Question of the day
Tuesday, Jan 5, 2021 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Your one-word prediction for the next six months? One word only, please. Thanks.
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COVID-19 roundup
Tuesday, Jan 5, 2021 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Sun-Times…
Mayor Lori Lightfoot called on President-elect Joe Biden to deliver significantly more COVID-19 vaccines to Chicago and other cities or face a drawn out pandemic that will last well into 2022.
Lightfoot, at a media event showcasing the first five Chicago health care workers receiving their second doses of vaccine, said that the rate of distribution to cities is way too slow and added that it will take Chicago almost a year and a half to vaccinate all the city’s residents unless things speed up.
* Center Square…
Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s administration refiled an emergency COVID-19 rule similar to one that expired Monday to continue statewide mask and social distancing requirements for Illinoisans for another 150 days. […]
Back in August, the Illinois Retail Merchants Association opposed a mask mandate rule because it meant the enforcers were store clerks, and that could put them in harm’s way. IRMA CEO Rob Karr applauded local governments that have since approved civil fines for individuals violating the mask rule, but there’s a patchwork across the state.
Karr said the statewide rule filed Monday by the Pritzker administration was an improvement over the expired rule.
“This puts in place that you can hand them something in writing,” Karr said. “So, you could give them a notice that IRMA had produced that said ‘you know you should be wearing a face mask, we may ask you to leave,’ and that helps the retailer avoid, try to avoid, some of those confrontations.”
The rule is here.
* This country needs to get its act together, man…
Bartender Josh Vaughn served the last drink at a Hilton hotel bar in Savannah on March 14. He was furloughed the next day. The company promptly filed paperwork for him to receive unemployment aid, yet he spent more than nine months waiting for the money.
Vaughn is among more than 1.2 million Americans stuck waiting months for desperately needed aid as states struggle to catch up with backlogs of unemployment claims stretching back to March, a Post analysis showed.
* The Atlantic has a story entitled “4 Numbers That Make the Pandemic’s Massive Death Toll Sink In”…
1. On average, each person in the U.S. who has died from COVID-19 was deprived of about 13 years of life.
2. For the first time since World War II, U.S. life expectancy at birth could drop by a full year.
3. About one in 800 Black Americans has died from COVID-19, while one in 1,325 white Americans has.
4. Roughly 3.1 million Americans have lost a close relative to COVID-19.
* Tribune live blog headlines…
Naperville D203 students and staff going back to school this month have option of weekly COVID-19 tests
Indiana COVID-19 hospitalizations increasing in new year; Lake County reports 13 new deaths
Lincoln Park, Brookfield Zoos now closed for extraordinary two-month breaks
Missing your stimulus check? Direct deposits issued, but some glitches; paper checks may take longer
Lightfoot says ‘exponential increase’ of COVID-19 vaccines needed to fight spread of coronavirus
More than half of CPS teachers expected to return did not; head of principal union hits school leaders for creating reopening plan behind closed doors
Federally funded food box program critical for charities during the pandemic extended through April - and now with more food choices
Chicago officials to give update on vaccination efforts as county officials announce funding for food delivery for vulnerable during pandemic
State officials warn of COVID-19 vaccine scams
University of Illinois’ COVID-19 saliva test moves closer to FDA approval, but not fast enough to meet the demand
‘Frenzy’ in Illinois real estate means more homebuyers are putting in same-day offers. Here are 7 tips to help you prepare.
* Sun-Times live blog headlines…
Germany agrees to extend coronavirus lockdown until Jan. 31
40% of Chicago teachers and staff didn’t report to schools as ordered, district says
Alex Trebek urges support for COVID-19 victims in first of final five shows
Lower Metra fares, improved Pace service for south suburban Cook County under new program
Unworkable City Council pandemic proposals could gravely harm Chicago’s hotel industry
* NBC Chicago live blog headlines…
Lincoln Park, Brookfield Zoos Announce Temporary Closures Until Spring
Chicago Teachers Could Be Next in Line For COVID Vaccine, Lightfoot Suggests
New COVID Strain Likely Already in Chicago, May Have Sparked 2nd Surge: Health Official
Half of Teachers Did Not Return to Chicago Public Schools as Ordered on Monday, District Says
Lightfoot, Chicago’s Top Doctor Update on Vaccine Rollout
Chicago COVID-19 Vaccine Map: See Where People Have Been Vaccinated by ZIP Code
When Might Tiered Mitigations Be Lifted? Here’s What the Governor Has Said
Chicago Teachers Conduct Remote Classes Outside School After Staff Ordered Back
Cook County Releases COVID Vaccine Registration Form for Residents
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BIG stuff
Tuesday, Jan 5, 2021 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Crain’s…
The state has run out of money for its Business Interruption Grant program, which aimed to help small businesses walloped by COVID-19, and some restaurant operators are not happy.
The program launched over the summer, and supplies federal funds from the CARES Act. The Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity administered the first round of grants in August, and started distributing a second round in the fall. […]
Restaurant operators that were not chosen said they are frustrated with the state. They were encouraged to apply, and some operators said that led them to believe they were likely to receive a grant.
“The communications were utterly, utterly botched,” said Pat Doerr, managing director of the Hospitality Business Association of Chicago. “They kept on saying, ‘Apply, apply, apply,’ especially after the mitigations were ratcheted up statewide in early November.”
* DCEO, however, said they were focused on smaller business and minority-owned businesses…
We worked systematically to review over 50,000 apps received for BIG, using criteria set in statute to address the hardest hit industries and geographies throughout Illinois.
Reviewing on a strictly first-come, first-served basis would have advantaged the larger, more sophisticated businesses, which is why DCEO continued to receive applications through mid-December to ensure that the smallest, most vulnerable businesses were able to access this lifeline as we entered the winter months. This equity centric approach resulted in more than 80% of BIG awards going to businesses with less than $1M in annual revenue, and roughly 40% of awards going to minority-owned businesses - a stark contrast with awards made under PPP.
While we hoped additional federal funding would extend this program, we have worked to maximize every dollar we had. We are proud that the program provided over $130 million in grants to over 3,500 restaurants and taverns across the state.
* Meanwhile, WICS has a story entitled “Local restaurants confused, fear state punishment for opening.” But I’m not sure why they’re confused or why this is labeled by the outlet as “punishment” and “retribution”…
Springfield restaurant owners who have received state grants in the past are now struggling to decide whether they will reopen their indoor dining under Sangamon County’s new guidance, which allows them to do so.
Many of them fear retribution from Gov. JB Pritzker, D-Illinois, because the county’s new guidance directly opposes the governor’s guidance. […]
This left the 36 Springfield restaurants who were awarded the BIG grants with a dilemma: To open, or not to open.
“If the state stepped in to take this grant, we would be bankrupt immediately, and I’m sure we’re not the only ones,” Loukinen’s on 4th Owner Laurie Loukinen said.
Loukinen received $150,000 from the BIG.
Um, BIG stands for Business Interruption Grant. If you’re operating, you’re not interrupted. From the requirements…
Must have been closed or had reduced operations due to government orders, public health guidelines, or depressed consumer demand during the COVID 19 pandemic.
Must have complied with all relevant laws, regulations, and executive orders from the State and federal government, including the social distancing guidelines as promulgated by the Executive Orders of the Illinois Governor.
I love restaurants. Before the troubles, I would usually eat at restaurants more often than I’d cook at home every week. And there is zero doubt that restaurants have been hit extremely hard by the pandemic.
But nobody forced anybody to apply for that BIG money. And it was pretty darned clear what that money was for and what the rules were. I have no problem with restaurant owners pushing the state to reopen because this is America and they have an absolute right to do that. But don’t try to change the rules now after you’ve taken that taxpayer money.
* And, finally…
After being absent from Springfield for over seven months, the Illinois legislature is returning to Springfield this weekend for lame duck session.
Springfield city officials think the legislature coming back into town will benefit the city and the budget’s bottom-line.
Springfield Budget Director Bill McCarty said after going over 200 days without session, the lame duck is a welcome sight to see.
He said the city will see a monetary uptick from legislators going out to local restaurants, visiting local retailers, and staying at hotels, but he says it still is not as helpful as it normally is.
*Sigh*
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Oberweis seeks to overturn election
Tuesday, Jan 5, 2021 - Posted by Rich Miller
* AP…
Defeated Republican congressional candidate Jim Oberweis has informed the U.S. House of Representatives he will contest the outcome of his race against Democratic Congresswoman Lauren Underwood.
In announcing his intent on Monday, Oberweis said that during the discovery recount process volunteers for his campaign found election jurisdictions around the 14th Congressional District did not follow the law.
He claims that led to an inability to verify those who were legally entitled to vote actually voted.
* OK, I wanted to check with a Democratic election law attorney I know before I posted the Oberweis press release because this was above my pay grade. Here are Oberweis’ claims with the attorney’s responses indented…
· 5,373 voters who cast votes in the 14th District who also filed address changes in the National Change of Address database, which translates to 4,903 allegedly illegal votes cast in the 14th
That does not indicate illegal votes. He doesn’t understand how that system works.
· No Election judge initials on Vote By Mail ballots in Kane County… In Kane County, there were 39,647 VBM ballots cast. None of these ballots were initialed by Election Judges, which is illegal in Illinois. Rep. Lauren Underwood had 68.6 percent of the VBM cast in Kane County while Oberweis had 31.4 percent of the vote. Because the votes are illegal, these votes cannot be counted and when the reduction in vote totals are applied to both candidates’ totals, Oberweis wins the 14th Congressional District by 9,374 votes.
Kane uses pollbooks that record the judges signatures, so they do not appear on the ballot. It’s a more advanced technology that reduces the amount of time and money a county has to spend if they’re reviewing ballots again. That’s why they did the discovery recount so quickly. That doesn’t make those ballots invalid.
· 63 ballot application requests were granted prior to the June date when election jurisdictions were allowed to accept applications from voters to vote by mail
Again, that doesn’t make the ballot invalid just because a person submitted a VBM request before the date by which they could be processed.
· 29 VBM ballot application requests were granted after the Oct. 29, 2020 deadline
VBM requests can be made until the day before the election, usually they’re made in person at this point.
· Kane County voters were not allowed to vote provisionally
· A voter from Kenosha, WI voted illegally in IL-14 and tweeted about it
No idea what he’s talking about, but not sure how that invalidates the election.
· There were more than 1600 ballots cast in DuPage County above and beyond the number of voters who voted
I believe they are mixing ballots received and ballots cast – they’re not the same thing. DuPage had an unprecedented number of new registrations during the early voting period and on election day, and more people who requested VBMs than ever before. Those who appeared in person and surrendered their ballots were given a regular ballot. Thus, more ballots were given out than actual voters – but it doesn’t mean they were all cast.
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* Sun-Times…
Though COVID-19 vaccines have been made available to all employees at Illinois veterans’ homes, only 40% of staff members have so far opted to receive their first dose of the inoculation against the deadly virus. […]
Bridget Dooley, the public information officer for the department, said they’re currently “pulling out all the stops” to encourage staff members to take the vaccine.
* “That’s not true,” said AFSCME Council 31 spokesman Anders Lindall today about Dooley’s claims. Lindall went on to say that he’d received a call from the Sun-Times editorial board with the news that the Illinois Department of Veterans Affairs is claiming the union contract is the problem. He called that “a complete lie.”
“It is starting to seem that the top leadership of this agency screwed up, did not plan, did not communicate and is now trying to shift the blame and is even willing to cast aspersions on employees and misinform the public,” Lindall said.
* I talked with Lindall yesterday and then again today. He claims that veterans’ home employees were given short notice and brief windows to obtain the vaccine and, contrary to claims by the agency, said that the vaccine supply was limited. All that, he claimed, were behind the low vaccination rate at the homes.
As an example, Lindall said the union was informed on Christmas Eve that the vaccine would be offered at one home within the next 24 hours. “That’s just not adequate,” he said. “So you’ve got no notice, you’ve got a window of maybe six hours during one shift at a 24-seven facility where there are three shifts,” Lindall added.
Lindall claimed that the local president at the Quincy veterans’ home “was unable to get the shot because the amount of vaccine that they had that day was exhausted.”
“We were told yesterday that there will be at least two additional opportunities offered at each facility,” to get the vaccine. But, he said, “dates and times are to be determined.”
“No state agency has asked about mandating a vaccine,” Lindall claimed. “The guidance from both the Federal CDC and from IDPH to employers is that vaccines should be optional. And we know of no employer who requires the vaccine. We think everyone should get the vaccine. That is how people are going to protect themselves, their families, those they work with. And we’re going to end this pandemic. But the way to do it is by educating, answering people’s questions, making it accessible.”
“I have not been in the meetings,” Lindall said, “but my understanding from our folks who have was that the folks that we’re dealing with, whether it’s labor relations, that they understand that the planning and the communication on their part were poor, and that we need to be made full partners, and brought into this, and that everything needs to be done with a lot more forethought.”
Lindall also said that, unlike the Department of Veterans Affairs, the Illinois Department of Human Services has been partnering with AFSCME. DHS, he said, has been “working with us for weeks to prepare for this, putting out information. That’s the type of relationship we’d like to have with every agency and with all of our employers.”
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* Cases are back up today. Infection rates are not falling. Press release…
The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) today reported 6,839 new confirmed and probable cases of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Illinois, including 126 additional deaths.
- Adams County: 1 female 60s
- Cass County: 1 male 80s
- Cook County: 1 female 40s, 5 females 60s, 7 males 60s, 5 females 70s, 5 males 70s, 3 females 80s, 4 males 80s, 2 females 90s, 3 males 90s
- Douglas County: 2 females 80s
- DuPage County: 5 females 70s, 1 male 70s, 4 males 80s, 1 male 90s
- Edgar County: 1 male 70s
- Effingham County: 1 male 80s
- Ford County: 1 female 80s, 1 female 90s, 1 male 90s
- Franklin County: 1 male 80s
- Fulton County: 1 female 80s
- Grundy County: 1 female 70s
- Hamilton County: 1 female 90s
- Jackson County: 1 male 80s
- Jersey County: 1 male 90s
- Kane County: 1 female 50s, 1 male 50s, 1 female 60s, 1 male 70s
- Knox County: 1 male 90s
- Lake County: 1 male 40s, 1 female 60s, 1 male 70s, 2 females 80s, 1 female 90s, 1 male 90s, 1 male 100+
- LaSalle County: 2 males 70s, 1 male 80s
- Lee County: 1 male 80s
- Logan County: 1 female 80s
- Madison County: 1 female 60s, 1 male 60s, 1 female 70s, 1 male 70s, 1 male 80s, 2 males 90s
- Marion County: 1 male 80s
- McHenry County: 1 male 70s, 1 female 90s, 1 male 90s
- McLean County: 1 male 70s, 1 female 80s, 1 male 80s
- Mercer County: 1 female 90s
- Peoria County: 1 female 80s, 3 female 90s
- Perry County: 2 males 50s, 1 male 60s, 1 male 70s
- Randolph County: 2 females 90s, 1 male 90s
- Rock Island County: 1 male 80s
- Saline County: 1 female 80s
- Sangamon County: 1 female 70s, 1 male 80s
- St. Clair County: 1 male 70s, 1 female 80s, 1 female 90s
- Union County: 1 female 70s
- Vermilion County: 1 female 60s
- Warren County: 1 male 60s, 1 female 90s
- Whiteside County: 1 female 60s, 1 male 60s
- Will County: 1 female 50s, 1 female 70s, 1 male 80s
- Winnebago County: 1 male 60s, 2 females 70s, 1 male 70s, 1 male 80s
Currently, IDPH is reporting a total of 991,719 cases, including 16,959 deaths, in 102 counties in Illinois. The age of cases ranges from younger than one to older than 100 years. Within the past 24 hours, laboratories have reported 87,083 specimens for a total 13,617,454. As of last night, 3,905 in Illinois were reported to be in the hospital with COVID-19. Of those, 800 patients were in the ICU and 457 patients with COVID-19 were on ventilators.
The preliminary seven-day statewide positivity for cases as a percent of total test from December 29, 2020 – January 4, 2021 is 8.5%. The preliminary seven-day statewide test positivity from December 29, 2020 – January 4, 2021 is 9.8%
*All data are provisional and will change. In order to rapidly report COVID-19 information to the public, data are being reported in real-time. Information is constantly being entered into an electronic system and the number of cases and deaths can change as additional information is gathered. Information for a death previously reported has changed, therefore, today’s numbers have been adjusted. For health questions about COVID-19, call the hotline at 1-800-889-3931 or email dph.sick@illinois.gov.
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* US Rep. Darin LaHood last month…
“I’ve said all along that you need to have facts and evidence if you are going to allege that there were voting improprieties. Those have not been brought forth. We saw that on Friday night with the Supreme Court moving swiftly and definitively. Now, I was one that signed on to the brief. I believe that everybody should have their day in court, but the Supreme Court ruled that there was no merit to moving forward with the Texas case. I think we are getting much closer to [a transition]. I think the Electoral College decision [yesterday] will move us closer to an administration with [former] Vice President Biden.”
* Tribune…
Republican U.S. Rep. Adam Kinzinger, of Channahon, whose 16th District stretches from the Indiana border to the Rockford area, said the president’s weekend phone call — recorded and now available online for the world to hear — asking Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger to “find” votes that would overturn that state’s election results is “appalling” and told fellow Republicans who are considering objecting to the results to stop it.
U.S. Rep. Darin LaHood, of Peoria, is “reviewing and analyzing the legislative and legal proposals ahead of the January 6th proceedings,” spokesman John Rauber wrote in an emailed statement.
Messages seeking comment were not returned from the offices of U.S. Rep. Mike Bost, of Murphysboro, and U.S. Rep. Rodney Davis of Taylorville.
* News-Gazette…
U.S. Rep. Rodney Davis, R-Taylorville, doesn’t plan to join fellow Republicans in the House and Senate Wednesday in objecting to the Electoral College victory of President-elect Joe Biden, The News-Gazette has learned. […]
“Like all members of Congress, Rodney will listen to each objection and hear both sides during floor debate before casting his vote,” the spokesman said. “While this process may take a little longer than normal, Rodney fully anticipates the vote of the Electoral College will be certified.”
I’ve yet to see any quotes from Mike Bost, who, like LaHood, signed on to that horribly flawed gambit at the US Supreme Court.
* Meanwhile…
Describing President Trump’s phone call with Georgia’s top election official as “frightening,” an Illinois Republican congressman suggested that he now regrets his vote for the president and might even be open to a third party if his GOP colleagues continue to echo baseless conspiracy claims about a stolen election.
In an interview with Yahoo News’ “Skullduggery” podcast, Rep. Adam Kinzinger also said he is worried about the prospects for violence around the Capitol on Wednesday, when tens of thousands of Trump supporters are expected to show up for protests aimed at pressuring lawmakers to block Joe Biden’s election. Those protesters, he said, have been victimized by a “scam” perpetrated by Trump. […]
“I would say if I knew everything I know now, I’d probably think differently,” Kinzinger said when asked about his vote for Trump last November. While he had supported the president “based on policy,” Kinzinger said that Trump’s behavior since the election — questioning the legitimacy of the election and threatening “the underpinnings of democracy” — represents a “massive demarcation” in presidential behavior. He added at one point: “I’ll tell you everything I’m hearing is, he’s freaking out generally.” […]
“The president has raised more money on this than I think he did during the election,” Kinzinger said. “You think about the hardworking Americans, these Republicans that vote for me, that I represent, that, uh, you know, are so invested in the future of this country, God bless them for that, but they’re writing checks that in some cases are tough to afford because they believe in it that much. [And] to give it to a millionaire, or … the other folks that are out there raising money on this, making amazing videos about how they’re gonna object, standing in front of adoring crowds to get the applause.
“It’s a scam and there’s not a single person that is part of this that actually thinks this has a chance in Hades. Nobody.”
Please take at least one and maybe more deep cleansing breaths before commenting, please. Watch your rhetoric. Don’t get yourself banned. Thanks.
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* December 5th…
“Most of us who were there for the Rauner years know how bad it was, how difficult it was,” Madigan said. “The strong leadership I provided against the Rauner program is the same leadership that I pledge to provide to the caucus on state finances and on redistricting.”
A showing of that strong leadership may come if Gov. J.B. Pritzker asks the legislature to raise the state’s flat income-tax rate, which Madigan said is “very possible,” according to a recording of the closed candidate forum reviewed by the Chicago Sun-Times.
“I’m prepared to vote for that, presuming it’s the governor’s request,” Madigan said.
He acknowledged that could be a “very difficult issue for the caucus” as it tries to maintain services — and insisted a strong leader is needed to persuade others to vote for an increase.
When reporters asked the governor about this, Pritzker said he is focusing on cuts, but never completely ruled out a tax hike, either.
* Because of all this, Democrats are now playing defense against shots like this…
And this…
With Illinois facing a nearly $4 billion budget shortfall this year, an increase on state income taxes could be just around the corner.
On Monday, Jan. 4, House Republican Leader Jim Durkin, R-Burr Ridge, pushed back against Speaker of the House Michael Madigan, who had previously announced support for an income tax increase.
* So, Democrats are now forced to push back…
Madigan spokesman Steve Brown shot down any notion of an income tax increase happening during the lame-duck session that starts Friday and could stretch through this weekend. The session will end at 11:59 a.m. Jan. 13, when the new class of lawmakers is sworn in.
“Not a tax increase, as such – that’s just not in the cards, I don’t think,” Brown told WBEZ.
Brown said without any advocacy by the governor, the speaker is not prepared to move forward unilaterally on a tax increase.
“I’m not aware of any proposal being made, so I’d say probably not,” he said.
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* From the Illinois Legislative Correspondents Association…
January 5, 2021
Speaker Michael Madigan Illinois House of Representatives 300 Capitol Building Springfield, Illinois 62706
CC: Jessica Basham
Steve Brown
House Minority Leader Jim Durkin
Speaker Madigan,
The protocols your office has distributed for the upcoming legislative session in the Bank of Springfield Center would impose unnecessary restrictions on the press and would impair our collective ability to accurately and thoroughly cover the proceedings of the Illinois General Assembly.
While we appreciate the steps your staff have taken to ensure workers’ safety during a pandemic, we assure you that the press, as essential workers, have also adapted our processes to protect ourselves and the subjects of our reporting. Some of these modifications include wearing face coverings at all times, carrying equipment that allows us to conduct interviews from a safe distance, and regularly sanitizing the equipment we carry with us.
In May 2020, the press organized a small pool rotation of reporters and relied on a lone TV camera to shoot footage of the legislative proceedings from one spot in the mezzanine of the Bank of Springfield Center. Not only does this limited access confine every reporter’s individual perspective to the images captured through one small lens, it also increases the likelihood that a single, routine technical difficulty could disrupt the entire Illinois press corps and sever its access to the legislature.
In addition, cold temperatures and inclement weather make it exceedingly unlikely for members of the General Assembly to address the media at socially distant press conferences outdoors as they did in the spring.
After observing the proceedings of the General Assembly in May, and reviewing the floor space at the Bank of Springfield Center, we believe there is ample space for a small section of reporters to work safely on either side of the arena.
For example, much like the current access provided to credentialed media in the House, a row of reporters could easily spread out six to eight feet apart from one another and would only require a small number of electrical outlets and one audio mult-box to cover the proceedings from the floor of the Bank of Springfield Center.
With the addition of one microphone set up ten feet away from the press pool, individual members or groups of legislators could address the media at their convenience, either during regular business, or before and after each session day. These arrangements would not only provide adequate access to the media, but would also provide an alternative indoor location for elected officials to stage press conference events without exposing reporters or legislators to any greater risk of contracting COVID-19.
In light of these factors, we ask you to consider revising the protocols to allow the press access to the perimeter of the House floor during the upcoming legislative session.
Sincerely,
Illinois Legislative Correspondents Association Board Members
John O’Connor, ILCA President (Associated Press)
Lisa Yuscius, ILCA Vice President (Blue Room Stream)
Sarah Mansur, ILCA Secretary (Capitol News Illinois)
Hannah Meisel, ILCA Treasurer (NPR Illinois)
Dave Dahl, ILCA Board Member (WTAX News Radio)
Chad Mahoney, ILCA Board Member (Quincy Media)
ILCA Members and political reporters
Mary Ann Ahern, NBC Chicago
Dave McKinney, WBEZ
Dan Mihalopoulos, WBEZ
Rachel Hinton, Chicago Sun-Times
Amanda Vinicky, WTTW
Rich Miller, Capitol Fax
Dean Olsen, State Journal-Register
Mark Maxwell, Nexstar Illinois Capitol Bureau
Jeff Rogers, Capitol News Illinois
Jerry Nowicki, Capitol News Illinois
Cole Henke, Nexstar Illinois Capitol Bureau
Tony Yuscius, Blue Room Stream
Public Affairs Reporting Intern Class of 2021
Jason Piscia, Program Director
Moyo Adeolu, Nexstar Illinois Capitol Bureau
Ben Szalinksi, State Journal-Register
Christine Hatfield, WGLT and WCBU Radio
Tim Kirsininskis, Capitol News Illinois
Grace Barbic, Capitol News Illinois
Derek Cantu, NPR Illinois
The main floor of the BOS Center is 40,000 square feet. There’s more than enough space for us. This blanket ban on access cannot be continued. We need to do our jobs.
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* He barely campaigned at all for reelection, now he’s taking his ball and moving to another state. Click the pic for a larger image…
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* Subscribers were told about this forum yesterday….
The House Democratic Women’s Caucus is holding a candidate forum on Wednesday for the speaker position. That statement sounds perfectly normal. But we all know this speaker’s race is anything but.
House Speaker Michael Madigan, the longest-serving statehouse speaker in the country, hasn’t RSVP’d, though sources close to him say he plans to attend. However, one of his top lieutenants, Rep. Kathy Willis, will be there along with Rep. Stephanie Kifowit and, possibly Rep. Ann Williams.
The forum is a lead-up to the Jan. 13 House vote on who will be the speaker of the next legislative session. State lawmakers will be in Springfield starting Jan. 8 to address some legislation, though they expect long caucus meetings to decide on the winner before heading to the House floor.
Willis and Williams started calling colleagues this week to gauge their support, and Kifowit has been in the hunt for months.
“The purpose of the forum is to allow any declared or exploratory candidate an opportunity to be heard,'’ wrote Rep. Deb Conroy in a letter to House lawmakers.
The women’s caucus forum comes on the heels of similar events held by the Black and Latino caucuses, which both endorsed Madigan.
Conroy says “there will not be an endorsement” after the women’s forum, which is designed to give caucus members a chance to hear candidates’ “vision for the future.”
Rep. Conroy told me this morning that Speaker Madigan has now confirmed he will attend. Rep. Williams confirmed that she’s been reaching out to colleagues, but said she had no public statement yet about whether she will speak tomorrow.
…Adding… From Rep. Conroy…
I do not have a confirmation from Rep. Williams that she will be participating. My hope is we will have more members who want an opportunity to be heard that will reach out before 10:00 am tomorrow. It is no secret I believe the next Speaker to follow MJM should be a woman out of the majority caucus.
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Lewandowski may be pleading guilty
Tuesday, Jan 5, 2021 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Tribune…
A Worth Township trustee who’s printed political mailers for many top Democrats was hit with a federal tax charge Monday.
Richard Lewandowski, of Palos Heights, was charged in a one-count criminal information with failing to file an income tax return in 2018.
Defendants who are charged via an information, instead of a grand jury indictment, typically intend to plead guilty. No court date had been scheduled for Lewandowski as of Monday. His lawyer could not be reached for comment.
Lewandowski, who has served as a trustee in Worth Township since 2013, is closely allied with John O’Sullivan. He’s a former state representative and ally of House Speaker Michael Madigan who resigned as Worth Township supervisor last year amid the investigation involving red light camera company SafeSpeed.
* Food for thought…
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Open thread
Tuesday, Jan 5, 2021 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Keep it Illinois-centric and be nice to each other in comments, please. Thanks.
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