Isabel’s afternoon roundup
Friday, Nov 22, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller
* State Week recapped the end of veto session…
The legislature’s two week fall session concluded with passage of the Dignity in Pay Act and an effort to protect victims who file lawsuits over childhood sex abuse. But a lot of discussion is what could happen when lawmakers return to the statehouse in January for the so-called lame duck session.
Our panel also talks about investments in electric vehicle charging stations and why some want the state to pull back on spending to help newly arrived migrants.
Host Sean Crawford is joined by Professor Emeritus Charlie Wheeler and WAND-TV Capitol Reporter Mike Miletich.
* ABC Chicago…
Across the country, Native American tribes are struggling to reclaim what was stolen from them over centuries: the remains of their ancestors and personal sacred items, now held in museums, universities, and other institutions that are, in many cases, far from home.
Despite federal legislation passed nearly 35 years ago aimed at correcting these past crimes, the ABC 7 I-Team found little progress has been made, and the state of Illinois tops the list of having the highest number of ancestral remains that haven’t been reunited with tribal descendants.
In addition, Illinois institutions including Chicago’s Field Museum and the Illinois State Museum have thousands of sacred items that officials tell the I-Team they are working to identify and return. […]
The ABC7 Data Team examined thousands of federal documents to identify how many ancestors and sacred objects are at institutions across the country. To search all U.S. institutions with collections, click here.
* If you follow me on Bluesky you may have seen this last night…
*** Statewide ***
* WCIA | IL Deer Donation Program evolving to fight hunger: As a response to increasing food prices and food pantries’ difficulties obtaining meat, the University of Illinois and key partners launched the Illinois Deer Donation Program in 2022. This mission initially covered 12 counties and has combated food insecurity by pairing hunters in East Central Illinois with meat processors and food pantries.
*** Chicago ***
* Crain’s | Howard Brown to pay $1.3 million to laid-off workers: The settlement, negotiated between Howard Brown and Region 13 of the National Labor Relations Board, marks the end to a nearly two-year dispute between the health care provider and the Illinois Nurses Association, the union that filed complaints with the NLRB over the workforce reduction and other labor issues.
* Block Club | New Emmett Till Exhibit At Chicago History Museum Shows Another Side To Lynching Victim: Exhibition curator Charles E. Bethea, the museum’s Andrew W. Mellon Director of Curatorial Affairs & Collections, said the curation of the exhibit came about after the closing of “Remembering Dr. King: 1929-1968” at the museum at 1601 N. Clark St. in March. “It dawned on me that if we had taken down King and replaced it with something else that wasn’t African-American related, then we would literally not have any narratives within the Chicago History Museum around African-American spirits specifically related to Chicago history,” Bethea said.
* Block Club | Walgreens Parking Nightmare: Avondale Shoppers Get $170 Boot Even Though They Went Inside: Natalie tried to explain they went into the store to pick up prescriptions, even showing the parking officer the receipt, but felt intimidated and belittled, they said. “I’m not in a great financial situation and I’m relying on a lot of other people in my life to help me meet my needs,” Natalie said. “I really didn’t budget for spending $170 today because I walked away from a parking lot for five minutes.”
* WBEZ | What’s the oldest family-owned business in Chicago?: The title of oldest family-owned business in the city could go to a tobacco shop in the Loop, originally called the E. Hoffman Co. when it started in 1857. In addition to a downtown store, German immigrant Edward Hoffman also manufactured pipe tobacco and cigars on the South Side. Hoffman needed help, but he didn’t have any children he could rely on, so he persuaded his nephew, Iwan Ries, to come from Germany and run the retail location for him. In 1891, Hoffman turned over ownership to Ries, who renamed the business.
* Sun-Times | The Bears’ offense — and Caleb Williams’ growth — is in Thomas Brown’s hands: Coordinator Thomas Brown gathered his offense Monday, less than 24 hours after the Bears’ gut-punch loss to the Packers, and delivered a message in his signature direct style. “There are no attaboys in this game,” he said. “We play the game to win. We came up short.” There was room for kudos for Brown, though, after he emerged from yet another chaotic week at Halas Hall to design an offensive attack that, for the first time in a month, made sense.
*** Cook County and Suburbs ***
* Crain’s | Cook County chips in $15M to help ‘vulnerable’ homeowners with tax bills: A $15 million piece of the budget that Cook County commissioners approved yesterday is designated as a give-back to senior homeowners and others who are struggling with fast-rising property tax bills. The pilot Homeowner Relief Fund, scheduled to launch in spring 2025, will give one-time payments of up to $1,000 to senior homeowners, moderate-income homeowners in gentrifying areas and others.
* CRAIN’s | Arlington Heights offices touted as industrial redevelopment play: Colliers plays up several factors that make One North Arlington a good industrial conversion candidate, including that the property is already zoned for it. The building is designated for “research, development and light manufacturing” use by the village of Arlington Heights, which the brokerage dubs a “development friendly municipality.”
* Crain’s | Despite finance, staffing headaches, County Health’s new chief sees path for growth: CCH, the seventh-largest health system in the Chicago area by revenue, operates Stroger and Provident hospitals, as well as its own Medicaid and Medicare Advantage health plans. It cares for 200,000 patients a year. CCH also has a fundamental mission to address some of the area’s largest health and economic disparities. Like other health systems during the COVID-19 pandemic, CCH jumped into action but was often serving the poorest and sickest patients. And later, when a migrant surge brought thousands of new people to the area, it was CCH that made sure they were given checkups, vaccines and other medical attention.
*** Downstate ***
* People’s World | In Peoria, like many other Illinois towns, being homeless is now a crime: Now, the city’s unhoused population could face jail time of up to 180 days for the “crime” of having no home. This is despite the fact that, as the director of the Homes for All Continuum of Care, Kate Green, stressed there is not enough shelter space even if people wanted to use it.
* Daily Journal | Study shows economic impact of deteriorating bridges in rural Illinois: The study showed for every dollar invested in Illinois bridge maintenance results in nearly $5 in benefits for all roadway users, and bridge investments in the state will provide approximately 52,640 jobs, a labor income of $2.83 billion, and an added economic value of $5.63 billion over the next 30 years.
* WCBU | Tazewell County Health Department’s new Pekin campus ‘a perfect solution to our needs’: An emotional Amy Fox, health department director, thanked everyone involved in the renovation project, which included repairing flood damage, and said to a crowd that gathered in the building lobby, “Now we can do what we want to do here. Reach our clients. Our first client here was here at 9 o’clock Monday morning.”
* IPM | Danville school district says superintendent will return to on-site work following alleged racist threats: At a meeting on Wednesday, Danville School Board President Randal Ashton read a statement from the group. “We will be working with her on her return to on-site work, and we will not be commenting any further on this, as this is a personnel matter and there is still an open FBI investigation,” he said.
* SJ-R | ‘A deep and sacred trust has been violated’: Catholic priest from Taylorville resigns: A Taylorville Catholic priest who was in an acknowledged sexual relationship with a seminarian from the Springfield Catholic Diocese has submitted his resignation. Springfield Bishop Thomas John Paprocki, in a letter to parishioners of St. Mary’s Church, acknowledged that the Rev. Piotr Kosk faces a church investigation into his behavior as well as possible financial misconduct. Paprocki said he could petition the Vatican to have Kosk removed from the priesthood.
*** National ***
* AP | Supreme Court allows multibillion-dollar class action lawsuit to proceed against Meta: Investors allege that Meta did not fully disclose the risks that Facebook users’ personal information would be misused by Cambridge Analytica, a firm that supported Donald Trump’s first successful Republican presidential campaign in 2016. Inadequacy of the disclosures led to two significant price drops in the price of the company’s shares in 2018, after the public learned about the extent of the privacy scandal, the investors say.
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The Waukegan City Clerk was railroaded
Friday, Nov 22, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Lake County News-Sun…
A Lake County judge Friday dismissed all criminal counts against Waukegan City Clerk Janet Kilkelly, ruling that misleading grand jury testimony compromised indictments that alleged Kilkelly illegally waived fees to local businesses as part of a COVID-era relief effort.
Judge Patricia Fix said the flawed grand jury testimony from an Illinois State Police investigator resulted in due-process violations against Kilkelly, who had been charged in March with 10 counts of official misconduct and misapplication of funds.
“I would also like to thank the Waukegan residents who have always supported me, and who sent me their support and their well-wishes during this very difficult time,” she said in the statement. “As someone who has dedicated over 40 years of their life to the Waukegan community, I promise to continue serving and helping all Waukegan residents as their city clerk.”
Her attorneys, Donald Morrison, James Bertucci and Ricardo Meza, issued a joint statement that said in part, “We were always confident that Janet was 100% innocent of all charges and today’s ruling confirms that.”
Let’s drill down a bit.
* From Judge Patricia Fix’s ruling, with highlighting by me…
At the grand jury proceeding on these charges, the [Lake County State’s Attorney’s office] offered testimony from only one witness, Illinois State Police Special Agent David Juergensen. Juergensen explained that under the Waukegan City Code of Ordinances, Sam Cunningham, Mayor of Waukegan from 2017 to 2021, also acted as the Local Liquor Control Commissioner. In this capacity, Mayor Cunningham had the authority to appoint one Deputy Local Liquor Control Commissioner.
Jurgensen then testified:
Q: .. .in approximately 2017, did Mayor Cunningham appoint [Defendant] to serve as Deputy Liquor Control Commissioner?
A: Mayor Cunningham did do that, yes.
Q: And [Defendant] remained in that role through June of 2021?
A: That is correct.
Q: And in that role, she possessed final authority to issue and approve liquor and gaming licenses?
A: She did.
This testimony was false. […]
in the hearing before this court, former Waukegan Mayor Sam Cunningham testified that he never appointed Defendant as Deputy Local Liquor Control Commissioner. Current Waukegan Mayor Ann Taylor also testified that she never appointed Defendant as Deputy Local Liquor Control Commissioner.
In his testimony before this court, Juergensen stated that Defendant never identified herself as Deputy Local Liquor Control Commissioner. Juergensen admitted that he assumed Defendant had been appointed as Deputy Local Liquor Control Commissioner. Juergensen testified that he never asked former Mayor Cunningham whether Cunningham appointed Defendant as Deputy Local Liquor Control Commissioner. Juergensen further informed the court that none of the documents he reviewed identified Defendant in that role.
You gotta be kidding me.
* Ah, but there’s more…
Juergensen then testified that in his review of all the businesses who applied for the Covid credit relief, some were in good standing, but “the greatest majority were not in good standing.” […]
Based on Juergensen’s testimony the grand jury granted a true bill.
* Except, there was no definition of “good standing” in the ordinance…
Glaringly, Juergensen informed this court that he had his own personal idea of what the term “in good standing” meant for an organization to receive the Covid credit. Further, that crucial, and potentially exculpatory witnesses were never interviewed by Juergenson to ascertain a definition of “in good standing”.
Further, former Mayor Sam Cunningham testified that he did not know what the term “in good standing” meant; although the purpose of the resolution was to reduce required fees for Waukegan businesses impacted by the pandemic.
Robert Long, an attorney who drafted Resolution No. 20-R-95 as Waukegan’s Corporation Counsel, admitted that he did not include a definition of “in good standing” in the resolution, but had intended to prevent businesses with serious infractions, such as building code violations and repeated police activity, from receiving the credit.
None of those businesses had any of those “serious infractions” Long mentioned.
Unreal.
* Back to Judge Fix…
In this matter, so much misleading and false information was presented to the grand jury on material issues that the denial of due process is unequivocally clear. John Adam’s once famously stated “Facts are stubborn things; and whatever may be our wishes, our inclinations, or the dictates of our passions, they cannot alter the state of facts and evidence.” Perhaps even more pointedly Mark Twain stated, “Get your facts first”. Indeed, had ALL the facts been initially known and presented to the Grand Jury, there would likely have been a different outcome.
In conclusion, the court finds the State’s presentation of a wholly inaccurate definition of the role of Defendant as Deputy Local Liquor Control Commissioner, coupled with the witnesses unsubstantiated personal definition of the term “in good standing” to be false, misleading and material and as such, affected the grand jury deliberations in a way that caused prejudice, actual and substantial, and a complete denial of due process.
So, Kilkelly was indicted based on the imagination of the investigator who also served as the lone grand jury witness?
The Illinois State Police and the Lake County State’s Attorney need to answer for this.
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* The mayor’s people were telling city council members and at least some reporters this week that the Illinois Retail Merchants Association had blown a $40 million hole in the city budget. IRMA sent out a press release countering that argument…
The Illinois Retail Merchants Association (IRMA) released the following statement regarding the mayor’s proposed telecom tax increase.
“IRMA did not kill the mayor’s proposed telecom tax increase, but we would be happy to take credit for protecting low-income users. The city is not meaningfully nor consistently engaged in Springfield.
IRMA remains ready to offer assistance on issues where we align – as we have always done with previous administrations – but, prior to today, we have not seen a clear effort from the mayor’s office to do so,” said Rob Karr, president and CEO, Illinois Retail Merchants Association.
* Fran Spielman explains…
A tax on prepaid phones and calling cards the Johnson administration was counting on to raise $40 million has been shot down in Springfield.
Illinois Retail Merchants Association President Rob Karr said there were technical problems that must be fixed in the legal language the city drafted.
The city also had assumed the increased tax (9%, up from 3%) would take effect Jan. 1 — a virtually impossible deadline for retailers. […]
“There was a fix that was available, but we couldn’t implement it by Jan. 1. So we had suggested July 1. The governor’s office and others told the city, ‘No, we’re gonna take it back and you can … get it done correctly in the spring.’” […]
The change only exacerbates the Johnson administration’s dismal track record in Springfield at a time when the Mayor’s Office of Intergovernmental Affairs is shorthanded.
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* Deputy Gov. Andy Manar sent a memo to all state agency directors yesterday. I’ve highlighted some important passages…
Thank you for the thoughtful work that your leadership team and fiscal office staff put into your agency’s Fiscal Year 2026 budget request to GOMB. Director Sturm and GOMB staff are currently reviewing each agency submission in detail and meeting with agency staff to walk through your budget submission and iterations to your funding requests. The administration appreciates your continued support of the Governor’s mission for providing strategic investments that serve the people of Illinois while prioritizing our continued commitment to fiscal stability and a balanced budget.
However, since Director Sturm provided agency guidance for the FY26 budget in early October, additional information regarding the outlook for the coming fiscal year has materialized that will impact the crafting of the Governor’s request to the General Assembly. The purpose of this memorandum is to provide additional instructions to agencies.
On November 1st , GOMB’s Economic and Fiscal Policy Report1 was published. The report provides a look toward the next five fiscal years and serves as a valuable tool to help us understand the fiscal challenges we face and develop proactive solutions to meet those challenges. This year’s report outlines the impact of a slowing national economy. In addition, the report also begins to quantify the impact of medical inflation, required pension contribution increases, statutory shifts of sales tax revenues away from the General Funds, and FY25 budget transfers that will not be repeated in FY26. The report shows the initial FY26 General Funds revenue forecast is roughly flat to FY25 revenues. The report illustrates that the combined impact, assuming modest agency budget growth in the 2%-4% range, yields a General Funds budget shortfall of over $3 billion. While this shortfall does not reflect the budget submissions provided by your agencies which are currently being reviewed, it does illustrate the magnitude of the challenge that must be addressed as the Governor prepares his FY26 budget submission.
Additionally, the upcoming changes at the national level in the executive and legislative branch are creating some additional uncertainty regarding federal funding and the economic outlook. We need to take steps to ensure that the State is in position to address any economic disruptions that may arise.
Governor Pritzker remains committed to responsible fiscal management. A balanced budget is and will continue to be the Governor’s top priority. As we begin to prepare for many unknowns in the coming year, please begin to work with your Deputy Governors and GOMB staff to review proposed reductions and identify spending that can be reduced further from your submitted FY26 agency budget requests. Please review your submissions and the cuts scenarios provided, and if not already included, submit the following additional information:
• Agencies should identify programs that have increased in recent years, paying specific attention to those added in FY23, FY24, and FY25 and make suggestions for spending reductions and winding down of programs related to:
o line-item grants,
o grant programs,
o programs that assume increasing or additional out-year contributions, and
o other discretionary programs.
• Agencies should identify and quantify operational efficiencies and program consolidations that can reduce costs.
• Agencies should identify potential vacancies that can be eliminated.
• Agencies should develop implementation plans for proposed reductions or winding down of programs, including providing GOMB with relevant statutory changes and timelines for those implementation plans.
In addition to this directive, please keep the following in mind as you go through this process:
• Certain federal programs may be facing funding cuts or elimination beginning in calendar year 2025– the expectation should be that the State will not have resources backfill any of these emerging spending pressures.
• As expected, certain federal funds (e.g. ARPA and other COVID era funding) may be coming to an end– the expectation should be that the State will not backfill any of these previously anticipated spending pressures.
• Agencies should not request non-critical headcount increases and should focus on vacancy reductions as noted above.
• All legislation with new FY26 budget impact should be highlighted for GOMB and for the Governor’s Office. At the direction of the Governor’s Office, no legislation with an increased FY26 fiscal impact should receive agency support.
The Governor appreciates your continued support and hard work. FY26 will be a challenging year but we are confident that we can meet those challenges by working together as we have always done. Please contact me or GOMB’s Director, Alexis Sturm, should you have any questions.
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* WGN…
The government’s star witness took the stand Thursday in former Illinois Speaker of the House Mike Madigan’s ongoing corruption trial.
[Former Chicago alderman and FBI mole Danny Solis] briefly took the stand late for a little over a half hour before court adjourned for the day. During his testimony, Solis spoke in detail about his Deferred Prosecution Agreement with the government.
* Capitol News Illinois…
Prior to Solis’ appearance that began 45 minutes before trial broke for its usual weekend schedule, the jury heard again from FBI Special Agent Ryan McDonald, one of the lead agents in an investigation that long predated Madigan but nevertheless caught the powerful speaker in its tenterhooks. McDonald had previously testified about the feds’ wiretaps on Madigan co-defendant Mike McClain and detailed how he and another agent approached ComEd executive Fidel Marquez and asked him to cooperate with the FBI in January 2019.
Guided by questions from Assistant U.S. Attorney Amarjeet Bhachu, who has also long been involved in the investigation, McDonald laid out the decadelong timeline of FBI interest in Solis, dating back to a 2014 meeting between Solis, Madigan and a real estate developer. That developer, See Wong, was already cooperating with the FBI after he’d been caught committing fraud related to an apartment complex he’d built in Chicago’s Chinatown neighborhood.
“Mr. Solis requested Mr. Wong and his client attend a meeting with Michael Madigan,” McDonald said, detailing what led up to the Aug. 18, 2014 meeting at the speaker’s property tax law firm office in downtown Chicago.
The developer-turned-FBI mole had been pursuing a letter of support from Solis for a hotel project in Chinatown, which was in Solis’ 25th Ward. Solis allegedly told Wong that he’d lend his support if he and his associate, a Chinese real estate developer, met with Madigan about the speaker representing the project on property tax appeals.
* WTTW…
According to prosecutors, Solis in June 2018 spoke with Madigan about the potential for a state board seat before stating that he would “continue to get you legal business. I, I’ve got all kinds of stuff [referring to developments] happening in the South Loop and in the West Loop.”
Solis had been instructed by the FBI to make that board position and tell Madigan he’d introduce him to developers with the expectation Madigan’s private law firm would receive their business.
“… see, I never knew that that section was in your ward,” Madigan allegedly replied.
Later in the same conversation, after Solis again mentioned the possible board seat, Madigan allegedly stated that he would “put together a, uh, piece of paper that shows you all the” board members and their term dates.
* Tribune…
Solis began his testimony in a slightly hoarse, subdued voice, describing the bribery charge he’s facing, his decision to cooperate, and his deal with prosecutors that will see the case against him dropped as long as he testifies truthfully.
Asked what he was accused of, Solis said in a rehearsed tone: “Trying to solicit campaign contributions from a developer that had a pending application in my Zoning Committee.”
Solis, who represented the city’s 25th Ward and was the head of the City Council’s influential Zoning Committee, also testified last year in the corruption trial of former Ald. Edward Burke.
But in that case, Solis was called by Burke’s lawyers in a Hail Mary attempt to win acquittal. This time, Solis is being called as a foundation of the prosecution’s case, adding import to how he comes across to the jury and also exposing him to a much more wide-ranging cross-examination over his own alleged misdeeds.
* Sun-Times…
Solis testified that development in the 25th Ward was particularly active between 2011 and 2019, especially in the South Loop and West Loop neighborhoods. Meanwhile, prosecutors used Thursday’s testimony to introduce jurors to a crucial unwritten rule at City Hall: aldermanic privilege.
“A development would not get approval for a zoning change unless the alderman of that particular neighborhood would support it,” Solis told them.
Not only that, but he said developers also often required approval from the City Council’s Zoning Committee.
For many years, it was led by Solis.
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Isabel’s morning briefing
Friday, Nov 22, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller
* ICYMI: Bill to phase out subminimum wage for disabled workers clears General Assembly. Capitol News Illinois…
-The Senate took a bipartisan 43-11 vote to pass the legislation that supporters dub the “Dignity in Pay Act.”
- The bill aims to stop Illinois organizations from paying subminimum wage to workers with disabilities will soon head to Gov. JB Pritzker’s desk.
-Under the bill, Illinois has through 2029 to abolish the subminimum wage for workers with disabilities.
* Related stories…
*** Isabel’s Top Picks ***
* Sun-Times | Defamation suit can proceed against Sun-Times over Trump Tower stories, Illinois Supreme Court rules: In a 6-0 decision with one justice taking no part, the state’s top court ruled the suit filed by ex-Illinois Property Tax Appeal Board Executive Director Mauro Glorioso wasn’t lodged against the Sun-Times “solely based on defendant’s exercise of political rights.” Glorioso is suing the newspaper over a 2020 article about an anonymous complaint that accused him of improperly pushing for a property tax break on Donald Trump’s namesake riverfront tower.
* WBEZ | Hole in Johnson’s budget grows to $340 million thanks to cellphone tax snafu in Springfield: Illinois Retail Merchants Association President Rob Karr said there were technical problems that must be fixed in the legal language the city drafted. Although the higher tax rate would have applied to all pre-paid phone products, the now-failed legislation would have “treated those similarly-situated phone products differently,” Karr said. One category was “tangible personal property” with a sales tax. The other was not tangible and fell under an excise tax. “They drew this weird dividing line between these two sets of properties. … There were concerns about that. … The city was told to come back down and engage everyone to get it done correctly. They didn’t get it done correctly,” Karr said.
* Citizen’s Utility Board | ICC grants Aqua Illinois $11.6 million rate-hike: The Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC) on Thursday cut Aqua Illinois’ rate-hike request by about 40 percent, granting the water utility an $11.6 million increase. CUB called the ICC’s Final Order a step toward reining in a utility that was the subject of intense criticism for high rates and poor water quality from customers who attended ICC public forums requested by AARP Illinois over the summer. But CUB said more needed to be done: The next step is to work for reforms in Springfield.
*** Statehouse News ***
* Starvedrock Media | Newly-Elected Murri Briel Discusses Her Plans as New State Rep in Springfield: One topic was Briel’s view of the future of education in a district that not only includes Northern Illinois University, but also a number of community colleges. Briel said she’s concerned about the load that would be put on the state if the U.S. Department of Education is broken up or dissolved.
* NPR Illinois | Making sense of the state house, Mawa Iqbal shares what it’s like in the fast-paced environment of the Illinois State Capitol: Mawa Iqbal is the state house reporter for WBEZ and Illinois Public Radio. She spoke to Community Voices about what it’s like working in the state capitol, the challenges of reporting on social justice and the importance of media literacy.
*** Chicago ***
* Tribune. | CPS: At a $10B impasse with CTU, ‘fact-finding’ hearings set for December in effort to resolve contract impasse: Leaders from the Chicago Teachers Union and Chicago Public Schools announced differing perspectives Thursday in what has become a very public teachers contract negotiation dispute, with the fate of district’s leader on the line. Facing mounting demands from CTU to finalize a new collective bargaining agreement, CPS told reporters they don’t have the revenue to meet many of the union’s asks.
* Tribune | Creation of quantum computer research park on South Works site wins Chicago Plan Commission approval: The vote came after hours of impassioned testimony from dozens of community residents. Many said the project represents an opportunity to bring billions of investment dollars and new businesses to a region that has suffered decades of isolation and disinvestment. Others said the massive development, first announced by Gov. JB Pritzker this past summer, is moving at a breakneck pace and needs to slow down, allowing environmental activists and community advocates the chance to secure a written agreement with the developers on wildlife protection, job creation and affordable housing.
* Daily Herald | Buffalo Grove DePaul student speaks out about antisemitic campus attack
: Kaminsky fractured his wrist, while Long suffered a brain injury in the assault by two masked attackers. Long said he has been the target of cyber harassment, with Pro-Hamas supporters putting up “wanted” posters online calling him an “IDF butcher” and saying he got what he deserved.
*** Cook County and Suburbs ***
* ABC Chicago | IL comptroller among those calling for Cook County judge to resign after suspected killer’s release: “I think there is a need to evaluate how we find ourselves here again,” Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx said. “I don’t even trust him with a parking ticket, nor should anyone else at this point. I think the honest thing for Judge Thomas Nowinski to do is to resign,” Illinois Comptroller Susana Mendoza said.
* Daily Southtown | Tinley Park Mayor Michael Glotz to face former labor leader affiliated with Park District: Tinley Park Mayor Michael Glotz faces a reelection challenge from a former labor leader affiliated with the Park District’s project at the former state mental health center. Running with Glotz on the One Tinley Park ticket are Village Clerk Nancy O’Connor and trustees William Brady, Dennis Mahoney and Colleen Sullivan.
* Daily Herald | Former Ford Heights Mayor Annie Coulter among 4 challengers to interim Mayor Freddie Wilson: rustees Tyreese Andrews and Germaine Hooks are running for reelection, while trustees Douglas Jones, Elliott Harper and Johnny Griffin will not be on the ballot. Hooks and Jones were appointed to two vacancies on the board last month created after former Mayor Charles Griffin and Trustee Jimmy Viverette were forced to resign. Griffin was convicted of embezzling between $10,000 and $100,000 from the village and Viverette was found by the Cook County state’s attorney’s office to have previously been convicted of a felony, disqualifying them from holding office.
*** Downstate ***
* WCIA | Springfield, Champaign-Urbana have largest October job increases among IL metro areas: Over-the-year, the unemployment rate decreased in six areas, increased in six and was unchanged in two. The metro areas that saw the largest over-the-year percentage increases in total nonfarm jobs were the Springfield MSA (+1.9%, +2,000) and the Champaign-Urbana MSA (+1.7%, +2,100).
* WREX | Rochelle’s Kitchen Table has served its final meal after eight years: Kitchen Table, a unique establishment in Rochelle, has become a lifeline for hundreds in the community, offering meals with no prices on a ‘pay what you can basis’. But now, the organization has made the difficult decision to serve its final meal. “It would allow people to still come out and feed their families and pay what they could afford to pay. So to me, it was perfect,” said Carolyn Brown, founder of Kitchen Table.
*** National ***
* Sun-Times | What’s next for Rahm Emanuel?: U.S. Ambassador to Japan and former Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel is in the mix for Democratic National Committee chair — and if there are vacancies — governor and senator. He told the Sun-Times he is weighing his options about the next “best way to serve.” Emanuel texted me: “First come home second talk and listen to folks at home about best way to serve and build what we care about.”
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Live coverage
Friday, Nov 22, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller
* You can click here to follow the Madigan trial. Click here and/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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Isabel’s afternoon roundup
Thursday, Nov 21, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller
* Governor Pritzker…
Far too often, people with disabilities still endure barriers to employment and discrimination in the workplace. Many are paid subminimum wages that devalue their contributions and diminish their likelihood to secure meaningful work and participate in other life enhancing activities.
The Dignity in Pay Act is an unprecedented, crucial leap forward to a future where all individuals, regardless of ability, can maximize their talents and contributions to our workforce—and earn a fair wage. Thank you to Chief Bill Sponsors Representative Teresa Mah, Senator Cristina Castro, bipartisan partners in the Illinois General Assembly, and all of the civil rights, human rights, organized labor, anti-poverty, and trade associations who worked together to achieve a more equitable and inclusive Illinois.
With the Illinois Department of Human Services (IDHS), the Illinois Council on Developmental Disabilities, and the Illinois Department of Labor, we will join more than a dozen states in phasing out this practice over the next five years. This law will create employment opportunities for people with disabilities by providing a five-year transition period for employers and employees, establishing a support program to provide resources and assistance to service providers, raising the Personal Needs Allowance for group home residents, and increasing Supported Employment Rates to expand competitive, integrated work opportunities statewide.”
* Capitol News Illinois…
A conservative Catholic legal group is suing Illinois over a landmark state law enshrining a “fundamental right” to abortion care and requiring insurance companies to cover abortion and other reproductive health care.
The lawsuit, filed Wednesday in federal court in Chicago by the Thomas More Society, seeks to prevent the state from requiring insurers to cover abortion coverage by arguing that doing so violates the First Amendment and 14th Amendment rights of its plaintiffs.
It also argues that the state is in violation of the Comstock Act, which criminalizes mailing abortion-related materials, because it requires health insurers to cover providers who send abortion medication in the mail. […]
The lawsuit also relies on the Coats-Snowe Amendment and the Weldon Amendment, which prevent states that receive federal funding from discriminating against health care entities because they don’t provide abortions.
* Daily Southtown…
Will County Board member reelected to his position spent this month sowing doubts into the integrity of the election via several now-deleted Facebook posts.
Vince Logan, a Republican from Joliet, was the second highest vote-getter among four candidates in the County Board’s 7th District based on results posted both on Election Day and after provisional ballots and all remaining mail-in ballots were counted Tuesday. Voters select two county board members per district, which reelected Logan for a four-year term. Newcomer Dawn Bullock, a Democrat, received the most votes in the District 7 race.
Between Election Day and Tuesday, Logan posted several messages on social media alleging the county clerk’s office may have been cheating. Posts, which have since been deleted from his campaign Facebook page, stated, “Opportunity to cheat is huge,” and “Alarm bells ringing.”
Logan claimed via the posts that the Democrat county clerk knew the exact votes needed for him to lose and questioned his motivation to incorrectly count the ballots, which included to tilt the balance of the board or elect the county executive’s attorney a judge. Some of his posts were shared on Facebook more than 100 times each, further spreading the allegations.
County Clerk Chuck Pelkie said the allegations were false.
* Illinois Department of Employment Security…
Over-the-year, total nonfarm jobs increased in eight metropolitan areas and decreased in six for the year ending October 2024, according to data released today by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) and the Illinois Department of Employment Security (DES). Over-the-year, the unemployment rate decreased in six areas, increased in six, and was unchanged in two.
“Illinois continues to benefit from job growth and positive economic trends in every corner of the state,” said Deputy Governor Andy Manar. “As payroll expansion continues to motivate eager jobseekers, IDES and its local area workforce partners remain focused on providing the necessary services and tools to get workers matched with employers.”
The metro areas which had the largest over-the-year percentage increases in total nonfarm jobs were the Springfield MSA (+1.9%, +2,000), the Champaign-Urbana MSA (+1.7%, +2,100) and the Carbondale-Marion MSA (+1.3%, +800). The metro areas which posted the largest over-the-year decreases in total nonfarm jobs were the Danville MSA (-1.8%, -500) and the Peoria MSA (-1.1%, -1,900). Total nonfarm jobs in the Chicago Metro Division were nearly unchanged (0.0%, -600). Industries that saw job growth in most of the metro areas included: Government (twelve areas); Private Education and Health Services (eleven areas); Other Services (nine areas); and Mining and Construction (eight areas).
The metro areas with the largest unemployment rate decreases were the Rockford MSA (-0.7 percentage point to 5.4%), the Decatur MSA (-0.3 percentage point to 5.8%) and the Kankakee MSA (-0.3 percentage point to 5.4%). The metro areas with the largest unemployment rate increases were the Chicago Metro (+1.2 points to 5.5%), the Davenport-Moline-Rock Island IA-IL MSA (+0.7 point to 5.4%), the Danville MSA (+0.4 point to 6.2%), and the Bloomington MSA (+0.4 point to 4.3%). There was no unemployment rate change in the Carbondale-Marion MSA and Elgin Metropolitan Division.
*** Statewide ***
* Crain’s | Illinois hydrogen project gets initial federal funding: The Midwest Alliance for Clean Hydrogen has inked a contract with the Department of Energy for $22.2 million to start planning a Midwest hydrogen hub. The multi-state hydrogen project called MachH2 could involve up to a $1 billion investment over a dozen years and create more than 12,000 jobs. The goal is to demonstrate how hydrogen fuel cells might work at commercial scale. Illinois plays a central role in the regional project, which also includes Iowa, Indiana and Michigan.
*** Chicago ***
* Block Club | Woman Dead After Judge Declines To Jail Her Alleged Abuser: ‘The System Failed Her’ : Amanda Pyron, president of The Network: Advocating Against Domestic Violence, called for Nowinski to be reassigned from the domestic violence division and to no longer preside over any domestic violence cases. “Judge Nowinski’s failure to protect the community has now resulted in two tragic, preventable murders,” Pyron said in a statement. “When survivors go to the courts for protection, that protection must be effective. Judge Nowinski has failed in that duty, and allowing him to continue to hear domestic violence cases sends the wrong message to survivors across Chicagoland.”
* Block Club | ‘Pretty Impressive’: More Than 50% Of Voters Cast Ballots In Chicago’s First School Board Election: Out of a total 1,498,873 registered voters, 801,878 cast ballots for the city’s 10 school board districts, according to Max Bever, spokesperson for the Chicago Board of Elections. That means 53 percent of the city’s registered voters showed up and picked candidates for school board races. According to one estimate from the National School Boards Association, just 5-10 percent of registered voters vote in school board races.
* Tribune | Lake Michigan water levels drop to lowest in years amid warmth and lack of rain: “It’s a complicated picture,” said Lauren Fry, a scientist with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory A few inches might not seem like a lot, but Fry said “it’s noteworthy” that October was the first time since 2014 that the monthly average was below the long-term average for any month. The lake’s all-time record low was in January 2013.
* Borderless | Sensitive Migrant Data Mishandled, Former Chicago Shelter Contractors Allege: In a complaint submitted to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) this month, two former Favorite Healthcare Staffing case managers contracted by Favorite alleged that Chicago’s shelters violated health information privacy laws by allowing shelter staff to access and download sensitive information on their own personal devices. The complaint notes that Favorite, the staffing company the City of Chicago hired to manage the migrant shelters, did not require data to be encrypted and allowed employees and independent contractors to share medical and other personal information over insecure communication channels.
* Crain’s | Johnson’s proposed alcohol tax hike likely dead amid pushback from Chicago’s hospitality industry: The proposal would raise the tax on beer 10 cents to $0.39 per gallon and the tax on spirits almost $1 to $3.62 per gallon. Other alcoholic beverages would also see taxes rise. At the liquor store, that would look like a 3-cent increase on a bottle of wine, a 6-cent increase on a six-pack of beer and a 19-cent increase on a bottle of liquor, according to the mayor’s office. The increase would result in an estimated $10.6 million in annual revenue.
*** Cook County and Suburbs ***
* WBEZ | Cook County Board unanimously approves nearly $10 billion budget for 2025: Democratic Commissioner Bridget Degnen spearheaded the effort to amend the budget to provide $2 million in grants to community organizations that provide wraparound reproductive health services. These organizations help cover the cost of everything from hotel stays and travel to medical bills for people seeking abortions.
* Coalition to End Money Bond | Cook County Board approves sunsetting the sheriff’s electronic monitoring program: After years of community pressure, Cook County will begin the process of sunsetting the Sheriff’s electronic monitoring program. Today, the Cook County Board of Commissioners passed a budget amendment that will reduce funding for the Sheriff’s electronic monitoring program and increase funding for the Office of the Chief Judge in preparation for unifying the county’s duplicative pretrial electronic monitoring programs. The Illinois Network for Pretrial Justice celebrates this historic announcement. For years, our coalition has called for the dismantling of the Sheriff’s electronic monitoring program, which expanded mass incarceration and harmed tens of thousands of people subjected to pretrial surveillance as well as their families.
* Sun-Times | Crystal Lake man pleads guilty in Jan. 6 case: Giacchetti was part of a group of rioters who made their way into the U.S. Senate Gallery, where he yelled “Where’d you go?” — as senators had evacuated the building — and “Treason” using the same bullhorn, authorities said. After leaving the gallery, he allegedly confronted journalists, broke Associated Press-owned equipment and pushed over a camera on a tripod, striking a reporter.
* Daily Herald | Wheeling Township to decide on funding for mental health board: Wheeling Township Supervisor Kathy Penner is recommending the township board approve the Wheeling Township Community Mental Health Board’s request of $809,550 for the upcoming fiscal year beginning March 1, 2025. Penner made the recommendation at Tuesday’s township board meeting. The mental health board made the request at its Nov. 13 meeting. The township board will vote on the recommendation in December. She said the township would use funds from available township fund balances, instead of increasing property taxes for township residents.
* WBEZ | West Suburban hospital abruptly cuts ties with midwives and family medicine doctors: Citing the risk of losing liability insurance, West Suburban Medical Center will no longer allow midwives and family medicine physicians to deliver babies at the hospital, abruptly severing ties with a popular group of providers effective next week. The sudden announcement on Monday prompted anger from the midwives and family medicine providers at PCC Community Wellness Center, who have delivered at West Suburban in Oak Park for at least 20 years. The hospital and these providers have become a destination for pregnant people who want a more holistic birth with little medical intervention. PCC mostly treats low-income Black and Latino patients on the West Side, but women from across the region have sought out PCC’s midwifery care.
*** Downstate ***
* WIFR | University of Illinois Chicago-Rockford adds nursing program for non-RNs: Referred to as a direct-entry program, the Master of Science in Nursing Program for non-RNs is designed for students who already have a bachelor’s degree in a different subject and want to become a registered nurse. Students will take six semesters of hybrid courses, with on-campus requirements and clinical site placements.
* WTVO | Historic Winnebago landmark is saved from demolition: The Winnebago County Forest Preserve Board voted against tearing the historic landmark down on Wednesday. An early settler built the home using 400-million-year-old limestone on land that is now considered the Severson Dells Forest Preserve. The aging home is facing major repairs to keep it standing, but one supporter said the building was built to last.
* Riverbender | Former Southern Illinois Police Chief Facing Federal Charges, Accused of Public Corruption: A federal grand jury returned an indictment charging the former Wayne City police chief with selling forfeited items confiscated by the department for his personal benefit. Anson Fenton, 46, of Belle Rive, is facing one count of misapplication of property from federally funded programs and one count of interstate transportation of stolen property.
*** National ***
* Columbia Journalism Review | Journalists Are Leaving X for Bluesky. Will They Stay There?: While X hit a yearly traffic peak on Election Day, that was followed by the highest exit numbers since Musk acquired the platform, then known as Twitter, in 2022: over a hundred and fifteen thousand users in the US deactivated their accounts the day after the election, according to The Independent. The exodus has translated, at least in part, into a surge of new users joining Bluesky, a social network launched by Jack Dorsey in 2019, while he was still the chief executive of Twitter.
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HGOPs whacked for opposing lame duck session
Thursday, Nov 21, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller
* House Speaker Chris Welch and Senate President Don Harmon have both told their chambers to be prepared to return January 2-7 for a lame duck session. As you will recall, Gov. Pritzker and the two Democratic legislative leaders have talked about “Trump-proofing” the state, starting in lame duck session. In response, here’s House GOP Leader McCombie…
Following the adjournment of legislative veto session in the Illinois House, House Minority Leader Tony McCombie issued the following statement:
“We do not need more time for out-of-touch Democrats to dream up harmful legislation. We need bipartisan legislation that focuses on the issues Illinois families care about most. Until the Democrat majority can get their priorities in order, the House Republicans oppose a Lame Duck session.”
* I asked Speaker Welch’s spokesperson Jaclyn Driscoll for a response…
House Republicans oppose affordable, accessible health care. They oppose protecting our environment and reproductive care. They oppose public education, child care assistance, common-sense and lifesaving gun reform, and affordable housing. They’ve voted against making college more affordable and an increase in MAP grant funding. They oppose labor rights. They’ve opposed multiple balanced budgets that returned our state to A-level credit. It isn’t completely surprising to learn that House Republicans now also oppose coming to work altogether. Thankfully, Democrats remain committed to delivering lasting results for all of Illinois and continuing the people’s work in January.
Discuss.
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* Associated Press…
In 2022, New York City’s jails commissioner, Louis Molina, issued a dire warning to local lawmakers: fentanyl was pouring into Rikers Island through the mail, he said, spurring an overdose crisis among the jail’s detainees and putting guards at risk.
As evidence of the insidious threat, Molina passed around a child’s drawing of a reindeer, one of hundreds of seized items he said had been “literally soaked in the drug and mailed to people in custody.”
But that claim was based on faulty drug-testing kits with a stunning 85% false positive rate, according to a report released Wednesday by the city’s Department of Investigation. The report found the city vastly overstated the prevalence of fentanyl sent by mail to detainees. […]
The review by the Department of Investigation found DetectaChem’s test strips had a false positive rate of 79%, while Sirchie’s were wrong 91% of the time.
As I told you in September, the Illinois Department of Corrections uses Sirchie to test items for drugs.
* Back to the AP story…
Detainee advocates have long contended that drugs primarily enter the jail system via employees, who can easily smuggle them inside and sell them to gang leaders. In recent years, dozens of correction officers have been charged in multiple investigations of smuggling rings on Rikers Island.
In its report, the Department of Investigation said corrections officials had failed to implement many of the department’s previous recommendations aimed at screening staff for contraband.
As we’ve told you before, various reports have shown that moving to electronically scanned prison mail has actually resulted in increased drug overdoses.
* And yet, the drumbeat here continues to electronically scan mail. I’m kinda wondering if a private company is behind this push…
* WBEZ | Here’s why some lawmakers want to ban paper mail going into Illinois prisons: Drug-soaked paper is making its way into Illinois prisons, causing overdoses and staff safety concerns. But banning it could pose legal issues.
* The Southern Illinoisan | Friess, Windhorst sponsor Illinois House bill to make prison mail electronic: “Instead, we’ve seen a letter from several representatives of the majority party stating that mail services should continue despite clear evidence that this is how dangerous substances are entering our facilities,” Friess said. “While we all value the connections that physical mail provides, it’s hard to ignore the very real risk to safety that comes with it right now.”
* Center Square | IL Department of Corrections quiet after lawmakers address drug-infused mail: John Howard Association Executive Director Jennifer Vollen-Katz said understanding where the contraband is coming from and what kind of contraband is getting into the prison is the first step. Vollen-Katz called the banning of physical mail a “knee-jerk reaction.” “Mail is one of the ways contraband comes in but it’s not the only one,” said Vollen-Katz. “It could be staff, it could be through vendors who work on contracts with IDOC, it could be visitors. There’s a lot of different ways contraband could get into prisons. Understanding what’s getting in and how is really critical information to solving the problem.”
I have tried and tried to get a response out of IDOC without success. Its silence is absolutely ridiculous.
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* Some good background is here and here on Glorioso v. Sun-Times Media Holdings. The state statute in question is here. The Sandholm case referenced below is here.
* Illinois Supreme Court Justice David Overstreet wrote the opinion, with all justices concurring except Justice Rochford, who took no part in the decision…
Defendants, Sun-Times Media Holdings, LLC, and Tim Novak, appeal the judgment of the appellate court, which affirmed an order of the circuit court of Cook County that denied their second motion to dismiss the defamation complaint filed by plaintiff, Mauro Glorioso. On appeal, defendants contend the complaint is subject to dismissal as a “Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation (SLAPP)” pursuant to section 15 of the Citizen Participation Act (Act). 735 ILCS 110/15 (West 2022). For the following reasons, we find the lawsuit is not a SLAPP and affirm. […]
The [appellate] court noted precedent finding that a newspaper’s investigatory reporting on the activities of government fell into the activities protected by the Act but found major distinctions between those activities and the publication of the articles. Because the articles were published as news, rather than editorial or opinion pieces presenting the thoughts or stance of the writer, and had no bearing on any election, the court found that whether procuring favorable governmental action was the purpose of the articles remained an unsettled issue of fact.
That’s just ridiculous reasoning. Facts can clearly have as much or more bearing on governance and elections than opinion. But the top court bought it…
As we have stated, the first prong of the post-Sandholm test requires defendants to show that the movants’ acts were in furtherance of their rights to petition, speak, associate, or otherwise participate in government to obtain favorable government action. Defendants argue that, because the articles are “investigative reports” about the activities of a public official within a government agency, they address a matter of public concern and thus constitute “acts in furtherance of [defendants’] right to petition, speak, associate, or otherwise participate in government” within the meaning of section 15 of the Act. Plaintiff disagrees, arguing that an act of petition, speech, or association is not in furtherance of the right to participate in government within the meaning of section 15 unless it is aimed at procuring favorable government action or outcome. We agree with plaintiff. The Act’s plain language encompasses acts of “participation in government” and does not contain language extending such protection to speech regarding matters of public concern that do not amount to “government” participation.
* More…
The declared policy of the Act is to protect “the constitutional rights of citizens and organizations to be involved and participate freely in the process of government.” While section 5 speaks to the vitality of “[t]he information, reports, opinions, claims, arguments, and other expressions provided by citizens”, nowhere in section 5, or anywhere else in the language of the Act, is there any mention of news media or the freedom of the press. This is not to minimize or understate the importance of the press and other news media in our democracy. Our jurisprudence is replete with privileges and other protections designed to protect these concerns, many of which remain at issue in this lawsuit. We are simply holding that the Act specifically protects government participation and does not encompass all media reports on matters of public concern as advocated by defendants.
The Illinois General Assembly needs to add the news media to the SLAPP Act post-haste…
[Appellate] Justice Hyman dissented [in the appellate ruling], asserting that appellate decisions since Sandholm have strayed from its reasoning and erroneously required that a lawsuit be “ ‘meritless and retaliatory’ ” in order to be dismissed as a SLAPP. The dissent painstakingly outlined the origins of the test and its application by the appellate court in order to show that the retaliatory requirement has no basis, will encourage the filing of SLAPPs, and is unworkable. In Justice Hyman’s view, the articles were clearly published in sole furtherance of government participation because they reported on government malfeasance and were “undeniably newsworthy and of interest to the public,” which could lead to reform.
Hyman is exactly right. But there’s nothing to be done about it now except change the law.
* It’s important to note that even if the news media was explicitly included in the statute, that still might not have saved the Sun-Times because of another aspect of the court’s reasoning…
Turning to the second element of the Sandholm test, the appellate court agreed that whether plaintiff’s complaint is filed solely based on defendant’s exercise of political rights requires a showing that the suit is both meritless and retaliatory. With regard to lack of merit, the appellate court agreed with the circuit court, finding as follows:
“We find that [defendants’] reporting could reasonably be read as not fair, accurate, or truthful by creating the implication that [plaintiff] was more culpable in the alleged activity than the anonymous complaint claimed, both in terms of his supposed actions and his supposed authority over PTAB employees. These are questions of fact that allow [plaintiff’s] complaint to survive the pleading stage. Defendants have failed to meet their burden of proving that [plaintiff’s] lawsuit is meritless.”
Turning to the issue of whether defendants showed that plaintiff’s complaint is retaliatory, the appellate court noted that this issue concerns whether plaintiff’s goal in filing the lawsuit was to seek damages for the harm caused to his reputation and character or whether the sole intent was to chill defendants’ rights of petition and speech related to participation in government. The court noted precedent that identified two factors considered on this issue: (1) the timing of the lawsuit and (2) the relationship between damages requested and the injury. In evaluating these factors, the appellate court concluded that defendants failed to show plaintiff’s lawsuit is retaliatory.
In my opinion, this case should never have been brought to the Supreme Court. What a mess.
…Adding… I talked to one of the lead lobbyists on the original SLAPP bill, who said there was no perceived need to mention news media in the language at the time, “because - until this decision today - no court had ever drawn a distinction regarding who was doing the speaking. Speech is speech. It didn’t matter if the speaker was part of the news media or not.”
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* Courthouse News Service…
Ed Moody, a former Cook County commissioner, Cook County recorder of deeds and Chicago 13th Ward precinct captain, took the stand Wednesday in the ongoing federal corruption trial of ex-Illinois House Speaker Mike Madigan. His testimony gave the jury a look into how Madigan’s political network in Chicago operated.
Moody testified that he began working in politics in Chicago in the early 1990s alongside his brother Fred. The brothers met Madigan in 1989 or 1990, Moody said, and they earned a reputation as effective political canvassers during the 1992 elections. Madigan’s political office in Chicago’s 13th Ward — which overlapped with his state legislative district — made them local precinct captains, charged with turning out Democratic votes. By 1994, Moody said he and his brother were training other Democratic political workers, and that Madigan attended their training seminars.
Moody stayed active in Chicago Democratic politics for more than two decades afterward, and said he landed a court coordinator job with the Cook County court system in 1993 with Madigan’s help. He kept that gig for 23 years, and was appointed a Cook County commissioner in October 2016 to fill a recent vacancy. He served in that role for two years before becoming Cook County recorder of deeds, a now-abolished position, from December 2018 to December 2020.
Through it all, he credited Madigan as his patron.
“He’s my political leader,” Moody said of Madigan on Wednesday.
* Capitol News Illinois…
In 2011, after two decades of steady campaign work – which eventually turned from volunteer hours to paid labor – Moody approached Madigan with a request. As he approached his 50th birthday, he realized he needed to save more for his retirement, despite the pension guaranteed to him from his years working for Cook County government. Moody asked the speaker if he could connect him with some political consulting work in order to earn an extra $45,000 a year.
But Moody said the speaker didn’t give him an answer in their initial meeting, and he never heard from Madigan afterward. The lack of response from their political mentor made both him and his brother “hurt and upset.” So, Moody set up another meeting with the speaker, this time with his twin in tow.
On Wednesday, he described the emotional meeting and said the normally taciturn Madigan grew upset too.
“He said, ‘calm down, calm down,’” Moody recalled. “He said ‘you’ll get your contract.’ … As the conversation was settling down a bit, Mr. Madigan said, ‘This is how I reward my good soldiers.’”
* Tribune…
According to his testimony, from 2012 to 2019, Moody was sent some $354,000 from ComEd through Madigan-connected contractors for essentially no work, beyond making a few pointless phone calls.
One person he supposedly worked for, Shaw Decremer, never even talked to him about it in person, Moody testified. When he saw Decremer once on the street downtown, he was on his cellphone and looked busy, and simply gave Moody a “thumbs up” before moving on, Moody said.
Throughout his time on ComEd’s payroll, Moody said, Madigan assured him that everyone was happy with the arrangement. In fact, in 2018, when Moody’s contract was moved again to another lobbyist, John Bradley, the speaker told him in no uncertain terms he had “nothing to worry about.”
At the time, Moody was campaigning on Madigan’s block, working against state Sen. Martin Sandoval’s daughter, Angie, who was running for Cook County commissioner. Moody said Madigan had thrown his political resources behind Jesús “Chuy” García’s favored candidate, Alma Anaya.
* Sun-Times…
As part of his deal with McClain, Moody said he made one round of phone calls to state lawmakers each month — a task that took him an entire hour. Between January and April 2013, he said he also made a canvassing effort on behalf of ComEd.
Then, the arrangement changed. Moody’s money began to flow instead through then-City Club President Jay Doherty, and then through firms belonging to Shaw Decremer and John Bradley, who also have ties to Madigan. Jurors have previously been told that all the money originated with ComEd.
Unlike with McClain, Moody said he did no work at all for the others. He also said that, when the arrangement first began, McClain told him it was “one hell of a plum.
“And I owe the speaker big.”
* Moody is back on the stand this morning…
* More…
* Crain’s | Judge closes book on bribery case against AT&T tied to Madigan: Prosecutors asked U.S. District Judge Jorge L. Alonso today to dismiss the case, part of a deferred prosecution agreement the telecommunications giant entered into two years ago in the sprawling public corruption investigation, Chicago Sun-Times reports. The judge said he would sign the order. AT&T had admitted paying $22,500 to an associate of Madigan’s to influence legislation in Springfield but did not plead guilty to any crimes. Prosecutors charged former AT&T Illinois President Paul La Schiazza with participating in the alleged conspiracy, and his trial ended in a hung jury in September.
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* Background is ubiquitous, so use the Google. Definition of Nolle Prosequi according to the Law Dictionary…
Lat. In practice. A formal entry upon the record, by the plaintiff in a civil suit or the prosecuting officer in a criminal action, by which he declares that he “will no further prosecute” the case, either as to some of the counts, or some of the defendants, or altogether. A nolle prosequi is in the nature of an acknowledgment or undertaking by the plaintiff in an action to forbear to proceed any further either in the action altogether, or as to some part of it, or as to some of the defendants; and is different from a non- pros., by which the plaintiff is put out of court with respect to all the defendants.
* And now on to People v. Smollett. Illinois Supreme Court’s Justice Rochford with the opinion concurred by four justices, with two others (Chief Justice Theis and Justice Cunningham) not participating…
“The public justifiably expects the State, above all others, to keep its bond.” - Bowers v. State, 500 N.E.2d 203, 204 (Ind. 1986).
Today we resolve a question about the State’s responsibility to honor the agreements it makes with defendants. Specifically, we address whether a dismissal of a case by nolle prosequi allows the State to bring a second prosecution when the dismissal was entered as part of an agreement with the defendant and the defendant has performed his part of the bargain. We hold that a second prosecution under these circumstances is a due process violation, and we therefore reverse defendant’s conviction. […]
That the parties intended finality is also supported by page after page of the [Office of the Special Prosecutor’s] summary report. There is no indication anywhere in the report that the [Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office] intended to further prosecute defendant, and there is every indication that the CCSAO considered the case resolved. […]
Defendant argues that he entered into a nonprosecution agreement with the State, that he fully performed his part of the agreement, and that therefore any further prosecution of him was barred. […]
We agree with Justice Lyle that the assistant state’s attorney’s statement on March 26, 2019, clearly showed that the parties intended finality. Again, the assistant state’s attorney stated that this outcome was a “just disposition and appropriate resolution to this case.” This is not the statement of someone who intends to refile the charges. […]
Because the charges were dismissed in exchange for defendant’s community service and forfeiture of his bail bond and because defendant fully performed his end of the agreement, the State is bound by the agreement. […]
Illinois case law establishes that it is fundamentally unfair to allow the prosecution to renege on a deal with a defendant when the defendant has relied on the agreement to his detriment. […]
The proper prosecutor rule exists to protect defendants, not to allow the State to take advantage of its own errors to get a do-over.
* Conclusion…
We are aware that this case has generated significant public interest and that many people were dissatisfied with the resolution of the original case and believed it to be unjust. Nevertheless, what would be more unjust than the resolution of any one criminal case would be a holding from this court that the State was not bound to honor agreements upon which people have detrimentally relied. As the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania recently stated when enforcing a prosecutorial promise not to prosecute:
“It cannot be gainsaid that society holds a strong interest in the prosecution of crimes. It is also true that no such interest, however important, ever can eclipse society’s interest in ensuring that the constitutional rights of the people are vindicated. Society’s interest in prosecution does not displace the remedy due to constitutionally aggrieved persons.” Cosby, 252 A.2d at 1147.
That court further noted the consequences of failing to enforce prosecutorial promises when a defendant has relied on them to his detriment:
“A contrary result would be patently untenable. It would violate long-cherished principles of fundamental fairness. It would be antithetical to, and corrosive of, the integrity and functionality of the criminal justice system that we strive to maintain.”
We reverse the judgment of the appellate court, reverse the judgment of the circuit court, and remand the cause with directions for the circuit court to enter a judgment of dismissal.
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[The following is a paid advertisement.]
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This legislation represents years of discussion among the broader disability community and I am pleased to make clear that the Illinois Association of Rehabilitation Facilities, as the largest Illinois association of disability and mental health service providers, supports Dignity in Pay.
Nearly 20 states across America have voted to end the practice of paying less than minimum wage to working age adults with disabilities. This issue cuts across partisan politics, which is why states such as Washington, Texas, Maryland, and South Carolina have ensured fair pay for an hour of work, regardless of disability status.
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Josh Evans
President and CEO
Illinois Association of Rehabilitation Facilities
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It’s just a bill (Updated)
Thursday, Nov 21, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller
* WGEM…
Illinois is one step closer to requiring workers with intellection and developmental disabilities be paid the full minimum wage.
The state Senate Executive Committee passed the Dignity in Pay Act Wednesday by a 9-3 margin with bipartisan support. It now heads to the Senate floor.
“Old-fashioned stereotypes about the limit and worth of disabled lives must change,” said Ryan Croke from the Pritzker administration. […]
The bill would end Illinois’s 14(c) certificate program, which allows some employers to pay people with disabilities less than the minimum wage. Though administered by the federal government, Illinois lawmakers can outlaw the program from being used in the state.
…Adding… HB793 passed the Senate 43-11. It will be sent to the governor.
* Tribune…
With legislation pending in the Illinois General Assembly to govern coal ash, and proposed U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rules under consideration to regulate both coal ash and Ethelyn Oxide (EtO), a local sense of urgency is growing with changes coming in Washington, D.C.
For nearly three years, state Rep. Rita Mayfield, D-Waukegan, pushed legislation to require NRG to remove rather than fill the two coal ash ponds at its decommissioned Waukegan electrical power plant. […]
When the 103rd General Assembly convened in early 2023, Mayfield posed her bill again and said she remains five votes short. Some of her Democratic colleagues fear it could cause coal-fired power plants in their districts to close, putting people out of work.
Mayfield said she hopes to get it done in January’s lame duck session which convenes a few days before the 104th General Assembly takes office.
* Sen. Laura Fine…
To ensure patients suffering from chronic pain receive recommended treatment, State Senator Laura Fine passed legislation to authorize physicians to prescribe controlled substances according to updated federal guidelines.
“To combat the opioid epidemic, in 2016 states instituted policies that severely restricted the prescribing of certain opioids,” said Fine (D-Glenview). “As a result, chronic pain patients with a legitimate need for these medications were at risk of self-medicating and putting their mental and physical health in jeopardy.”
House Bill 5373 reflects new guidelines issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for the prescribing of opioids for chronic pain. The legislation would allow physicians to make necessary prescriptions for controlled substances, including opioids, without strict limitations based on dosage amounts except as provided under federal law.
Additionally, Fine’s bill would protect patient confidentiality by preventing the release of opioid prescription and treatment information without a legal order verified by the Illinois Department of Human Services or an administrative subpoena from the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation. […]
House Bill 5373 passed the Senate on Wednesday.
* Rep. Cyril Nichols introduced HB5917 this morning…
Amends the Pharmacy Benefit Manager Article of the Illinois Insurance Code. Provides that, on or before July 1 of each calendar year, each pharmacy benefit manager registered in this State must submit a report to the Director of Insurance detailing specified information concerning pricing discounts, rebates, or other financial incentives received by the pharmacy benefit manager during the previous calendar year; the terms and conditions of any contract between the pharmacy benefit manager and any party related to providing pharmacy benefit manager services to a health plan; and any activity, policy, practice, contract, or arrangement of the pharmacy benefit manager that may directly or indirectly present a conflict of interest. Provides that the Director may, at the Director’s discretion, require additional quarterly reports. Sets forth provisions concerning confidentiality and rulemaking. Effective January 1, 2026.
* 25News Now…
Wednesday in Springfield, Republican State Reps. Charlie Meier, David Friess, and Bill Hauter raised concerns over drug exposure in Illinois prisons.
They said many inmates receive mail, ask for bug fumigation in their cells, and then smoke the mail laced with insecticide as cigarettes. The lawmakers said this is causing other inmates and workers to get sick from the smoke. […]
The representatives are supporting Bill 5893, which will require the Illinois Department of Corrections to implement a policy of electronically scanning and processing all incoming mail for inmates.[…]
Meier said a pilot program for electronic mail is scheduled to start in seven months, but he said prisons cannot wait that long.
* Sen. Mike Simmons…
State Senator Mike Simmons is sponsoring legislation to strengthen workforce recruitment and retention for educators and childcare providers in Illinois.
“We need a plan for Illinois families and childcare providers to be able to find the best employees possible,” said Simmons (D-Chicago). “By getting feedback from all parties, we can create a comprehensive plan that sets children, families and providers up for success.”
Under the legislation, the existing State Comprehensive Day Care Plan survey of day care facilities would include feedback from groups and individuals with relevant expertise and lived experiences with the goal of promoting workforce recruitment and retention for educators and childcare providers.
“We need to hear from the folks directly affected by workforce challenges, and with this legislation, we can bring more people to the table while we continue to address this ongoing problem,” Simmons said. “With the help of communities across the state who are struggling with childcare solutions, we can find better ways Illinois can assist in addressing the employment shortcomings.”
House Bill 814 passed the Senate on Wednesday.
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Open thread
Thursday, Nov 21, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller
* What’s going on in your part of Illinois?…
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Isabel’s morning briefing
Thursday, Nov 21, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller
* ICYMI: ‘A danger to the people of Illinois’: Calls mount for lawmaker to step down over alleged racist comments. FOX 32…
-Illinois State Sen. Sara Feigenholtz faces calls to resign after high school teacher Fuzia Jarad and CAIR accused her of making anti-Muslim comments during a personal encounter and on social media.
-Feigenholtz denies the allegations, calling them baseless, and says she is working to rebuild trust with her community.
-CAIR has urged Senate President Don Harmon to strip Feigenholtz of committee leadership roles if she refuses to step down.
* Related stories…
*** Isabel’s Top Picks ***
* Tribune | Man suspected of killing estranged wife before being found dead was previously released on electronic monitoring: Weeks before a man allegedly fatally stabbed his estranged wife in a Portage Park attack that also injured a police officer, he appeared before a Cook County judge on accusations that he threw her to the ground and held her in his car, records show. During a detention hearing, Cook County prosecutors argued for detention as the public defender for Constantin Beldie, 57, hit back against the state’s evidence. Judge Thomas Nowinski ordered him released on electronic monitoring, finding that prosecutors did not meet their burden for detention. He criticized the case work, calling it “a little sloppy,” according to a court transcript of the Oct. 9 proceeding.
* Sun-Times | NW suburban state Rep. Martin McLaughlin on track for reelection by just 47 votes: With the final ballots counted this week in the hotly contested 52nd House District that includes Algonquin, Wauconda and Mundelein, Republican state Rep. Martin McLaughlin, R-Barrington Hills, had 29,520 votes — about 50.04% of the total — compared to 29,473 for Democratic challenger Maria Peterson.
*** Statehouse News ***
* WCBU | Here’s why some lawmakers want to ban paper mail going into Illinois prisons: In a statement, Illinois Department of Corrections spokesperson Naomi Puzzello said while the agency is “exploring additional options to enhance safety,” it has already intensified mail screening protocols, and is encouraging staff to use personal protective equipment when handling mail.
* Tribune | Ex-transportation official gets 18 months in prison in bribery case involving then-state Sen. Sandoval: William Helm, the onetime deputy commissioner of the Chicago Department of Aviation and a former state transportation official, also admitted in a plea agreement with prosecutors earlier this year that he and others helped arrange $40,000 in bribes to other, unnamed officials.
*** Statewide ***
* Tribune | Conservative group asks US Supreme Court to reverse ruling that allows Illinois mail-in ballots to be counted after Election Day: The appeal, filed Tuesday by the organization Judicial Watch, also asks the nation’s highest court to clarify rulings about who has the right to appeal post-Election Day challenges, after many lawsuits contesting individual state results of the 2020 election filed on behalf of Donald Trump were tossed for lack of standing. Judicial Watch was among several groups that assisted Trump in seeking to halt the counting of mail-in ballots after Election Day four years ago when Trump lost to President Joe Biden.
*** Chicago ***
* WGN | Chicago ‘solves’ murders in which no arrest is made: Most notably, police closed 117 homicide cases this year due to what’s called “bar to prosecute.” Simply put, it means police believe they identified the killer, but prosecutors would not approve charges. If police included only cases closed by arrest, this year’s homicide clearance rate would be 23 percent, according to police data, reviewed by WGN Investigates.
* Bond Buyer | S&P places Chicago’s GO bonds on watch negative: S&P Global Ratings placed Chicago’s general obligation bond rating on watch negative Tuesday, warning the city against heavy reliance on one-time budget solutions, as reports suggest Mayor Brandon Johnson has slashed his proposed property tax increase in half in order to get his 2025 budget approved by the City Council.
* Press Release | CTU to Hold “Resist Trump’s Project 2025” Rally to Defend Public Schools & Chicago’s Students and their Families: The Chicago Teachers Union’s members will be rallying at the Chicago Temple on Thursday, November 21st, to demand the settlement of their contract, protest the planned closures of schools by Acero, and call for expanded protections against the racist, sexist, anti-LGBTQ, anti-worker agenda being planned by the Trump administration.
* The Triibe | Today’s Chicago City Council regrets the infamous 2008 parking meter deal: “I wasn’t in on the negotiation,” Ald. Emma Mitts (37th Ward) told The TRiiBE about the parking meters. She was one of the 40 alders who voted in favor of the deal. At the time, she had been in office for eight years. Today, Mitts and other alderpersons in the Chicago Aldermanic Black Caucus, who also voted for Daley’s deal back then, admit that the deal wasn’t smart but some also say it would’ve done little to solve the city’s current financial crisis. The deal, now 16 years old, has been widely criticized as being one of the most foolish deals in Chicago’s history.
* WBBM | Ex-rideshare driver suing Uber, Lyft, Chicago for violating workers’ rights: Cohran is suing Uber, Lyft and the city of Chicago after she was deactivated from the rideshare apps for allegedly spitting on a passenger, which she said is not true. “That’s assault,” she said. “I’ve never assaulted anyone ever, so it was crazy. My life being turned around, and they wouldn’t even really hear me out.”
*** Cook County and Suburbs ***
* Daily Southtown | Orland Park Mayor Keith Pekau says state comptroller trying to ‘inflict harm’ on residents in holding back money: The Village Board approved a resolution Monday accusing the comptroller of singling out Orland Park for harsh treatment while dozens of government entities throughout the state have been late in filing audits but not subject to the same treatment. The comptroller has “decided to try to inflict harm on the people of Orland Park,” Mayor Keith Pekau said. He called the comptroller’s actions “capricious and unacceptable.”
* Crain’s | Evanston looks at eliminating single-family-only zoning: The proposal is one piece of a comprehensive overhaul of all zoning in the North Shore city that officials rolled out in early November and hope to have finalized in the spring. If approved, it will put Evanston in company with, among others, the city of Minneapolis and the states of Oregon, California and Washington. “It’s an important question for the community to consider based on the increasing costs of housing,” said Liz Williams, the city’s planning manager. “Evanston is known historically for its diversity of housing types, and this particular change is intended to expand housing choices for residents at all income levels and life stages.”
* Daily Herald | Just follow the arrows: Tollway unveils I-294 SmartRoad system to give real-time traffic tips: Similar to the Jane Addams Tollway SmartRoad that went live in 2017, the I-294 version introduced Wednesday will stretch between Wolf Road and Balmoral Avenue. The system will expand and eventually there will be 80 gantries placed every half mile on I-294 between Oak Lawn and Rosemont.
*** Downstate ***
* BND | Former East St. Louis administrator charged with alleged misuse of city credit card: Carlos Mayfield, 60, was arrested and charged on Oct. 1 after an investigation by Illinois State Police determined he used the card to make personal purchases. Mayfield is accused of taking between $500-$10,000 of Government property, a class 2 felony. He is also accused of fraudulent use of a credit/debit card, a class 4 felony, according to charging documents.
* Illinois Times | Frank Vala helped fund recorder’s race: Langfelder said he sees Springfield businessman Frank Vala’s political fingerprints behind the scenes. Vala helped finance Springfield Mayor Misty Buscher’s successful 2023 campaign to unseat Josh Langfelder’s brother, Jim. […] “I walked into a restaurant where he’s having breakfast with some individuals – some political individuals – and he basically grabbed my hand and said, ‘You know, it’s nothing against you, it’s against your brother.’ I said, ‘Well, I’ve never met you. Let me introduce myself. My name is Josh Langfelder. And he said, ‘Well, I’m just gonna tell you, your brother tried to kick me off the (Springfield Airport Authority) board. That’s the reason I got Frank Lesko to run against you.’ So, do I see fingerprints on it? Yeah.”
* RR Star | ’Please think!’: Anti-abortion protesters convene outside Rockford clinic on opening day : Midwest Reproductive Health Executive Director Ali Kliegman said the protesters did not interfere with the clinic’s opening. “We just, you know, let them do their thing and we ignored them,” Kliegman said. “They yelled at us, which I would say is a type of mental violence, but that was the extent of it.”
*** National ***
* NYT | U.S. Proposes Breakup of Google to Fix Search Monopoly: Beyond the sale of Chrome, the government asked Judge Mehta to give Google a choice: either sell Android, its smartphone operating system, or bar Google from making its services mandatory on phones that use Android to operate. If Google broke those terms, or the remedies failed to improve competition, the government could force the company to sell Android at a later date.
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