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Isabel’s afternoon roundup
Monday, Aug 12, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller * Chalkbeat…
* WHBF…
For those interested, Noon Whistle paid a $1,000 fine to the Illinois Liquor Control Commission after selling cicada infused Malort. * Brownfield Ag | New ‘Illinois Grown’ label debuts: The executive director of the Illinois Specialty Growers Association says a new “Illinois Grown” label is headed to market shelves. Reghala Scavuzzo tells Brownfield: “There’s always been a discussion we really want to highlight what’s been actually grown in Illinois.” She says, “And so, the Illinois Department of Agriculture this week is launching the Illinois Grown brand and relaunching their branding program.” * Tribune | A new state law mandates new homes be equipped with EV-capable parking, but for many buyers, home chargers aren’t yet an essential amenity: Although a new Illinois law went into effect seven months ago requiring all new homes and multifamily apartments to be equipped with EV-capable parking spaces, home charging stations aren’t yet an essential feature for many potential homebuyers or renters. Developers and realtors say that most homebuyers and renters are only interested in electric vehicle chargers if they already own an EV, which is a small percentage of drivers. But many in the real estate industry are still incorporating charging capability into their marketing, seeing the potential for it to become a more valuable amenity in the future. When Valentine put his Kildeer home up for sale, his realtor recommended that the property’s EV charging capability be advertised in the listing. * WTTW | Repeated Police Misconduct by 200 Officers Cost Chicago Taxpayers $164.3M Over 5 Years: Analysis: Cases that involved at least one officer with repeated claims of misconduct accounted for nearly 43% of the cost borne by taxpayers to resolve police misconduct cases between 2019 and 2023, according to the analysis. In 2023 alone, the city spent $34.4 million to resolve lawsuits that named officers whose alleged misconduct more than once cost Chicago taxpayers money, accounting for approximately 40% of the total cost to taxpayers, according to WTTW News’ analysis. * Block Club | City Street Festivals Are Underestimating Crowds By Tens of Thousands, Endangering Attendees: Vegandale organizers were prepared to manage a crowd of 16,000 people, according to permit data from the city’s Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events. But advertisements for the event called for a crowd of 30,000. […] But CBS Chicago and Block Club found festival organizers are submitting paperwork to the city saying they expect smaller crowds — while their advertisements say tens of thousands more people will come. The discrepancy can create potentially dangerous conditions, an expert said. In Chicago, safety planning for street festivals relies on crowd estimates, according to at least two city ordinances related to special events. * Block Club | Loretto Hospital Dangerously Understaffed, Nurses Say In New Labor Complaint: Loretto has lost 30 percent of its nursing staff since 2020 and is down to 93 full-time nurses, with only a portion of them working full time as leaders try to cut costs that “undermines the hospital’s ability to provide adequate care to patients,” according to a union news release. The union is asking the National Labor Relations Board to compel Loretto to release daily schedules, payrolls and other staffing documents that they say have not been turned over during negotiations — in violation of federal labor law. * Crain’s | Chicago tries a progressive approach to its mental health crisis: The Chicago Department of Public Health estimates about 140,000 Chicagoans were experiencing serious psychological distress in 2023 that wasn’t being addressed. Recognizing the severity of this critical moment, Chicago’s public and private sectors are putting more resources into addressing the root causes of deteriorating mental health, while also seeking to treat those already suffering. But there’s a particular focus in Chicago right now on expanding the public social safety net and its role in the broader health care system. * Tribune | ‘There is not enough pie’: When companies file for bankruptcy, workers with unpaid wage claims are left in limbo: In March, a federal judge ruled that Luna and her former coworkers were owed $1.52 million in back pay and benefits under the WARN Act, an amount which would work out to an average of about $11,500 per former staffer. The ruling was a default judgment because The Signature Room’s parent company, Infusion Management Group, never responded to the workers’ lawsuit. Luna and her coworkers haven’t seen a penny. Just weeks after Unite Here filed its WARN lawsuit, Infusion Management filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy. Bankruptcy law dictates that secured creditors — those whose claims are backed by collateral — get paid first. Unsecured creditors who are also owed money — a category that includes employees — are paid out afterward, but there isn’t always money left to pay them. * Block Club | Developer Wants To Open Salon Suites At Chicago’s Last Black-Owned Bank: A developer wants to convert the former site of the city’s last Black-owned bank into suites for beauty entrepreneurs. But leaders at the troubled bank said they haven’t decided to sell the building, even as the developer meets with neighbors and the local alderman to get their support. * Sun-Times | Connie Wilkie, ‘gruff drill sergeant’ who kept the Sun-Times newsroom running, dies at 85: Ms. Wilkie died Aug. 5 of COVID-19 at Liberty Village in downstate Pittsfield. She was 85. “Connie was a rock in the Sun-Times newsroom, efficiently ensuring that phone calls into the city desk from sources, reporters, cranky readers and others were channeled in the right direction,” said Alan Henry, a former editor. “Graced with a kind heart and a dry sense of humor, she was a pleasure to be around and was one of the ‘characters’ who helped make the newsroom a fun place to work.” * Lake County News-Sun | Plans for Gurnee homeless shelter appear to be in trouble: Evidence is mounting that Lake County PADS has picked the wrong location for a fixed-site homeless shelter. Gurnee residents on the village’s east side have been adamant in their opposition to the proposal, and there’s a good chance village officials will deny the request. The Village Board is slated to decide the issue at its Aug. 19 session, where opponents and proponents undoubtedly will make final pleas to trustees for the proposed 90-person lodging for the unhoused. The county’s homeless population is estimated at 701. * Sun-Times | Majority of Marquette Bank ATMs still out of service after criminal attack: “Among other financial institutions in the region, multiple Marquette Bank ATMs were targeted by criminals over the Fourth of July holiday,” the company said in an emailed statement. “Out of an abundance of caution, Marquette Bank and its ATM vendor have taken most of the ATMs offline in order to upgrade and strengthen the security of the bank-owned ATMs.” […] The Orland Park-based company said 20 of its 23 machines were down. As of Aug. 9, the locations back online include the drive-up locations in Mount Greenwood, 3435 W. 111th St., and Tinley Park, 16700 Oak Park Ave., as well as a walk-up and drive-up site at 6155 S. Pulaski Rd. in West Lawn. * Crain’s | Northwestern lands naming rights deal for temporary lakefront stadium: Northwestern University’s temporary football stadium along the lakefront now has a name: Northwestern Medicine Field at Martin Stadium. The university and Northwestern Medicine struck a deal on a two-year exclusive naming rights agreement, one of the first in the country that capitalizes on a new rule in college football allowing commercial sponsorship advertisements on the field. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. * Daily Herald | ‘The girls didn’t stop screaming’: When Beatlemania hit suburban theaters 60 years ago: The premiere of “A Hard Day’s Night” at 500 theaters nationwide only served to build the anticipation of the film’s release weeks later in the Chicago area, coinciding with the Beatles’ North American tour that included a Sept. 5 stop at the International Amphitheatre. […] Larry Andres, then 13, also was at the first showing. “We stood in line. I remember the line stretched down Evergreen (Avenue) in front of the theater, around the side, and went all the way down Arlington Heights Road,” said Andres, a retired Buffalo Grove Fire Department lieutenant. “The girls didn’t stop screaming. They screamed from the moment the movie started until the movie ended. You couldn’t hear a thing. You couldn’t hear the lines to the movie. Every time the Beatles opened their mouths, the girls screamed.” * Telegraph | Fundraising gap: Nikki Budzinski’s $3.2 million vs. Joshua Loyd’s $26,000 in Illinois 13th: As of June 30, the most current information available, Budzinski’s total contributions were $3.27 million while Loyd received $26,636.44. Through the end of March, the Federal Election Commission (FEC) showed that Budzinski had received $2.6 million and Loyd had garnered $18,584.51. Between April 1 and June 30, Nikki For Congress brought in $643,524.73, and Loyd for Congress generated $8,215.52 in contributions. * WSIL | Southern Illinois winery wins statewide award: The Blue Sky Vineyard was recognized with a first-place award at the 2024 Illinois Wine Competition. The Makanda-based winery was recognized as “Best in Show” for its Chambourcin Reserve. The reserve is grown on site and features cherries and other berries surrounded with mild tannins and a smoky finish. Blue Sky recommends drinking it alongside a steak, stew or pasta. * PJ Star | ‘Very important part of downtown’: Peoria proposal would funnel more money to Dozer Park: The Peoria City Council plans to review a proposal to raise Dozer Park’s tax increment by 5% in order to meet rising inflation and also help fund renovations at the baseball stadium in Downtown Peoria. Dozer Park, which opened in 2002, serves as the home for the Peoria Chiefs, a minor league baseball team affiliated with the St. Louis Cardinals. The Chiefs have been in Peoria since 1983. * WGEM | Western Illinois 4-H members well represented at state fair Sunday: Marissa Mintle, of Liberty, created an interior design project by making a jewelry cabinet. She said her and her family all share jewelry, and her project will help put it all in one space. […] ”I really enjoy that there’s so much versatility, a lot of people think that 4-H is just showing animals or being a farm kid, I didn’t grow up on a farm, I live in a town, so through 4-H I was able to express my hobbies and kind of show what I like and find something that fit me,” Mintle said. * NYT | Here Are the Olympic Moments We Won’t Forget: Whenever and wherever American athletes competed, there always seemed to be a hip-hop icon cheering them on. Flavor Flav, the Public Enemy rapper, went all in for women’s water polo. But it was Snoop Dogg who became ubiquitous, amplifying the athletes through his role as a special correspondent for NBC and his endlessly wide-eyed perspective of the action during prime-time broadcasts. He swam with Michael Phelps. He danced with Simone Biles. He rode a horse at equestrian.
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Protected: SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - Fundraiser list
Monday, Aug 12, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller
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Federal judge’s Stateville closure order is a big loss for AFSCME
Monday, Aug 12, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller * Tribune…
* From the order [fixed link]…
* Illinois Department of Corrections…
* AFSCME Council 31…
* Sen. Ventura…
* Background…
* Attorneys Say People Housed at Stateville Prison Should Be Transferred Over ‘Dire Injury’ Risks at Aging Facility: An IDOC spokesperson said the department cannot comment on active litigation, noting IDOC previously indicated it would not begin to wind down operations at Stateville until at least 180 days from the time it officially filed its notice of the closure. That would put the wind-down date at Sept. 13. * I Watched My Neighbor Die a Preventable Death Due to Scorching Heat in Prison: As I write this, I am sitting in a tiny, unventilated cell five stories high at Stateville Correctional Center, a prison located about 30 miles southwest of Chicago. It is a decrepit, 100-year-old prison deemed unfit for human habitation. When the temperatures outside rise into the mid-90s, which has been occurring repeatedly this summer, the heat index in my cell rises to at least 110 degrees Fahrenheit.
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Giant puffball is now state’s official mushroom
Monday, Aug 12, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller
* A pic…  * You can apparently eat these things…
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DNC Chicago coverage roundup
Monday, Aug 12, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller * ABC Chicago…
Click here for the United Center and McCormick Place security perimeters. * Sun-Times Audience Engagement Specialist…
Click here to sign up. * Tribune…
Um…
* More…
* WTTW | What We Know About Chicago’s DNC Safety and Security Plans: According to police officials, the 2,500 CPD officers who will be assigned to DNC duties will receive 48 hours of training beforehand. The department is also planning to cancel officers’ days off during the DNC as police will be working extended hours during the convention. * Tribune | DNC cleanup aims to improve Chicago beyond the convention, but also echo 1996 efforts: Much of the most noticeable work being done is within the several square miles bordered by Lake Michigan on the east, the United Center on the west, the Gold Coast on the north and McCormick Place on the south. Indeed, on Friday, crews were cutting the grass, whacking weeds and trimming trees in the shadow of the United Center by the corner of Wood and Monroe streets. The last time Chicago hosted a political convention, the Democrats in 1996, the city’s showing was widely credited with improving Chicago’s national image. Still, then-Mayor Richard M. Daley bristled at the criticism that he cleaned up just enough of the city to make convention delegates comfortable but turned his back on immediate needs outside the zone where the out-of-towners would be. * ABC Chicago | Some Chicago residents frustrated with DNC preparations as parking restrictions set to begin: There are some businesses near the United Center that are actually benefiting from the security perimeter. That includes a taco shop on Wood Street, right outside of the perimeter. They are preparing for an uptick in business. “We’re very excited because this has never happened before here,” Su Taqueria El Rey Del Taco employee Ashley Franco said. “We’re gonna also have a lot more workers at that time, and we’re gonna set up a taco stand out here so people can come in and out very quickly.” * Sun-Times | ‘Misunderstood’ Gen Z voters fight cynicism, gear up for DNC VoteFest: “Being a part of the excitement around the political process is exciting to young folks, which feels like it’s counter to the stereotype of young people being disengaged, not caring,” said Purvi Patel, the IOP’s director of civic engagement. “When you actually are talking to young people, they have a lot of desire to be engaged in the process. They have a lot of opinions, and they want their voice to be heard.” * Sun-Times | DNC protests planned over Gaza, other causes as one organizer says, ‘People feel betrayed by the Democratic Party’: Protesters are expected to hit the streets on the first, third and last day of the convention — Aug. 19. Aug. 21 and Aug. 22 — marking the kickoff and the acceptance speeches of both Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, the vice presidential candidate, and Harris. The largest of the planned demonstrations, the March on the DNC, are scheduled to start at noon Aug. 19 and 5 p.m. Aug. 22 with rallies at Union Park on the Near West Side. Speakers from community organizations will take turns on the mic, and organizers aim to book a few noteworthy politicians and celebrities, after which those gathered will march to the vicinity of the United Center, where the DNC main events will be held.
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Bill Holland
Monday, Aug 12, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller * Bill’s family sent me his obituary today…
He was one of the finest public servants this state has produced. * The Sun-Times published this story on his retirement in 2016…
* From one of his exit interviews…
He was unearthing things about Blagojevich years after that guy was removed from office. And he had the guts to push back against some simple-minded reforms proposed after Blagojevich’s conviction.
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Meanwhile… In Opposite Land
Monday, Aug 12, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller * AP…
* Idaho…
* Florida…
* Louisiana…
* Texas…
* Iowa…
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It’s a law
Monday, Aug 12, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller * Governor Pritzker signed 265 bills on Friday. Center Square…
* WAND…
* WTVO…
* WAND…
* Sen. Natalie Toro…
* WAND…
* Sen. Michael Hastings…
* WGLT…
* WAND…
* Sen. Meg Loughran Cappel…
* Sen. Elgie Sims…
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Open thread
Monday, Aug 12, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller * What’s going on in your part of Illinois?…
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Isabel’s morning briefing
Monday, Aug 12, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller * ICYMI: Judge orders Stateville Correctional Center inmates transferred by the end of September. Tribune…
* WAND | Amid pressure from community activists, politicians, Sheriff Campbell announces retirement: Campbell had previously maintained that he would not resign and that he planned on upholding his responsibility as sheriff during “this difficult time.” In Friday’s statement, the sheriff said the “current political climate has made it nearly impossible” for him to continue effectively in his role and that some individuals would rather see the community divided and in turmoil. * NYT | Black Men Rally for Kamala Harris, and Confront an Elephant in the Room: “Sometimes as Black men we get confused as to what strength is, and sometimes we think that standing behind a Black woman as a leader does not display strength as Black men,” said Kwame Raoul, the attorney general of Illinois. “I’m here to tell you all tonight that it does the opposite of that, it displays strength.” Mr. Raoul then drove home his point. “I’m standing behind a Black woman to be president of the United States, and it doesn’t make me any less of a Black man,” he said. “I’m asking all of you all to do the same.” * Tribune | Team USA and Illinois Olympians bid adieu to Paris Games: Illinois athletes made a solid contribution to Team USA’s medal count, with half of the state’s three dozen athletes bringing home medals. That total doesn’t include the historic medal ceremony in which the 2022 U.S. figure skating team members — including Addison native Alexa Knierim — finally received the gold they’d won at the Beijing Games. * WBBM | With new law, Illinois joins states making it easier to expunge some juvenile offenses: The Juvenile Court Act, which Gov. J.B. Pritzker recently signed into law, will eliminate some of the red tape when people seek to have juvenile offenses expunged from their records. Instead of people having to go to court to seek hearings for expungement, those hearings will be automatically scheduled. * WAND | New Illinois law will ban landlord retaliation, add protections for tenants: Gov. JB Pritzker signed a bill into law Friday to prohibit landlords from retaliating against their tenants. The new law will ban landlords from terminating leases, increasing rent, decreasing services or threatening lawsuits. It also states that landlords can no longer refuse to renew a lease after a tenant complains about code violations or seeks help from elected leaders. * Sun-Times | DraftKings is taking a big gamble by adding fees in high-tax states such as Illinois: Chicago native Sam Panayotovich, betting analyst for the New England Sports Network and Fox Sports, says there is “no way” he’d shop at a book that taxes triumphs. “They already tax you 10%,” he says of the typical -110 wager, “on the average loss in basketball and football, now they want to take money when you beat the house? That’s BS. No platform or technology is worth that.” Panayotovich knows Chicago “street guys” who are “ecstatic.” * Tribune | Illinois State Board of Education launches bilingual campaign to recruit teachers amid ongoing shortage: The program, called “The Answer Is Teaching,” will use targeted advertising, digital platforms and partnerships with educational institutions and community groups to recruit potential teachers across Illinois. The campaign’s messaging is centered around the rewards of being a teacher, including testimonials from current teachers also featured on a promotional website. The website includes a form for interested candidates to fill out to begin the process of becoming a teacher. * Tribune | ‘A movement, not just a moment’: Inside the arduous work of Illinois’ reparations efforts: Illinois was the second state to create such a commission, born out of legislation passed in 2021 amid a national racial reckoning following the police killings of George Floyd in Minneapolis and Breonna Taylor in Louisville. But its existence has been somewhat overshadowed by similar efforts elsewhere. Since the commission’s official formation on Jan. 1, 2022, its output has largely centered on educating the public about the commission and on orchestrating a study on possible reasons for reparations. That study began last month and is projected to take more than a year to complete. * SJ-R | Despite new assault weapons ban, gun sales increased last year in Illinois: Gun sales in Illinois went up 5% in the past year despite a recently enacted ban on assault weapons, according to data compiled by a national home safety and security news site. * Sun-Times | Pritzkers throwing big Salt Shed party with John Legend on second day of Dem convention: Known for hosting lavish inaugural balls, Gov. JB Pritzker and first lady MK Pritzker are throwing a big party in Chicago with musical guest John Legend on Day 2 of the Democratic National Convention. Invitations to the Salt Shed concert on Aug. 20 were sent Friday. Pritzker, who helped bring the convention to Chicago, along with U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth and former Mayor Lori Lightfoot, is also expected to speak at the convention on the same day. * Sun-Times | An insider guide to the Democratic convention in Chicago with Illinois Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi: Krishnamoorthi has emerged as a major national fundraiser. His first bucket is filled with fundraising events. He is a member of the Harris Victory Fund National Finance Committee, and he is also a member of the Harris for President AAPI Leadership Council. Krishnamoorthi was born in India, and he came to the U.S. as a youth. His second bucket is around Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders events and fundraising. Turning out the AAPI voters in the swing states will be critical for Harris, whose father is from Jamaica and mother from India. * Tribune | DNC cleanup aims to improve Chicago beyond the convention, but also echo 1996 efforts: “You cut the grass, you may plant flowers, you may decide to buy new patio furniture, you may decide to buy a new grill. It doesn’t mean that you weren’t taking care of those things before, but when you decide that you’re going to host … you want to make sure that when your guests show up that they have a wonderful experience,” Chicago Chief Operating Officer John Roberson said in an interview with the Tribune. “And part of that is doing things like painting light poles. Do we paint light poles on a day-to-day basis? Absolutely. But the ability for us to accelerate that type, that level of enhancement and aesthetic in advance of the DNC, just makes our city look more beautiful.” * Tribune | On eve of DNC, a summit that centers racial equity will bring together elected officials and community leaders: The day before the start of the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, the Journey for Justice Alliance will convene a summit centering racial equity at Insight Hospital and Medical Center on the Near South Side, where community leaders, elected officials and educators will come together to discuss urban policy reform. “That is our mission and agenda — being in the room with grassroots leaders and progressive mayors from around the country talking about how do we truly uplift Black people in the United States,” said Angel Gober, a 23-year community organizing veteran and executive director of 412 Justice, a grassroots nonprofit in Pittsburgh. * Sun-Times | Pritzker serves up a cold one, debuts JBeer — two new Chicago craft beers for Democratic convention events: “I think that there’s a lot to see across the city of Chicago and a lot of places to visit. We have some James Beard restaurants, as well as some great hot dog joints that are outside of that circle that you’re talking about, around the convention center, and people want to go check it all out,” Pritzker said. “We’ve got sites to see. Beautiful architecture. You can’t see all of that when you’re just around the United Center.” * Block Club | Abortion Rights Group Gets Permit To March Downtown During DNC: Bodies Outside of Unjust Laws sued the city after being denied a permit to demonstrate outside the DNC, set for Aug. 19-22. The group intended to protest in support of protecting and strengthening abortion laws and bodily autonomy as well as call for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza. The coalition argued its First and Fourteenth Amendment rights were violated by the city’s decision to deny a permit to protest along Michigan Avenue the day before the DNC. * Tribune | Parking meter deal violation could cost Chicago over $100 million: Chicago Parking Meters, the private company with a monopoly on the city’s paid street parking, filed a lawsuit in April asking the court to enforce an arbitration panel’s ruling that determined the city twice shorted the company under former Mayor Lori Lightfoot. Experts hired by the city and CPM agree the cost of one of the rulings, over an alleged scheme by the city to take advantage of parking space value fluctuations, could be more than $100 million, according to court records. * Tribune | Cook County judge who was reassigned amid investigation into alleged racist comments retires: Judge William Hooks, who was appointed in 2008, retired in July, more than a year after he was taken off judicial duties in the wake of an investigation into alleged derogatory remarks made about Middle Eastern men during during a conference in chambers Jan. 17, 2023. During his time as a criminal judge at the Leighton Criminal Court Building, Hooks presided over a number of high-profile cases, including the infamous third trial for Jackie Wilson, whose case was critical to unveiling systemic practices of torture at the Chicago Police Department by notorious former Cmdr. Jon Burge and other investigators. * Tribune | Chicago wrestler Kennedy Blades brings home a silver medal in her Olympic debut: ‘A huge accomplishment’: Chicago’s Kennedy Blades won a silver medal Sunday to finish a remarkable Olympic debut and usher in a new era of U.S. wrestling. Blades, 20, lost to reigning world champion Yuka Kagami of Japan in the 76-kilogram final. The 3-1 defeat marked Blades’ lowest-scoring effort over four matches at the Champ-de-Mars Arena. * Tribune | Mike Myers of ‘Wayne’s World’ and ‘Austin Powers’ will return to Chicago in October: Mike Myers, a 1988 member of Chicago’s Second City ensemble, returns to town Oct. 19 to collect the 2024 Chicago International Film Festival career achievement award. The writer-performer best known for “Saturday Night Live,” “Wayne’s World” and the “Austin Powers” trilogy will be the subject of “An Evening with Mike Myers.” He’ll be interviewed by friend and fellow Canadian comedy veteran Dave Foley of The Kids in the Hall ensemble and the NBC-TV sitcom “Newsradio.” * Tribune | Let us now praise famous bluesmen: Buddy Guy is retiring at age 88: Buddy Guy, who just turned 88, will be officially retired from the road by early fall. Only, before that happens, before the Chicago legend slows, a few facts demand context. For one, retirement doesn’t mean he’ll never play again. Just less often. Also, though his current tour is billed as his farewell to the touring life, he could tour again. Who knows? Depends on how he feels. Bluesmen, those around him like to repeat, never really retire. They just don’t do sound-check anymore. * Patch | GOP Challenger Attacks Incumbent Democrat Over ‘Sweetheart Plea Deal’ For Shorbonia Poole: As the race to become Lake County’s next top prosecutor heats up, first-term Democratic Lake County State’s Attorney Eric Rinehart is facing accusations of being soft on crime from Republican challenger Mary Cole over a plea deal with a Round Lake Beach man who now faces murder charges. * WSPY | Former Kendall Chief Assistant SA Accused of Criminal Battery and Video Recording by States Top Legal Watchdog: Mark A. Shlifka, the former Chief Assistant State’s Attorney of Kendall County, is facing a law license review following allegations of criminal misconduct by the States top Legal Watchdog. The Illinois Attorney Registration and Disciplinary Commission (ARDC) has brought forth charges against Shlifka, claiming he committed criminal acts, including unauthorized video recording and battery, during his final year as Kendall County’s Chief Assistant States Attorney. * Daily Herald | Bears to host stadium focus groups in Schaumburg and downtown Chicago next week: But will fans be asked about their preferences on a location for the new stadium — either the team’s current proposal for a dome on the Chicago lakefront, or the shelved plan at the 326-acre Arlington Park property the NFL franchise owns in Arlington Heights? Bears spokesman Scott Hagel said Friday he didn’t have a list of the specific questions, but said the forums are likely to focus more on amenities that would be found in a stadium in general — no matter its geographic location. * Daily Herald | For the second time this year, Barrington’s police chief leaving for another suburb: Months after its longtime police chief took over the Elk Grove Village Police Department, Barrington is again seeking a new top cop, as the village is set to lose its chief to another suburb. Lake Forest officials on Friday announced the hiring of John Burke as the city’s new police chief. The city council is scheduled to confirm his appointment at its Sept. 3 meeting. * ABC Chicago | Lightfoot investigation found some Dolton police officers received staggering overtime pay: Expenses are up nearly 30%, including administration and administration compensation, which are up 47%. One item highlighted was overtime for former Acting Police Chief Lacey, which totaled over $215,000 from 2022 to 2024. * WCIA | ‘Chemical drift’ depleting crops, Central IL farmers say: Sola Gratia is an Urbana farm using organic production methods to bring locally grown produce to people in the area. But this year, farm manager John Williams said they haven’t produced as much as they expected. […] They figured out herbicide residue was drifting onto their fields, and it wasn’t just affecting leaves. Williams and Barkley said plants weren’t producing as much fruit. “We’re talking about, likely, an event where a product was applied a quarter-mile away or half-a-mile away,” Barkley said * WCIA | Send-off ceremony to be held this week for U of I Paralympic athletes: While the Summer Games have wrapped up, the Paralympic Games are just 17 days away. Around two dozen students, alums and trainees from the University of Illinois will be heading to Paris. You can send them off this Wednesday, Aug. 14 at 4 p.m. right outside the Disability Resources and Educational Services building on Oak Street. * Sun-Times | Why would Illinois Democrats knock on doors in Wisconsin? ‘The election is likely to be decided there.’: The volunteers tended to be older, many retirees, while the organizers skew young, like Carter Gulyas, 19, a history major at Illinois State University, and today’s canvass captain. He’s seen a big change since President Biden took himself out of the race. “It’s like turning a new chapter — people are really getting excited,” he said, noting that about 50 people signed up for today, double what it had been previously. “This is going to be our biggest turnout yet.” * ProPublica | Inside Project 2025’s Secret Training Videos: “Eradicate climate change references”; only talk to conservative media; don’t leave a paper trail for watchdogs to discover. In a series of never-before-published videos, Project 2025 details how a second Trump administration would operate. * NPR | FDA gives thumbs down to MDMA for now, demanding further research: It represents a significant setback for the company and the broader movement to bring psychedelics into the mainstream of mental health care. […] Many in the psychedelics industry had viewed this as a pivotal moment. The FDA decision on MDMA could be seen as a bellwether for other drugs that are in the pipeline like psilocybin and LSD, which are both considered “classic psychedelics” unlike MDMA. * Pantagraph | Despite continued losses, Rivian’s second quarter could redefine its future: Between April and June, the automaker announced a second generation of its flagship vehicle model and a partnership with Volkswagen that could ultimately be valued at up to $5 billion. Rivian CEO RJ Scaringe called the second quarter a “defining” period for his company.
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Protected: SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - Supplement to today’s edition
Monday, Aug 12, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller
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Protected: SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - Today’s edition of Capitol Fax (use all CAPS in password)
Monday, Aug 12, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller
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Live coverage
Monday, Aug 12, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller * You can click here or here to follow breaking news. It’s the best we can do unless or until Twitter gets its act together.
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Selected press releases (Live updates)
Monday, Aug 12, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller
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Reader comments closed for the weekend
Friday, Aug 9, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller * Talk to y’all on Monday! Get outside and enjoy the weekend…
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Sangamon County Sheriff Jack Campbell announces his retirement (Updated x3)
Friday, Aug 9, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller * SJ-R Reporter Patrick Keck…
* Sheriff Campbell’s full statement…
…Adding… WAND reporter Caryn Eisert…
…Adding… Governor’s office…
* WCIA…
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Isabel’s afternoon roundup
Friday, Aug 9, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller * Governor JB Pritzker…
* Federal Communications Commission…
* NBC Chicago political reporter Mary Ann Ahern…
* WBBM | Illinois salon professionals training to recognize signs of domestic violence: In order to get or renew their licenses, Illinois law requires cosmetologists to receive one hour of training on how to recognize when their clients might have suffered domestic violence. “We teach them how to identify victims or potential victims and then [provide] them with the resources they can share,” Alcorn-Catena said. “We want to have a cosmetologist pass along to their client information about our agency so that that victim can make educated choices about how to seek help safely.” * Capitol News Illinois | State now has blueprint for K-12 schools to teach dangers of overdose: The Illinois State Board of Education published the resource guides in accordance with a law passed in 2023. While a school’s use of any of the state’s resource guides is voluntary, some public health advocates consider the creation of the guides a step in the right direction. Administrators and educators can download age-appropriate presentations, lesson plans or fact sheets. * Sun-Times | Why isn’t Chicago housing hotline working?: A taxpayer-funded Chicago nonprofit oversees a housing hotline to help people like Nayra. Homeless. In crisis. Needing help to navigate government and get on a waiting list for subsidized housing. And, because of her age, she should be able to get a spot on a priority list to get that housing through the Chicago Housing Authority and other government agencies. But, since the end of June, the hotline that’s been aiding hundreds of people in Chicago every month has been down. And it’s unclear when it might be back, leaving some of the city’s most vulnerable residents on their own. * Crain’s | Kathy Byrne, mayor’s daughter and plaintiffs’ attorney, dies: Byrne focused on asbestos and mass tort litigation at Cooney & Conway, a plaintiffs’ law firm, where she spent her entire career. Soon after beginning as a clerk in the late 1980s during law school at Loyola University Chicago, her interest in asbestos and its connection to the cancer mesothelioma was stirred by a book based on a series of articles in The New Yorker about the asbestos industry’s legal exposure. * Crain’s | Ford’s Chicago plant has withstood recessions and a pandemic. Can it survive what’s next?: No other factory in Ford’s portfolio has been in continuous operation longer than the one on Torrence Avenue at 126th Street. Along the way, the plant has produced everything from the Gran Torino and the Granada to the Thunderbird and the Taurus. “There aren’t very many (plants) that make it to this age,” says Kristen Dziczek, a veteran auto industry researcher who is a policy adviser to the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago. “They’ve continued to invest in that plant. There are a lot of plants in the 60- to 80-year-old range . . . and a handful that are over 80.” * WTTW | Transportation Officials Tout Massive Overhaul of North DuSable Lake Shore Drive – But Some Lawmakers, Advocates Aren’t Sold: Asked for their take on pushback from an array of elected officials – as well as advocacy groups like Active Transportation Alliance, Better Streets Chicago, Metropolitan Planning Council, Sierra Club and more – Redefine the Drive planners said Thursday’s meeting was an opportunity to address their concerns. “This is part of why we’re here today is to listen more and to gather feedback,” said CDOT’s Dave Miller. “We’ve been briefing a lot of the folks we’ve been hearing from, trying to help (them) understand — there’s a lot of counterintuitive aspects of this project. There’s a lot of non-intuitive things.” * Block Club | Block Club Chicago Is Hosting Its First Block Party, With Live Music, Local Vendors And More: Our nonprofit newsroom is hosting a huge block party noon-8 p.m. Sept. 7 just off The 606 at the McCormick YMCA, 1834 N. Lawndale Ave. in Logan Square — and you’re invited. The block party will have all the elements of a classic Chicago block party or street festival, with live music, food, beer, local vendors, kids’ activities, games and more fun. * Tribune | Got milkweed? Field Museum study shows how Chicago gardeners can help monarch butterflies: “The biggest thing is if you can, plant native milkweed species — ideally pesticide free,” said Karen Klinger, a geographic information systems analyst at the Field Museum and the study’s lead author. “The Illinois Native Plant Society has a great list of nurseries and plant sales. But also, very important too, is the range of blooming flowers that are blooming throughout the season. That will help monarchs as well as other pollinators.” * Sun-Times | Alex Nunes, Eagle Scout who loved helping others, dies at 28: “He was quiet, thoughtful, way smarter than he would ever let on, a good kid, the kind of kid who you could always count on to help, like the old joke about finding out who your friends are when you ask them to help you move,” his father said. Mr. Nunes was a member of the National Honor Society while attending Notre Dame College Prep in Niles. * Block Club | In The Cockpit With One Of Chicago Air And Water Show’s Newest Aerobatic Pilots: New participants in the annual air show include the Trojan Phlyers, “a group of aviation professionals dedicated to preserving the rich history of the North American Aviation Company’s T28 Trojan,” according to the city’s Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events. * Lake County News-Sun | Lake County officials planning how to spend millions in opioid-abuse funds; ‘This is a very complicated issue’: With $3.4 million in hand and another $5.6 million anticipated from agreements reached, Liz Nelson, the county’s opioid coordinator, said data is being collected to help guide the development of a strategic plan. Along with the money going to the county, cities with more than 30,000 people in the county — Waukegan, Gurnee, Buffalo Grove and Mundelein — will also receive funds to help victims of unintended or intentional opioid use. * Tribune | Former state revenue auditor latest charged in alleged PPP fraud: A Will County woman became the latest public employee charged in a sweeping investigation targeting Paycheck Protection Program fraud that has rocked several state agencies. The Illinois attorney general’s office announced the numerous felony charges against Shepale Hicks, of Monee, on Thursday, the same day she pleaded not guilty to multiple charges, including money laundering, financial institution fraud, wire fraud and forgery. […] Authorities said that Hicks, who was then a revenue auditor for the state Department of Revenue, applied for two pandemic-era PPP loans meant to support struggling businesses, claiming she owned two businesses. She received payments in August 2020 and May 2021, totaling $41,665. * Daily Herald | Park district outlines plan for closing down Palatine Stables: Based on its review of the Structural Condition Assessment Supplemental Report, the park board stands by its decision to cease operations at the stables, located near Northwest Highway and Dundee Road, by Nov. 30. The park district’s release also contains a timeline for phasing out activities at the stables, which the park district has owned for nearly 40 years. * Western Illinois University | An Update on WIU’s Financially Sustainable Future: As part of the cost-containment strategy, 57 faculty (40 Unit A and 17 Unit B) and 32 staff positions will be eliminated, affecting a range of departments and roles. With a focus on maintaining high-quality academic programs, excellent services and engaging on-campus experiences, the University has made every effort to minimize the impact on students. * Illinois Federation of Teachers | Union Criticizes WIU’s “Plan” to Lay Off Nearly 90 More Faculty and Staff: Merrill Cole, president of the WIU Chapter of the University Professionals of Illinois (UPI Local 4100), issued the following statement. “We are angry and deeply disappointed by this administration’s decision. Despite their lofty goals and compassionate rhetoric at Tuesday’s Board of Trustees meeting, Interim President Mindrup and her team have chosen to devastate futures, families, and communities rather than devise a real solution to address WIU’s fiscal challenges. * NBC Chicago | Jail video shows ex-deputy charged with Sonya Massey’s murder making comments about charges: The new jail booking video, obtained by NBC 5 Investigates through a Freedom of Information Act request, was recorded on July 17 as Grayson is being booked into the Menard County jail, one day before his first court appearance on charges related to the fatal shooting. Nearly 90 minutes into the video, Grayson is talking with a Menard County deputy about the jail’s low inmate population – which is currently only 5 inmates – when he says: “Well, this whole SAFE-T Act bullsh*t … that’s why hopefully I’ll be out tomorrow,” referring to his initial appearance on July 18. Grayson has remained in custody. * WCIA | Rantoul native turned NASA engineer speaks on Artemis mission: The Champaign-Urbana Astronomical Society welcomed NASA engineer Ken Jacobs back to Central Illinois. […] Artemis One, which launched in 2022, is just one of the things Jacobs talked about. He used it to explain future plans down the road at NASA. The plan with Artemis is to eventually put the first woman and person of color on the surface of the moon. And eventually, put mankind on Mars. * The 21st Show | Inside the Illinois State Fair: A conversation with manager Rebecca Clark: In the past few days, the State Fair got underway for another year. Today, we are talking with some of the leading forces behind the fair. The fair manager joined our host, Brian Mackey, to talk about what is new at the fair this year. * Capitol City Now | The Mobile Museum of Tolerance is back at the Illinois State Fair: Director of the Mobile Museum of Tolerance (MMOT) Jacqueline Carroll talks with Joey McLaughlin about the MMOT’s appearance at the Illinois State Fair. The MMOT is the brainchild of the Simon Wiesenthal Center, which fights hatred and intolerance globally. * BND | Will Illinois get a permanent black bear population? Here’s what experts say: Illinois does not have a plan to reintroduce black bears to its wilderness, a state conservation police officer said, but he expects there will be a breeding population in the state “a considerable ways down the road” when female bears migrate to Illinois. For now, there are just lone males roaming southern Illinois like the bear seen in the metro-east this week and another one in southern Illinois in July, according to Illinois Conservation Police Officer Don Schachner.. * Powell Tribune | After getting caught fabricating quotes, Cody reporter resigns: A reporter at the Cody Enterprise resigned on Friday, after the Powell Tribune confronted him with evidence indicating that he’d fabricated some of the quotes that appeared in several of his stories. In an interview just prior to his resignation, Aaron Pelczar conceded that the quotes may have been made up by an artificial intelligence tool he was using to help write his articles. To date, seven people — ranging from Gov. Mark Gordon to the victim of an alleged crime — have indicated to the Tribune that they didn’t make the statements Pelczar quoted them as making. The Tribune also found a number of other quotes that were altered in some way or attributed to the wrong person. * The American Prospect | Florida Invests in Catastrophe: As flooding persists with regularity and warming waters facilitate increasingly severe hurricanes, the state has pursued a deregulatory approach to resuscitate its death-spiraling property insurance market. Not only have carriers fled Florida in droves, but numerous others have become insolvent amid climate catastrophe. In a bid to entice insurers to continue providing property insurance coverage, Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis and the Florida legislature have implemented a series of reforms aimed at protecting consumers and reducing insured losses by clamping down on social inflation, the name the industry gives to perceived cultural factors that drive increases in monetary awards in litigation.
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The cicadapocalypse continues: Illinois Liquor Control Commission fines brewery for cicada-infused Malört
Friday, Aug 9, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller * Hospitality Business Association of Chicago…
I’ve reached out to the Liquor Control Commission for more information. I’ll let you all know if I hear back.
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Today’s must-read
Friday, Aug 9, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller * ProPublica and Capitol News Illinois…
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News coverage roundup: Lightfoot’s Dolton investigation reveals a 3.6 million spending deficit
Friday, Aug 9, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller * CBS Chicago… Former Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot is leading the investigation into Henyard. Lightfoot, a former federal prosecutor, in April, agreed to investigate the claims about the misuse of public funds—which Henyard has repeatedly denied. A community packed a special village meeting to hear firsthand what Lightfoot uncovered. The crowd gasped when the revelations were announced—and many were left furious, and further questioning where their tax dollars are going. […] A limited examination of the books revealed that as of May 31, 2024, the Dolton Village General Fund had a negative balance of $3.65 million. Folks shook their heads in disbelief as Lightfoot—the special investigator hired by village trustees—showed there are simply no checks and balances with the records she found. * FOX 32…
* WGN…
* NBC Chicago…
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Open thread
Friday, Aug 9, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller * What’s going on? Keep it Illinois-centric please…
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Isabel’s morning briefing
Friday, Aug 9, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller * ICYMI: ‘Worker Freedom of Speech Act’ hit with lawsuit from libertarian group. Capitol News Illinois…
* Related stories…
∙ Center Square: Lawsuit against ‘Worker Freedom of Speech Ac At 2:30 pm Governor Pritzker will be at Navy Pier to give remarks at Chicago Navy Week. Click here to watch. * WICS | No hearings held for reported police misconduct, over 300 Illinois officers affected: In 2023, over 300 officers were placed on the Officer Professional Conduct Database by law enforcement agencies. ILETSB told me they haven’t held any hearings on any of reported officers. They told me staffing isn’t in place to hold hearings. […] ILETSB told me the hearings were part of several changes required by the Safe-T Act’s passage in 2022. They plan to start holding hearings officers reported to the database by the Fall of 2024 and are currently looking for a qualified staff and lawyers at this time, needing two more people, said ILETSB. * Belt Mag | America’s Largest Inland Port is Running Out of Water: The booming city of Joliet is running out of water. For one hundred and fifty years, the city has been among the handful of other municipalities across the Chicagoland region that has extracted water from an underground aquifer system connected to Lake Michigan. Water is stored deep underground between layers of bedrock that can reach hundreds of feet deep. To retrieve the water, a drilling system is used to press down on the sandstone aquifer, releasing the pressure and forcing water up into a well — much like the act of squeezing a sponge. More than a century ago, the aquifer system was reportedly so full that water would shoot up above ground without even having to be drilled and pumped. But for the last hundred years, Chicagoland cities have been extracting way more water than has been naturally replenished. * Capitol News Illinois | With new federal waiver, Illinois expanding Medicaid to nonmedical services: The new waiver adds three new categories of services that will be covered under the Illinois Medicaid program for individuals who qualify. But state officials estimate it will take at least a year to get the new services up and running. The first and most far-reaching of those covers “health-related social needs,” or HRSN services. That includes such things as housing and food assistance for Medicaid enrollees who either have or are at risk of developing costly chronic health conditions and who have a documented need for such services. * WTTW | Advocates Hope New Illinois Law Helps Lower Maternal Mortality Rate for Black Women: Last Monday, Gov. J.B. Prtizker signed the Birth Equity Act that will require Illinois-based health insurance to cover abortion care without co-pays and deductibles, including coverage of abortion medications. And it will cover services such as doulas, lactation consultants and midwives. “This bill was about equity. It was about saving lives and righting the wrongs of history of the high numbers of African American who were dying at the table, or their babies were dying, or families choosing who to live during a moment you should feel safe,” said state Sen. Lakesia Collins (D-Chicago). * SJ-R | Pritzker signs 3 bills to enhance abortion protections in Illinois. What you need to know: The U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear a case against Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act, or EMTALA in June, which permits doctors to provide abortion services during medical emergencies. Democratic lawmakers pushed the legislation that would codify the federal law in case the nation’s high court overturned EMTALA. With Pritzker’s signature, the state is now prepared if the challenge was heard by the Supreme Court at a later date. * Center Square | Illinois expanding the Film Production Services Tax Credit: Illinois Production Alliance Executive Director Christine Dudley said an economic impact study shows that the film tax credit is paying off. “For every dollar spent on the tax credit, seven dollars is generated into the economy, so that is a return on investment and really speaks to the success of the program,” said Dudley. Dudley said approximately 94% of current film and television production in Illinois is a byproduct of the film tax credit. * WAND | Pritzker, state leaders cut ribbon for 2024 Illinois State Fair: “From the 800 seat big top circus in Happy Hollow to the Ninja Warrior obstacle course just outside the coliseum, or the brand new Fairytales on Ice performance in the air-conditioned Orr Building, the Illinois State Fair is your home to family friendly entertainment,” said State Fair Manager Rebecca Clark. * Capitol City Now | Let the fair begin!: A question-and-answer between reporters and the governor, noting that Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz is the Democratic vice-presidential nominee, which state – Illinois or Minnesota – has a better state fair. “First of all, we have the better state,” answered Pritzker. “I have to say that we have been working hard to make our state fair the best state fair in the country, and I want to make sure we have the attendance of any state fair in the country. I haven’t looked at the numbers for Minnesota, but don’t miss this state fair!” * WJBC | Twilight Parade wraps up day one of Illinois State Fair: Illinois 4-Hers are the grand marshals of the 2024 Illinois State Fair. Avani Rai, who is about to be a sophomore at Harvard, says 4-H has kept her busy, and the organization is not exclusively about farming. “This past year, I got to serve as one of four national spokespeople for the organization,” said Rai. “As a youth advocacy member, I was able to really, really get involved with the fact that 4-H is a beautiful intersection of so many different things, from STEM to healthy living to agriculture to civic engagement. And that’s what 4-H is all about: giving youth as many opportunities as possible to find their passion in whatever they’re interested in.” * Tribune | With Democratic National Convention imminent, groups exchange barbs over planned pro-Palestinian protests: The USPCN is among four groups that have been in protracted discussions with the city over a proposed protest route. Together they sued the city in federal court in an effort to secure protest routes within “sight and sound” of the convention. A protest is planned as early as hours before the gavel drops to open the convention. Discussions about the route have apparently hit an impasse; protesters have said that the city’s proposed route onto side streets would cause logjams, while the city said protesters’ request to march along Washington Boulevard is untenable — it would take them through an intersection that is set to be blocked by a security checkpoint. * Tribune | On eve of DNC, a summit that centers racial equity will bring together elected officials and community leaders: For years, the Journey for Justice Alliance has been pushing its Equity or Else quality of life campaign, a platform centered on addressing basic needs for those living in poverty and in marginalized communities through policy initiatives. From listening sessions to town halls and news conferences on the steps of Congress, J4J’s national network of grassroots community organizations worked locally and nationally to secure anti-racist legislation and policies in dozens of cities. J4J’s two-day summit in Chicago will start with a luncheon for Black mayors and grassroots leaders, immediately followed by the National Racial Equity Summit convocation on Aug. 18. On Aug. 19, J4J will host the Education Justice Study Tour, a visit to sustainable community schools. * Sun-Times | Views from the front lines of Chicago’s 1968 DNC protests; Grant Park ‘free-for-all’: The 1968 Democratic National Convention helped sway public opinion of the Vietnam War and the draft, highlighted the need for police reform, forced journalists to rethink their trust in government sources and ushered in a new era in social and political activism. * WBEZ | A wealthy family backed out of its scholarship commitments. Now a mutual aid network is filling in the gap: Without that money, South Side native Marcus Jackson worried his parents would have to sacrifice even more than they do already to help him pay for his junior year at Lawrence University in Wisconsin. He was planning to take on a third job. Now Jackson said he doesn’t have to do that, thanks to a mutual aid network set up on Instagram by former Schuler staffers to connect students with members of the public who can provide financial assistance. Students can submit requests for help, which counselors verify and post to the Instagram page, along with where students are attending college, what they are studying, their unmet financial need — and how to send them money. Some of the posts include notes from students explaining why they need help. * WBEZ | South Shore residents are fed up with garbage on their streets: An analysis by WBEZ found that over the past five years, South Shore racked up more reports of sanitation code violations than any other South Side community. Citywide, only Austin, West Town and Lincoln Park have had more complaints lodged. Despite the group’s best efforts, the litter won’t go away and it’s unclear who can help. The violations are recorded through calls to 311, the city’s nonemergency hotline. Last year there were 350 violations reported in South Shore alone. In 2021, there were as many as 651 violations reported. Compare that to the Loop, which this year has only recorded 26 complaints. Other South Side communities such as Avalon Park, Hegewisch, Hyde Park, Kenwood and Woodlawn have reported less than 100 sanitation complaints per year since at least 2019. * Sun-Times | Last piping plover at Montrose Beach — all alone after its siblings died and parents left — flies south for winter: They grow up so fast, don’t they? Nagamo, the lone surviving piping plover chick at Montrose Beach, headed south for the winter Thursday, according to the Chicago Piping Plovers, a volunteer group dedicated to protecting the birds. Its parents Imani and Searocket flew south days ago, leaving Nagamo, whose sex is still unknown, to survive on its own while it learned to fly and spent nights alone lullabied by the lapping waters of Lake Michigan. * Lake County News-Sun | Lake County political leaders differ on permanent vote-by-mail ballots; ‘There’s tremendous concern for fraud’: County Clerk Anthony Vega said the number of people voting by mail has continued to increase with each election cycle, and he anticipates the trend to continue with the Nov. 5 election. “It’s super-convenient,” Vega said. “People can do their research at their leisure, and return the ballot several ways — in person, in a drop box and by mail.” Keith Brin, the Lake County Republican Central Committee chair, said allowing people to permanently request a mail ballot creates the potential for fraud. For example, he said, someone could move, another individual could make the residence their home and get a ballot not intended for them. * Daily Herald | Police, Woodfield remain tight-lipped as bold jewelry heist remains unsolved: Schaumburg police said the overnight crime Aug. 1 involved at least six people and was perpetrated by cutting through drywall in another occupied unit, then through a vacant unit in between, which allowed entry into the jewelry store itself. A construction worker entering the vacant unit at 9:30 a.m. on Friday, Aug. 2, saw and reported the damaged drywall. * Daily Herald | Volunteers help children pick out clothes during back-to-school shopping event in Elgin: While many groups in the community do “great things” with back-to-school backpacks, Reigner said the Elgin Corps wanted to do something else. “This allows us to be a little more personal and work with 25 kids and really help impact their back-to-school experience,” he said. * Daily Herald | ‘That’s my lucky puck!’: Trash or lost treasure? Sylvan Lake reveals curiosities and memories: With Sylvan Lake drawn down, curiosities of all kind have surfaced on the exposed shoreline and in some cases set out for all to see. “A lot of people have been walking around the lake,” said Dan Trahan, president of the Sylvan Lake Improvement Association and a lakefront resident. “We now walk the shoreline instead of on the street.” * Axios | Precision fermentation bubbles up in Illinois: Right now about 30% of all Illinois corn — about 274 million bushels a year — is sold by farmers for ethanol production, but that’s expected to drop as EV use increases. The Illinois Fermentation and Agriculture Biomanufacturing Tech Hub (iFAB), run by U of I, could help those farmers by creating new markets for their crops. * WCIA | Mosquitos test positive for West Nile virus in Ford County: The Ford County Public Health Department has found the area’s first mosquito to test positive for West Nile virus (WNV) in 2024. A batch of mosquitos from Piper City were tested on Thursday. Though no human cases have been reported in Ford County so far this year, the mosquitos were confirmed to have WNV. * WaPo | Summer covid surge hits at least 84 countries and continues to climb: Disease trackers sounded alarms that diminished testing and low vaccination rates could provide fertile terrain for more dangerous viral variants to take hold. “Covid-19 is still very much with us,” Maria Van Kerkhove, a WHO epidemiologist, said at a news briefing Tuesday.
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Protected: SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - Today’s edition of Capitol Fax (use all CAPS in password)
Friday, Aug 9, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller
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Live coverage
Friday, Aug 9, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller * You can click here or here to follow breaking news. It’s the best we can do unless or until Twitter gets its act together.
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Selected press releases (Live updates)
Friday, Aug 9, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller
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Isabel’s afternoon roundup
Thursday, Aug 8, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller * Click here for background if you need it. Rep. Ann Williams…
The full letter is here. * Sun-Times…
* Small victories…
* Brownfield AG News | Illinois soybean crop showing regional differences: The director of agronomy with the Illinois Soybean Association (ISA) says the state’s soybean crop is showing some regional differences. Abigail Peterson says the western part of the state seems to be leading the way. […] She tells Brownfield central Illinois has seen some challenges. “Kind of a mixed bag. We saw some good planting dates, but then some later.” She says, “Some diseases are popping up cause we had those rain flushes and now we’re getting hot and humid. Japanese beetles are out there, but nothing hitting too many thresholds at the moment.” * WCIA | New IHSA rule limits baseball, softball players’ participation in All-Star games: The IHSA bylaws now limit high school baseball and softball players from playing in state All-Star games. The rule states that high school athletes can compete after their senior season ends. Previously, the rule only impacted high school athletes in football, basketball and volleyball. However, the change on July 1st now includes baseball and softball in the participation bylaw. * Tribune | Judge reverses courthouse ban of exoneree turned clerk after long cell phone squabble: A Cook County judge on Thursday rescinded an order that for more than nine months banned a Chicago exoneree who now works as a law clerk from the Leighton Criminal Court Building following a squabble over cell phone use in the courtroom. In a terse, one-sentence ruling, Judge Peggy Chiampas called up the docketed case for Robert Almodovar and said from the bench that she was rescinding the order and taking the matter off her call. * Jewish Insider | Pro-Israel group struggling to gain permit to rally at DNC — while pro-Palestinian groups got green light: The Israeli American Council, a nonprofit organization representing Israeli-Americans that seeks to strengthen ties between the U.S. and Israel, filed two applications with Chicago’s Department of Transportation at the beginning of July, according to Aya Schechter, the group’s chief programming officer. But with just under two weeks remaining until the convention, the IAC has yet to receive an answer from the city, despite following up via phone and email. The group had also submitted an application in mid-June for a stationary demonstration within “sight and sound” of the convention, which will be held at the United Center on Chicago’s West Side. That request was denied, according to a rejection letter, which said the proposed rally “would be a direct interference with a previously planned permitted activity or public assembly and would create public safety issues.” * Borderless Mag | City Officials Attempt To Allay Residents’ Fears As Partial Demolition Looms In Pilsen: During a recent community meeting at Dvorak Park, city officials from the Chicago Department of Buildings and Chicago Department of Public Health laid out plans to remove a structure at the Fisk Station, located in Pilsen’s Industrial Corridor. Under the demolition plan, city officials and contractors assured residents no implosion would be carried out at the coal plant that was retired amid pressure and health concerns from activists in 2012. […] Public Health Commissioner Olusimbo Ige and other panelists assured residents there would be no implosion. The city labeled the demolition of the structure as “environmentally complex” due to its proximity to the Chicago River and the facility’s prior use, coal power generation, she said. * Tribune | Chicago White Sox fire manager Pedro Grifol — who had an 89-190 record — and 3 other coaches: “As we all recognize, our team’s performance this season has been disappointing on many levels,” said Chris Getz, White Sox senior vice president/general manager, in a statement. […] Grady Sizemore, 42, will serve as the interim manager; the team said the next manager will be announced at the end of the 2024 season. Sizemore, previously a major league coach with the Sox, was the a minor-league instructor with the Cleveland Guardians and coach with the Arizona Complex League Diamondbacks last year. * Block Club | Bridgeport Skaters Built Their Own Park. Will The Man Let Them Keep It?: The skaters took it upon themselves to pour thousands of dollars’ worth of concrete in a secluded Stevenson Expressway underpass owned by the Illinois Department of Transportation. The underpass intersecting with South Loomis Street in Bridgeport — once filled with mounds of empty beer bottles and other trash — has been cleaned up and decked out with a series of handmade skate obstacles for neighbors to ride at their own risk, the skaters-turned-guerilla-architects said. The unofficial skate park is called Irish Banks. * ABC Chicago | Dolton deputy police chief reports to work one day after village board places him on leave: The village board voted Monday night to place the Dolton’s top cop on administrative leave only for him to defiantly return to work on Tuesday. The gray clouds over Dolton Village Hall Tuesday evening seemed fitting after Trustee Brittney Norwood described the financial woes that loom over Dolton, resulting in the board to vote Monday night to place Dolton Deputy Police Chief Lewis Lacey on administrative leave and lay off eight village employees. * Daily Southtown | Calumet City Mayor Thaddeus Jones says overpayments cover his property tax backlog: Jones said Tuesday he planned to pay all of what he owes within the next 30 days. He said he believes he has adequate overpayments to cover those delinquencies, blaming his bank for the error from past years. Treasurers’ records show consistent overpayments between 2006 and 2022 totaling about $9,240. They also indicate he qualifies for at least $1,330 in refunds due to the overpayments made in the 2020, 2009 and 2007 tax years. * Crain’s | Chicago investment firm picks up Vernon Hills apartments for $28M: The deal appears to be a win for seller FPA Multifamily, a San Francisco firm that has been a major buyer of Chicago-area apartment buildings in recent months. FPA paid almost $24.6 million for the property in 2018, property records show. An FPA executive didn’t respond to a request for comment. * Crain’s | Shaq wants to open 6 new restaurants around Chicago: NBA Hall of Famer Shaquille O’Neal’s fast-casual chicken chain plans to open six new restaurants in the Chicago area. Big Chicken, founded in 2018, opened its first Illinois storefront in 2023 in Rosemont. The chain announced in July it would soon open a second Illinois location in Arlington Heights. Today, a Big Chicken representative told Crain’s plans are in place to bring the chain’s total Chicago-area location count to seven by the end of 2025. * SJ-R | Business forced to close after Adams Street fire nears reopening at new location: On July 15, the INB Benefit for the Businesses Affected by the Adams Family Fire fund distributed $15,750 in donations to seven businesses and 12 residents. The funds were collectively donated by community members, and a second round of donation checks will be distributed later in August. * Journal Courier | Study fuels ambitious Grafton Ferry expansion plans to boost tourism: Grafton Mayor Mike Morrow and resident George Andres, commander of a ferry task force, are mobilizing with the Missouri Department of Transportation and the Illinois Department of Transportation to move forward on next steps to expand Grafton Ferry service in the region. Morrow said one of his campaign promises was to support the Grafton Ferry to operate more hours and seven days a week. Grafton Ferry operates 8 a.m.-10 p.m. Friday through Sunday from April to November. Andres will oversee the implementation of recommendations from the state’s transportation needs assessment study. * SIU | $345K SIU study focuses on how to keep farmed largemouth bass from eating their own: In Southern Illinois, the market is growing, generating at least $3 million a year for local fish farmers with room for more, said Jim Garvey, director of the Center for Fisheries, Aquaculture and Aquatic Sciences at SIU and a co-leader of the study along with Habibollah Fakhraei, assistant professor of environmental engineering. The acceptance of largemouth bass as a food fish in live markets is relatively new, and raising them in high densities to maximize production in small ponds has presented challenges. […] With the fish living in such conditions, cannibalism can certainly take a bite out of the bottom line. Discouraging this behavior in largemouth bass is a challenge, Zaczek said. “Well, that’s something easier said than done,” he said. “The hope is the confined space and higher fish density will cause the fish to take to the feed better and eat more similarly, which also would encourage similar growth rates. They are less likely to eat each other if they are the same size.” * WICS | Visit the Piglets on Parade at the Illinois State Fair: The Birthing Center, which is sponsored by the Illinois Pork Producers Association (IPPA), allows fairgoers to see newborn piglets up close. Children will enjoy free goodies and paper pig ears as a memento of their visit. * Tribune | Costco to crack down on membership card-sharing: The major wholesale retailer will soon require shoppers to scan their membership cards via scanning devices at the entrance of each store, Costco said in a news release. Many Costco membership cards include a photo of the shopper, but for those that don’t, the store will require a valid photo ID along with the membership card. Those without a photo on their Costco membership card can also have a photo taken at the membership counter, according to the company. * AP | Third person dies in listeria outbreak tied to Boar’s Head deli meat: Three people have now died in a listeria food poisoning outbreak linked to Boar’s Head deli meats, federal food safety officials announced Thursday, and the overall number of people sickened rose to 43. The additional death happened in Virginia, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in a news release Thursday. The other two deaths were in New Jersey and Illinois. The CDC also said nine more cases were reported since a July 31 release about the outbreak, which started in late May.
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The beatings will continue until morale improves
Thursday, Aug 8, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller * I tested positive for COVID this week (mild symptoms other than fatigue), but I wanted to do a quick post about this…
In government, you can’t just “blow everything up” and start all over because lots of people depend on government. What are DCFS kids supposed to do during a rebuilding? We learned these lessons the hard way during the Rauner years. * But nobody’s gonna die if Jerry Reinsdorf sells the White Sox to someone who cares. Rick Morrissey wrote a heck of a column this week about how horrible Reinsdorf has been…
The general manager needs to go, and the disastrous play-by-play announcer John Schriffen definitely needs to go. But nothing will really improve until ownership sells the team. Your own thoughts?
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Question of the day
Thursday, Aug 8, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller * Governor Pritzker invited Lee Enterprise Reporter Brenden Moore up for a “peace offering” after officially opening the Illinois State Fair…
* Moore chose ketchup…
* Moore is infamous for his love of ketchup…
The Question: What’s your favorite food at the State Fair?
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It’s showtime: 2024 butter cow unveiled
Thursday, Aug 8, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller * SJ-R…
* More butter cow react from the ap formally known as Twitter…
* More…
* Center Square | Illinois commodity groups to address agricultural issues during state fair: “Ag Day is a really special day for us because we get the opportunity to interact with people who aren’t living on the farm and are really interested in learning more about food production and the economic impact of farming in Illinois,” said Lindsey Croke, director of Communications with the Illinois Corn Growers Association.
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Open thread
Thursday, Aug 8, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller * What’s going on in your part of Illinois?…
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Isabel’s morning briefing
Thursday, Aug 8, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller * ICYMI: Pritzker formally calls on sheriff to resign following Sonya Massey shooting. SJ-R…
- The sheriff once again stated his intent to stay on the force. - Three Sangamon County Board members, all Democrats, asked Campbell, a Republican, to resign last week. * Sangamon County Democratic Chair Bill Houlihan…
* Related stories…
∙ Sun-Times: Pritzker calls for sheriff’s resignation over Sonya Massey shooting ∙ ABC Chicago: Sheriff to continue in position despite Pritzker’s calls for resignation after Sonya Massey’s murder The governor has three events on his public schedule today:
11:15 am: The governor will open Illinois State Fair Conservation World 11:45 am: The Governor will attend and give remarks at County Fair Luncheon. * Sun-Times | Let’s pause to consider just how bizarre Jerry Reinsdorf’s White Sox are: What a peculiar franchise Jerry Reinsdorf’s Sox are. Built on resentment, weaned on stubbornness, fermented by inanity, the organization seems to enjoy thumbing its nose at fans. That the Sox don’t care what the fan base thinks is apparent in almost everything they do. * Oil Price | Exxon restarts Illinois refinery: Exxon has begun to restart some units at its refinery in Joliet, Illinois, after a three-week outage. The 251,800-bpd facility was shut down in the middle of July following a power outage caused by a storm. The refinery produces about 9 million gallons daily of gasoline and diesel. * Tribune | Gov. J.B. Pritzker signs measures expanding reproductive health care protections: The latest laws add onto existing abortion rights in Illinois in three ways: protecting abortion patients from housing, workplace and other types of discrimination; shielding out-of-state patients from investigations launched beyond Illinois’ borders; and protecting patients who need emergency abortion care in the event that federal protection weakens. * Daily Herald | Senate transit forum Friday in DuPage lets riders share vision for trains, buses: Friday’s meeting is the third in a series of Transportation Committee forums across the region this summer. The topic is “the state of transit and how it supports community quality of life.” The meeting comes with a $730 million transit funding shortfall anticipated in 2026 when COVID-19 federal funding runs out. Ridership tanked during the pandemic and has not fully recovered. * NCSL | NCSL Welcomes New Executive Officers Elected at Annual Legislative Summit: Other newly elected officers: Illinois Rep. Marcus C. Evans Jr. (D), president-elect: Elected to the House in 2012, Evans serves as assistant majority leader and chairman of the Labor and Commerce Committee under House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch. He has been actively involved with NCSL since 2016, serving on the Executive Committee, the Task Force on State and Local Taxation, the Task Force on Energy Supply and numerous others. * WBEZ | What to eat, see and do while attending the 2024 Democratic National Convention in Chicago: When in Chicago, eating well is practically required. Start with this list of classic summertime treats — ice creams galore, a negroni slushy — perfect for cooling off in August. If you try only one thing, we recommend the signature stack from Original Rainbow Cone (locations in Streeterville and in Wicker Park, a 10 minute drive from the United Center). For late night bites after a long day of talking shop, check out Lilac Tiger or Quartino. Early risers should get one of the best breakfast sandwiches in town from Spinning J or Kasama. * Sun-Times | Cook County to open Bronzeville health center near old Michael Reese Hospital site: “This is a particularly poignant moment — we’re located here on 31st Street in the shadows of the old Michael Reese Hospital campus to announce a new investment in the health of residents on the South Side of Chicago,” Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle said at a news conference Wednesday. Cook County Health and the Cook County Bureau of Asset Management will invest $10 million in the new 26,000-square-foot facility, Preckwinkle said. Once completed, the center will have 44 exam rooms and a gym for therapy services. * Sun-Times | Chicago could fill food desert with three-store network of city-owned grocery stores, consultant says: The new 200-page report from HR&A concludes Mayor Brandon Johnson’s plan to open a city-owned grocery store is “necessary, feasible and implementable.” Necessary because volatility in the grocery market has led to a wave of consolidations and store closings concentrated in South and West Side neighborhoods. * US Bets | Bally’s Chicago Casino Revenue Flat For July: The Illinois Gaming Board reported Bally’s temporary casino in downtown Chicago generated $10.4 million in adjusted gross revenue for July, practically unchanged from June as statewide numbers showed a slight month-over-month decline. The $135.8 million in operator winnings from the state’s 15 casinos was down 1.8% from June’s total of $138.3 million. Unadjusted revenue was up 1.9% from July 2023 but down 7.9% when excluding first-year venues, Bally’s Chicago and Walker’s Bluff. * Block Club | Steve Albini’s Electrical Audio Recording Studio Looks To Future After Iconic Owner’s Death: “We want to honor Steve’s legacy and keep his vision alive,” said Taylor Hales, Electrical Audio studio manager. “Steve and Electrical cast a big shadow, and I know that this place means so much to so many people that have made records here. All of us just love working here at this studio that Steve made, and we want to continue on this journey.” * Tribune | Chicago Bears training camp report: Coaches on Caleb Williams’ progress, a D’Andre Swift highlight and a kicker thinking about tackling: The Bears defense, which was missing five starters in practice, continues to look like it’s keeping the offense and rookie quarterback Caleb Williams in check during practices. The Bears had a handful of completed passes and not many explosive plays in full-team periods. But offensive coordinator Shane Waldron said there are signs of progress from Williams that make the Bears think he’s moving closer to putting it all together. * Daily Herald | League of Women Voters — Not for women only! Wheaton chapter elects its first male president: Maury Goodman of Warrenville was elected as president of the Wheaton chapter, which serves Carol Stream, Warrenville, West Chicago, Wheaton and Winfield, this summer. He will lead the chapter’s efforts to register and educate voters and encourage people to vote in the 2024 General Election and the 2025 Consolidated Election. Goodman is an emeritus scientist at Argonne National Lab and a retired U.S. Army Captain. He earned a Ph.D. in physics at the University of Illinois and a B.S. from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. His extensive public service resume includes five terms as an alderman in the City of Warrenville, 12 years volunteering as a troop leader with the Girl Scouts, and mentoring students from the Illinois Math and Science Academy. * ABC Chicago | Lori Lightfoot to release findings from investigation into Dolton Mayor Tiffany Henyard: Lightfoot will speak at a public meeting Thursday night following Monday’s chaotic board meeting. […] This all started back in March, when three former employees filed a lawsuit against Mayor Henyard, alleging they were wrongfully fired for refusing to do political work for Henyard. Lightfoot was then hired by village trustees to independently investigate her administration’s spending, including a lavish village-funded trip to Las Vegas last year. * PJ Star | Former Peoria Township Supervisor Frank Abdnour is running for the office once again: After losing reelection, Abdnour became a source of controversy after it was discovered that he had collected federal and state unemployment benefits after losing office. This is not allowed. […] Abdnour maintained it was an “honest mistake” and he did not know that public officials did not qualify for unemployment benefits after losing office. * WCIA | Arcola Broom Palace making progress: The mayor said the community is moving in the right direction for revitalizing the downtown area. Officials are hoping the Broom Palace will help bring in thousands of tourists each year. […] The outside of the Broom Palace is scheduled to be finished by the Arcola Broomcorn Festival on Sept. 6 – 8. The building is estimated to be done by the end of the year. * WSIL | Cobden Lions Club finishes prep for Peach Festival:: The Lions Club sent pictures to News 3 of its team working on a new pavilion that will house its “Spin to Win” game at this year’s festival. The pavilion features a large covering in case of weather and highlights a hand-made peach sculpture crafted by local artist Jackson Forge (Jack Nawrot) or Cobden. * WCIA | Burglar steals 35 guns, 10,000 rounds from Springfield storage unit: It happened on July 27 at Mansa Mini Storage, located at 2171 South 9th Street. Stolen firearms included AK-47s, handguns and shotguns. Detectives revisited the area on July 29 to continue the investigation, when they located a white man with shaggy brown hair. They said he looked to be in his late 20s or early 30s. Upon seeing the police, the man ran away. * AP | 2024 Olympics: What to know about the closing ceremony in Paris: The women’s basketball gold medal game is the last event before the closing ceremony. It’s scheduled to tip off at 8:30 a.m. CST at Bercy Arena. The closing ceremony is scheduled to begin at 2 p.m. CST on Sunday at Stade de France just north of Paris. It’s expected to last until 4:15 p.m. CST.
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Live coverage
Thursday, Aug 8, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller * You can click here or here to follow breaking news. It’s the best we can do unless or until Twitter gets its act together.
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Selected press releases (Live updates)
Thursday, Aug 8, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller
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