Capitol Fax.com - Your Illinois News Radar

One problem may have been dealt with, but did the city create another one?

Monday, Dec 18, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Viral infections have shot up among children across the country. The shelter in question was supposed to hold 1,000 people, but more than twice that many are housed there now, possibly creating what we called during the pandemic a super-spreader environment. The city has emptied the police stations, but in doing so may have created a new problem by packing humans into shelters like sardines…

The boy died yesterday. His lips were purple when his parents sought help. Favorite Staffing workers told them, roughly, "It's probably because of the cold," per police.

Today, Chicago Fire hospitalized 5 more migrant shelter residents with fevers. Ages 1, 4, 8, 9 & 18. https://t.co/YukkAXt38l

— Jake Sheridan (@JakeSheridan_) December 18, 2023

* Tribune…

Abhishek Dhar, a physician who helped migrants staying at police stations, said he is concerned about migrants living in close quarters contracting communicable diseases. Many migrants at the stations didn’t know the appropriate procedures for calling an ambulance or seeking medical care, he said. […]

The boy’s parents said their son had been sick for the past two to three days with a fever and was complaining of pain in his left leg. The day before he died, he took children’s Tylenol and a pill believed to be ibuprofen, according to a police report obtained by the Tribune.

Police said on Sunday morning he woke up hungry, and his family went out to beg for money. Juan Carlos complained that he wanted to go back to the shelter because he wasn’t feeling well. His father gave him electrolytes, and noticed he had vomited.

Juan Carlos’ lips turned purple when his family returned to the shelter, the report said. His father went upstairs to request an ambulance. Family members later told police that staff said the discoloration was “probably because of the cold,” the report said.

Go read the rest. Lots of disturbing details.

* Sun-Times…

The shelter is a converted warehouse that opened in early October and has since become the most crowded shelter in the city, holding more than 2,000 people.

It is run by Favorite Healthcare Staffing, a Kansas-based contractor the city has awarded close to $100 million to run shelters since September 2022, shortly after the first buses carrying migrants began arriving.

[Chicago Fire Department spokesman Larry Langford] said the fire department sent a district chief to the shelter Monday “to see what’s happening,” and is awaiting his report.

* Press release…

Today, Congresswoman Delia C. Ramirez (IL-03) released the following statement after a 5-year-old boy died on Sunday after becoming ill at a shelter for migrants in Chicago.

“The death of 5-year-old Jean Carlos Martinez Rivero is unacceptable and devastating. My heart and prayers are with his family. It is heartbreaking that substandard care, under-resourcing, and years of political inaction continue to steal bright futures and rob families and our communities of possibilities.

“Every shelter should be a safe, healthy space for families. Any facility that falls short of fulfilling that responsibility must be held accountable. I have spoken with the City of Chicago and we agree there must be a full investigation into whether Favorite Staffing can fulfill the important responsibility of providing safe and adequate temporary shelter for migrants and asylum seekers.

The Federal Government, including leadership at the Department of Homeland Security and the Administration, must grapple with the deadly consequences of inaction. The insufficient funding for cities like Chicago, which are actually welcoming and supporting asylum seekers, puts children at risk. Instead of negotiating and doubling down on ineffective draconian, Trump-era border policies, we must work together to secure adequate resources, improve intergovernmental cooperation, and expedite work permits for all. We all have a responsibility to ensure this never happens again, and we can and must do better.”

* The mayor’s response was mainly deflection and devoid of empathy for the dead child…

When asked about the situation, Johnson said that the matter is being complicated by the actions of Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, whose busing program has led to nearly 26,000 asylum seekers being transported to Chicago.

“They’re showing up sick,” he said. “The issue is not just how we respond in the city of Chicago. It’s the fact we have a governor, an elected official in the state of Texas, that is placing families on buses without shoes, cold, wet, tired, hungry, afraid, traumatized, and then they come to the city of Chicago, where we have homelessness, mental health clinics that have been shut down and closed. We have people who are seeking employment. The governor of Texas needs to take a look in the mirror, with the chaos he’s causing for the people of this country.”

I mean, I get the mayor’s frustration, but at some point you have to start figuring this out.

* Meanwhile…

The site at 115th and Halsted streets set to become a so-called “winterized base camp” for migrants may be contaminated with pollutants from an underground fuel oil tank as well as from a defunct dry cleaners and a shuttered gas station, according to an environmental study released Monday by Mayor Brandon Johnson’s office.

The report from Lisle-based A3E Consulting, dated Oct. 31, recommends “additional investigation” of the 6.5 acres of land surrounding a vacant Jewel-Osco grocery store on the border between Morgan Park and West Roseland once known as the Halsted Indoor Mall before it is used to shelter migrants. […]

[21st Ward Ald. Ronnie Mosley] said he was confused about why he just saw the environmental study Monday, if it was completed by the end of October.

*Sigh*

10 Comments

Isabel’s afternoon roundup

Monday, Dec 18, 2023 - Posted by Isabel Miller

* Sun-Times…

A 5-year-old boy died Sunday after becoming ill at an overcrowded shelter in Pilsen that has been the subject of repeated complaints about unsanitary conditions.

Jean Carlos Martinez was transported from the shelter at Cermak Road and Halsted Street to Comer’s Children’s Hospital just before 3 p.m. Sunday, police said. He was pronounced dead at 3:47 p.m. An autopsy is scheduled for Monday.

Police said detectives were investigating. Migrant advocates say the boy died in a bathroom after staff refused to call an ambulance, but this could not be confirmed with police.

“My heart and my prayers go out to the Martinez family,” Mayor Brandon Johnson said in a statement released Monday morning. “The city will continue to provide resources and support to them during this difficult time,” Johnson said in the statement.

Borderless Magazine…

On Sunday night, a Venezuelan migrant living at the shelter told Borderless the boy had a more than a 100-degree fever and was convulsing in the bathroom before emergency medical technicians and firefighters were called.

The death happened just three days after Borderless Magazine published an investigation revealing inhumane conditions inside the shelter, including a lack of medical care and the rationing of water. Interviews with those living at the shelter and videos Borderless reviewed of conditions inside the building show that the shelter fails to meet the basic standards for emergency shelter laid out by the U.N. Refugee Agency.

More here.

From Rich: Both Borderless articles rely mainly on reports from shelter residents, but a top city official says that Cook County Health is the health care provider for shelter residents.

* Press release…

The Johnson Administration has successfully transitioned nearly 4,000 asylum-seekers from emergency staging areas into temporary shelters in recent weeks. As of December 14, all police stations have been decompressed and retired as emergency staging areas. […]

The Chicago City Council implemented a bus safety ordinance on November 18 to ensure the orderly and safe intake of new arrivals to Chicago. The ordinance was amended on December 13 by the Council, enacting additional penalties, including the impoundment and towing of buses that refuse to comply with safety protocols set by the City. The safety protocols mandate that bus companies dropping off individuals in the City of Chicago must unload at the designated landing zone and must fill out the requisite paperwork to ensure an orderly process for intaking new arrivals. […]

The City has successfully resettled or reunited over 10,000 asylum seekers while providing shelter, food and wraparound services for more than 15,000 others.

* Jon Seidel…

* Mike Pries…

* Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias…

Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias announced several new laws initiated by his office that will take effect at the start of the new year. The initiatives were passed earlier this year by the Illinois General Assembly and signed into law. They include:

Combating Distracted Driving

Giannoulias drafted this legislation to increase road safety by making it illegal to Zoom, watch or stream videos, or access social media sites while driving. […]

Expanding Voter Registration for Teens

Under this measure, teens obtaining their driver’s license or ID card may preregister to vote at a Secretary of State DMV.

Giannoulias’ office initiated a measure to expand voter participation by allowing 16- and 17-year-olds to preregister to vote, so that, when they turn 18 and are officially eligible to vote, they are already registered to do so. [..]

Protecting Motorists’ Privacy

This first-in-the-nation legislation limits the use of automatic license plate readers (ALPRs) to protect individuals seeking abortion care. It also prohibits this data from being used to criminalize a person’s immigration status.

* More…

Illinois Answers Project | ‘Heartbreaking’ trial in Peoria highlights failures of Illinois DCFS:

* Daily Herald | Why some congressional candidates could get kicked off the March primary ballot: Two of the targeted candidates are Democrats running in the 5th District, where they hope to unseat Democratic U.S. Rep. Mike Quigley of Chicago. Two are Republicans running for the 14th District seat now held by U.S. Rep. Lauren Underwood, a Naperville Democrat. The fifth is a Democrat who filed to run for the 9th District seat held by Democratic U.S. Rep. Jan Schakowsky of Evanston. That candidate said last week he will suspend his campaign because of the objection.

* Chalkbeat | How much school are Illinois students in foster care missing? The state doesn’t track: Both the Illinois State Board of Education and the Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) responded to open records requests from Chalkbeat seeking that information by saying they had no applicable records. In follow-up emails, department officials said that data exists for individual school districts.

* Crain’s | Money starts to flow in transfer tax campaign: The Service Employees International Union Healthcare of Illinois/Indiana, an influential contributor to Mayor Brandon Johnson’s mayoral campaign, contributed $200,000 to the “End Homelessness” campaign committee set up to fund support for passing the referendum question on the March 19 primary ballot.

* Daily Herald | Elk Grove releases video of deadly police shooting: Elk Grove Village police released video and audio recordings Monday depicting the fatal shooting of a 24-year-old man by officers on Dec. 1 and the circumstances leading up to the deadly encounter. The video, compiled from officer body-worn and dashboard cameras, shows Jack Murray walking along a sidewalk near his home while carrying an 11.5-inch knife in his right hand.

* WBEZ | Colleges hand out scholarship money to attract top students — at the expense of kids in need: The number of Black students in Illinois enrolled in college has dropped by more than a third over the past decade, and Black students like Granville often cite money as the biggest hurdle standing between them and a college degree, according to research from Gallup. […] [B]oth public and private colleges have poured money over the last 20 years into so-called merit aid for students with high grade point averages and test scores, who may not need scholarships to get a degree.

* Sun-Times | Controversial West Loop homeless encampment cleared for street cleaning: Workers from Mayor Brandon Johnson’s office and the city’s Department of Family and Social Services coordinated with people to offer them shelter and resources. Seven people were given shelter by the Department of Family and Social Services in the last week, and five more accepted rehousing help Monday. When offered rehousing, 15 people declined, according to Conway.

* Tribune | CPS teacher gave officials the wrong name of boyfriend after video showed him striking a student, records show: Records show the teacher sent an email to her principal shortly after Lancaster’s off-duty altercation and said her friend Craig “Wiliams” grabbed the teen because the boy disregarded her directions to line up and directed inappropriate words at her in response. She also told the principal her friend worked for a computer company, according to a redacted incident report obtained by the Tribune.

* Tribune | Columbia College reaches tentative agreement with part-time faculty, ending historically long strike: The deal will be submitted for a ratification vote this week by the union. If union members approve, classes will proceed as planned for the short January term and the spring 2024 semester. […] Since Oct. 30, 584 adjunct professors have been protesting the administration’s decision to eliminate 53 already-enrolled classes weeks before the fall semester began and 317 course sections for the spring semester while increasing the size of other classes to cut costs.

* CFVI | How 26 Cities are Using SLFRF Dollars to Support Community Violence Interventions: A Look at the Latest Treasury Data: Of the $164 million in planned CVI-CVP spending, cities have spent approximately $33 million (or 20%) as of June 30, 2023. Again, there’s wide variation between cities: Toledo has spent 77% of its budgeted $780,000 for its “Gun Violence Reduction Initiative” whereas Milwaukee reported no expenditures for its planned $4.25 million on violence prevention efforts. The table below lists the 14 cities, how many CVI-CVP projects they have, and planned versus actual spending for those projects as of June 30, 2023.

* Farm Progress | Illinois Soybean awards ag leaders: Rep. Mike Bost, R-Murphysboro, is recognized by ISA for his work advocating for policy and regulatory issues that affect agriculture. Bost represents 34 counties of Illinois’ 12th District in the U.S. House of Representatives. “Rep. Bost actively advocates for policies that address issues Illinois soybean farmers are facing,” Lumpe says. “Through his work on the House committees on Veterans’ Affairs, Transportation and Infrastructure, and Agriculture, Bost is truly making a difference for Illinois agriculture.”

* CNN | Greyhound bus stops are valuable assets. Here’s who’s cashing in on them: Houston, Philadelphia, Cincinnati, Tampa, Louisville, Charlottesville, Portland, Oregon, and other downtown bus depots have shuttered in recent years. Bus terminals in major hubs like Chicago and Dallas are also set to close. Greyhound and other companies have relocated their stops far away from city centers, which are often inaccessible by public transit, switched to curbside service or eliminated routes altogether.

* Bloomberg | U.S. Steel in deal to be bought for $14.1 billion: The deal caps months of uncertainty over the future of US Steel, an icon of American industry, which has been considering potential transactions since it rejected an offer from rival Cleveland-Cliffs Inc. for $7.25 billion in mid-August.

* Governing | Is There a Place for Supermarket Socialism?: It might be called an experiment in supermarket socialism. What could it look like? Well, it’s not hard to imagine a few possibilities. As detailed by Talia Soglin, a diligent Chicago Tribune reporter, the city could own the stores and operate them as a sort of public utility. It could own the properties but contract out the operation to a private company. Or, less dramatically, it could provide generous subsidies to private firms unable to make a profit in low-income territory. The city is conducting a feasibility study and is expected to announce the results early in 2024.

* CNBC | Musk’s X hit with first EU probe under new disinformation rules: The European Commission said it launched the proceedings under the DSA “on the basis of the preliminary investigation conducted so far, including on the basis of an analysis of the risk assessment report submitted by X in September, X’s Transparency report published on 3 November, and X’s replies to a formal request for information, which, among others, concerned the dissemination of illegal content in the context of Hamas’ terrorist attacks against Israel.”

11 Comments

ComEd Four sentencing delayed, and Madigan will file similar request

Monday, Dec 18, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Jon Seidel…

The sentencings of four people convicted of a lengthy conspiracy to bribe then-Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan for ComEd will not go forward as planned next month, but a judge declined Monday to put all proceedings on hold as defense attorneys hoped.

Meanwhile, a defense attorney for Madigan’s co-defendant said he will be making a similar request to stay proceedings in Madigan’s case, which is set for trial in less than four months.

The developments come in the wake of the Supreme Court’s decision to take up a corruption case out of Northwest Indiana, in which questions revolve around a law at play in the ComEd and Madigan cases.

Defense attorneys say the Supreme Court’s decision in the Indiana case could prove “fatal” to the verdict last May against the ComEd bribery defendants: Madigan confidant Michael McClain, ex-ComEd CEO Anne Pramaggiore, former ComEd lobbyist John Hooker and onetime City Club President Jay Doherty. […]

U.S. District Judge Manish Shah handled questions in the ComEd case as emergency judge Monday. He declined to enter a stay of proceedings but told attorneys the sentencing dates for the four defendants, which had been set for January, weren’t going to work.

Go read the rest.

25 Comments

Pritzker says forecasts can and do change, but still urges budgetary caution

Monday, Dec 18, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Two weeks ago today, we discussed my newspaper column about a mid-November revenue and spending forecast from the Governor’s Office of Management and Budget.

The column, based on subscriber-only stories from November 20th and 22nd, talked about how GOMB was forecasting a $422 million net surplus for this fiscal year (even after factoring in the $160 million in new money for asylum seeker care) and an $891 million deficit for next fiscal year, with increased deficits in future years.

The column was partly about how the pandemic had thrown a monkey wrench into budget forecasting, requiring large changes even every few months. The conclusion…

So, again, can the latest projection be trusted? Not completely, but it should still be heeded. After a period of being mostly careful not to drastically increase the state’s base spending, and instead using much of the unexpected revenue bonanzas for one-time items, the legislature and the governor added a ton of money to base spending last spring. If revenues do fall off next fiscal year, base spending will likely have to be cut.

The governor’s budget address is three months away, so the budget-making process is about to begin. We’ve seen countless forecast adjustments during the past few years, so maybe this one will change, too. But, in the meantime, everyone should prepare themselves for some belt-tightening in the months ahead.

* Capitol News Illinois now has a story out that covers pretty much the same ground, but does include some quotes from the governor. You can read that story by clicking here, but this is what the governor said last week…

Well, it’s very hard to project, let’s start with that, any future years. They do their best, they use basically a set percentage increases in spending, a set percentage increase in revenues in order to come up with these numbers for future years, because it’s just so hard to predict.

You’ve even seen during the course of a budget year, where as we get closer to the end of a budget year we’re coming up with new estimates for the following year because things are changing as we go. So just as background. Why are they coming up with deficits projected for future years? Just like in the past years, if you look at the projection for last year, in the year before in the report, nobody projected a billion dollar surplus for this year.

Last year, I think the surplus there was actually a deficit projected for this year. If again, if you go back to that five-year plan, and that’s what you’re looking at.

So that five-year forecast we look at as a guide for how careful do we need to be as we move forward in the budget year Thinking about FY25. Hard to say about the rest of the years that are projected.

But I think it’s a signal to everybody. We need to be careful in Illinois, we have to balance our budget. We have to make sure that we’re making expenditures meet revenues. And so you know if that requires us to reduce the increases that may occur in certain programs, maybe that will be necessary.

But again, I think you’re gonna see different projections as we go forward just because the economy is changing. Heck, yesterday, I think, sorry, maybe this morning, we saw that interest rates have now been halted. At least the uptick of interest rates has been halted by the Fed. That’s already affecting the values on the stock market and affects whether people want to invest in things. You’re going to borrow money to buy a business, borrow money to buy a house. And projections on Wall Street that we’re going to see a down turn of interest rates that will help everybody that’s looking to buy a home I think, again, helps businesses decide that they’re gonna expand etc.

So it just kind of tries to tell you that you can look at the five year projections more as an indicator of how careful do we need to be, not as an exact number that we need to follow.

Please pardon all transcription errors.

3 Comments

Question of the day: 2023 Golden Horseshoe Awards

Monday, Dec 18, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller

* The 2023 Golden Horseshoe Award for Best State Agency Director goes to Heidi Mueller with the Department of Juvenile Justice…

She has the toughest job in the state! She is constantly advocating for youth and seeks to eliminate biases surrounding youth. She does not back down! She is surrounded by an amazing team that works to push policies and programs that are trauma informed and evidence based.

Heidi maintains an open-door policy between her Juvenile Security Staff and is always present at the facilities. She ultimately seeks peace between DJJs opponents - she brings everyone to the table!

She has brought DJJ from the bottom and made them a national leader in trauma informed care

* The 2023 Golden Horseshoe Award for Best Statewide Staffer is a tie. Emily Miller in the governor’s office…

She’s a do gooder actually doing good from the inside. She comes with principles but knows how to get to yes on some of the toughest issues. I’m glad to see her still on the Gov’s team after educating us on what the Rauner years meant.

* And Andy Manar in the governor’s office…

From Chinese mega corporations to tiny central Illinois villages, he works hard to make sure everyone can get what they need from state government. And while he doesn’t have time for everyone, he sure tries to find it.

Congrats to all!

We’re going to skip a few categories because we are quickly running out of time.

* On to today’s category…

Lifetime Achievement

Make sure to explain your nomination or it won’t count. Thanks.

* As I write this, several of you have stepped up and contributed a grand total of $54,198 to help Lutheran Social Services of Illinois purchase Christmas presents for foster kids. That’s pretty darned amazing. But in case you haven’t contributed yet or you think you might be able to give just a little bit more, please click here. Thanks to everyone!

10 Comments

Meet the new boss, same as the old boss

Monday, Dec 18, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller

* A.D. Quig…

Cook County Circuit Court Clerk Iris Martinez’s bid for reelection is being helped by political contributions from dozens of her government employees, many of whom donated within months of receiving raises from Martinez in their publicly funded jobs.

The first-term clerk won the office in 2020 after pledging to “adhere to the highest ethical standards” in replacing a scandal-scarred outgoing clerk, Dorothy Brown, whose tenure was marked by various controversies that included criticism she took campaign cash from her employees.

But a Tribune analysis of campaign finance and county payroll records shows Martinez repeating that same political fundraising tactic.

Since Martinez became clerk, 52 circuit court clerk employees have contributed more than $45,000 to Martinez’s three campaign funds. Of those employees, 22 received promotions or significant raises in their clerk jobs just months — sometimes days — before or after making those political contributions. Nearly all the raises were $10,000 or more, the payroll records show.

What’s more, 29 of the employees who contributed to her campaign funds also circulated petitions this fall that helped Martinez secure a spot on the March 19 primary ballot. A total of 86 clerk employees passed petitions for Martinez’s reelection campaign, collecting 831 pages, or 45% of the total signature petition sheets she turned in earlier this month. […]

Two of those petition circulators now work in the clerk’s inspector general’s office, whose mission is to “detect, deter and prevent corruption, fraud, waste, mismanagement, and misconduct.” The inspector general employees are hired by Martinez and her administration.

That last graf is wild.

* On to the state angle. Martinez is supporting appointed Sen. Natalie Toro (D-Chicago) in the Democratic primary. From one of Toro’s opponents…

20th District Senate candidate Graciela Guzmán issued the following statement in reaction to the recent Chicago Tribune investigation into the activity of public employees funding and staffing political campaigns for Cook County Circuit Court Clerk Iris Martinez and her proteges, including State Senator Natalie Toro. Martinez had previously backed Natalie Toro’s unsuccessful 2022 campaign for Cook County Commissioner, and led the effort to appoint Toro as 20th district State Senator. Guzmán shares:

“A recent Chicago Tribune article highlighted the troubling overlap between Iris Martinez’s government staff and her political campaign operations. The Tribune uncovered multiple instances of employees receiving promotions or significant raises shortly before or after contributing financially to Clerk Martinez’s campaign committees and/or performing political work for her. Fifty-two employees contributed a total of $45,000 to Martinez’s campaign funds, and 45% of petition sheets circulated by Martinez to put her on the ballot were circulated by employees of the public office she oversees.

Martinez has put this old-fashioned patronage machine to work on not only her own re-election bid, but on the campaigns of her hand-picked State Senate appointee Natalie Toro. Until just one week ago, Toro’s campaign committee was chaired by a Deputy Clerk of the Circuit Court of Cook County making a six-figure salary working under Martinez. At least three other Clerk’s office employees under Martinez have circulated petitions for Toro’s current campaign for State Senate and her 2022 campaign for Cook County Commissioner, and Martinez has funneled money from her own campaign funds to Toro’s.

The undemocratic appointment process Clerk Martinez used to elevate Natalie Toro to office over community objections is one and the same with the patronage scheme she uses to fund and staff her political projects. I am dismayed but unsurprised by these latest betrayals of the public trust from the Martinez-Toro machine. Despite appointed Senator Toro’s efforts to distance herself publicly from Clerk Martinez, her political mentor and ally, the evidence tells a different story. We trust the voters of the 20th District to reject machine politics once again.”

42 Comments

*** UPDATED x1 *** Dems avoid a fight as Daya drops out

Monday, Dec 18, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Background is here if you need it. From Ishan Daya, now a former candidate for 32nd Ward Democratic Committeeperson…

“After internal deliberation, we have decided that we’ll be sunsetting the campaign today. We were able to do in 15 days what those already in power weren’t able to do over 3 months – get signatures from over 2,000 people that wanted to see change for a more progressive and democratic ward. I’m wishing the best of luck to the candidates that file for their write-in candidacy for the March 19th election, and will continue to organize our neighbors to drive pressure towards our electeds on building a more inclusive ward.”

I was told that the basis of the petition challenge against Daya was that he didn’t number his sheets.

*** UPDATE *** Ald. Scott Waguespack…

“I am pleased that Mr. Daya has decided not to pursue this effort further. I am running a write-in campaign for re-election as 32nd Ward Committeeman on the March 19, 2024 Democratic primary election ballot. I’m proud to have the continued support of residents of our community to keep building a vibrant and strong local Democratic Party that supports progressive candidates up and down the ballot.”

15 Comments

Upcoming test for Eastern Bloc

Monday, Dec 18, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller

* My weekly syndicated newspaper column…

A group of ultra-conservative Illinois House members known as the Eastern Bloc has been stirring up trouble with the establishment in both parties for years.

The Republican districts they represent stretch from north of Decatur, over to Tuscola and down to Mattoon, Shelbyville, Effingham and Vandalia.

They are the fellas (they’re all men) who demanded Chicago be kicked out of Illinois.

The most famous member you’d likely know of is Darren Bailey, who served in both the Illinois House and the Senate then ran for governor last year and is now running for Congress against fellow Republican U.S. Rep. Mike Bost.

Those folks were so steadfast against pandemic mitigations they sometimes came off as almost pro-COVID. They love guns, they think abortion is an abomination, they’re up in arms about a Chinese company opening a huge electric vehicle battery factory in Kankakee County, and they rarely if ever pass any substantive legislation.

There are now a handful of primary races in that region that could tell us a lot about the future of the Republican Party in this state. Bailey vs. Bost is one of them. The race to replace retiring Rep. Dan Caulkins, R-Decatur, is another. The father of the kick-Chicago-out-of-Illinois “movement” is Rep. Brad Halbrook, R-Shelbyville, and he’s being challenged by an equally right-wing opponent because Halbrook broke his term-limit pledge.

The Eastern Bloc rebranded themselves as the Illinois Freedom Caucus and is gearing up to challenge Rep. Dave Severin, R-Benton, with one of their own. Severin is conservative but not sufficiently pure for them. He’s accepted a few union contributions, for instance.

The race we’re going to talk about today is related to the Severin battle. It’s in the 110th House District, which is currently held by Rep. Blaine Wilhour, R-Beecher City. He’s every bit of the fire breather that Bailey is but without the burning desire (so far) to seek higher office.

Wilhour has been fighting a behind-the-scenes war with House Republican Leader Tony McCombie all year. He’s also taken on the teachers’ unions, which are trying to reestablish ties to Republican legislators now that their wealthy anti-union benefactors like Bruce Rauner and Ken Griffin have fled to Florida.

Back in September, Reps. Wilhour and Chris Miller (who is married to U.S. Rep. Mary Miller) demanded the Illinois Republican Party change its rules to declare that Republican candidates who solicit money from teachers’ unions or refuse to return their contributions “shall be condemned and automatically disassociated from the Republican Party.”

Several weeks ago, Illinois Department of Corrections employee Matt Hall started quietly circulating petitions to run against Wilhour in the Republican primary.

The Illinois Education Association confirmed it had been looking for a candidate to challenge Wilhour. A union spokesperson said the IEA did not recruit Hall but said, “We are excited about his candidacy and believe our members who live in the district will be as well.”

Asked if he would accept union contributions, Hall said, “I will accept everyone’s support, and I expect to get everyone’s support.” He said he decided to run because Wilhour “quit doing what I think a state representative needs to do,” including being responsive to constituents.

“He just doesn’t do anything,” Hall said. “In my opinion, all he does is kick and scream and doesn’t get anything passed.”

Wilhour also hasn’t stopped any Democratic bills, Hall claimed. “We need to learn how to work together and get things done and care about this district.”

In response, Rep. Wilhour said: “A primary fight with the teachers’ union has been a foregone conclusion. It’s always been about them finding their tool willing to carry their woke agenda.”

People on Wilhour’s side are convinced House GOP Leader McCombie is somehow behind Hall’s race.

“I prefer not to speak of who I’ve had contact with,” Hall said when asked if he’d spoken with McCombie about his candidacy. A McCombie aide said the leader was focused on holding and picking up seats.

Hall ended up filing his petitions. They were solid, and he had help from the IEA.

Interestingly enough, a formal objection was filed against Rep. Wilhour’s petitions. “It looks like a concerned citizen filed the complaint, and we’re interested to see what comes of it,” said an IEA spokesperson.

Sure.

Anyway, if Hall manages to beat Wilhour, a shockwave will reverberate through the far right of the party. But, if nothing else, a barrage of union money aimed at Wilhour could divert Eastern Bloc resources away from their hoped-for battle against Rep. Severin.

19 Comments

Open thread

Monday, Dec 18, 2023 - Posted by Isabel Miller

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

9 Comments

Isabel’s morning briefing

Monday, Dec 18, 2023 - Posted by Isabel Miller

* ICYMI: No migrants living in Chicago police stations for the first time since spring. Sun-Times…

* Related stories…

∙ Block Club: Migrants At Last Police Station Want Jobs, Not A Spot In City Shelters: ‘Just Give Us Work’
∙ ABC Chicago: Migrant boy, 5, dies after becoming sick at Pilsen shelter, Chicago police say
∙ Axios: City still using costly Kansas staffing firm for migrant shelters

* Isabel’s top picks…

* Sun-Times | Feds close corruption case against Ed Burke by telling jurors his words on secret recordings are ‘absolutely devastating’: Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarah Streicker said the words of the former 14th Ward alderperson are more significant than any testimony jurors would have heard if prosecutors called FBI mole Danny Solis to the witness stand. “Think about what’s the best evidence of defendant Burke’s intent?” Streicker said. “The words that came out of his mouth. … Those words were captured on recordings. That is why we didn’t need to call Mr. Solis to tell you what Mr. Burke was thinking.

* Illinois Times | Haley suspended by NAACP: The news release also said NAACP branch presidents from throughout Illinois met Dec. 13 and “unanimously supported Haley’s quintessential leadership skills.” But the national NAACP, based in Baltimore, said in a statement Dec. 15 that it suspended Haley Dec. 13.

* Sun-Times | Fermilab’s ‘muon shot’ could see suburban lab become site of revolutionary particle collider: They also called for exploring the possibility of building a revolutionary new particle collider more powerful than any ever created — a groundbreaking device they said would fit perfectly on the Fermilab campus. The P5 report also noted the critical computing might of Argonne National Laboratory in Lemont, reinforcing the Chicago area as a hub for the future of particle physics.

* Here’s the rest of your morning roundup…

* WSJ | Illinois Concedes on Pregnancy Centers: Illinois has been trying to use its fraud laws to target pro-life pregnancy help centers, and Gov. J.B. Pritzker declared this summer that he was “confident” the law was constitutional. If he still believes that, then Mr. Pritzker ought to explain why the state is backing down in federal court, unless he’s too embarrassed now by his role in this cautionary tale of Democratic overreach.

* Patch | Committee To Appoint Replacement For 82nd District Representative: “John Egofske is a tremendous leader in the community, and we thank him for his continued service as Mayor of Lemont,” DuPage Republican Chairman Jim Zay said in a release from the House Republican Organization. “Our committee looks forward to a transparent and thorough process to fill this important position.”

* Tribune | Cook County court clerk getting boost in reelection bid from her government employees: The first-term clerk won the office in 2020 after pledging to “adhere to the highest ethical standards” in replacing a scandal-scarred outgoing clerk, Dorothy Brown, whose tenure was marked by various controversies that included criticism she took campaign cash from her employees.

* Jim Dey | High court action puts ComEd bribery case back in the news: Stop the sentencing hearings! So say the lawyers for the ComEd Four. They argue a case accepted last week for review by the U.S. Supreme Court could undermine legal ground on which their clients were convicted.

* Patch | 2 Run For Elmhurst State House Seat: Elmhurst Alderman Marti Deuter is running as a Democrat to succeed Jenn Ladisch-Douglass, a Democrat who decided not to run again after one term. The Republican candidate is Elmhurst resident Dennis Reboletti, who is the elected supervisor of Addison Township.

* Sun-Times | Ex-Cook County Land Bank Authority official gets a year in prison over secret land deals: Mustafaa Saleh, 37, resigned from the county government agency in June 2019 and pleaded guilty to wire fraud last March. In May 2021, a federal grand jury subpoenaed records from the agency on 24 properties, including an abandoned hotel in Harvey and other properties overseen by Saleh, and land bank contractors he secretly owned.
Chi
* Tribune | City to remove West Loop homeless encampment in order to clean area: The encampments near Union and Ogilvie stations are the subject of an ongoing debate between Mayor Brandon Johnson’s office and Ald. Bill Conway, 34th. Conway previously told the Tribune that a top Johnson adviser tied an offer to address safety concerns there to the alderman’s votes on two key City Council ordinances.

* WaPo | Dozens of assisted-living residents died after wandering away unnoticed: Since 2018, more than 2,000 people have wandered away from assisted-living and memory-care facilities unnoticed or been left unattended for hours outside. Nearly 100 have died, and state inspectors frequently found evidence of neglect.

* Rolling Stone | Elon Musk’s Big Lie About Tesla Is Finally Exposed: Out of all the scandals over the last decade or so of venture capital-fueled excess, Tesla’s dangerous and hype-happy approach to driving automation technology has been one of the most important but also one of the most hidden in plain sight. Just like the Mechanical Turk of 1770, everyone has been so focused on the technology itself that they’ve missed the human factors that power the entire spectacle. Just as worryingly, regulators have missed that forcing humans to babysit incomplete systems introduces entirely new risks to public roads.

* Sun-Times | Richard Hunt, iconic Chicago sculptor, dies at 88: Abstract sculptor Richard Hunt, a lifelong Chicagoan who in 1971 became the first African American artist to receive a solo retrospective at New York’s Museum of Modern Art, died Saturday at age 88. Hunt “passed away peacefully” at his Chicago home, according to a statement posted to his website. A cause wasn’t released.

* CBS Chicago | Chicago photographer Barry Butler captures beauty of city in new calendar, book: Renowned photographer Barry Butler’s 2024 calendar is available now. Images include a breathtaking winter sunrise at the Lincoln Park lagoon from January, Navy Pier fireworks taken from the Willis Tower in June, and for July, a bird on cue in the center of a glorious sunset.

* NYT | With a Deadline Looming, the United Methodist Church Breaks Up: Until July, White’s Chapel was the second-largest United Methodist congregation in the country. The conservative-leaning church lost its status this year not because it shrank — it is growing, leaders say — but because it left the denomination.

11 Comments

Live coverage

Monday, Dec 18, 2023 - Posted by Isabel Miller

* Live coverage is back, sorta. This will be different than the old Scribble Live feed because Twitter broke itself and almost everything else it touched. These new feeds do not update instantly. There’s a bit of posting lagtime, but it’s much better than nothing. We are also limited to just 20 Twitter sources. The service may also not last long. We just can’t give you any guarantees about this. You can still click here or here to follow breaking news the way we’ve done since Twitter stopped Scribble Live from working…

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Live Ed Burke Trial Coverage

Monday, Dec 18, 2023 - Posted by Isabel Miller

* These new feeds do not update instantly. There’s a bit of a lagtime and you have to refresh the page every now and then. The service we’re using may also not last long. We just can’t give you any guarantees. You can still click here to follow the Ed Burke trial on Twitter. Posts without a Twitter author name below them are from online news sources via Bing…

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Reader comments closed for the weekend

Friday, Dec 15, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Another reminder to click here and help Lutheran Social Services of Illinois buy Christmas presents for foster kids. Thanks!

* The city’s aldermanic briefing on new arrivals just landed in my in-box. A total of 26 buses arrived in the previous seven days for a total of 1,111 people. But the number of asylum-seekers at police stations and O’Hare airport is down to just 339, from 575 last Friday and more than 3,000 earlier this year. Most, 228, are currently at O’Hare. According to the city, 767 people exited the shelter system during the past week, for a grand total of 11,069. The city also has a cost dashboard online, so click here for that.

* You can continue nominating in today’s Golden Horseshoe awards post throughout the weekend. I’ll still be able to see your comments.

* Elvis will play us out…

Got no sleigh with reindeer
No sack on my back
You’re gonna see me comin’
In a big black Cadillac

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Isabel’s afternoon roundup

Friday, Dec 15, 2023 - Posted by Isabel Miller

* Subscribers know more. Politico…

Jake Butcher, the chief of staff to Senate President Don Harmon, is stepping down to practice law. Moving up is Ashley Jenkins-Jordan, who’s been deputy chief of staff. She’ll be the first African American woman chief to hold the position in Illinois.

* The truth comes out!…

* A feel-good story for your Friday via Block Club…

Monique Cauley knows the life stories of more than 500 Logan Square neighbors, down to their dogs and children’s names.

As a beloved postal carrier who serves homes between Talman and Artesian avenues starting at Logan Boulevard, Cauley receives high praise from her customers — including the four-legged ones who have grown up seeing her every day. […]

The Bronzeville resident, who has worked in Logan Square with the United States Postal Service for 16 years, isn’t just popular for her kind attitude, big smile and impeccable memory. She’s also known for sharing mail tips, changes to deliveries and other important information for 60647 residents.

Cauley is active on the community Facebook page, which she started using during the pandemic as a way to keep in touch with her customers and share information, she said. She shares periodic mail advice, including a detailed annual Christmas post with useful tips to make sure everyone gets their holiday cards and gifts as postal workers prepare for a stressful season.

* Tribune…

Signaling a paradigm shift in a school system largely shaped by choice, the Chicago Board of Education passed a resolution Thursday to prioritize neighborhood schools in Chicago Public Schools’ forthcoming five-year strategic plan — a document that will guide investments in the district through 2029 and is slated to be released in June.

Among a range of goals aimed at “disrupting cycles of inequity,” the resolution commits to “transition away from privatization and admissions/enrollment policies and approaches that further stratification and inequity in CPS and drive student enrollment away from neighborhood schools.” […]

The eventual impact could be seismic, with more than 75% of high school students and about 44% of elementary students attending schools outside of their neighborhood boundaries as of last school year. White and Asian students disproportionately attend CPS’ selective enrollment schools. Meanwhile, Black students face persistent opportunity gaps, disproportionately attending neighborhood schools long starved of investments, officials and community organizers said.

* Here’s the rest of your morning roundup…

* Chalkbeat | Chicago Public Schools leaders want to move away from school choice: However, Todd-Breland did signal that the board might move to close charter schools. “If you are a privately-managed school, taking public dollars from our taxpayers that would otherwise go to the other schools that we know need to be invested in because they haven’t [been] for years, and you are not performing at a level that we find to be a high quality educational experience for young people, then why do you continue to exist in this system?” she said.

* Sun-Times | Activists praise Board of Ed’s push toward neighborhood schools, away from school choice: Todd-Breland said the board recognizes that charter schools are part of CPS’ fabric and is “not proposing blanket non-renewals of all charter schools.” But the board wants to hold charter operators accountable. And she pointed out that magnet and selective enrollment schools, initially meant to desegregate schools, have more recently become more segregated. “[This] is not about closing selective enrollment schools,” she said. “It is about a shift towards emphasizing supporting neighborhood schools, particularly in those communities that have been historically disinvested in and where young people are furthest from opportunity.”

* Rep. Edgar Gonzalez | Running for Office As a Young Person Means Dealing With Ageism. I Did It Anyway: As a young legislator, the motives that drive your decision to run for office consistently get put under a microscope, especially when compared to those who have spent decades in their political careers. On one hand, critics often view career politicians with cynicism, assuming their motives revolve around money and power. Meanwhile, inexperienced candidates face doubts about their ability to perform the job. This contrast underscores the challenges faced by young individuals entering politics, as their motivations and capabilities are frequently questioned.

* Bond Buyer | Munis rally, new-issues from Illinois, NY see strong demand: Municipals rallied hard Thursday, playing catch up to the moves in U.S. Treasuries, which extended their gains for a second session following the Federal Open Market Committee’s clear communication of future rate cuts in 2024. Equities continued their rally.

* Daily Herald | Back to the beginning: Project aims to return Libertyville-area site to its natural state: Given the amount of equipment and activity in the highly visible area north and east of Route 45 and Casey Road in Libertyville Township, it may appear the site is being readied for new homes or a big box store. Quite the opposite is taking place. Instead, the work is part of a $2.17 million project to restore nearly 178 acres to its natural state.

* WBEZ | State’s attorney hopefuls back effort to require lawyers for kids in police interrogations: The pledge comes in response to video footage showing a detective in suburban Lake County steering a 15-year-old to falsely confess to a shooting. The video, obtained by WBEZ through an open-records lawsuit against the city of Waukegan, prompted a state senator to draft a bill that would raise the age at which a child must have an attorney present to be questioned in police custody. Now Clayton Harris III and Eileen O’Neill Burke, facing off in a March primary for Cook County state’s attorney, are vowing to help push the legislation into law.

* Sun-Times | These are the voices of five survivors of Chicago’s violence: Each of their essays offers a peek into the ways violence rearranges a life. There are stories of loss and grief but also redemption, love, regret and shifting notions of justice.

* Crain’s | After court order, CPS extends contract with Urban Prep charter schools: The extension comes more than a year after the board voted not to renew the contracts, with plans to take over those schools. The board’s decision was based on allegations that Urban Prep mismanaged finances and failed to comply with special education laws, as well as allegations that the school’s founder, Tim King, sexually abused a now-former student. King has denied those allegations.

* Crain’s | Chicago Tribune union members taking contract fight to Tribune Tower: The “rally to save the Tribune” is planned to take place from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday to protest “detrimental labor practices and profiteering-driven bargaining efforts” by Alden Global Capital, the investment firm that owns Tribune Publishing, according to the Chicago Tribune Guild. The rally will also include members of the DPS Guild, representing workers at Tribune Publishing’s Design & Production Studio, as well as the Suburban Chicago Tribune Guild and the Tribune Content Guild.

* WBEZ | Little Village residents install air sensors to monitor neighborhood pollution: Residents say public officials aren’t doing enough to protect them so they are taking matters into their own hands — monitoring air quality themselves with nearly $200 sensors. Five are currently in operation with a goal of installing 10 in the neighborhood. Data collected could be used to understand the severity of pollution and inform environmental policy.

* WaPo | She miscarried in her bathroom. Now she’s charged with abuse of a corpse: “Moving this over to the individual after a miscarriage just heightens the question, ‘What are they supposed to do?’ ” said Dov Fox, a national health law and bioethics expert at the University of San Diego School of Law. “If it’s already difficult for hospitals, for individuals facing difficult circumstances and navigating pregnancy loss to undertake the medical system is not just a tall order but a prohibitive one.” Watts later learned through her lawyer that the nurse who had reassured her had reported her to the police.

* NYT | Behind the Scenes at the Dismantling of Roe v. Wade: The Supreme Court deliberates in secret, and those who speak can be cast out of the fold. To piece together the hidden narrative of how the court, guided by Justice Alito, engineered a titanic shift in the law, The New York Times drew on internal documents, contemporaneous notes and interviews with more than a dozen people from the court — both conservative and liberal — who had real-time knowledge of the proceedings. Because of the institution’s insistence on confidentiality, they spoke on the condition of anonymity.

* AP | US homelessness up 12% to highest reported level as rents soar and coronavirus pandemic aid lapses: About 653,000 people were experiencing homelessness during the January snapshot. That’s the highest number since the country began using the yearly point-in-time survey in 2007 to count the homeless population. The total represents an increase of about 70,650 homeless people compared to January 2022.

* Business Insider | I showed up to a GOP congressman’s 16-minute Christmas party. Here’s what it was like to watch Democrats and Republicans rub shoulders in his cramped Capitol Hill office: I also watched as staffers for progressive House Democrats rubbed shoulders with Republican Rep. Mary Miller of Illinois, who was there along with her husband Chris, an Illinois state representative who was censured by the state legislature for attending Trump’s rally on the Ellipse on January 6.

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Campaign coverage roundup

Friday, Dec 15, 2023 - Posted by Isabel Miller

* Oops…

#IL07: Rep. Danny Davis' campaign website appears to include AI renderings of the congressman (see the details on the suit, watch, his right hand, etc)https://t.co/Ods98ki8h9 pic.twitter.com/1xepDspE9z

— Erin Covey (@ercovey) December 15, 2023

* Speaking of oops. AP…

A county board incumbent in Illinois wants election officials to disqualify his primary opponent because he misspelled “Republican” on his nomination papers.

McHenry County Board member Eric Hendricks has filed an objection to primary opponent Bob Nowak’s candidacy, the Northwest Herald reported Wednesday.

Hendricks wrote in the objection that Nowak filed to run as a member of the “Republian Party,” omitting the “c” in “Republican.” Hendricks argues such a party does not exist.

Nowak said he had heard there was an objection to his candidacy but hasn’t seen a copy of it.

County officials have scheduled a hearing on the objection for Tuesday. The primary is March 19.

* Patch…

An Elmhurst alderwoman running for state representative on Monday praised Illinois’ achievements over the last few years.

“Illinois has made progress on important issues in recent years and is moving in the right direction as demonstrated by nine credit rating upgrades since June of 2021,” Alderwoman Marti Deuter, a Democrat, said in a news release about her candidacy. “There is more to be done, and we need legislators with a demonstrated ability to bring people together.”

A month ago, Patch reported on Deuter’s candidacy. That was after Rep. Jenn Ladisch Douglass, an Elmhurst Democrat, announced she would not seek a second term. […]

Deuter, an alderwoman for a decade, is set to run unopposed in the Democratic primary in March. The only Republican candidate is Dennis Reboletti.

* NPR…

Joe McGraw of Rockford and Scott Alan Crowl of Milan are both seeking the Republican nomination in the 17th congressional district. The winner of the primary will face Democratic incumbent Eric Sorensen next November, who’s unopposed in his party’s primary.

In the 99th state representative district, Republicans Kyle Moore of Quincy and Eric Snellgrove of Beardstown filed to replace Republican Representative Randy Frese, who isn’t running for a sixth term. No Democratic candidates have filed in that district.

Elsewhere in the region, several Republicans are running unopposed in their primaries — and in each case, no Democratic candidate filed.

They are Illinois Supreme Court Justice Lisa Holder White, Ninth District Circuit Judge Nigel Graham, Congresswoman Mary Miller, and state representatives Norine Hammond and Dan Swanson.

* Subscribers know more…

An initiative designed to let Illinois voters truly make decisions when they go to the polls again succeeded in putting Illinois Statehouse candidates on the 2024 ballot.

Illinois Policy, a 501(c)(4) advocacy partner of the Illinois Policy Institute, helped usher 27 Illinois General Assembly candidates through the process, including collecting signatures on nominating petitions.

These candidates represent a significant share of the 2024 contested races. Without the new candidate program, Illinois would have seen a low number of choices and its more traditional list of unchallenged incumbents. According to an Illinois Policy Institute analysis, 207 candidates have filed to run for 118 Illinois House of Representatives seats in 2024. These include about 10 contested Republican primaries, 20 contested Democratic primaries and 53 contested general election races.

For over 20 years, less than half of all Illinois House races had just one candidate on the ballot – the least competitive rate in the Midwest and the seventh worst in the nation.

Among Illinois Policy’s recruited candidates:

• 24 are Republicans and three are Democrats
• 12 are women
• 8 are non-white
• 16 are running in districts that are wholly or partially in Chicago

Research shows contested elections help lower corruption, make government more responsive and increase voter turnout.

“Thanks to these candidates being willing to challenge entrenched incumbents, Illinois will experience real choice on Election Day and will be able to hold lawmakers accountable. That is good news that Illinois voters can feel proud of,” said Josh Bandoch, head of policy at the Illinois Policy Institute. “It’s amazing to see candidates take on this responsibility, especially considering how partisan gerrymandering leads voters to feel powerless to foster change in the voting booth.”

The number of contested races will change during the next six months as candidacies are challenged and political parties “slate” candidates for races.

…Adding…Jake Lewis…

* More…

* WLBK | Stage being set for 14th District Congressional race: Two years ago several viable candidates were gunning for the GOP nomination. This time around Jim Marter says he’s the only serious contender for the March Primary. Two other people filed as Republicans.

* Pantagraph | 53rd Senate District candidate faces objection to nominating petition: An objection has been filed with the Illinois Board of Elections for one of the four candidates vying for McLean County’s state Senate seat. Joshua Belter of Pontiac, Matthew Snider of Benson and Brooke Uphoff of El Paso have filed an objection against Livingston County Board Member Mike Kirkton, who is running in the Illinois 53rd Senate District. All four candidates are Republicans.

* Landmark | RBHS school board member Laura Hruska files to run for state representative: Hruska, a longtime resident of Brookfield, is running for state representative, challenging 2nd District incumbent Democrat Elizabeth “Lisa” Hernandez, who is an assistant majority leader in the Illinois House of Representatives and the chairwoman of the Illinois Democratic Party. Neither Hruska nor Hernandez has a primary opponent, so Hruska is guaranteed to face Hernandez in the November general election.

* Shaw Local | No primary election petition challenges in DuPage County: There were no primary candidate petition challenges filed for 2024 local races – the second major election cycle in a row with no ballot objections in the county, DuPage County Clerk Jean Kaczmarek has announced in a news release. “It was unprecedented in 2022 when no candidate petition challenges were filed here,” Kaczmarek said. “We just surpassed our own record.”

* Patch | Will County Judge Anderson To Seek Seat On Illinois Appellate Court: Anderson, a former Will County Board member, has served as a county circuit court judge since 2010. He will be on the ballot for the March primary election to represent the 3rd District, which includes Will, Kankakee, DuPage, Grundy, LaSalle, Bureau, and Iroquois counties.

* Journal and Topics | Local Reps In Congress, State Senate, House, Judicial Candidates Filing To Run In March 2024 Primary: A petition challenge period, where challenges to the validity of signatures will be adjudicated, and some candidates could be removed from the ballot, will take place in the coming weeks. Where there is no candidate in a given party for a given race, township political committeemen may later name a candidate. Candidates may also later mount write-in candidate drives.

8 Comments

More new laws

Friday, Dec 15, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Sen. Sims…

Children who are detained will no longer be able to be held in solitary confinement starting Jan. 1 thanks to advocacy from State Senator Elgie R. Sims, Jr.

“Sadly, across the nation, young people are being held in solitary confinement for unreasonably long periods of time, sometimes spending 22 hours or more alone each day,” said Sims (D-Chicago). “That is inhumane and can cause long-term grave psychological, physical and developmental harm.”

Sims’ law prohibits the use of solitary confinement on young detainees in detention centers for any purpose other than preventing immediate physical harm.

Young people in solitary confinement are isolated both physically and socially, often for days, weeks, or even months on end. Sometimes there is a window allowing natural light to enter or a view of the world outside cell walls. Sometimes it is possible to communicate by yelling to other inmates, with voices distorted, reverberating against concrete and metal. Occasionally, they get a book or bible, and if they are lucky, study materials. But inside this cramped space, few contours distinguish one hour, one day, week, or one month, from the next.

“For children, who are still developing and more vulnerable to irreparable harm, risks are magnified – particularly those with disabilities or histories of trauma and abuse,” said Sims. “Children should not be deprived of the services, programming, and other tools they need for healthy growth, education, and development. We should be helping children grow into productive and healthy adults, not harming them, this is particularly true when they have come into the criminal legal system. If we are going to have true safety and justice, we must invest in a criminal legal system that creates pathways to success not one that tears down our young people and creates a cycle of recidivism.”

House Bill 3140 takes effect Jan. 1, 2024.

* Sen. Morrison…

Illinois is one step closer to becoming smoke free thanks, in part, to a new law from State Senator Julie Morrison set to take effect on Jan. 1 that bans e-cigarettes inside public places.

“E-cigarettes, in all of their many forms, continue to be one of the most addictive products readily available for purchase in gas stations, vape shops and online,” said Morrison (D-Lake Forest). “We have made solid progress toward de-normalizing the perception of tobacco, and I am proud that on Jan. 1, e-cigarette usage will be banned indoors.”

Passed in 2007, the Smoke Free Illinois Act prohibited smoking in most public places and within 15 feet of entrances, and required “no smoking” signs to be posted. However, this law took effect when people primarily smoked cigarettes and cigars.

In recent years, the use and popularity of e-cigarettes, or vapes, has increased – especially by middle school children – according to recent reports, leading Morrison to add such products to the Smoke Free Illinois Act through the passage of House Bill 1540, signed by Governor JB Pritzker on July 28, 2023.

Morrison has been an advocate for putting an end to tobacco use by teens since entering the General Assembly. In 2019, she successfully passed a law that increases the age to legally purchase tobacco to 21 and last year passed a measure to place a number of restrictions on marketing e-cigarettes to children.

“Secondhand e-cigarette aerosol contains harmful and potentially harmful chemicals. The use of e-cigarettes has skyrocketed in recent years with tobacco companies targeting teens and young people with enticing flavors,” said Kristina Hamilton, Illinois advocacy director for the American Lung Association. “This expansion of the landmark Smoke-Free Illinois Act will reduce the negative effects of e-cigarettes on our communities.”

House Bill 1540 takes effect Jan. 1.

* Sen. Koehler…

Illinois residents who are victims of fertility fraud will soon be able to bring action against health care providers, thanks to a new law from State Senator Dave Koehler.

When Bloomington resident Curt Richardson got his DNA test results back from Ancestry.com in June 2021, his life – and those of his parents – changed forever when they learned they had been victims of fertility fraud.

Richardson’s story is similar to hundreds of others across the state and nation who have lived most of their lives thinking the very people who raised them were their biological parents. Koehler worked to bring awareness to fertility fraud and provide justice to the families who fall victim to the heinous act.

“The pain a person feels when they find out they are victims of fertility fraud is something no one should have to go through,” said Koehler (D-Peoria). “These acts have gone unpunished for too long, and the health care professionals who commit such acts deserve to face dire consequences.”

Fertility fraud occurs when a health care provider knowingly or intentionally uses their own human reproductive cells during an assisted reproductive treatment without the patient’s informed written consent.

Koehler’s new law allows people to bring action against health care providers who commit fertility fraud. It provides a civil cause of action for donor fertility fraud against health care providers who treat patients for infertility using donated human reproductive material without consent. It also states that any child born as a result of fertility fraud is entitled to a qualified protective order allowing the child access to the personal medical records and health history of the person who committed the fraud.

“This crime has caused trauma for countless families across Illinois and the country,” said Koehler. “Under this new law, victims will be able to bring action against those who commit this heinous crime.”

Senate Bill 380 takes effect Jan. 1, 2024.

And in case you’re wondering, I haven’t yet seen anything from the House Democrats about their bills. Only Senators.

3 Comments

Illinois, Maine tied for highest Medicaid renewal rates

Friday, Dec 15, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Press release…

As the Department of Healthcare and Family Services (HFS) approaches the halfway point in resuming customer Medicaid redeterminations following the end of the pandemic-era continuous Medicaid coverage requirement, Illinois has the highest renewal rate among states, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation’s Medicaid Enrollment and Unwinding Tracker. The tracker relies on renewal data that the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) collects from states.

Following the end of the continuous coverage requirement earlier this year, states resumed Medicaid renewals, or redeterminations, which are regular customer eligibility verifications.

According to the data tracker, at this stage of the unwinding process, Illinois and Maine have the highest renewal rates among all states, at 90%. HFS credits robust preparations and ongoing process improvements to being able to preserve health care coverage for Medicaid-eligible individuals across the state.

* From the Kaiser Family Foundation…

At least 12,573,000 Medicaid enrollees have been disenrolled as of December 13, 2023, based on the most current data from all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Overall, 34% of people with a completed renewal were disenrolled in reporting states while 66%, or 23.4 million enrollees, had their coverage renewed (one reporting state does not include data on renewed enrollees). Due to varying lags for when states report data, the data reported here undercount the actual number of disenrollments to date.

There is wide variation in disenrollment rates across reporting states, ranging from 62% in Texas to 10% in Illinois and Maine.

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Question of the day: 2023 Golden Horseshoe Awards

Friday, Dec 15, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller

* The 2023 Golden Horseshoe Award for Best Do-Gooder Lobbyist is a tie. I decided to break tradition by seconding the nomination of William McNary with Citizen Action…

I spoke at Will’s recent retirement dinner, as did the governor, both US Senators, several members of the congressional delegation, Chicago’s mayor, the two Democratic legislative leaders and others.

They all spoke of the big things Will did during his career. And that list is very long. I focused on the smaller things that don’t get a lot of notice, like putting a lid on payday loans, helping people pay their utility bills, etc.

Will is one of the smartest people I know. He’s also one of the hardest workers I’ve ever met. He’s honest and he’s never sold his soul. He’s also a kind, sweet man who believes that his short-term legislative defeats are only temporary.

Chuy Garcia spoke after I did. He started by saying that the person sitting next to him leaned over during my speech and said “I didn’t know Rich Miller could be so nice.”

That got a good laugh. But I was nice for a very good reason: McNary truly deserved it.

And Niya Kelly at Chicago Coalition for the Homeless…

She is very smart, always prepared for the excepted and unexpected, she preps and supports her sponsors and their staff, she’s a resource for staff generally, does substantive and budget work on an issue that can sometimes feel like fighting an uphill battle. On top of that, she’s a good person. She takes the time to develop relationships with LA’s, security and staff around the Capitol, Stratton and Howlett, and can be a blast of sunshine and fun when you see her. She also shows up every day and gets the work done. There aren’t that many lobbyists who do the work on a consistent basis the way she does. All these years of committed EFFECTIVE hard work sure merits the best do-gooder designation.

* The 2023 Golden Horseshoe Award for Best Legislative Liaison is also a tie. Allison Nickrent at IDPH…

Allison Nickrent at DPH is single-handedly one of the most talented professionals in the business. DPH is a behemoth of an agency and the level of institutional knowledge she has is impressive. Allison was tasked with negotiating the bylaws of a newly created board with its (*sometimes pushbacky*) membership and she handled it with precision, intuition, and class. She is no stranger to JCAR and knows her way around every square inch of DPH’s rules and regs. Allison’s unique skill set makes her a pleasure to work with. She takes a hands-on approach to mentoring her team and truly is one of the best.

And Wendy Miller Butler at CMS…

I love working with Wendy Butler at CMS. She’s super responsive and understands the extremely difficult machinations of procurement. She works with you to meet your goal in a way that will be effective.

Honorable mention to Kieran Fitzgerald at DHS.

Y’all submitted some very strong nominations in both of these categories. It was difficult to choose winners, hence the ties.

* On to today’s categories…

Best Statewide Staffer

As always, please explain your nominations or they won’t count. Also do your best to nominate in both categories. Thanks!

* And here’s your daily reminder to contribute to our fundraiser so that Lutheran Social Services of Illinois can buy Christmas presents for foster kids. As I write this, we’ve raised $53,432, which is enough to buy presents for 2,137 children. LSSI helps care for 2,530 children, and while others are also raising money for this cause, LSSI needs to raise another $10K to help all those kids. So, please, click here and contribute if you can. Thanks!

26 Comments

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

Friday, Dec 15, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller

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Open thread

Friday, Dec 15, 2023 - Posted by Isabel Miller

* What’s going on? Keep it Illinois-centric please…

2 Comments

Isabel’s morning briefing

Friday, Dec 15, 2023 - Posted by Isabel Miller

* ICYMI: Regulators once again reject a record rate increase request from ComEd and Peoples Gas. Sun-Times…

- The order slashed a request from the utility to raise rates on its 884,000 Chicago customers by a collective $402 million, down to $301 million.

- The panel previously noted it “will not remove any funding related to emergency response to leaks, pipe breaks, or other critical safety measures.”

* Related stories…

∙ Sun-Times: Smaller electric bill increases for Chicagoans as regulators pull plug on ComEd’s rate-hike bid
∙ Capitol News Illinois: State regulators once again flex muscle in rejecting utilities’ grid plans, lessening rate hikes
∙ Tribune: Illinois regulators reject record rate increase requests from ComEd and Peoples Gas

* Isabel’s top picks…

* WJBC | Candidates for March primary election in Illinois assigned their spots: The process of determining which candidates place where on the Illinois primary election ballot is high-tech enough to attract an audience on Zoom – and simple enough to require only Ping Pong balls and a wooden box. “I do think the lack of complexities makes it easier for us to have a transparent process,” said Brent Davis, director of election operations for the Illinois State Board of Elections. “Not much can go wrong with an empty box and a set of Lotto balls.”

* Crain’s | Thompson Center assessed at more than double 2022 sale price: Kaegi’s office pegged the market value of the 17-story building at 100 W. Randolph St. at $222.8 million for tax year 2023, according to the assessor’s website. That estimate represents what the assessor thinks the property was worth as of the beginning of this year, which is the key number used to determine its next property tax bill. It also marked the first time the assessor’s office estimated the value of the Thompson Center, since it was owned by the state of Illinois and tax-exempt from its completion in 1985 until it was sold last year.

* SJ-R | Haley issues apology; has backing of NAACP branch presidents: The one-minute-and-forty-eight-second video of Haley making the remarks during an NAACP state presidents’ meeting last month was recorded and made public by former NAACP DuPage County president Patrick Watson. It was a segment in a nearly two-hour-long video.

* Here’s the rest of your morning roundup…

* Crain’s | Durbin takes beef about Union Station rehab funding to Buttigieg: In a letter Thursday to U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., urged the feds to place a greater priority on modernizing the historic but outmoded Union Station and surrounding rail access so that the facility can serve as a more effective anchor for Amtrak’s midcontinent operations and a base for Metra commuter lines.

* WAND | New Illinois Laws: Here are 18 key education bills taking effect in 2024:
HB 0342: The state Board of Education must develop a district-level Children’s Adversity Index to measure community childhood trauma exposure and requires teachers to provide instruction on trauma-informed practices.

* CBS Chicago | Illinois offers rebates for electric vehicle purchases, but many find themselves ineligible: As CBS 2’s Tara Molina reported Thursday, there are more than 88,000 electric vehicles registered in Illinois. Gov. JB Pritzker has said his goal is to get that number to a million in the next seven years. But right now, only a few thousand people can take advantage of the state’s incentive program.

* SJ-R | Pritzker lights menorah in Springfield, calls for Illinoisans to defy hate: “But here today, as I look out on all of your faces, a coalition of Illinoisans of faiths and backgrounds of all sorts I am filled with hope,” [Pritzker] said during the ceremony held at the Governor’s Mansion. Anti-semitism and islamophobia have increased nationwide due to the war and being felt in Illinois following the fatal stabbing of 6-year-old Wadea Al Fayoume in a Chicago suburb.

* Borderless | Investigation: Migrants Describe Inhumane Conditions At Chicago’s Largest Shelter: Just days after Illinois Gov. Pritzker shut down a proposed shelter due to health concerns, Venezuelan migrants living in the Pilsen shelter say they are being treated “like dogs.’’

* Tribune | As police stations are cleared, some migrant families are separated, volunteers and migrants say: The women, along with Maria’s husband, had been staying at the Gresham District (6th) police station for a month when they were told they might be separated by city officials who are working to move migrants into city shelters. They’ve been hiding from city workers ever since.

* The Triibe | Unpacking the underlying political tensions driving the effort to repeal Chicago’s sanctuary status: Black communities are still grappling with decades of disinvestment and racist real-estate practices, and many Black Chicagoans and their businesses have been forced out of the city due to a lack of nourishing public institutions and support for Black entrepreneurship. Among the many examples are ones highlighted in a 2021 Politico article titled “The Demise of America’s Onetime Capital of Black Wealth” and Eve L. Ewing’s investigation into the widespread racist school closings on Chicago’s South Side, Ghosts in the Schoolyard.

* WGN | Rosemont Mayor Brad Stephens: We need a better plan for migrants coming to Illinois: Rosemont mayor Brad Stephens joins John Williams to talk about buses of asylum seekers being dropped off in Rosemont and how they are handling the crisis.

* Tribune | ‘Home for the holidays’: Court vacates convictions for cousins in 1981 double homicide, Illinois’ longest-serving exonerees: Just 8 years old when her brother was incarcerated following a double slaying in a Southwest Side park, Pilar More, now 50, watched her older sibling grow up behind bars. Her brother, James Soto, and his cousin, David Ayala were convicted of murder and other felonies in the shooting deaths of 16-year-old Julie Limas and Hector Valeriano, 18, a U.S. Marine on leave, on Aug. 16, 1981. They were sentenced to natural life in prison.

* Chicago Reader | What’s happened since the Reader reported on the number of overdoses on CTA property?: Two months after the Reader found that more than 150 people have died from opioid-related overdoses on the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) in the last four years, the CTA has increased its engagement with harm reduction advocacy groups and extended, and expanded, a contract with outreach agencies. Here is a look at what the CTA has been up to since the Reader published its findings…

* WTTW | Nonprofits Must Register Before Lobbying City Officials Under New Rules: The rules were included in a package of ethics reforms backed by former Mayor Lori Lightfoot that were approved by the City Council 50-0 in July 2019 as federal investigations shadowed City Hall. The rules were set to go into effect Jan. 1, 2020, but were delayed after dozens of nonprofit groups objected, saying the regulations would force them to pay costly registration fees or risk fines.

* Tribune | Ex-Ald. Ed Burke’s defense blasts FBI mole in closing arguments: ‘Why did we have to bring Danny Solis in here?’: “The fact alone that they didn’t call Danny Solis in their case creates a reasonable doubt,” Duffy said. “Why did we have to bring Danny Solis in here? That should give you pause, the fact that they ran an investigation on Mr. Burke for 30 months with a star witness Danny Solis undercover and they didn’t have the decency to bring him here.”

* WGLT | ‘When are you going to resign?’: Public blasts WTVP board’s handling of financial crisis: As promised by station board chairman Andrew Rand, the rumors that the station would be permanently dissolved by its board of directors on Tuesday didn’t come to pass, but it’s been a difficult year for the beleaguered public television station nonetheless. Former president and CEO Lesley Matuszak took her own life a day after resigning in late September. The station’s financial problems first publicly came to light a couple weeks later, when Rand announced the station would cut costs by $1.5 million. The Peoria public television station has since laid off nine employees and indefinitely suspended publication of Peoria magazine.

* Block Club | Riot Fest Switching To Later Dates In 2024, Presale Tickets Go Up Thursday: The West Side festival will be Sept. 20-22 to avoid overlapping with Mexican Independence Day celebrations, organizers said. Presale for three-day passes starts noon Thursday.

* Chicago Defender | Alabama Prison Work Programs Are ‘Modern Day Slavery’, Lawsuit Alleges: “If you didn’t work, you were at risk of going back to the prison or getting a disciplinary (infraction),” LaKiera Walker, who was previously incarcerated for 15 years, said. According to the suit, the state is violating the equal protection clause of the U.S. Constitution, anti-human trafficking laws, and the Alabama Constitution through its prison labor program. The state claims that the prison jobs prepare inmates for after their release.

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Friday, Dec 15, 2023 - Posted by Isabel Miller

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Friday, Dec 15, 2023 - Posted by Isabel Miller

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