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Isabel’s afternoon roundup
Tuesday, Jun 11, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller * ABC Chicago…
* Axios…
* Fox Chicago | Illinois State Museum seeks Route 66 memories to honor iconic roadway: Video recordings and interview transcriptions will be made available to the public through an online database as part of the anniversary celebration. “These interviews will help illustrate the significance of this important transportation achievement,” said Erika Holst, the museum’s curator of history. * 21st Show | How did women access abortions in Illinois before Roe v. Wade?: Before Roe v. Wade recognized a constitutional right to abortion across America, women still found ways to end their pregnancies. In Illinois, that meant seeking help from an underground, feminist abortion service operating under the code name “Jane.” * WAND | Illinois Free Fishing days to coincide with Father’s Day weekend: According to the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, from June 14 through the 17, anglers can fish without purchasing a fishing license, salmon stamp or inland trout stamp. Information about fishing spots, regulations, and angling basics can be found at IFishIllinois.org. * WTTW | Facing Shortfall of Nearly $400M, Chicago Public Schools Pushes Back Budget Release to July: CPS on Tuesday announced the CPS CEO Pedro Martinez had informed network and school leaders the final draft of its FY25 budget would now be presented in July as the district continues “finalizing the total budget.” “The District will use this additional time to collaborate with CPS stakeholders and do further diligence since the budget model is new and being implemented for the first time,” a CPS spokesperson said in a statement. “The District will finalize a FY2025 budget that will continue to support strong academic progress.” * Block Club | Could ‘Newcomer Liaisons’ Help Migrant Students Struggling In Chicago Schools?: Calls for more support for migrant students come as the district faces a large budget shortfall for the next fiscal year, which begins July 1. With pandemic relief dollars drying up, the district is facing a nearly $400 million budget deficit while the state has its own financial challenges. * Sun-Times | CPS teacher residency program growing, helping fill classrooms: Five years in, the program is making good progress — including growing by the hundreds. A cohort of 193 teachers was honored at an induction ceremony Monday after finishing their year of residency and earning a teacher license. They’ll have their own classes in the fall. CPS has already recruited 225 prospective teachers for next year’s program. * Sun-Times | Buddy Guy bringing ‘that Chicago sound’ to NASCAR Chicago: If you missed Buddy Guy’s incredible Blues Festival closing-night set on Sunday, or if you were there (and thousands were) and you’re hoping to catch the blues icon one more time on a stage near you, you’re in luck. Guy will be among the music lineup for NASCAR Chicago, it was announced Tuesday morning. The Chicago legend will perform on the main stage at Grant Park Festival Field from 1:15 -2 p.m. July 6, following a special 40th Anniversary Chicago House Music showcase. * Crain’s | United gears up for DNC with more flights: The convention would boost United’s total to more than 530 flights a day at O’Hare on peak days, which would be its busiest schedule since before the COVID-19 pandemic, the airline says. The biggest increase comes, not surprisingly, between O’Hare and Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, with 38 more flights, or a 40% increase. * Tribune | Dozens of supporters hail convicted ex-Ald. Ed Burke as devoted public servant ahead of his sentencing: Among the dozens of letter-writers: high-profile names in local legal circles and law enforcement, Burke’s family members, a former defensive end for the Bears, and several local Catholic clergymen. A now-retired firefighter wrote that Burke pulled strings to make sure his severely disabled son would not be denied insurance coverage. The former principal of a Southwest Side elementary school said Burke helped the struggling school get two playgrounds, an electronic message board, and support for its pre-K program. * Crain’s | Cook County allots $44 million to mental health efforts: The money will be spread among 53 organizations, including Alivio Medical Center and Alianza Americas. The grant program, dubbed “Stronger Together: Building a More Equitable Behavioral Health System in Cook County Initiative,” is funded by American Rescue Plan Act dollars. Cook County President Toni Preckwinkle said at a press conference today the investment will help support services and programs addressing behavioral health inequities. The goal is to expand access to early intervention and prevention, treatment and recovery programs for those with depression, anxiety, behavioral and substance abuse disorders. * Naperville Sun | With a deadline pending on its electricity contract, Naperville council rejects hiring energy consultants: Naperville is starting the process of looking at how it will supply the electricity used by residents and business owners after 2035, when the contract with its current provider, the coal-heavy Illinois Municipal Electric Agency (IMEA), is set to expire. The agency wants the city to extend its contract by mid-2025 instead of waiting until closer to the expiration date. The consultants requested by staff would have explored what the energy world will look like in 11 years to help determine the options available. The two contracts would have cost a total of $250,000, but were rejected by the council last week because of concerns over timing, necessity and the bid process. * SJ-R | More than $20M in state funds going to City of Springfield. Here’s how it will be used: After hinting at its possibility earlier in May, Pritzker signed the $53.1 billion budget for fiscal year 2025 on last week which included $4 million to design and construct a park at the grass lot north of the Governor’s Mansion. The 2.25-acre lot served as the home of the YWCA and has set empty since 2017. […] [Mayor Misty Buscher] added that she wants the new development to include an amphitheater and to allow for the continuation of the Levitt AMP Springfield Music Series. Requests for comment from IDNR regarding when the project could start and be completed went unreturned prior to publication. * WGLT | McLean County to consider eliminating elected auditor, adding advisory panel for mental health funding: The language of the proposed referendum for the November 2024 ballot indicates the county would save money based on “the elimination of redundant functions,” referring to external audits the county must contract for, beyond the scope of the elected auditor. “There are some functions that are required by state law to be completed by an outside firm and then there are other responsibilities that only a CPA [certified public accountant] can do,” said county administrator Cassy Taylor, noting that current county auditor Michelle Anderson lacks those credentials; there are no qualifications required for elected office. * SJ-R | ‘This is history’: Supporters urge Springfield Race Riot site to become national monument: The Rev. T. Ray McJunkins noted that several years ago it was a small group of people in Springfield championing the site of the 1908 Race Riot to become a national monument. After Monday’s listening session at his home parish, Union Baptist Church, once in the sights of those same rioters when it stood at 12th and Mason streets, McJunkins admitted he felt “overwhelmed” seeing more than 400 people in the church hall.
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Today’s quotable
Tuesday, Jun 11, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller * From the very last graf of the Tribune story entitled “Dozens of supporters hail convicted ex-Ald. Ed Burke as devoted public servant ahead of his sentencing”…
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It’s almost a law
Tuesday, Jun 11, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller * WTTW…
* WAND…
* WGEM…
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This is not the way to get anything done
Tuesday, Jun 11, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller * Capitol News Illinois and the Saluki Local Reporting Lab…
Always fixin’ to get ready, but never actually getting ready and never actually accomplishing anything. There’s so much more, so click here.
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Some people will complain about literally everything, including bills they vote for
Tuesday, Jun 11, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller * Center Square…
Um, not mentioned in the story is that HB5005 received 90 votes. By my count, 18 Republicans voted for the bill, including this legislator who is quoted in the story bashing the bill…
* To the sponsor…
Hilarious. The squareheads left out something from the agreement…
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Mayor Johnson says CTA is ‘moving in the right direction’
Tuesday, Jun 11, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller * Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson sat down with the Sun-Times editorial board…
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Illinois and Ontario sign agreement to promote trade, investment
Tuesday, Jun 11, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller
The MOU is here. * The ceremony… * Meanwhile… from Bloomberg…
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Rides For Moms Provides Transportation To Prenatal Care
Tuesday, Jun 11, 2024 - Posted by Advertising Department [The following is a paid advertisement.] Surgo Ventures partnered with Uber Health and local health centers to provide transportation assistance to expectant mothers facing transportation challenges to their prenatal appointments. Across one city, the initiative covered over 30,000 miles, ensuring over 450 participants reached their prenatal appointments without hassle. One participant shared, ‘There were days when I didn’t want to get up from bed. Knowing that someone was going to pick me up… made me feel safer.’ With programs like Rides for Moms, transportation is no longer a barrier for new mothers to access essential medical care. Learn more
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Senate releases veto session schedule
Tuesday, Jun 11, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller * Two weeks in a row instead of straddling a holiday…
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Open thread
Tuesday, Jun 11, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller * What’s going on in your part of Illinois?…
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Isabel’s morning briefing
Tuesday, Jun 11, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller * ICYMI: 1908 Springfield race riot site could be national monument. Dave Dahl…
* Tribune | Feds want 10 years in prison for ex-Ald. Edward Burke, saying he was ‘no novice’ when it came to corruption: The sentence requested by the U.S. attorney’s office would mean that Burke could very well die in prison. But it’s a punishment prosecutors say is warranted, given the “mountain” of evidence in the case — including hundreds of undercover recordings — that captured Burke in his own words and make it “obvious that Burke was no novice when it came to corruption.” “Burke operated as a seasoned professional when it came to identifying new potential clients for his law firm and exploiting his power and position in order to secure their business,” prosecutors wrote. * Sun-Times | Obama visits presidential center as signature tower reaches full height: The site of the presidential center and museum is “about 56%” complete, according to workers at the site, and former President Barack Obama briefly spoke and shook hands with dozens to celebrate the latest milestone — the museum building hitting its full height of 225 feet. * WAND | Illinois Senate could pass plan tackling deepfake cyberbullying during veto session: “House Bill 299 arrived in the Senate as a new House bill on May 22, two days before our scheduled adjournment,” said Liz Mitchell, a spokesperson for Senate President Don Harmon. “As such, time did not allow for the Senate to take it up in the spring session. It will be reviewed.” * WGEM | Bill awaiting Gov. Pritzker’s signature aims to improve birth equity in Illinois: The bill would require private insurance companies to cover all pregnancy, postpartum and newborn care provided by perinatal doulas or licensed certified professional midwives. This includes home births, home visits and support during labor. Insurers would also be required to cover home visits by board-certified lactation consultants including the cost of recommended breast pumps, breastfeeding supplies and feeding aids. * Sun-Times | New initiative to expand gender-affirming care across Illinois: Despite Illinois serving as a blue haven for those seeking gender-affirming care, Illinois officials said many LGBTQ+ adults avoid seeking care due to disrespect and discrimination from providers, and they hope this new initiative will address prejudices. Lawmakers in 2019 approved legislation that directs coverage of gender-affirming surgeries for Medicaid members age 21 and older who are diagnosed with gender dysphoria. * SJ-R | Planned Parenthood sees ‘unprecedented’ surge in out-of-state patients at Illinois clinics: Planned Parenthood said that it has seen patients from 41 states over the course of the past two years, now encompassing some 25% of all patients seen at the 19 in-person facilities and two virtual facilities across Illinois. Overall, the group said that it had experienced a 47% increase in overall patients over the past two years since the Supreme Court ruled in Dobbs vs. Jackson Women’s Health Organization that the U.S. Constitution did not guarantee the right to an abortion, overruling the landmark 1973 Roe vs. Wade decision and the 1992 Planned Parenthood vs. Casey decision that upheld the former. * Crain’s | Chicago weighs up to $3 billion of debt for O’Hare upgrades: The City Council’s Finance Committee held public hearings today and then approved a series of proposals from the Johnson administration that could add up to more than $4 billion in debt Airport debt makes up the bulk of the proposals with a plan to issue up to $3 billion in general airport senior lien revenue bonds and passenger facility charge revenue bonds for O’Hare capital improvements. * Sun-Times | Bally’s a bad bet? Johnson casts doubt on permanent casino in River West: “I liken it, frankly, to the airlines deal that was negotiated two administrations ago. There were some challenges in there,” said Johnson, who recently hammered out a cost-cutting deal with United and American airlines, clearing the massive O’Hare expansion plan for takeoff. “I wish I could say something definitive today. I know our team is working with ownership to figure it out like we figured out some of the other things that I’ve inherited. It just has to make absolute sense. … I think that one’s still to be determined, to be perfectly frank with you.” * Sun-Times | Mayor Johnson opposes 8 p.m. downtown curfew for minors: “The data indicates that setting … arbitrary curfews does not yield results that are favorable,” the mayor told the Chicago Sun-Times Editorial Board Monday. “For my administration, it’s not just about youth employment. … We have to create safe spaces for [young] people. … The more activity that you have in neighborhoods, including downtown, that actually creates safer spaces,” Johnson added. * Tribune | City demands thousands of Chicago police officers pay off pension error: Thousands of Chicago police officers received an unwelcome letter from their pension fund this week: thanks to a payroll error spurred by officers’ latest contract, approximately 3,000 are required to cut a check to their pension fund, plus interest. The Fraternal Order of Police, Lodge 7, which represents most rank-and-file cops, said it planned on filing a grievance over the error so that the city would have to pay that interest charge instead of workers. * WTTW | CPS, CTU to Hold First-Ever Contract Negotiation Session Open to the Public Friday: The CTU announced the sides have agreed to schedule an open contract bargaining session Friday from 5-7 p.m. at Marquette Elementary School, 6550 S. Richmond St., in the Chicago Lawn neighborhood. According to the union, this session will be focused on “Healthy, Safe, Green Schools” and how schools can be updated to support student learning. * Chakbeat | Reputation vs. reality: A closer look at four Chicago high schools: In the 2022-23 school year, 44.51% of elementary school students and 76.18% of high school students opted out of attending their zoned neighborhood schools. As the city shifts its focus to neighborhood schools, Chalkbeat spoke with community members and alumni at four Chicago high schools about how reputation affects their schools and communities, and how they’re trying to change the narrative. * ABC Chicago | At least 5 taken to hospitals after CTA bus hits building, cars in Bridgeport: Surveillance video from the scene shows the out-of-control bus also hit a building before slamming into the cars. CPD said there were a total of 11 vehicles involved in the crash. At least five people had to be taken to the hospital. * Tribune | Chicago White Sox are the 1st team to lose 50 games this season — and they did so in grand fashion: Cal Raleigh hit a game-ending grand slam in the ninth inning against reliever Jordan Leasure as the Seattle Mariners stormed back to beat the Sox 8-4 in front of 23,027 at T-Mobile Park. The Sox had a 4-0 lead going into the bottom of the eighth, only for the Mariners to pull even — with three of the four runs allowed in the inning by Michael Kopech. The Mariners loaded the bases with two walks and a single in the ninth, setting the stage for Raleigh’s walk-off slam. * Daily Herald | No Ribfest planned for this year: Exchange Club of Naperville president: “We never planned one this year, so we didn’t really cancel it because we never scheduled it,” said Emy Trotz, president of the Exchange Club of Naperville, the civic group in charge of Ribfest. “We had other things going on that we didn’t have the capability to put it together.” * Crain’s | Wilmette residents irate after park district fences off lakefront beach: Furious Wilmette residents are set to rally in opposition to the park district’s recent decision to fence off and charge admission to the beach at Gillson Park. The rally, which will take place at Wimette’s village hall tonight at 7:00, comes as residents say the fence was erected without proper notice and their input. Beachgoers are now required to pay $5 for residents and $10 for nonresidents for admission, which was formerly free. Park advocates say the move restricts access for “community members including seniors, families and individuals with disabilities, who rely on the open space for recreation and relaxation.” * Illinois Times | Rebuilding the Catholic Church: The future central Illinois school just hired its first president, Kent Lasnoski, who is moving to Springfield from Wyoming, where he led another Catholic college. He hopes to open the doors for San Damiano in the fall of 2025 on the campus of the former Chiara Center, located on the grounds of the Hospital Sisters of St. Francis in Springfield. The Franciscan Brothers of the Holy Cross operated the St. James Trade School there from 1928 to 1972. * AP | Justice Alito questions possibility of political compromise in secret recording: Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito is heard questioning whether compromise between the left and right is possible in a conversation posted on social media Monday. The conservative justice is also heard agreeing with a woman who says the United States should return “to a place of godliness.” The audio was posted on X by liberal filmmaker Lauren Windsor. She said it was recorded at the Supreme Court Historical Society’s annual dinner last week. * The Athletic | Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone shows anything’s possible for her at Paris Olympics and beyond: McLaughlin-Levrone declared before the race she was aiming for the American record. And as she glided down the final 100 meters, resisting the Manhattan wind, she almost got it. She clocked in at 48.75 seconds, just shy of Richards-Ross’ national record of 48.70 set in 2006. “So close,” McLaughlin-Levrone told reporters afterwards. “But you know what, it’s all good. There’s so much time to do that. It’s always just about refining it and learning the race.”
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Live coverage
Tuesday, Jun 11, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller * You can click here or here to follow breaking news. It’s the best we can do unless or until Twitter gets its act together.
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Selected press releases (Live updates)
Tuesday, Jun 11, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller
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Isabel’s afternoon roundup
Monday, Jun 10, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller
Beth Hundsdorfer recently reported a camera at the facility catching a mental health technician assaulting a patient, but it took 11 days for anyone to take action. * Illinois Department of Human Services…
* Ballot Access News | Illinois Legislature Passes Bill Moving Petition Deadline for Independent Candidates and the Nominees of Unqualified Parties from June to May: The bill had been introduced early this year on the subject of Crohns and Colitis Awareness, health concerns that do not relate to election law. But on May 23, the Senate deleted all the original contents of the bill and substituted various election law provisions, including the ballot access restrictions. It passed the Senate in its new version on May 24, and passed the House again on May 25. It was sent to Governor J. B. Pritzker on June 6. The news media has not reported on the bill’s ballot access restrictions. The bill does not take effect until 2025. * Block Club | New Law Will Ensure Nearly 1 Million Asian Americans Can Access Vital State Services In Native Languages: On May 23, Illinois lawmakers passed the Language Equity and Access Act, following a rally in Springfield of more than 300 Asian American community members who protested for language justice. The act aims to transform language access across Illinois for limited English-proficient individuals by requiring state agencies to provide adequate and timely oral and written language services in more than a dozen languages. It now awaits Gov. JB Pritzker’s signature. * WICS | Illinois awards $6.9 million to boost urban forestry in disadvantaged areas: The Morton Arboretum announced its selection of the 22 urban forestry projects in priority communities in Illinois which receive funding through the U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service, under the direction of the Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR). [Arboretum President and CEO Jill Koski said] reported that the organization received 61 applications requesting more than $14 million from communities meeting federal guidelines for disadvantaged areas. * WBEZ | Feds investigating last year’s massive data breach at Cook County hospital system: WBEZ obtained a copy of the subpoena last week, after suing Cook County Health in April for violating the state’s open-records law. Justice Department officials did not return messages, while the spokespeople for Pasqual and the FBI declined to comment, saying in a statement that agency policy prevents officials from commenting “on the nature of any investigation that may be occurring.” * Sun-Times | Southwest suburban residents plead guilty in Jan. 6 case: Kelly Lynn Fontaine and Bryan Dula of Lockport were charged earlier this year and accused of spending 11 minutes inside the Capitol building that day. They are among nearly 50 known Illinois residents to face federal criminal charges connected to the attack. Fontaine and Dula each pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct and parading, demonstrating or picketing in a Capitol building, records show. Their sentencing is set for Oct. 1. * Daily Southtown | Palos Hospital clinic brings recovery a step closer for Oak Forest double lung transplant patient: Northwestern performed the first double-lung transplant in 2020 and its Double Lung Replacement and Multidisciplinary Care program has now performed double-lung transplants on 40 patients, including Knight, at the Northwestern Medicine Canning Thoracic Institute in Chicago. * Crain’s | Medical debt weighs on Chicagoans even when they have health insurance: Despite 91% of Cook County’s 5 million residents having health care coverage, 13% have medical debt in collections, according to nonprofit research organization the Urban Institute. In general, half of U.S. adults are unable to pay an unexpected medical bill of $500 in full, according to recent data by KFF, a nonprofit health policy research, polling and news organization. * Block Club | Holiday Club In Uptown Would Be Replaced With Apartments Under Plan: During the meeting, Paul Dincin, Catapult Real Estate Solutions founder, said he’d be “happy to talk to [the Holiday Club] if they’re interested in the space we have, if it fits with their business plan versus finding other space right in the area.” […] But Dincin said he wasn’t sure if it would be feasible for Holiday Club to return, given the smaller retail space available and the likelihood that demolition and construction could take up to two years. * Crain’s | Hancock tower observation deck operator buys Signature Room space: Managing Director Nichole Benolken said 360 Chicago is “exploring a number of options for the space.” “I can confirm that we’re not planning on reopening a restaurant at this time, but beyond that, our team is in the very early development stages, and we’ll have more information to share in the coming months,” Benolken said in a statement. * WBEZ | What’s That Building? An architectural tour of the Lakefront Trail: Built in 1916 to replace the smaller clubhouse of a private organization with a nine-hole golf course, Marshall and Fox — the architects behind the Blackstone and Drake hotels — designed this Mediterranean fantasy(South Shore Cultural Center). The Chicago Park District bought the South Shore Cultural Center in 1975. Two of the building’s most quintessentially Chicago moments are when it was used as The Palace Hotel in The Blues Brothers movie in 1980 and when it was the site of future President Barack Obama and future first lady Michelle Obama’s wedding reception in 1992. * Illinois Times | Lakeisha Purchase violated IDOT policy, report says: Lakeisha Purchase took part in phone calls unrelated to her job at the Illinois Department of Transportation for almost half of the time she was supposed to be working during an 18-month period in 2021 and 2022, a state report says. Purchase, 35, a former Capital Township trustee and the Springfield Ward 5 alderperson since September 2021, quit her job as an IDOT supportive services specialist on July 5, 2023, after 14 years with the department. * WREX | RFD passengers to take flight on inaugural flight to LAX: Los Angeles is the second of two new destinations offered at RFD this year with Nashville flights being added and taking off since last month. In January, three international destinations will be added to RFD’s lineup and will offer travelers a wider range of travel opportunities. * Rockford Register Star | Rockford to offer $500K to local manufacturer for expansion: Rockford officials are proposing an incentive package to help the family-owned Slidematic Precision Components expand its operations at 1303 and 1325 Samuelson Road. Slidematic engineers and manufactures cold-headed fasteners and provides supply-chain management for customers internationally. It is planning a 45,000-square-foot addition to its 190,000-square-foot Samuelson Road operation. * Journal Courier | Writer Pensoneau to cover familiar topic in program on governors: “I’ve known a lot of them personally,” said Pensoneau, a statehouse reporter for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch from 1965 to 1978. “I have an idea what they are really like.” Pensoneau will present “Inside Revelations of the High and Mighty,” an inside look at governors of Illinois over the past half-century, at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday at Carlinville Public Library. The program is free and open to the public. * Bloomberg | Ventilator-maker Vyaire goes bankrupt as COVID-19 demand wanes: The Mettawa-based provider of medical equipment filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy Sunday, listing assets of as much as $500 million and liabilities of up to $1 billion. The company said it intends to sell all its assets and is seeking approval to keep operating through the sales process. Vyaire, which develops breathing technology, experienced significantly higher demand for its products during Covid. But pandemic-related supply chain disruptions diminished the company’s cash flow, while increased competition hurt its business. Vyaire has lost over 10% of its market share in its ventilation segment since Covid infections began to wane.
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Question of the day
Monday, Jun 10, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller * Should Illinois Democrats try to do this, too? Explain your answer…
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Rides For Moms Provides Transportation To Prenatal Care
Monday, Jun 10, 2024 - Posted by Advertising Department [The following is a paid advertisement.] Surgo Ventures partnered with Uber Health and local health centers to provide transportation assistance to expectant mothers facing transportation challenges to their prenatal appointments. Across one city, the initiative covered over 30,000 miles, ensuring over 450 participants reached their prenatal appointments without hassle. One participant shared, ‘There were days when I didn’t want to get up from bed. Knowing that someone was going to pick me up… made me feel safer.’ With programs like Rides for Moms, transportation is no longer a barrier for new mothers to access essential medical care. Learn more
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Work your bills, people
Monday, Jun 10, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller * Press release…
Rep. Niemerg filed that bill last October, 234 days ago. Niemerg has since picked up exactly zero co-sponsors. He didn’t even bother to sign up his fellow Eastern Bloc members. If the object is to issue a press release and maybe convince your local news outlets that you’re working hard for the district and that the super-majority is just cold and callous to the people you represent, then by all means carry on. If you want to pass a House bill to make things better for your community, however, you need 60 House votes, not 1. And then you need 30 in the Senate. And then a gubernatorial signature. Success doesn’t happen by magic. Success takes work.
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PPIL: More than 90 percent of Carbondale Health Center’s abortion patients are from out of state
Monday, Jun 10, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller * Planned Parenthood of Illinois…
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Musical interlude
Monday, Jun 10, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller * Some clips of Buddy Guy’s powerful performance yesterday…
* The Sun-Times’ Selena Fragassi…
Buddy Guy’s full performance was not recorded, but you can click here to watch performances from the Cash Box Kings, a tribute to Otis Spann.
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Gotion under fire
Monday, Jun 10, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller * Wall St. Journal…
The letters from Sen. Rubio, US Rep. Darin LaHood and others are here and here. * But this goes beyond Gotion. AF…
That’s a huge portion of the industry. * Reuters…
* Pritzker spokesperson Alex Gough…
* Jeanne Ives is jumping in, appearing on WLS Radio to attack Gotion and releasing statements like this…
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Bad law takes a turn for the worse (Updated)
Monday, Jun 10, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller * My weekly syndicated newspaper column…
…Adding… Sara Albrecht at the Liberty Justice Center…
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Open thread
Monday, Jun 10, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller * What’s going on?…
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Isabel’s morning briefing
Monday, Jun 10, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller * ICYMI: Governor Pritzker heads to Canada to discuss trade opportunities. SJ-R…
- The delegation will tour the Lion Electric headquarters in Montreal, an electric vehicle manufacturer who opened the nation’s largest EV facility in Joliet last July, and North America’s largest urban innovation hub, MaRS Discovery District, to discuss potential quantum investments. * Related stories…
∙ Politico: Pritzker taking show on the road * Healthy Illinois…
* Chicago Reader | Illinois promised to help with funeral costs for children lost to gun violence. Only two families benefitted: But almost a year after the measure went into effect, only eight people across the state have applied. Two of them have received funds. That number is far below the 106 juveniles who’ve been fatally shot in Chicago alone since July 1, 2022, and whose families could have been eligible to apply for the funding. Across the state, 203 died in a similar manner. These unexpected deaths leave families to cope with overwhelming grief as well as thousands of dollars in burial costs. The statewide compensation program is meant to relieve families of these financial burdens but, despite the bill’s clear guidelines for how to publicize it, it’s reaching just a few applicants. The bill passed unanimously, but the program’s advocates were uncertain if the program was open a year later, until they were contacted by a Trace reporter. * WCIA | State Representative thanks first responders after a deer got stuck in his office: State Representative Jason R. Bunting is thanking Watseka first responders for their quick response after a deer got stuck in his office on Friday. According to Bunting, the deer jumped and broke through a window at the building, before getting stuck inside. Watseka EMS, Fire and Police Departments all responded to the scene. * WBEZ | Illinois Legislature puts the brakes on a carbon capture boom: “It does offer some really good protections for Illinois that are needed at a time when we are not just anticipating projects —- but those projects are moving forward rapidly,” said Pam Richart, the co-founder of the Coalition to Stop CO2 Pipelines, an environmental advocacy group that has been organizing across southern and central Illinois. The sweeping package of new rules breaks down into three categories: requirements for how carbon emissions must be captured, regulations around pipeline construction, and rules for what happens once the carbon is stored underground. * Crain’s | Biz leaders give Pritzker, legislators solid marks after spring session: In separate interviews, the heads of the Illinois Manufacturers Association, Illinois Retail Merchants Association and Illinois Chamber of Commerce all cited progress on things such as cutting back on the state’s franchise tax and expanded efforts to lure the emerging quantum computing industry and more TV and film production here. Business would have liked more, all three conceded. But with all three branches of state government controlled by Democrats, “We’re making the best lemonade we can,” chamber CEO Les Sandoval put it. “I’m a realist.” Still, he added, “There are a lot of plusses.” * WBEZ | Chair of Illinois Democratic Party floats state law granting work permits to immigrants: Illinois State Rep. Lisa Hernandez, D-Cicero, said she is exploring state legislation that could grant work permits to all unauthorized immigrant workers in Illinois. That would include the thousands of migrants who have arrived in Illinois over the last two years, and an estimated 400,000-plus longtime undocumented immigrant workers. Hernandez spoke at a press conference Friday, championing a recent state resolution urging President Joe Biden to use his executive power to grant work permits to all immigrants. * WGEM | DCSF receives more money from new Illinois budget: Illinois lawmakers passed the new state budget Wednesday, which included an additional $50.3 million for the Department of Children and Family Services. Local organizations who partner with DCFS say that money will benefit them as well. Todd Shackleford, the executive director of the Advocacy Network for Children, said they get money from DCFS and the boost gives their organizations much needed help, as they have had a 16% increase in clientele this year. * Pantagraph | Proposal to shield farm families from estate tax doesn’t move in Springfield: The concept, introduced as a standalone bill in January by state Rep. Sharon Chung, D-Bloomington, and state Sen. Dave Koehler, D-Peoria, was not among the tax code changes that were included in a massive revenue package that passed alongside the state’s fiscal year 2025 budget last month. […] Koehler told Lee Enterprises that a legislative push on estate tax relief is unlikely during the fall veto session in November, but that he expects it’s “gonna be part of the next year’s budget discussions.” * Center Square | Pretrial service expansion awaits Pritzker’s signature: House Bill 4621 was sent to the governor’s desk for signature and would create the Office of Statewide Pretrial Services, allowing it to provide pretrial services to circuit courts and counties that don’t currently have pretrial services agencies. There has been an explosion of pretrial hearings since cash bail was eliminated with the Pretrial Fairness Act, a component of the SAFE-T Act. * Daily Herald | Illinois to consider the ‘Future of Gas’ in unprecedented regulatory proceeding: Between electric vehicles and all-electric buildings, electrification has emerged as a leading tool in the fight against climate change. But if we start to plug everything into the grid, where does that leave Illinois’ extensive natural gas system? It’s a question the Illinois Commerce Commission is looking to answer. The regulatory body, which oversees Illinois’ investor-owned utilities, initiated what’s called a “Future of Gas” proceeding this March. The process will “evaluate the impacts of Illinois’ current decarbonization and electrification goals on the natural gas system,” according to the commission website. * Tribune | With soy products booming, Illinois farmers have their eyes on clean, green innovation: Todd Main, director of marketing development for the association, said the innovation center will not only commercialize new uses of soy, but also create jobs in Illinois. “Because about 60% of Illinois soybeans go overseas, we have a broader focus than a lot of other states because we have to have a good relationship with buyers all over the world,” Main said. * Sun-Times | How do I change my name and gender marker? A guide to Illinois’ system for the LGBTQ+ community: In 2019, legislation out of the statehouse paved the way for the state to add an “X” gender marker to designate a nonbinary identity, or one that doesn’t fall under male or female. Last year the state made it so that people can choose the gender on their birth certificate without medical documentation. A way to reduce costs for name changes, which currently can exceed several hundred dollars, is also in the works. * Tribune | Black Chicago drivers more likely to be stopped by police than to get traffic camera tickets, study finds: The findings, published this month in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, follow years of scrutiny of racial disparities in Chicago traffic stops. They also come amid renewed debate about the use of the stops, as outgoing Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx unveiled a controversial proposal to decline to prosecute possession cases when guns or drugs are found during traffic stops initiated for reasons like expired registration or a broken light. Officials also recently moved to add oversight of traffic stops to a federal consent decree guiding Chicago Police Department reform. * Tribune | Migrant woman searches for husband who has vanished, a common occurrence as men struggle to find jobs: Licensed therapists and those working closely with migrants say the frustration and shame felt by men of not being able to provide for their families may be a factor in their choice to just walk away. “We see cases like that,” said Ana Gil-Garcia, founder of the Illinois Venezuelan Alliance, who has led informational sessions for migrants at dozens of shelters across the city. “When men can’t provide, they decide to leave. They don’t take responsibility — and then mom is left with the children.” * Tribune | Democratic National Convention poised to drive up hotel room rates this summer — even more than Lollapalooza: Lollapalooza is typically the busiest weekend of the year for Chicago’s hotels, but 50,000 people flocking here for the Democratic National Convention this August are pushing hotel room rates even higher. The average rate during the DNC is $534.88 a night, according to a Sun-Times search of downtown hotel rates during three major events taking place in the city this year — the convention, Lollapalooza and NASCAR Chicago Street Race Weekend. The search, which was conducted Thursday, looked at hotels within a one-mile radius of downtown Chicago. * WBEZ | Northwestern is so busy it’s cutting back on scheduling patients for induced labors: That’s even though Northwestern led a national study that found inducing low-risk women at 39 weeks instead of letting labor happen naturally reduces the rate of Cesarean sections and decreases complications for mothers and babies. C-sections can be life-saving, but also are major surgeries with potential consequences that disproportionately affect Black women, research shows, such as infections and hysterectomies. * Tribune | Country’s first documented gay rights organization started 100 years ago in Old Town: A plaque in the sidewalk outside the building where he lived on the second floor notes it is a Chicago landmark, explaining that the home was where Gerber wrote at least the first of the two published issues of “Friendship and Freedom,” the first documented gay periodical in America. * Tribune | Mom of Palestinian boy who was fatally stabbed in Will County files suit against alleged killer: Shahin’s attorney, John Simon, said the lawsuit, filed late last month in Will County Circuit Court, had been delayed due to the federal hate crime investigation that is currently underway and which has limited some discovery. “We are welcoming the opportunity to get to the bottom of what caused this man to do this and who knew about it,” he said. “This is a racially and religiously charged incident and anyone who had any ability to stop it should have intervened.” * Daily Herald | ‘We’ve got to be ready’: Suburban police gearing up for political conventions this summer: With the national political conventions in Chicago and Milwaukee just weeks away, some suburban law enforcement agencies are preparing for an influx of visitors as well as protests and other activities that could require their intervention. The Lake County sheriff’s office and the Rosemont Public Safety Department already have been asked to assist Chicago police when the Democratic National Convention occurs Aug. 19-22 at the United Center. * SJ-R | 3 a.m. alcohol sales could be coming to an end in Springfield: If the ordinance were to clear the committee of the whole meeting and pass through full city council, bars would have to stop serving alcohol at 1 a.m. This would take effect Jan. 1, 2025. The proposed change would include during the Illinois State Fair when Springfield locations have previously been granted temporary 3 a.m. sale permits for packaged alcohol. * WCIA | Boat races return to Lake Decatur after two decades: Hardy’s Highway Race for the Lake returned on Saturday. A total of 64 boats from throughout the country turned out to race. The event did have a wind delay which pushed back the event later into the afternoon. […] Upwards of 30 sponsors from the community helped to make it happen. Races will continue into Sunday night. Organizers say the race will be back in Decatur for years to come.
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Live coverage
Monday, Jun 10, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller * You can click here or here to follow breaking news. It’s the best we can do unless or until Twitter gets its act together.
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Selected press releases (Live updates)
Monday, Jun 10, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller
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Reader comments closed for the weekend
Friday, Jun 7, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller * Prince would’ve been 66 today. Turn it all the way up… It’s time we all reach out for something new
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Pritzker signs revenue omnibus, bond authorization and Medicaid omnibus into law
Friday, Jun 7, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller * Friday news dump press release…
The revenue omnibus contains tax hikes, continuing a tax hike that was supposed to expire and, among other things, this…
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Isabel’s afternoon roundup
Friday, Jun 7, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller * Background is here if you need it. Ben Szalinski… 
* Tribune…
…Adding… Press release…
* NBC Chicago | Illinois to offer 4 ‘Free Fishing Days,’ where you won’t need a license to fish: According to the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, Free Fishing Days will happen June 14-17. Any Illinois residents can fish without purchasing a license, salmon stamp or inland trout stamp, according to IDNR officials. Several communities will also host events in celebration of the free fishing days, including Will County’s Hidden Lakes Trout Farm, which will feature three days of giveaways and events, according to officials. * NBC Chicago | Payments begin for class-action Instagram settlement in Illinois. What to know: Check your bank accounts: Instagram users who were part of a $68 million class-action settlement in Illinois have started receiving their payouts. According to users, many started receiving their settlement checks or automatic payments Friday. Many users reported receiving about $32 for their claims. * Capitol News Illinois | Time running out to net and protect young plants from cicada-related damage: While Illinois’ dual emergence of periodical cicada broods is harmless to people and animals, young trees may sustain serious damage if not protected by mid-June, experts at The Morton Arboretum said. This is the first co-emergence of these two broods since 1803, researcher Katie Dana from the Illinois Natural History Survey told Capitol News Illinois, making it a truly once-in-a-lifetime event. Although each brood will appear in 2037 and 2041, respectively, the 221-year-long cycle means the next time both broods emerge at the same time will happen in 2245. * Daily Herald | Is double elimination an answer for IHSA baseball, softball?: Alas, I doubt a double-elimination format will fly in the IHSA. A proposal could be submitted and advanced to a vote by the member schools, but would there be any support. Three full days of games is an awfully long commitment. The four semifinalists would have to arrive to the tournament site on Wednesday. The finalists probably couldn’t leave until Sunday if they played that decisive seventh game. * Sun-Times | Chicago’s homeless population increased threefold, a city snapshot shows, owing largely to migrants: More than 18,800 Chicagoans experienced homelessness on a single night in January — a threefold increase over last year that was largely driven by 13,900 asylum-seekers who had no permanent place to stay. The estimates released Friday come from the city’s annual snapshot of the number of people experiencing homelessness on a single night. This year’s point-in-time count was conducted on Jan. 25 — shortly after the city saw its peak of the number of migrants it sheltered. During the count, 13,679 asylum-seekers were living in shelters, with 212 unsheltered. * Sun-Times | PPP fraud was fueled in part by brokers taking kickbacks but escaping punishment, Sun-Times finds: In one case, the Chicago Housing Authority revoked a rent voucher for a woman accused of getting fraudulent loans through the federal Paycheck Protection Program that a broker on Facebook offered to arrange. And six fired Illinois state government workers also said they kicked back parts of their loans. But the people arranging them escaped punishment. * Sun-Times | Another summer, another debate over teen curfews as downtown residents question their effectiveness: “I think all one has to do is just google ‘How effective are teen curfews?’ and you’ll find almost all the research indicates they are ineffective at controlling crime,” Jim Wales, president of South Loop Neighbors, told the Sun-Times. […] Wales, who also sits on the Grant Park Advisory Board and has a background in law enforcement, said he understands the need to respond to these “horrendous situations.” As a resident, Wales also wants violent crime to be addressed, but cautioned council members against passing laws that “aren’t necessarily effective in dealing with that problem.” * Crain’s | Chicago has third-most Fortune 500 companies in the U.S.: Chicago is now home to 15 companies ranked on the 2024 Fortune 500 list, the third-most in the U.S. after New York City with 41 companies and Houston with 21. Last year, Chicago only had 13 companies making the esteemed list and didn’t even place among the top three cities — Atlanta came in third. The two new companies on this year’s edition include GE HealthCare and Kellanova. Last year, Battle Creek, Mich.-based Kellogg split into two separate publicly traded companies: WK Kellogg, which is still based in Battle Creek, and Kellanova, which is headquartered in Chicago. * Tribune | Federal racketeering charges accuse two reputed gang members with slaying of National Guard cadet: Weeks after a high-profile FBI raid on a quiet Lincoln Square street, federal racketeering charges have been unsealed accusing two gang members in the 2021 drive-by slaying of a teenage National Guard member on the Northwest Side. Gary Roberson, who goes by the nickname “Gotti,” and Joseph Matos, whose street name is “Troubles,” were charged in an indictment unsealed Thursday with murder in furtherance of racketeering conspiracy, which could bring the death penalty if convicted, court records show. * Tribune | Bally’s Chicago rebounds with record revenue in May, as Freedom Center nears demolition to make way for permanent casino: The gaming revenue represented a 13% increase from April, when Bally’s saw its first month-over-month decline since the temporary casino opened at Medinah Temple in September. Bally’s Chicago admissions were up 5% for May to nearly 119,000 visitors, ranking second behind Rivers Casino Des Plaines, which remains the busiest and top revenue-generating casino in the state, according to the monthly data. * WBEZ | How blues legend Buddy Guy made his indelible mark on Chicago: “Anyone who has never seen Buddy Guy before, this is the time to do it,” said Brother Jacob, aka Jacob Schulz, a Chicago blues singer and blues history aficionado who hosts a show on the Buddy Guy Radio internet station. “He really puts on a masterclass during his performances, and I think they get better and better every year.” * Block Club | NASCAR Street Race Closures Start Monday. Here’s Where To Avoid: Pre-race closures for July’s NASCAR Street Race start early Monday morning Downtown. Ida B. Wells Drive will close from Michigan Avenue to Columbus Drive for construction of the main viewing areas. The next set of closures is set to take place June 19 along Michigan Avenue. The NASCAR race is July 6-7, though the city will need 19 days in all for setting up and then tearing down the course. * IPM | New opponent emerges for Nikki Budzinski, with support from Green Party presidential hopeful Jill Stein: A 27-year-old Green Party candidate has entered the race for Congress in Illinois’ 13th District. On Thursday, Chibuihe “Chibu” Asonye stumped with Green Party presidential hopeful Jill Stein in Champaign-Urbana. Asonye is a residence hall director at the University of Illinois and a former Democrat. She says she tells her Democratic family and friends, that the party isn’t serving them. * Daily Herald | Will County Board OKs landfill consultant contract for ex-state tollway chairman: The hiring of [Robert Schillerstrom] reflects one more partisan divide in county government. Landfill oversight falls under the duties of County Executive Jennifer Bertino-Tarrant, a Democrat. The county board, which is divided evenly between Democrats and Republicans, however, will have a say in the future of the landfill. * Daily Herald | Wheels, Inc. to lease more than a quarter of Zurich North America headquarters in Schaumburg: When that announcement was made last summer, Jones Lang LaSalle Senior Managing Director Andrea Van Gelder described a trend of companies gravitating to smaller but higher-quality office spaces. Zurich’s building would be the highest-end leasable space available in the region, she said. * Daily Herald | Habitat for Humanity building a 28-home subdivision in Carpentersville: Village trustees recently signed off on a 28-home subdivision proposed by Fox Valley Habitat for Humanity. It will be off Kings Road near Dundee Crown High School. The subdivision is named Carter Crossing after President Jimmy Carter and his wife Rosalyn, both longtime Habitat supporters. It will be one of the largest Habitat developments in Illinois, said Barbara Beckman, executive director of Fox Valley Habitat for Humanity. * NYT | Clarence Thomas, in Financial Disclosure, Acknowledges 2019 Trips Paid by Harlan Crow: Other Supreme Court justices chronicled their gifts, travel and money earned from books and teaching. Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson reported receiving four concert tickets valued at about $3,700 from Beyoncé and $10,000 of artwork for her chambers from the Alabama artist and musician Lonnie Holley. * Arkansas Advocate | For some rural communities, a stripped-down hospital is better than none at all: On many days, some small hospitals in rural Mississippi admit just one patient — or none at all. The hospitals are drowning in debt. The small, tight-knit communities they’ve anchored for decades can do little but watch as the hospitals shed services and staff just to stay afloat. The federal government recently offered a lifeline: a new Medicare program designed to save dying rural hospitals that will pay them millions to stop offering inpatient services and instead focus on emergency care. * NewsGuard | Fake Local News Network Infects 49 States with Fake COVID-19 Death Claims: Metric Media operates a network consisting of locally branded websites across the U.S., with names such as East Arizona News, Nevada Business Daily, and Central Wisconsin News. In fact, those outlets are so-called pink slime sites, which are used by groups on the left and the right to influence voters with one-sided news coverage, undermining the overall trust in news. These secretly partisan sites masquerade as independent local news sites.
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Meanwhile… In Opposite Land
Friday, Jun 7, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller * Texas…
* Texas…
* Louisiana…
* Also in Louisiana…
* Utah…
* Texas…
* Colorado…
* Iowa…
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Martire: Spending on state’s four ‘core services’ about 10 percent lower than in FY2000
Friday, Jun 7, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller * Ralph Martire…
A big part of the reason for the spending discrepancy is that pensions were horribly under-funded in those days. During the upcoming fiscal year, mandated pension payments will be 19 percent of General Funds spending. Manageable, but way higher than it was in the old days, when pension funding was barely an after-thought. Whoever is elected governor in 22 years - after the pensions are fully funded - is gonna party like it’s 1999. Literally.
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Mendick’s eephus
Friday, Jun 7, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller * This may turn out to be the high point of the entire White Sox season…
* From MLB.com…
Mendick threw seven eephuses (eephi?) out of 15 pitches yesterday. Feel free to use this post as an Illinois sports open thread.
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Alderpersons join legislative call on IDOT to rethink DuSable Lake Shore Drive plans
Friday, Jun 7, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller * Mack Liederman at Block Club Chicago…
* This House resolution passed unanimously last month…
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Pritzker to participate in US-Canada Summit next week
Friday, Jun 7, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller * Press release…
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There’s more than one makeup story in the news
Friday, Jun 7, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller * This is definitely not a good look and will undoubtedly generate a kabillion clicks and hot takes…
* This allegation, however, could very well turn out to be illegal, even though it was buried at the end of an NBC5 story…
Wow.
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Protected: SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - Today’s edition of Capitol Fax (use all CAPS in password)
Friday, Jun 7, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller
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Open thread
Friday, Jun 7, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller * Happy Friday! What’s up?…
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Isabel’s morning briefing
Friday, Jun 7, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller * ICYMI: ‘An impossible job’: Illinois DCFS comes under new leadership yet again amidst years of challenges. WBEZ…
- Reset checks in with the new leader of the embattled DCFS, Heidi Mueller, for how she plans to right the ship. * Related stories…
∙ ABC Chicago: New Illinois DCFS director Heidi Mueller reflects 100 days into role: ‘Where I was meant to be’ * WTTW | More Than Half of Migrants Forced to Leave City Shelters Immediately Returned, Chicago Officials Say: But the acknowledgement that approximately 500 people would be unhoused months after arriving in Chicago raises new questions about plans by officials to start evicting families with school-age children from city shelters Monday. The academic year for Chicago Public Schools students ended Friday, eliminating the dispensation granted to families with children. […] City officials do “not expect a mass exit from shelters” starting Monday because a “number of extensions remain in place and shelter exit dates are staggered according to when individuals entered the shelter,” according to a statement from Department of Family and Support Services Commissioner Brandie Knazze. * Sun-Times | White Sox blown out in franchise record 14th straight defeat: The White Sox set a franchise record with their 14th consecutive loss Thursday, routed 14-2 by the Red Sox. Surpassing a mark set by the 1924 team and extending the longest skid in the majors this season, the Sox lost for the 18th time in their last 19 games, tumbling to 15-48. * Tribune | Legislation would block carbon dioxide pipelines in Illinois for up to 2 years: “We’ve got a moratorium — that’s a good thing and we might get more safety measures depending on what (the federal regulators) do,” said Pam Richart, coordinator of the Coalition to Stop CO2 Pipelines. Still, she said, members of her coalition were dismayed that the bill didn’t ban or severely limit eminent domain, in which land can be taken from a nonconsenting owner for the public good. * Daily Herald | State senator hopes gas-leak detector bill can prevent catastrophes like house explosions: If Tuesday’s house explosion in Lake Zurich is determined to have been caused by a natural gas leak, one state senator from suburbs says it would be another example of the dangers he hopes his proposed legislation can prevent. Republican state Sen. Craig Wilcox of McHenry introduced the Fuel Gas Detector Act in February 2023, and hopes to continue negotiating for a version of it to become law during this summer’s veto session in Springfield. * Sports Handle | Illinois Gaming Board Renews 7 Retail Sports Betting Licenses: Illinois Gaming Board Administrator Marcus Fruchter renewed seven sports betting licenses for retail sportsbooks Thursday, the first such renewals since in the state since operators began taking wagers in March 2020. Fruchter, using the expanded powers delegated to him following the COVID-19 pandemic and since renewed on an annual basis, granted four-year license renewals through June 2028 to the following casinos: Argosy Casino Alton, DraftKings at Casino Queen in East St. Louis, Grand Victoria Casino in Elgin, Hollywood Casino Aurora, Hollywood Casino Joliet, Rivers Casino in Des Plaines, and Par-A-Dice Hotel Casino in East Peoria. * NBC Chicago | DNC protesters, Chicago officials seek compromise ahead of event: During a status hearing Thursday, Andrew Worseck, an attorney for the city, told federal Judge Andrea Wood city officials have finally obtained enough information from the U.S. Secret Service to propose another route. Part of the problem is officials with the Secret Service have not yet announced the security perimeter for the convention, though city officials have begun honing their strategies for the event. * Sun-Times | Mayor’s pricey hair and makeup: In one year, Brandon Johnson’s campaign has spent $30K on hair, makeup: Asked about Johnson’s spending — including his having a makeup artist paid a retainer, which hair and makeup sessions were for which events and whether any of the payments were for anyone other than the mayor — [the Johnson campaign’s Bill Neidhardt] says in a written statement: “The mayor does not spend taxpayer dollars in preparation for the many public appearances and events he attends every day. “Instead, he is using his own campaign funds to pay Black- and women-owned businesses a fair wage in compensation for their work in preparing the mayor and individuals associated with the campaign for public appearances, events, media segments and other availabilities. * Chalkbeat | CPS did not violate state law in moving to take over Urban Prep, appeals court rules: The court’s decision is the latest twist in a nearly two-year battle between Chicago Public Schools and Urban Prep, which has fought to stay open amid allegations of financial mismanagement, violation of special-education rights, and sexual misconduct. The appeals court’s decision comes as charter schools face greater scrutiny under the new board of education appointed by Mayor Brandon Johnson, a former teacher and union leader. In January, the board renewed contracts for 49 charters, most by three or four years. State law allows extensions up to 10 years. * Sun-Times | Calumet Fisheries to reopen Saturday — rebuilt after devastating fire last fall: The seafood restaurant, one of the few smokehouses left in Illinois, was gutted in a fire in November due to an electrical issue. It underwent extensive renovation for its Saturday soft reopening. “My Facebook page has been off the hook with people just dying to come back,” co-owner Mark Kotlick said. * Daily Herald | How Arlington Heights police are taking drones ‘to the next level’: “Time,” Chief Nicholas Pecora replied when we asked about the main benefit of the department’s new addition. “You don’t want a delayed response. You want to have it out on the street and up in the air as soon as possible.” […] Back in 2019, Arlington Heights was among the first suburban municipal police departments to add drones. Today, the department has three drones in service and 26 officers licensed to fly them. * NBC Chicago | Gov. Pritzker weighs in on Dolton saga, answers questions on if state should intervene: “We’ve looked into whether we ought to put resources, whether it’s state police and their anti-corruption efforts or asking the Attorney General,” Pritzker said. “The reality is there are already two pretty significant investigations going on. We’ll support them in every way we can, but it’s just a matter if you want everybody running over each other in those investigations, or do you want two concerted efforts to get the facts?” * ABC Chicago | Cook County Assessor to correct thousands of property tax assessment errors in south, west suburbs: In past reports, the Assessor’s Office admitted some south suburban homeowners were over-assessed. Now we have found there were more than 4,000 of these errors. A letter obtained by the I-Team shows that the Assessor’s Office is working to correct problems. * NBC Chicago | Blowing dust, gusty winds could cause hazardous travel in Chicago area: According to a special weather statement issued Thursday afternoon, winds of 35-to-45 miles per hour are expected to continue throughout the afternoon and into the evening, leading to serious travel concerns around the area. The main threats will be felt on north-south roadways, where winds could impact high-profile vehicles, according to the alert. * Daily Journal | Judge rules not to detain two Shapiro workers charged with battering resident: Two Shapiro Developmental Center employees charged with battering a resident in September 2023 were released following their detention hearings Wednesday in Kankakee County Court. Both are charged with the battery of a 32-year-old Shapiro resident. […] While Cunnington released the pair, he did order both to report to pretrial services, wear GPS monitoring devices and to have no contact with Shapiro Developmental Center, the victim or a witness. * SJ-R | New workforce program launching for seniors in the Springfield area: The HAP Foundation partnered with AmeriCorps for the program, which is intended to train seniors to help them reenter the workforce as community health workers. […] Volunteers in the program will receive a monthly stipend of $200, and once the program is complete participants will receive $1,000 through a grant from the Illinois Public Health Association. * WPSD | Annual Superman celebrations return in Metropolis, Illinois: This year’s guests include Tyler Hoechil, who fans will recognize as Superman on “Superman & Lois,” the “Supergirl” series and other shows in the CW’s Arrowverse. Fans can also catch Nicole Maines, who played Nia Nal on “Supergirl” and “The Flash,” and Jess Rath, known as Brainiac-5 on “Supergirl” and Alak Tarr on the SyFy series “Defiance.” * PJ Star | Deere and Co. to pay $1.1 million for discriminatory hiring practices in Illinois, Iowa: The U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs settled with Deere and Co. to pay back wages and interest to Black and Hispanic employees at the company’s locations in Milan, Illinois; Ankeny, Iowa; and Waterloo, Iowa.[…] As part of its settlement, Deere and Co. has agreed to pay $1.1 million in back wages and interest as well as provide 58 jobs to eligible class members.
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Live coverage
Friday, Jun 7, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller * You can click here or here to follow breaking news. It’s the best we can do unless or until Twitter gets its act together.
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Selected press releases (Live updates)
Friday, Jun 7, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller
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Isabel’s afternoon roundup
Thursday, Jun 6, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller * Tribune…
* Dave Byrnes… 
* The $2 million will go to 113 public libraries across the state…
* A cute moment from Violet, Rep. Dan Didech’s “assistant”… The whole video is adorable, and you can watch it here. * Illinois Times | Legislation passes to help BOS Center expansion: A bill recently passed by the Illinois General Assembly increases the likelihood a proposed $93 million expansion of Springfield’s convention center will become reality, a state lawmaker says. “ I do think this project is something that will really benefit and save the downtown,” state Rep. Mike Coffey, R-Springfield, told Illinois Times on June 3. * WSPY | Aurora state rep. happy with education funding in state budget: [State Rep. Barbara Hernandez[ says she would have liked to see funding for one of her initiatives to provide student teachers with a stipend that didn’t make it into the budget this time around. She says she wants to do something to reduce the property tax burden, but notes that the pandemic left many people needing more services from the state in addition to the recent migrant crisis. * Brownfield Ag News | IL Ag Director: “We remain committed to conservation”: The Director of the Illinois Department of Agriculture says the administration remains committed to conservation despite funding cuts in the next state budget. Jerry Costello says the funding to soil & water conservation districts decreased due to a lack of specific action in the General Assembly. * WBEZ | Ditch microwave popcorn? With toxic ‘forever chemicals’ on the rise, here’s how to limit exposure: But these chemicals can be hard to avoid on your own, said Erik Olson, senior strategic director of health at the Natural Resources Defense Council. “You can’t completely shop your way out of this,” Olson said. “That’s why we need EPA and controls to stop industries from discharging this stuff.” * Tribune | Chicago leaders react to Biden’s executive order ahead of convention limiting asylum-seekers at the U.S. border: Gov. J.B. Pritzker told reporters Wednesday that Biden’s executive order was “imperfect” but rejected the premise that it was election-year politicking. “In my view, we now have a proposal from the president that is, again, it’s not a perfect solution,” Pritzker said. “We’d like the Congress to take action, but the Republican-controlled House is unwilling to do so. … And so, the president is using whatever tools he has to do what is necessary.” * Block Club | What Do New Restrictions For Migrants At The Border Mean For Chicago?: In a statement Wednesday, Mayor Brandon Johnson called on Congress to pass “permanent solutions” for “Dreamers, spouses of American citizens and long-term workers.” “It is time for Congress to finally work with President Biden to pass comprehensive immigration reform and create fair and functional policies for our country,” Johnson’s statement said. * Tribune | As another Chicago summer begins, stakeholders in anti-violence efforts dig in: Along with city leaders and public safety advocates, Douglas and his colleagues at the University of Chicago trauma center have spent months preparing. And this summer will bring extra challenges as the city prepares to welcome waves of tourists, delegates and party officials for the Democratic National Convention in late August. While doctors, nurses and surgeons have made sure they have what they need to treat the wounded in their emergency rooms, city leaders say they are prepared with law enforcement strategies as well as violence interruption and emergency response plans. * Tribune | City poised to offer DNC protesters route near United Center: Mayor Brandon Johnson’s administration is poised to offer protesters at the Democratic National Convention a route near the United Center to potentially settle a federal lawsuit claiming the city of Chicago is violating protesters’ First Amendment rights by blocking plans to march within “sight and sound” of the convention hall. The development was revealed at a hearing Thursday in the lawsuit filed by the U.S. Palestinian Community Network, which is seeking an injunction blocking the city from confining protesters to places far from the convention site, such as Grant Park. * WTTW | Pay $50M to 4 Men Who Each Spent Nearly 20 Years in Prison for Double Murder They Didn’t Commit, City Lawyers Recommend: The Chicago City Council’s Finance Committee is set on Monday to consider the proposed settlement, which calls for taxpayers to pay $21 million and the city’s insurance company to pay $29 million. A final vote of the City Council could come on June 12. […] All four defendants, who became known as the “Marquette Park Four,” were exonerated in 2017 after Cook County prosecutors dropped the charges against them. Styles, who was 16 at the time of the murder, and Johnson, who was 19 at the time of the murder, had been sentenced to life in prison. * Sun-Times | How the seizure of a woman’s purple gun led to a Chicago police corruption scandal: One of the officers grabbed the handgun, then made an unnerving comment. “We understand why you have this weapon. We’ll let you go,” recalled German, a legal gun owner who didn’t have a license to carry publicly. “This never happened.” After hearing those parting words and realizing the officer had taken the gun, German said she knew there “was some B.S. going on.” The officers, identified as Daniel Fair and Jeffery Morrow, later claimed they had recovered the gun while responding to a ShotSpotter alert a mile from the bus stop. * WTTW | Chicago Spent More Than 1 Million Overtime Hours on ‘Scarecrow’ Police Shifts Since 2022 Before Abandoning the Approach: Despite past and current pledges to reduce costs of overtime, records provided to WTTW News show the monthly total of hours assigned for [strategic deployment initiative] shifts reached its highest level under Snelling in the final three months of operation. […] CPD did not respond to questions about how it judged the efficacy of the SDI plan. The city did announce this year’s summer safety plan before the Memorial Day weekend. The plan would continue canceling officers’ days off to make up for staffing issues as it has in the past. * WGN | No Fourth of July fireworks in Chicago this year: The city has offered no explanation, but reminds residents that Navy Pier holds its twice-a-week fireworks display every Wednesday and Saturday through Labor Day. * Daily Herald | How Illinois’ new child tax credit will affect suburban parents: Parents of children 12 and younger who also qualify for the state’s earned income tax credit (EITC) are eligible for the tax break that could net as much as $300 for one child. Refunds would be higher for parents with multiple children in that age bracket, but the value is staggered similar to the EITC. “It is an important step and it is really exciting because we have seen similar policies work at the federal level and in other states,” said state Rep. Mary Beth Canty, an Arlington Heights Democrat who helped champion child tax credit legislation in Springfield. “It can be the difference in families buying school supplies, diapers, new shoes or what have you. Those types of expenses that keep our families and kids on track for future success.” * CBS Chicago | Mayor of Chicago suburb of Markham says pandemonium in Dolton is creeping into other communities: The City of Markham is one of 17 municipalities in Thornton Township, and Markham Mayor Roger Agpawa said he felt compelled to speak out about the cloud hanging over Henyard after insisting she is trying to paint Markham in a bad light for her benefit. Homeowners in the south suburbs saw an increase in their property taxes recently, and Markham is no exception. * SJ-R | Proposed multimillion dollar warehouse could bring hundreds of jobs to Springfield: Frito-Lay has another warehouse in Springfield that operates at 5400 International Parkway. That warehouse is currently hiring for part time positions in the warehousing industry anywhere from $21.89 to $22.88 an hour. While absolute numbers are not available currently for the project, President and CEO of the Springfield Sangamon Growth Alliance Ryan McCrady said that similarly sized constructions in the city would range from $30 to $50 million for a warehouse of that size. * NBC | Elon Musk’s X app ran ads on #whitepower and other hateful hashtags: While the hashtags make up a small percentage of what is posted daily on X, they add to previous examples showing how the platform has struggled to maintain control of its ad network and how it intersects with hate speech — an issue that has plagued the platform for years. The placements allow X to monetize extremist content more than 18 months after Musk said that he would demonetize hate posts on the platform he owns. * WaPo | Several Pa. House Republicans boo officers who defended Capitol on Jan. 6: Former U.S. Capitol Police officer Harry Dunn and former sergeant Aquilino Gonell were introduced on the floor Wednesday as “heroes” by House Speaker Joanna McClinton (D) for having “bravely defended democracy in the United States Capitol against rioters and insurrection on Jan. 6.” As the two men — both of whom were injured by rioters on Jan. 6 — were introduced, the House floor descended into chaos. According to Democratic lawmakers, several GOP lawmakers hissed and booed, with a number of Republicans walking out of the chamber in protest. * NPR | ‘Washington Post’ publisher tried to kill a story about allegations against him. It wasn’t the first time.: The Washington Post has written twice this spring about allegations that have cropped up in British court proceedings involving its new publisher and CEO, Will Lewis. In both instances Lewis pushed his newsroom chief hard not to run the story. According to several people at the newspaper, then-Executive Editor Sally Buzbee emerged rattled from both discussions in March and in May. Lewis’ efforts were first reported by the New York Times. The second Post article in May, which was thorough and detailed, ran just days before Lewis announced his priorities for the paper, which is financially troubled. * Smithsonian Mag | Martha Gellhorn Was The Only Woman to Report on the D-Day Landings From the Ground: Gellhorn was one of the first journalists—and the only female correspondent—to view that hellish scene 80 years ago. Lacking proper credentials, she lied her way onto a hospital ship traveling from England to France, then rode in a water ambulance to the still-dangerous Normandy shore as artillery shells from battleships roared overhead. Among other hazards, she endured snipers, landmines and strafing by German warplanes, all to get the story.
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Protected: SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - Revenue update
Thursday, Jun 6, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller
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Notorious ’swatter’ sentenced to federal prison, partly for Illinois crimes
Thursday, Jun 6, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller * US Attorney’s Office from the Western District of the state of Washington..
* The two 2022 Illinois crimes…
Neither Isabel nor I could find any news coverage about those two swatting crimes. * KOMO reports on how he was busted…
It is kind of amazing to me that the FBI still has no way to trace these calls. But good on them for catching him. * More from the plea agreement…
Click here for the entire plea agreement. And click here for sentencing document, Memorandum regarding detention. Thoughts? [Isabel significantly contributed to this post.]
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MLB open thread
Thursday, Jun 6, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller * House Speaker Chris Welch was on 670 The Score’s the Mully & Haugh Show. The hosts asked him all sorts of questions about public financing for professional sports stadiums, but Welch shot them all down. No real news there. This quote from Cub fan Welch wasn’t exactly news either, but it’s time for an MLB open thread, so here you go…
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Showcasing The Retailers Who Make Illinois Work
Thursday, Jun 6, 2024 - Posted by Advertising Department [The following is a paid advertisement.] Retail provides one out of every five Illinois jobs, generates the second largest amount of tax revenue for the state, and is the largest source of revenue for local governments. But retail is also so much more, with retailers serving as the trusted contributors to life’s moments, big and small. We Are Retail and IRMA are dedicated to sharing the stories of retailers like Dani, who serve their communities with dedication and pride.
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They’ll come back to it
Thursday, Jun 6, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller * Play USA…
A bill eliminating the subminimum wage for workers with disabilities failed to pass the General Assembly ahead of its May adjournment, although sponsors say they hope to pass it when lawmakers return in the fall. * WBEZ…
* SJ-R…
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Open thread
Thursday, Jun 6, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller * What’s going on?…
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Isabel’s morning briefing
Thursday, Jun 6, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller * ICYMI: Judge blocks law that would have banned newly slated candidates from ballot. Capitol News Illinois…
-“The General Assembly could make the revisions effective for the next election, rather than in the midst of the current election,” Noll wrote. - Neither the attorney general’s office nor attorneys for House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch immediately responded to a request for comment as to whether they would appeal the ruling. * You can watch the Governor’s fireside chat here…
* Daily Herald | Arlington Heights trustee tapped for 53rd District House seat: A panel of Northwest suburban Democratic leaders picked Arlington Heights village Trustee Nicolle Grasse as the new state representative for the 53rd District. Grasse will fill the vacancy created when Mark Walker left the post last month to fill the seat in the 27th District Senate left vacant when Ann Gillespie accepted Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s appointment as head of the Illinois Department of Insurance. * WGLT | Orders of protection are plentiful in McLean County — compliance less so: Sergio Ponce, senior court advocate with the program, said there are certain riskier times for women trying to break ties with their abusers because abuse is a lot about control. […] Using orders of protection as a tool requires calling police when there are violations for it to work. Ponce pointed out some remedies in the order of protection are not enforceable by police. * Shaw Local | Former Illinois Republican campaign aide makes first court appearance in obscenity case: On Wednesday, Timothy Pawula, 32, of Chicago, made his first court appearance with his defense attorney, Doug DeBoer, before Judge Ken Zelazo at the Will County Courthouse in Joliet. State records list Pawula as the treasurer for Ozinga for Illinois, the candidate election committee for former Republican state Rep. Tim Ozinga of Mokena. […] “I’ve never seen a criminal charge filed in this manner,” DeBoer said to Zelazo regarding the bill of particulars. * Sun-Times | Budget balancing act? Pritzker signs $53.1 billion spending plan, dismisses Democratic discord: The signing of the spending plan in the West Loop’s State of Illinois building featured no fanfare — unlike Pritzker’s last two budgets, in which he stood flanked by cheering rank-and-file Democratic lawmakers. But Pritzker swept away the notion that the low-key event was due to any intraparty feuds, saying he is backed by House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch, D-Hillside, and Illinois Senate President Don Harmon, D-Oak Park, who stood alongside him, in addition to House Speaker Pro Tempore Jehan Gordon-Booth, D-Peoria, state Sen. Elgie Sims, D-Chicago and Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton. * Tribune | Democrats declare ‘Illinois is on the right track’ as Gov. J.B. Pritzker signs $53.1 billion budget: Pritzker has yet to sign a revenue package that includes roughly $750 million in tax hikes necessary to balance the budget, but said Wednesday he plans to do so without making any changes. While the budget passed comfortably in the House by a 65-45 vote and more convincingly in the Senate by a vote of 38-21, negotiations in the Democratic-controlled chambers stretched into overtime and seven Democrats in the House and two in the Senate joined Republicans in voting no. * SJ-R | Pritzker signs $53.1B budget, touts investments in education, economic development: That measure includes increases on the sports wagering and video gaming taxes, which will net the state an additional $235 million in revenues, in addition to an extended cap on corporate net operating losses to prevent what would have been a $526 million loss for the state. * Fox 2 Now | Illinois legislators approve law against landfill’s airborne waste: The bills require landfills in Madison, St. Clair, and similar-sized counties to have facilities on site to clean mud from truck wheels and undercarriages before they leave the landfill after dumping their trash. Truck drivers must also secure tarps over the tops of their loads to prevent flying trash. Tarp violations can bring $150 fines and additional $150 fine per violation beyond a fourth offense in a single year. * Block Club | Alderman Pushes For 8 PM Downtown Curfew For Minors After Teens Attack Couple In Streeterville: Ald. Brian Hopkins (2nd) is pushing for a stricter Downtown curfew for minors after two teens attacked a couple in Streeterville last week. The attack happened around 9:15 p.m. Friday in the 400 block of East Grand Avenue, police said. A woman, whose age was not given, and a 40-year-old man were on the street when a group approached them. […] After the woman described the attack in an anonymous interview this week with FOX32, Hopkins announced in his newsletter he is working to establish an 8 p.m. curfew law for all unaccompanied minors in the Central Business District. * Block Club | South, West Side Youth Groups Get $600,000 From City To Boost Kids’ Programs: More than 60 community organizations will get grants averaging about $10,000 each in an effort to get more kids involved in activities like gardening, summer camps and trades programs. * Crain’s | Downtown rents moderating as new apartments hit the market: So far this year, 2,400 new apartment units have become available downtown, with a total of 3,600 projected to be delivered in 2024 as developers complete projects that were financed before the Federal Reserve’s interest rate hikes, according to the Chicago office of Integra Realty Resources. That’s a jump from about 2,900 units brought to market in 2023 and 1,500 in 2022. * Tribune | White Sox bullpen can’t hold late leads in consecutive losses to Cubs in City Series sweep: ‘It sucks’: The White Sox had what appeared to be comfortable leads Tuesday and Wednesday in the City Series against the Cubs. Both advantages disappeared, as the Sox continued their spiral with crushing defeats. And in the process, they tied a single-season franchise record with their 13th consecutive loss. They reached that dubious distinction Wednesday, falling 7-6 in front of 40,073 at Wrigley Field. * NBC Chicago | Dolton disorder spreads as records show mayor used village funds for personal makeup artist: An itemized payroll sheet for the township sent to NBC Chicago from May of last year lists Brandon Momon as an administrative assistant, but when we reached out to him, he told us he’s Henyard’s make-up artist. “It is just once again a long series of things done incorrectly – or possibly illegally,” said Chris Gonzalez, a Thornton Township trustee. * Crain’s | What will become of Aon’s massive Lincolnshire office complex?: San Diego, Calif.-based Realty Income has hired brokerage CBRE to seek a buyer for the 4 Overlook Point office complex in the northern suburb, according to a marketing flyer. The site in the heart of the 330-acre Lincolnshire Corporate Center campus is a longtime office of insurance giant Aon, whose lease for the entire 818,686-square-foot office complex on the property is due to expire at the end of this year. * Daily Herald | Suburban World War II veterans mark D-Day anniversary in Normandy: Today, three World War II veterans from the suburbs are there once more to mark the 80th anniversary of what Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower called the “Great Crusade.” Dick Rung, 99, of Carol Stream, Jack Kinyon, 101, of Bartlett, and Edward “Bud” Berthold, 104, of Fox River Grove, made the trip with other veterans through the Best Defense Foundation. The California-based nonprofit provides opportunities for World War II veterans to return to their battlefields for closure, camaraderie and remembrance. * Crain’s | We now know how much Oberweis Dairy sold for — and its new owner’s plans: The price tag for Oberweis Dairy, which was recently sold through a bankruptcy auction, was $21.25 million. The investment arm of Winnetka-based private-equity firm Hoffmann Family of Cos. won the bidding on May 29, but the price was not immediately made public in court documents. * WCIA | More details shared in train vs. semi crash in Southern Illinois: Amtrak officials have shared more details regarding a train-vs.-semi crash on Wednesday in Southern Illinois. An Amtrak train was traveling from Chicago to Carbondale, making several stops at stations across Central Illinois. The train was just north of its final destination, when at 2:30 p.m., it collided with a semi that was obstructing the tracks. […] Amtrak officials said the train was able to continue its journey to Carbondale after a nearly 3-hour delay. * SJ-R | ‘A happy return:’ New music director of the Illinois Symphony Orchestra has ties to state: In Chicago, Fukumura was the assistant conductor of the Chicago Sinfonietta and the Chicago Philharmonic, while directing two youth orchestras at the Merit School of Music. He also conducted the Northwestern Medical Orchestra, made up of students, faculty, residents, researchers and staff members in the Northwestern medical community. […] A native of Tokyo who grew up in Boston and started his musical studies on the violin at age 3, Fukumura is acclaimed for his dynamic stage presence and musical finesse. * Reuters | D-Day anniversary 2024: World leaders, veterans, commemorate Normandy landings: “I want to pay my respects to those who didn’t make it. May they rest in peace,” veteran Joe Mines said, in words read by actor Martin Freeman. “I was 19 when I landed, but I was still a boy…and I didn’t have any idea of war and killing.” “I tried to forget D-Day but I can’t,” Royal Navy veteran Ron Hendrey said in words read by actor Douglas Booth. “I’ve lived 80 years since that day, my friends have remained under the earth.”
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Uber Partners With Cities To Expand Urban Transportation
Thursday, Jun 6, 2024 - Posted by Advertising Department [The following is a paid advertisement.] Uber is leading the charge to close critical transportation gaps, ensuring reliable access to its services in places that need it most, such as underserved areas like Englewood. This is a part of Uber’s broader commitment to augment and expand the reach of Chicago’s transportation ecosystem, focusing on overcoming the first-mile/ last-mile hurdles that have long plagued residents in farther afield neighborhoods. Uber aims to extend the public transit network’s reach, making urban transportation more accessible and efficient for everyone. Discover the full story on how Uber is transforming city transportation for the better.
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Protected: SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - Supplement to today’s edition
Thursday, Jun 6, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller
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Protected: SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - Today’s edition of Capitol Fax (use all CAPS in password)
Thursday, Jun 6, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller
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Selected press releases (Live updates)
Thursday, Jun 6, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller
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Live coverage
Thursday, Jun 6, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller * You can click here or here to follow breaking news. It’s the best we can do unless or until Twitter gets its act together.
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