candidates could get kicked off the March primary ballot: Four congressional candidates running for seats serving the North, West and Northwest suburbs could be kept off the March 2024 primary ballot if formal complaints about their nominating petitions are upheld. A fifth candidate facing a petition objection said he’ll drop out rather than fight the challenge. * WBEZ | A Cook County state’s attorney candidate once helped convict a boy whose murder confession was found to be coerced: In 1994, assistant state’s attorney Eileen O’Neill Burke helped win a guilty finding on a first-degree murder charge against the boy, known only as “A.M.” The interrogation took place without a parent or police youth officer present. It also took place without an attorney for A.M. and without video recording — steps now required by state law. * Here’s the rest of your morning roundup… * Shaw Local | Weitzel to discuss pros and cons of the SAFE-T Act at January forum: “There is no argument about the act. The Illinois Supreme Court has upheld it, it is the law and we must deal with it. During the public forum, I plan to discuss the SAFE-T Act, how it came to be and its effects on police operations and overall public safety. I strongly advocate for having an independent auditor monitor the SAFE-T Act bond procedure in the court systems in Cook County and throughout the state.” * Patch | 20 New Illinois Laws That Could Change Your Life In 2024: Employees of any local government entity, board of election commissioners or any private employer in Illinois with 51 or more employees will receive up to 10 days of paid leave in any 12-month period to serve as an organ donor. (HB 3516) * Tribune | High schools in Blue Island, Crestwood embrace solar energy. Will it be as advertised?: Now, south suburban Chicago is reaping more benefits. The two schools in High School District 218 are in their first month of relying on solar energy following a monthslong installation process provided through the program. […] While yet to be seen, the transition to solar comes with the promise that such a move will reduce the schools’ energy bill by 90%. * WTTW | Chicago’s Natural Gas Pipeline Project Halted Amid Push for Cleaner Energy Investments: “The ICC defied federal safety regulators, their own engineering study, and all common sense when they put a sudden, complete halt to construction work that everyone agrees is needed for the sake of safety and reliability in Chicago’s heating system,” says Marc Poulos, executive director of the nonprofit Indiana-Illinois-Iowa Foundation for Fair Contracting. * Sun-Times | Chicago police supervisor retires while facing demotion for failing to respond to fatal crash involving off-duty cop: Despite the serious — and potentially criminal — nature of the crash, Melean didn’t show up to assume control of the scene as required by a departmental order, according to law enforcement sources. That means he didn’t notify the Bureau of Internal Affairs, so no one from the department came to administer a Breathalyzer test to the other officer. * WBEZ | Two former lifeguards sue the Chicago Park District, saying they suffered sexual abuse when they were minors: The cases filed in Cook County Circuit Court on Monday could add to the legal tab from the sexual misconduct scandal for the park district — which already has paid out nearly $2 million to three other female lifeguards who have sued or threatened to take the taxpayer-funded agency to court. * Capitol News Illinois | Capitol News Illinois, ProPublica to continue award-winning reporting partnership: ProPublica announced the addition of five new partner newsrooms and local journalists to its Local Reporting Network, including another two-year partnership with Capitol News Illinois. Through the partnership, CNI reporter Molly Parker will serve as an LRN fellow, co-publishing investigations with the two news outlets. * AP | Thousands of lights at Chicago Botanic Garden illuminate tunnels, lilies and art: More than 22 light installations by various local and international artists light a path through established gardens that snake around the Great Basin in the core of the garden’s 385 acres. Highlights of the experience include passing through the “Electric Ribbon Tunnel” created by Culture Creative; “Sea of Light,” created by UK artist Ithaca, which has 4,800 individually controlled balls of LED light; “Lilies,” by UK artist Jigantics, with 22 illuminated 5-foot (1.5-meter) lilies that float in and around the darkness of the Great Basin; and “Laser Lake,” projecting a rainbow of light dancing across the Great Basin. * Tribune | Thursday is the shortest day of the year. Here’s what the winter solstice means for Chicago.: “The winter solstice has a pretty firm connection to astronomy,” said Hunter Miller, public observing educator at the Adler Planetarium. “There’s a whole lot of stuff going on out in space to explain what’s happening here on Earth.” The winter solstice is the moment the Northern Hemisphere is tilted farthest from the sun at about 23 degrees, Miller said. It’s easiest to understand, he said, if you imagine looking at Earth from far away and there’s a big stick that goes through the North and South poles. * Sun-Times | Popular MeTV horror movie host Svengoolie brings on sidekicks (and possible successors): Rich Koz, who’s been keeping the grandly eccentric tradition of the horror movie host alive on the Chicago TV fixture “Svengoolie” for decades, needed a hand — preferably an undead one. Koz, who plays the wisecracking, endearingly cheesy horror host, was tasked with filling 30 extra minutes of airtime when executives at Weigel Broadcasting’s flagship station MeTV expanded his show from two to two and a half hours. * AP | Minnesota panel chooses new state flag featuring North Star to replace old flag seen as racist: The star echoes Minnesota’s state motto of “Star of the North.” The commission’s chairman, Luis Fitch, said that to him, the light blue represents the Mississippi River, “the most important river in the United States,” pointing to the North Star. But he acknowledged it could mean other things to other people. Symmetry and simplicity won out over other versions, including ones that included a green stripe for the state’s agricultural heritage. * AP | States are trashing troves of masks and pandemic gear as huge, costly stockpiles linger and expire: A New York state-run veterans’ home was so deluged by PPE deliveries in early 2021 that it stashed them under tarps in a parking lot. By the time a warehouse was arranged four months later, between $560,000 and $1.6 million of supplies were too damaged to use — and cost another $21,000 to incinerate, according to a state inspector general’s office report. Another $779,000 in expired items have been discarded.
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Live coverage
Wednesday, Dec 20, 2023 - Posted by Isabel Miller * Live coverage is back, sorta. This will be different than the old Scribble Live feed because Twitter broke itself and almost everything else it touched. These new feeds do not update instantly. There’s a bit of posting lagtime, but it’s much better than nothing. We are also limited to just 20 Twitter sources. The service may also not last long. We just can’t give you any guarantees about this. You can still click here or here to follow breaking news the way we’ve done since Twitter stopped Scribble Live from working…
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Live Ed Burke Trial Coverage
Wednesday, Dec 20, 2023 - Posted by Isabel Miller * These new feeds do not update instantly. There’s a bit of a lagtime and you have to refresh the page every now and then. The service we’re using may also not last long. We just can’t give you any guarantees. You can still click here to follow the Ed Burke trial on Twitter. Posts without a Twitter author name below them are from online news sources via Bing…
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Isabel’s afternoon roundup
Tuesday, Dec 19, 2023 - Posted by Isabel Miller * Press release…
* Tribune…
* ‘Tis the season…
* More… * QCBJ | Illinois Chamber of Commerce deepens its legislative team: The Illinois Chamber of Commerce announced the addition of Keith Wheeler as senior legislative affairs advisor in a news release today, Dec. 19. He will join the chamber’s Government Affairs team effective Jan. 1, 2024. Mr. Wheeler is a business owner and former Illinois House of Representatives member who served the 50th District from 2015 to 2023. * WTTW | United, American Airlines Push Back Against Rising Costs of O’Hare Airport Expansion: United and American airlines want to ground — or significantly scale back — the massive O’Hare International Airport redevelopment designs. The change comes after the airlines signed an agreement to foot much of the bill through increased gate fees. But now the airlines say the project is over budget, and pandemic-era losses put them at a disadvantage. Will the elaborate Jeanne Gang-designed Terminal 2 ever take flight? * QC Times | Bureau of Prisons cuts retention bonuses at Thomson Prison: Staff at Thomson Prison learned Monday morning the Bureau of Prisons will no longer provide them a 25% retention bonuses after Dec. 31, 2023. Retention bonuses for Thomson staff, equivalent to about $16,000 annually, were approved in September 2021 after pressure from Illinois Democratic Senators Tammy Duckworth and Dick Durbin and then- U.S. Rep. Cheri Bustos, according to previous reporting. * Crain’s | Plasma company settles Illinois AG lawsuit over donor discrimination: Plasma collection company CSL Plasma and its parent company CSL Behring have settled with the Illinois attorney general’s office, resolving a lawsuit alleging the company’s policies discriminate against people with disabilities, the AG’s office said in a press release Thursday. * Block Club | Chicago Police Make An Arrest In Only 20 Percent Of Fatal Shootings: The Trace filed a Freedom of Information Act request with CPD and learned that police made arrests in 21 percent of fatal shootings between 2013 and mid-October this year. That number has remained almost the same over the past decade, dropping slightly from 19.4 percent in 2013 to 18.6 percent in 2022, which is significantly lower than the national average for overall homicide clearance rates. In 2022, the most recent year for which the FBI’s national data is available, about 45 percent of homicides across the country were cleared by arrest. * The Beverly Review | Burke won’t seek return to Springfield: State Rep. Kelly Burke has decided not to seek re-election for the position she has held since 2011, a decision she made in the fall. “I still have a lot of enthusiasm; I love the job,” said Burke, who was also elected as mayor of Evergreen Park in 2021. “I had some health challenges during the year, and it made me think that it might be nature’s way of telling me it’s time to slow down a little bit.” * Sun-Times | IHSA announces that high school football district proposal has failed: Illinois high schools voted against the implementation of a district system for football the Illinois High School Association announced on Tuesday. The new format would have divided the state’s football-playing schools into 64 eight-team districts, eight per class. Schools would have played seven district games in Weeks 3-9 and would have been able to schedule any opponent for non-district games in Weeks 1-2. * The Bond Buyer | Citi’s exit carries costs for issuers, market liquidity, but industry expected to weather it: A tough year for Wall Street municipal underwriting firms culminated Thursday with Citigroup’s announcement it would exit the business, a stunning move that market participants warned would raise state and city financing costs and that Citi would come to regret as headwinds calm and business rebounds. * Daily Herald | Ski resorts tackle unseasonable warmth: Bartlett’s Villa Olivia resort plans to open its hills to skiers on Friday, but on the outset of another warm winter, managers are already sensing a trend becoming familiar in the Midwest’s ski industry. The Chicago area had an unusually warm winter last year — the 14th warmest on record going back to 1872 — and the season seems to be headed in a similar direction this year. Every day of December so far has seen average temperatures warmer than the region’s climatological normal for the day. * WAND | Retired ISP Colonel, Commander of Macon County Law Enforcement Training Center dies from cancer: Tad Williams, 57, a retired Illinois State Police Colonel as well as a retired Commander of Macon County Law Enforcement Training Center, passed away on Saturday. Williams, who served in law enforcement for 33 years, died after a battle with cancer. His career with the Illinois State Police took him across the state before he settled back in the Decatur area, according to an obituary shared by his children. With the ISP, Williams became a colonel in 2015 to serve as Deputy Director of the Division of Operations. * Sun-Times | Prosecutors drop charges against man whose murder conviction was based on legally blind witness. ‘Best Christmas gift ever’: Earlier this month, a judge overturned Harris’ conviction but he remained in jail because prosecutors planned to try him again. On Tuesday, prosecutors said they had decided not to move forward with the case and dropped all charges against Harris. No physical evidence connected Harris to the shooting that left Rondell Moore dead and Quincy Woulard hurt. The case was largely based on the testimony of Dexter Saffold, who was legally blind and whose vision problems were documented in court records for years before the shooting. * SJ-R | The Southern Illinoisan was sold. Then the new owner eliminated its entire news staff: Brandhorst said he still hopes that Paxton’s management makes good on promises to maintain news coverage of the region. “But,” he continued, “in terms of watchdog, ‘capital J’ journalism, that’s not a thing that at the moment exists here. And I would hope that the new owners and those responsible for the Southern will try to really lift this place up, really do some investigative journalism, watchdog reporting and accountability within the community. … They seem to talk like they’re going to uphold those things. But who knows?” * Dallas Morning News | Brands see online content creators as key to shaping buying habits, especially Gen Z: Gen Z – generally defined as those born in the mid- to late-1990s to the early 2010s – now makes up 40% of all global consumers with spending power estimated to exceed $150 billion annually. How they shop is important to brands’ bottom lines.
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As the old saying goes, simple solutions are usually neither
Tuesday, Dec 19, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller * Tribune: “City has lost all communication about migrant drop offs since new penalties, official says”…
Many experienced a positive and visceral reaction to this new policy, but then reality intruded. I suppose you can’t expect people to just sit there and take it when you’re whacking them on the shins. * Meanwhile, shouldn’t the mayor be informed about stuff like this?… ![]() Unreal. The full NBC 5 story is here.
And this week, that same guy who helped hamper efforts to fund shelters had this to say…
Not sure why anyone in the state or federal government would care what he demands, but whatevs. Also, Ms. Cobb is right…
Amplifying vacuous hate from publicity hungry failed politicos like Green is how the news media plays an irresponsible role in what she’s describing. * From Isabel…
* NBC Chicago | Johnson pushes back on questions over medical care for migrants after child’s death: A cause of death has not yet been determined in the child’s death, but Chicago Department of Public Health officials say that there have been cases of several illnesses, including chickenpox, at multiple shelters, including the location in the 2200 block of South Halsted. * ABC Chicago | Health concerns grow over Chicago migrant shelters after boy dies, 4 others hospitalized: Late Monday night, a three-year-old who was vomiting and a seven-year-old girl with an ear infection were rushed to UIC. That came after four other children with fevers and a teenager were transported to care, adding to the growing list of medical emergencies at the shelter where a five-year-old boy got sick and later died Sunday. * CBS Chicago | Death of 5-year-old in Pilsen raises questions about Chicago’s migrant shelters: Mayor Brandon Johnson has offered his condolences to the boy’s family, and has said the city will provide them with support services. As for what led to the boy’s death, Johnson claimed it isn’t a question of how the city’s shelters are run, but instead accused Texas Gov. Greg Abbott of sending asylum seekers to Chicago under inhumane conditions. * CBS News | Study finds environmental concerns at proposed migrant tent camp site on Chicago’s Far South Side: The study found that a 275-gallon fuel oil tank was placed under the site – formal address 11414 S. Halsted St. – in 1952. This is a matter for concern based on the lack of removal records and “potential impacts to the subsurface,” the Mayor’s office said. The site also housed the Victors Valet dry cleaning facility, which is also an environmental concern due to a potential for chemical releases that could affect subsurface soils and groundwater, the Mayor’s office said. * Block Club | Far South Side Tent Camp Site May Have An Oil Tank Underground, Used To Be A Dry Cleaners, Report Says: Materials containing asbestos or lead-based paints could also be present at the lot, according to the report. A3 Environmental Consultants examined the site on Oct. 13. * Tribune | A temporary migrant shelter will open in Portage Park. Residents have strong feelings: An agreement to open the shelter at St. Bartholomew has not been finalized. Still, the space will open by mid-January, said Beatriz Ponce de León, the city’s Deputy Mayor of Immigrant, Migrant and Refugee Rights. It will stay open for at least six months. The shelter will house families of young children, with capacity for 300 to 350 people. Residents will pass through a metal detector on their way in and out. The shelter will have an 11 p.m. curfew, with exceptions for work. * WGN | Meeting held about proposed migrant shelter on Northwest Side: “We think this is a really unique opportunity, different than other shelter locations, to sort of bring together our faith and support this initiative and help support this city,” Eric Wollan, chief capital assets officer for the Archdiocese of Chicago, said.
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Question of the day: 2023 Golden Horseshoe Awards
Tuesday, Dec 19, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller * The 2023 Golden Horseshoe Award for Lifetime Achievement goes to the late Susan Catania. Rep. Kelly Cassidy made the nomination…
* I have gone back and forth for the last two days on whether to shut down the blog today or tomorrow. We’re going with tomorrow, so that gives us two categories for today…
Best Statewide Officer As always, please explain your comments or they won’t count. Also, try to nominate in both categories. Statewide includes federal. Thanks. * Donations have slowed because lots of folks have already given and people are on winter break. We’re at $54,248 right now to buy Christmas presents for foster kids, but it would be great to reach $55,000 by the end of today, although I’m not confident we’ll do that. Every little bit helps, however, so please click here. Thanks!
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*** UPDATED x1 *** Today’s must-read
Tuesday, Dec 19, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller * As we’ve already discussed, the convicted ComEd Four defendants were able to delay their January sentencing date because of an Indiana corruption case which has made it to the US Supreme Court. Former Speaker Michael Madigan and his co-defendant Mike McClain are expected to ask to have their trials delayed for the same reason…
* The case in question is Snyder v. United States. From the SCOTUS Blog…
* From the New Republic…
You should really go read the whole thing. The Seventh Circuit is in Chicago, and that’s where the Illinois defendants’ appeals will be filed, so that’s a big reason why this is so important. *** UPDATE *** As expected…
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Protected: SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - Supplement to today’s edition
Tuesday, Dec 19, 2023 - Posted by Isabel Miller
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Janice Jackson asks a very good question
Tuesday, Dec 19, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller * For background, here’s a Sun-Times article from last week…
* The CTU calls it “a step in the right direction”…
* Former CPS CEO Janice Jackson wholly opposes the plan…
Regardless of where you stand on this issue (and it’s more nuanced than she describes above), Jackson does make a couple of good points about what’s known so far…
* But, to me, this is Jackson’s best question…
The CTU originally wanted a fully elected school board. With its former employee in the mayor’s office, it has since blasted the Illinois Senate President for trying to do just that, instead supporting a phased-in elected board. And now it’s supportive of a potentially huge systemic change before the first board members are even elected? Fascinating.
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Protected: SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - Today’s edition of Capitol Fax (use all CAPS in password)
Tuesday, Dec 19, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller
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Open thread
Tuesday, Dec 19, 2023 - Posted by Isabel Miller * What’s going on in your part of Illinois?…
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Isabel’s morning briefing
Tuesday, Dec 19, 2023 - Posted by Isabel Miller * ICYMI: Jurors begin deliberating case against Ed Burke. Sun-Times…
- Members of the jury headed home for the night at 5 p.m. after more than 2 1/2 hours of deliberations. - To convict Burke of racketeering, jurors must be convinced he committed two “acts” as part of a larger pattern. There are five umbrella “acts” listed in Burke’s indictment, but each one contains multiple allegations that jurors will likely be allowed to choose from. * Related stories… ∙ Tribune: Jury ends Day 1 of deliberations in ex-Ald. Ed Burke corruption case without a verdict ∙ ABC Chicago: Jury gets case in trial of former Alderman Ed Burke * Isabel’s top picks… * WBEZ | As the 60-day shelter stay limit looms, a WBEZ analysis reveals most migrants stay longer: A WBEZ analysis of the lengths of their shelter stays finds that roughly 7 in 10 have stayed longer than 60 days, and that an average stay was 76 days for migrants who had exited shelter before Nov. 1. * Sun-Times | 5-year-old boy dies, 5 others hospitalized after becoming ill at Pilsen migrant shelter: Four more children and a woman were hospitalized Monday after becoming ill at the shelter. Four girls, ages 1, 4, 8 and 9, and an 18-year-old woman were taken to hospitals at different times Monday morning with fever and vomiting, Chicago Fire Department spokesperson Larry Langford said. * Planned Parenthood Illinois…
* Here’s the rest of your morning roundup… * Sun-Times | Sentencing delayed for ComEd bribery defendants; request to hold up Madigan corruption case also expected: Meanwhile, a defense attorney for Madigan’s co-defendant said he will be making a similar request to stay proceedings in Madigan’s case, which is set for trial in less than four months. The developments come in the wake of the Supreme Court’s decision to take up a corruption case out of Northwest Indiana, in which questions revolve around a law central to the ComEd and Madigan cases. * WTVO | Illinois lawmakers congregate in Rockford to preview 2024 state initiatives: Sen. Steve Stadelman (D-Rockford) was just one of seven state legislators on a panel giving over 200 local government leaders a glimpse into the coming year, with budgeting, transportation, and new jobs being a few of the topics covered. “I’m optimistic about our community. We’ve had some really good things happen in the past six months to year and better things are in store for the future. So I think people need to be optimistic in our community,” Stadelman said. “There’s too much negativity at times in Rockford and the state of Illinois, and we’re having some really good announcements happening. So I think I’m primed for a really good 2024 and I want the message here that good things are happening in the Rockford area and people need to believe that that their days are ahead.” * Riverbender | Giannoulias Announces New Laws To Take Effect Jan. 1: Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias announced several new laws initiated by his office that will take effect at the start of the new year. The initiatives were passed earlier this year by the Illinois General Assembly and signed into law. * Patch | IARSS: New Executive Director Brings Valuable Experience: The Illinois Association of Regional Superintendents of Schools (IARSS) is announcing the hiring of Gary Tipsord as its first-ever executive director. Tipsord is a longtime educator in central Illinois who now will help lead this organization representing the heads of Regional Offices of Education across the state. * Tribune | New body camera footage shows Elk Grove Village man shot by police after calling 911 on himself: Elk Grove Village Mayor Craig Johnson released partial body camera footage Monday, as well as partial recordings of calls between a 911 dispatcher, Murray and Murray’s father. The officer who shot Murray has not been identified, and officers were not identified in the footage. * Sun-Times | Faceworld gang faction latest to be targeted in FBI racketeering case in Chicago: Diontae Harper and Amonti McClure, reputed members of the Faceworld faction of the Gangster Disciples, were indicted this month in federal court on charges of participating in violent racketeering activity. * Crain’s | Chicago and Cook County try bold experiments to combat economic inequity: Getting the $500 a month “keeps you from worrying, since you know that money is coming in every month,” Shaffer says. He uses the money for life and health insurance payments. “My job doesn’t offer that. They do, but it’s at a more costly fee.” So when work is slow and his paycheck is less, the $500 helps him make the payments and not lose his coverage. * SJ-R | One way or another: Changes to traffic patterns on Fourth, Adams stalled until spring: A delay in the arrival of construction materials will mean the city won’t convert a stretch of Fourth Street to two-way traffic until the spring. The delay also holds up the conversion of Adams Street where Springfield drivers will experience a first between Sixth and Ninth streets: back-in-only parking on the south side of the street. * Crain’s | The case of the $500 sandwich and the Lakeview condo board: On Jan. 1, Lakeview condo resident Bonnie Rubin will pay the first of 10 monthly payments, $50 each, to cover a fine assessed by her condo building’s board. The $500 offense was perpetrated by her brother, Wayne Miller, when he ate a Jersey Mike’s veggie sandwich on the pool deck at her building over Labor Day Weekend. * Play Illinois | Sports Betting Handle In Illinois Rises To $1.2 Billion In October: It was the second-straight month over $1 billion of total handle. October saw a 11% improvement over September’s $1.08 billion. The year-over-year rise was stark as well, 17%, compared to the $1.03 billion wagered in October 2022. * Vulture | Hilary Farr on Why She’s Leaving ‘Stale’ and ‘Formulaic’ Love It or List It: You know that saying, “If not now, when?” That’s truly it. I’ve been doing the show for years and I have loved doing it. But in the last season, which we did in Canada, it just felt too much like work. It felt very stale. It’s a very formulaic show. * Daily Beast | Moms for Liberty Wants to Usher in an American Caste System: Despite the fact that the group’s preferred local candidates did not perform well during the most recent election cycle, Moms for Liberty’s overtly anti-public school rhetoric has fully seeped into the Republican Party and its platform, making the idea of a publicly funded school system “sound a lot like public health care or public transportation, right? And that is what’s really happening here,” Gilkes Borr said on this week’s episode of The New Abnormal. * AP | WNBA to take a monthlong break for the 2024 Olympics — and Chicago Sky’s Kahleah Copper is looking to make the team: The WNBA changed the format of its in-season tournament with all Commissioner’s Cup games set to be played from June 1-13. The championship game will be on June 25. Teams now will only play the other five teams in their conference once instead of a home-and-home set. * Sun-Times | Chicago Catholics praise pope’s approval of blessings for same-sex couples: ‘This is such a huge shift’: When Pope Francis announced he formally approved letting Catholic priests bless same-sex couples, Rick Garcia, a Chicago Catholic, was stunned. “When I started work with the gay community, I never expected this to happen,” he said. Garcia, who directed Catholic Advocates for Lesbian and Gay Rights in the 1980s and ’90s, also co-founded Equality Illinois, an LGBTQ advocacy group.
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Live coverage
Tuesday, Dec 19, 2023 - Posted by Isabel Miller * Live coverage is back, sorta. This will be different than the old Scribble Live feed because Twitter broke itself and almost everything else it touched. These new feeds do not update instantly. There’s a bit of posting lagtime, but it’s much better than nothing. We are also limited to just 20 Twitter sources. The service may also not last long. We just can’t give you any guarantees about this. You can still click here or here to follow breaking news the way we’ve done since Twitter stopped Scribble Live from working…
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Live Ed Burke Trial Coverage
Tuesday, Dec 19, 2023 - Posted by Isabel Miller * These new feeds do not update instantly. There’s a bit of a lagtime and you have to refresh the page every now and then. The service we’re using may also not last long. We just can’t give you any guarantees. You can still click here to follow the Ed Burke trial on Twitter. Posts without a Twitter author name below them are from online news sources via Bing…
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