* Click here for the A-1 detailing the contribution from the state’s wealthiest political contributor.
Citizens for Judicial Fairness, the main committee attempting to prevent Illinois Supreme Court Justice Tom Kilbride from being retained, has now reported raising a total of $2.558 million.
Justice Kilbride’s retention committee has reported raising $2.3 million.
…Adding… Press release…
Rich -
Below is a statement from Jim Nowlan on the recent contribution to Citizens for Judicial Fairness:
“Our grassroots movement to end the Madigan-Kilbride alliance on the Illinois Supreme Court is now close to leveling the playing field with the trial lawyers and liberal special interests funding Kilbride’s campaign and can effectively inform voters about Tom Kilbride’s pro-Madigan, anti-taxpayer record as a Supreme Court Justice.” - Jim Nowlan, Chairman, Citizens for Judicial Fairness
*** UPDATE *** Press release…
Over the weekend, Citizens for Judicial Fairness, a coalition of advocates calling for the non-retention of Illinois Supreme Court Justice Tom Kilbride, launched their first ad airing across the 3rd Supreme Court District of Illinois. Additionally, the coalition launched a new website highlighting Kilbride’s ties to Illinois House Speaker Mike Madigan: MadiganKilbride.com
Former U.S. Transportation Secretary and Congressman Ray LaHood, Professor and Newspaper Publisher Jim Nowlan, and former Knox County judge Harry Bulkeley, all leaders in the coalition, released the following statements on the effort to prevent Kilbride’s retention.
Secretary LaHood said, “After more than 20 years, Justice Tom Kilbride has displayed plainly that he is ‘Madigan’s Favorite Judge.’ He was the deciding vote and wrote the majority opinion killing Fair Maps, which would have taken the power away from Mike Madigan and career politicians to draw legislative districts. That decision and others came after Kilbride’s campaign received millions of dollars directly from Madigan’s Machine to remain on the Court. Kilbride has voted for Madigan time and again. It’s time to vote him out.”
Jim Nowlan added, “Make no mistake about it, Mike Madigan is on the ballot in November. By voting No on Tom Kilbride’s retention, you can vote against Madigan and against the culture of corruption that has plagued our state for decades. After taking nearly $4 million from Madigan and his allies in his last two campaigns, Kilbride knows who he owes his seat to and has judged accordingly.”
Former Knox county judge Harry Bulkeley closed, “The Chicago Machine and Mike Madigan have played puppeteer in this state for decades, but now voters have the opportunity to cut some of those strings. In my 24 years on the bench, like all judges in Illinois I was governed by the Code of Judicial Conduct. That code require judges to avoid even the appearance of impropriety. Madigan’s money gives the unmistakable appearance of impropriety. Most people in the state cannot vote against Madigan but in November, voting no on Kilbride is saying no to Mike Madigan.”
* After I wrote about Eddie Van Halen the other day, I reconnected with a couple of old friends from my days living in Utah, including Art Tryon, the guy I was with when I first heard “You Really Got Me.” Daryn Tanner, my best friend from those days, helped put us together. Art posted this song on his Facebook page before we talked, so I’ll close out the week with it. And since Monday’s a state holiday, I’ll talk with you Tuesday…
The number of people who just assume that a governor, any governor, can just snap their fingers and make something happen never ceases to amaze me, particularly after the Blagojevich/Quinn/Rauner experiences.
* That assumption often comes from people who rarely or never spend any actual time with rank-and-file members of either party, let alone the super-majority Democrats. With that in mind, here’s BGA President David Greising…
If the [graduated income tax] amendment fails, Pritzker’s short-term loss might possibly be turned to the state’s advantage. He need not give up on the graduated tax entirely. Instead, a loss Nov. 3 might give Pritzker a reason to do what he should have done in the first place: pair pension reform with his graduated income tax, a combination that could win broader support.
If Pritzker does add pension reform to the mix, the state’s two battling billionaires and their millions of followers might find common ground—to the benefit of all the people in Illinois.
Yeah, OK. First tell us where you’re finding the three-fifths majority votes for this in the face of a huge organized labor revolt. Then… Actually, forget about “then.” Put it on the board, thumbsuckers.
The Metropolitan Planning Council (MPC) believes that progressive forms of taxation are more just and equitable, for that reason alone, we urge a Yes vote on the Fair Tax Amendment. The cumulative tax burden on Illinois’ low-income and middle-income residents is regressive, and shifting to a progressive state income tax is one step toward solving that systemic inequity. That is the opportunity on the table, we do not know when it will come again, and we should seize it.
Illinois cannot equitably recover from the devastation of the COVID-19 pandemic and systemic racial inequalities without creating additional revenue to invest in job creation, infrastructure, education and more. One danger in not adopting the Fair Tax now is that as revenue pressures build, future tax increases will continue the pattern of placing a disproportionate taxation burden on those who can bear it least. This is an opportunity to forestall that by instituting progressive tax policies. It is also a moment to live up to our commitments to end systemic racism – the regressive nature of our cumulative tax burden hits Black and Brown communities the hardest – and again, this a real opportunity to do something tangible about it. So, vote Yes.
And then demand more. More from our leaders in Springfield, more from our 7,000+ units of government, more from the private sector and philanthropy, more from civic organizations, and more from MPC. We cannot help but feel some sense of collective shame that this – a shift to the normal mode of taxation in most of the U.S.– is the only thing on the table. We know that State and local governments have crushing pension obligations. We know we could be investing in our communities and infrastructure more wisely. We know there is more to be done about our regressive cumulative tax burden. We know the Fair Tax will relieve some burden on those that need it, but only some, as the State still needs revenue. It is a part of narrowing the racial wealth gap, but we know it is not enough. We know all these things, and yet, the table is laid with one choice. A fair and just one, but the only one. Why?
There are meaningful steps we can take to make our pension obligations more manageable, so that more of our tax revenue goes to paying for the needed government services of today, rather than the unaffordable employee benefits of yesterday. Yet that dialogue has gone cold.
The State can lean on all the school districts, townships, single-purpose districts and more to consider consolidation, shared services and other measures to bring that regressive cumulative tax burden down. Instead we have Task Force after Task Force resulting in little or no change.
We can spur growth in communities that need it by coordinating investments across and between state agencies, and reshaping the distribution of resources from the State to villages and cities throughout Illinois. But will we?
The State can adopt more rigorous selection criteria for major infrastructure projects, leading to more equitable, sustainable and economically catalytic outcomes. In recent weeks, the Governor’s Office, legislative leaders and the RTA have indicated support for this approach – let’s get it done.
And there’s more, so much more. Demand more. If the Fair Tax is the first step, what’s the next, and the next, and the next? Together those steps could create a path to recovery, racial equity, fiscal health and our collective, brighter future.
The Fair Tax is just; it just isn’t enough. It’s necessary, but it isn’t sufficient. Comprehensive reforms are needed. Instead, voters are already at the polls, being asked to support either a progressive income tax or the status quo. There’s no third option of equitable revenues plus true reform. We wish that was the case, but it isn’t. Vote Yes, because it is the right thing to do. And then hold everyone accountable, again and again, to shape that option, to chart those next steps, and to create the Illinois we all deserve.
While federal prosecutors continue their probe into the ComEd bribery scandal that implicates House Speaker Michael Madigan, a citizen hopes another avenue will hold the speaker to account.
Back in July, federal prosecutors released a deferred prosecution agreement ComEd entered into where the utility admitted it paid $1.3 million in bribes to associates of “Public Official A,” who was identified in court documents as the Illinois House Speaker. That’s been Madigan for all but two years since 1983. The utility has testified in a public hearing it paid the bribes through jobs and vendor contracts for little to no work in an effort to influence the speaker.
Thursday, in expressing frustration that the House Special Investigating Committee into Madigan’s conduct has been stalled by Democrats, House Minority Leader Jim Durkin, R-Western Springs, was asked about whether the Legislative Inspector General was a possible avenue for accountability.
“I’m not aware of any complaint that has been filed by the LIG,” Durkin said. “They can make recommendations.”
Citizen Denise Rotheimer filed a complaint against Madigan in August after the revelations of the scandal a few weeks before. She was disappointed Durkin didn’t file his own complaint through the LIG as well.
“Because this is an avenue that is supposed to be for all of us in this state to hold these state officials, and elected officials, accountable, ethically,” Rotheimer said.
Back in 2016, Rotheimer exposed a multi-year vacancy of the LIG position when she testified about her stalled abuse of power complaint against a then-state Senator. There were a dozen other complaints that had not been investigated.
Rotheimer shared a confirmation letter the LIG sent notifying her they have received the complaint. It’s unclear if the LIG has been given permission by the Legislative Ethics Commission to investigate the matter and make recommendations. That commission is made of state lawmakers legislative leaders appoint.
Reform For Illinois Executive Director Alisa Kaplan said the way it’s set up right now, legislators police themselves, equating that to the fox guarding the henhouse. That’s because the LIG has to get permission from the Legislative Ethics Commission to investigate most complaints.
* I asked Durkin’s spokesperson yesterday why he hadn’t yet filed an LIG complaint…
The first step in this process is to invoke the actual House Rules that were meant to address this exact type of situation or behavior - conduct unbecoming of a legislator and breach of public trust. We have not ruled out an LIG complaint.
As first reported by National Journal, a new poll conducted on behalf of the DCCC IE in Illinois’ 13th Congressional District finds Democrat Betsy Dirksen Londrigan leading incumbent Congressman Rodney Davis by five points, 48% - 43%. Former VP Joe Biden also leads President Trump in the district, 53% - 40%.
In 2018, IL-13 was one of the closest elections in the country with Dirksen Londrigan coming within one point – a mere 2,058 votes – of unseating Davis, and the race is considered one of the top pickup opportunities for Democrats across the country.
“This latest poll makes clear that working people in Central Illinois are ready to reject Congressman Rodney Davis’ career in Washington of looking out for himself and his special interest friends,” said DCCC Spokesperson Courtney Rice. “From his long record of voting to gut affordable health care and protections for people with pre-existing conditions to his corporate tax giveaway that hamstrung families, Davis has made it clear that he’ll always prioritize himself and his donors over his constituents.”
The DCCC has been on air in IL-13 since Labor Day. “Secret,” which is currently on air, slams Davis who twice voted against transparency for the federal loan program meant to help small businesses during the pandemic – after his own family took more than $1 million in loans. “Working For” and “Perfect Match” were previously on air and highlighted how Davis takes millions in contributions from special interests and votes their way in Washington.
The poll was conducted on behalf of the DCCC IE by Tulchin Research among 400 likely voters between October 1-6, 2020. The margin of error is +/-4.9.
President Trump won that district by 5.5 points four years ago.
* Meanwhile…
Betsy Dirksen Londrigan continues to show strength in her campaign, announcing today that she raised nearly $1.55 million in the latest FEC fundraising quarter, which ended September 30. Dirksen Londrigan outraised Congressman Rodney Davis the last three quarters, and will report more than $1.3 million cash on hand to finish out the final month of the campaign.
Dirksen Londrigan’s campaign is powered by the people, with over 85% of her donations coming in amounts of $100 or less. Betsy also refuses to accept corporate PAC money, now or when in Congress, and she will not be beholden to anyone except the voters who elect her to Congress.
That couldn’t stand in clearer contrast to Davis who has accepted more than $3 million from corporate PACs and more than $200,000 from Big Pharma corporate PACs, all while voting in their best interests rather than the interests of Central Illinois families.
* And…
Today, Rodney Davis’ campaign for Congress released a new ad titled “Shannon,” which highlights Rodney’s work to protect healthcare coverage for individual’s with pre-existing conditions and make healthcare more affordable.
The ad features Rodney’s wife Shannon, who is a registered nurse and 21-year survivor of colon cancer. She was able to receive treatment for her cancer diagnosis and live thanks to her healthcare coverage. Rodney believes that all Americans should have access to those same healthcare protections because it will save lives. This issue is personal to him.
Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker says he’s feeling well as he finishes out the last few days of quarantine. He has been sheltering in for 14-days since September 29th when a member of his staff tested positive for COVID-19. Pritzker added that he’s been tested twice for the virus since being quarantined and both tests have come back negative.
* The Question: Have you ever been tested for COVID-19? Take the poll and then explain your answer in comments, please…
* We’ve gone from “we’re testing too many people” to “we’re gonna game the system by testing more people.” Both are false claims. DeWitt/Piatt Bi-County Health Department Director Dave Remmert…
This weekend’s mobile COVID testing site should help DeWitt County increase testing and allow the County to come off the Governor’s COVID warning list.
Public Health Administrators in Region 6 are talking about possible mitigation and taking action to reduce the test positivity rate with additional testing sites.
* Once again, I asked for a response from the governor’s office. Here’s Jordan Abudayyeh…
This administration has worked around the clock to build one of the best testing programs in the nation. The goal has always been frequent mass testing, because as the experts have said, frequent testing will be able to identify symptomatic and asymptomatic carriers so they can isolate before spreading the virus for days undetected.
Testing a large population does not necessarily lead to lower positivity rates because more testing often means you will also identify more positive results.
But, testing regularly is an effective tool for identifying cases and preventing further spread and testing in communities with higher rates of skeptics is a good practice because residents who aren’t following public health guidelines are at higher risk of contracting the virus.
Officials tasked with the responsibility to keep their residents safe should not be attempting to game the system, instead they should be focused on identifying cases, ensuring enforcement of public health orders, and educating their communities on best public health practices.
UIUC is testing the same people over and over again. That’s what is causing the county’s positivity rate to look so low. But, the governor’s office says those results are not used to make any official decisions, either at the statewide or regional levels. So, if other counties somehow replicated UIUC’s system, it wouldn’t matter.
Chicagoan Don Wojtowicz worked for nearly 50 years in public service in hopes of a decent retirement. But for Don and more than 2 million retirement-age Illinoisans like him, a progressive income tax constitutional amendment up for a vote Nov. 3 threatens that retirement security.
Making matters worse: extremely biased language on the ballot that deprives Illinoisans of a fair, informed vote on the progressive tax question.
Don joined the Illinois Policy Institute and two more retired Illinoisans in a lawsuit filed Oct. 5 to challenge that language in court.
“I try to stay out of political conversations,” Don said, “But this is how I feel about it and I don’t know how anyone could feel different when you’re getting taxed and taxed, and the politicians keep lying.”
* I heard this morning that the group’s TRO motion was denied, so I checked with the attorney general’s office. Their response…
Hi, Rich.
The plaintiffs’ TRO was denied – I’ll send the order when I have it.
That was quick.
You’ll know more when I know more.
…Adding… Press release…
Vote Yes For Fairness Chairman Quentin Fulks released the following statement in response to the court throwing out the Illinois Policy Institute’s desperate and frivolous lawsuit:
“Today, our legal system agreed with what we already knew to be true – the Illinois Policy Institute’s frivolous lawsuit was nothing more than a desperate and egregious stunt to try to mislead voters and trick them into thinking the Fair Tax has anything to do with retirement income. As the court has made clear today, the Fair Tax does not tax retirement income, and will not make it any easier to do so.
“Opponents of the Fair Tax know that they have no excuse for why they’re against a tax cut for 97% of Illinoisans, and that’s why they’re resorting to desperate attacks in this campaign. We hope this ruling today settles this issue once and for all, and that opponents will stop with this outright lie.”
…Adding… Press release…
Statement of Vote Yes for Fair Tax Chair John Bouman on Failed Frivolous Lawsuit from Illinois Policy Institute:
“The wealthy special interests are desperate to avoid paying their fair share, but their latest ploy has failed. Their frivolous lawsuit was a publicity stunt meant to confuse and silence voters. The court was right to reject it.
“The fact is the Fair Tax amendment does not tax retirement income. Period. That’s why seniors and their advocates like AARP Illinois support Fair Tax reform.
“The people of Illinois are voting yes for a tax cut for everyone who makes less than $250,000, yes for new funding for schools and health care, and yes to make the very rich pay their share. The time is now: Vote yes today for a better tomorrow.”
…Adding… Press release…
A lawsuit challenging the misleading progressive tax ballot language, brought by the Illinois Policy Institute and Illinois retirees, continues to its next legal phase.
Although a Circuit Court Judge denied an emergency motion for a temporary restraining order in the lawsuit Wojtowicz, McGann, Sutherland and the Illinois Policy Institute v. Jesse White and the Illinois State Board of Elections, et al, the case is ongoing.
Austin Berg, vice president of marketing at the nonpartisan Illinois Policy Institute, issued the following statement:
“Today, the court concluded that, under the circumstances, we were not entitled to emergency relief without an evidentiary hearing. However, the lawsuit to address the misleading ballot language surrounding the progressive tax was not dismissed, and it continues to work its way through court procedures. Along with our co-plaintiffs, we expect to file a motion with the court in the near future to allow for an evidentiary hearing.
“We are committed to prosecuting our claims in court and will continue to fight for Illinois voters’ right to fair and accurate information on the ballot and in state-issued pamphlets. We look forward to our next opportunity to argue on behalf of voters and retirees.”
To obtain a TRO, you have to claim that you have a large likelihood of success. Those odds can be overcome, but it ain’t gonna be easy.
*** UPDATE *** Rep. Darren Bailey had asked the Supreme Court to reconsider and clarify its order consolidating various cases (click here and scroll down) and handing them all to a Sangamon County judge who had already ruled against him. Today, the Supremes denied the request.
* Hospitalizations and ICU admissions are again very troubling. Haven’t seen consistent numbers like those since June…
The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) today reported 2,818 new confirmed cases of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Illinois, including 35 additional confirmed deaths.
Coles County: 1 female 90s
Cook County: 1 male 40s, 1 female 60s, 1 male 60s, 2 males 70s, 2 female 80s, 3 males 80s
DuPage County: 1 male 60s, 1 male 70s
Ford County: 1 male 90s
Lake County: 1 female 100+
Logan County: 1 female 50s
Macon County: 1 male 80s
Marion County: 1 female 90s
Marshall County: 1 female 90s
McLean County: 1 male 50s, 1 female 70s
Monroe County: 1 female 90s
Sangamon County: 1 male 60s, 1 male 80s
St. Clair County: 1 female 80s, 1 female 90s
Tazewell County: 1 female 60s, 1 male 70s, 2 males 80s
Warren County: 1 female 80s
Wayne County: 1 female 70s
Will County: 1 male 60s, 1 male 90s
Williamson County: 1 male 70s
Currently, IDPH is reporting a total of 313,518 cases, including 8,945 deaths, in 102 counties in Illinois. The age of cases ranges from younger than one to older than 100 years. The preliminary seven-day statewide positivity for cases as a percent of total test from October 2 – October 8 is 3.8%. Within the past 24 hours, laboratories have reported 71,599 specimens for a total of 6,177,379. As of last night, 1,812 people in Illinois were reported to be in the hospital with COVID-19. Of those, 395 patients were in the ICU and 153 patients with COVID-19 were on ventilators.
Following guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, IDPH is now reporting separately both confirmed and probable cases and deaths on its website. Reporting probable cases will help show the potential burden of COVID-19 illness and efficacy of population-based non-pharmaceutical interventions. IDPH will update these data once a week.
*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. For health questions about COVID-19, call the hotline at 1-800-889-3931 or email dph.sick@illinois.gov.
*** UPDATE *** Press release…
The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) today reported 26 counties in Illinois are considered to be at a warning level for novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19). A county enters a warning level when two or more COVID-19 risk indicators that measure the amount of COVID-19 increase.
Twenty-six counties are currently reported at a warning level – Case, Christian, Clay, Clinton, Coles, Crawford, Effingham, Fayette, Henderson, Jackson, Jefferson, Johnson, Knox, Lake, Lee, Mason, Massac, Pulaski, Richland, Saline, Shelby, Union, Vermilion, Whiteside, Winnebago, Warren.
Although the reasons for counties reaching a warning level varies, some of the common factors for an increase in cases and outbreaks are associated with large gatherings and events, bars and clubs, weddings and funerals, university and college parties as well as college sports teams, family gatherings, long-term care facilities, correctional centers, schools, and cases among the community at large, especially people in their 20s.
Public health officials are observing businesses blatantly disregarding mitigation measures, people not social distancing, gathering in large groups, and not using face coverings. Mayors, local law enforcement, state’s attorneys, and other community leaders can be influential in ensuring citizens and businesses follow best practices.
Several counties are taking swift action to help slow spread of the virus, including increasing testing opportunities, stressing the importance of testing to providers, hiring additional contact tracers, working with schools, and meeting with local leaders.
After learning of an individual who tested positive for COVID-19 and visited a bar, the Whiteside County Health Department (WCHD) worked with the business and quickly alerted the community of potential exposures, helping limit spread of the virus. Additionally, WCHD provides pre-event consultations for establishments planning events that may draw larger crowds. Pre-event consultations include, educating businesses about the importance of masking and social distancing, as well as reviewing emergency rules, and guidance, and other ways to keep attendees and the community safe.
IDPH uses numerous indicators when determining if a county is experiencing stable COVID-19 activity, or if there are warning signs of increased COVID-19 risk in the county. A county is considered at the warning level when at least two of the following metrics triggers a warning.
• New cases per 100,000 people. If there are more than 50 new cases per 100,000 people in the county, this triggers a warning.
• Number of deaths. This metric indicates a warning when the weekly number of deaths increases more than 20% for two consecutive weeks.
• Weekly test positivity. This metric indicates a warning when the 7-day test positivity rate rises above 8%.
• ICU availability. If there are fewer than 20% of intensive care units available in the region, this triggers a warning.
• Weekly emergency department visits. This metric indicates a warning when the weekly percent of COVID-19-like-illness emergency department visits increase by more than 20% for two consecutive weeks.
• Weekly hospital admissions. A warning is triggered when the weekly number of hospital admissions for COVID-19-like-illness increases by more than 20% for two consecutive weeks.
• Tests performed. This metric is used to provide context and indicate if more testing is needed in the county.
• Clusters. This metric looks at the percent of COVID-19 cases associated with clusters or outbreaks and is used to understand large increase in cases.
These metrics are intended to be used for local level awareness to help local leaders, businesses, local health departments, and the public make informed decisions about personal and family gatherings, as well as what activities they choose to do. The metrics are updated weekly, from the Sunday-Saturday of the prior week.
A map and information of each county’s status can be found on the IDPH website at https://www.dph.illinois.gov/countymetrics.
The senior member of the Illinois High School Association’s sports medicine advisory committee said Thursday that high school basketball might be possible this year if all players wear masks.
Dr. Preston Wolin said that idea is being considered by the Illinois Department of Public Health, whose COVID-19 guidelines place restrictions on high school and youth sports. As of now, basketball is considered a medium risk for virus transmission, meaning athletes can scrimmage but not compete against other schools. […]
Wolin said recent communication between the IHSA and the state has included “a draft considering allowing a basketball season to proceed with everybody being masked. As to whether there is actually an IDPH policy that has been promulgated describing this, that I don’t think I can answer.”
Asked for comment, an IDPH spokeswoman responded: “There are no updates to the guidance planned at this time.”
* IHSA Executive Director Craig Anderson to his membership…
There was a report yesterday that Dr. Wolin, a valued member of the IHSA Sports Medicine Advisory Committee (SMAC), stated that IDPH is considering an IHSA proposal to play basketball in masks. I wasn’t on that call, so I can’t speak to exactly to what was said, but I believe that Dr. Wolin misspoke or was misconstrued. Internally, the IHSA is exploring every positive angle to gain acceptance from IDPH to play sports, including basketball. One of the ideas in basketball includes the possibility of wearing masks. We have passed that proposal along to our SMAC to review and provide medical feedback on. If they support that position, there is a possibility that we would ask IDPH to approve it. However, if we believe basketball can be done safely without masks, our preference remains to begin basketball in November with masks as a player option, as opposed to being mandatory.
Craig Anderson wishes to dispel the notion he and others within the Illinois High School Association don’t want certain sports to take place amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Same with the idea that the IHSA executive director and those around him aren’t willing to fight for as normal a fall athletic season as possible.
Just listen to what Anderson has to say about fall football — or a lack thereof in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“My perspective is we could’ve done it safely this fall,” Anderson told The News-Gazette this week. “I do believe we could put in place the protocols that would mitigate the spread of the virus and let our students compete.”
Gov. J.B. Pritzker and his health officials don’t seem to agree, and so high school football will join volleyball and boys’ soccer in a spring format during the 2020-21 school year.
A DeKalb County judge has again denied an appeal by local restaurant and bar owners to end the prohibition on indoor dining, citing Governor JB Pritzker’s authority during a public health crisis.
DeKalb County Circuit Court Judge Bradley Waller ruled Friday on a second attempt by 10 local businesses owners to stay the governor’s order amid COVID-19 resurgence cases in Region 1, designated by the Illinois Department of Public Health.
“The reality is it is what it is,” Waller said. “This statue gives the governor the authority to do what he’s doing. Whether you agree or not. He has authority for purposes of preserving public health, safety & welfare.”
My lawyer talked me out of filing suits more than once back in the day. He’s a good guy who provides sound legal counsel, even though he knows he’s leaving money on the table.
At some point, the state should consider asking for sanctions against attorneys who file lawsuits that are almost immediately (and, in this case, repeatedly) tossed out. Enough, already.
While the closing of restaurants and bars to indoor dining has received much attention, there’s a third element to the restrictions put in place for DeKalb County’s health region, and county Health Administrator Lisa Gonzalez said it’s an important one.
Large gatherings were capped at 25 people or 25% of room capacity beginning last week. Gonzalez said these gatherings can range from weddings to church to graduation parties. Gonzalez said she saw a report from within the region about a quinceanera that had multiple cases tied back to it and mentioned that youth sports at both the club and IHSA levels were sources of spread as well.
“What we’re really trying to do is encourage people to limit participation in large gatherings at this time,” Gonzalez said. “But people are going to be attending these events. We’d really encourage, with nicer weather right now anyway, they consider attending outdoor events because the studies show that when you’re indoors and the ventilation isn’t as good, the spread ends up being greater.” […]
“I can tell you early on at NIU we don’t think there was much social distancing or masking happening,” Gonzalez said. “The good news is that at NIU we’re not seeing the number of cases we were early on. That tells me they’re making different choices now.”
The top Republican in the Illinois House on Thursday called for Democrats, including Gov. JB Pritzker, to either demand that Democratic House Speaker Michael Madigan answer questions before a Special Investigating Committee or resign immediately.
During a virtual news conference, Minority Leader Jim Durkin, of Western Springs, openly accused the investigating committee’s chairman, Hillside Democrat Emanuel “Chris” Welch, of deliberately stalling the investigation until after the Nov. 3 election, a move that Republicans warn could thwart the entire investigation.
“There is one person who is in charge, and that is Gov. Pritzker, and he is the leader of the state Democratic Party,” Durkin said. “Today I call on him to immediately demand those answers he has been requesting from Speaker Madigan or demand that he resign immediately.”
Durkin is one of three House Republicans who filed a petition calling for the investigation after Madigan was implicated in a bribery scheme involving utility giant Commonwealth Edison. In a deferred prosecution agreement filed in federal court in July, ComEd officials admitted that, over a nine-year period, they awarded no-work jobs and lobbying contracts to Madigan’s close associates in order to curry his favor for legislation that benefitted the company.
The number of people who just assume that a governor, any governor, can just snap their fingers and make something happen never ceases to amaze me, particularly after the Blagojevich/Quinn/Rauner experiences. My complaint isn’t really about Durkin, by the way. He undoubtedly knows he’s using a rhetorical device. But statements like that are just accepted whole cloth by others and it’s puzzling because it defies all history. Should the governor speak out? Yep. Should people pressure him to do so? Of course. But let’s not pretend we live in a world that doesn’t exist.
State Rep. Emanuel “Chris” Welch, the Democrat leading the panel looking into Madigan’s dealings with ComEd, fired back that Durkin is the one who must “put the political performances aside and let our investigation take its course.”
Durkin started the latest verbal volley over the simmering legislative probe with a news conference responding to Welch’s decision two days earlier to delay any further hearings in the probe until after the Nov. 3 election.
The Republican leader from Western Springs, who filed the petition that created the special investigative committee, said the stalling of its work until after the election amounted to Welch attempting to take a dive for Madigan.
“After trying to find every possible roadblock to delay this committee, be it by repeatedly misrepresenting the U.S. Attorney’s Office position and refusing to discuss subpoenaed testimony … Chairman Welch conveniently realized that he was out of excuses and pulled the plug,” Durkin said.
The Illinois House created a Special Investigating Committee in September to study whether Speaker Michael Madigan should be censured for connections to the ComEd bribery scandal. This week, the committee’s chairman, Hillside Democrat Emanuel “Chris” Welch, said the body won’t meet again until after the election. Welch complained that committee members are doing too much political campaigning around the committee’s actions.
To be clear, only two of the committee’s six members face political challenges in November — Republicans Deanne Mazzochi, of Elmhurst, and Grant Wehrli, of Naperville — but, to whatever extent they are inserting the group’s activities into their campaign messages, they are hardly alone in trying to steer its work to political advantage.
Welch and the committee’s other two Democrats have done everything possible to block efforts to subpoena the speaker to answer questions about his involvement with the ComEd case. And, when ComEd offered to provide a document it said would clarify that Madigan — identified in the federal bribery case only as Public Official A — pressed the utility to place one of his supporters on its board of directors, Welch instead asked federal investigators to release several years’ worth of documents related to ComEd and Illinois governors, House and Senate leaders and their staffs going back through the Rauner and Quinn administrations.
In a release condemning delays of the committee’s work, Mazzochi colorfully, and accurately, called this tactic “asking for the haystack after we’ve already found the needle.”
That’s her best line yet.
*** UPDATE *** Jordan Abudayyeh…
As the Governor has said, he strongly believes the Speaker should answer questions and that any opportunity to answer questions is one the Speaker should take. That being said, there is a legislative process underway and as a co-equal branch of government, members of the General Assembly have used this process before and they are capable of managing it on their own.
The Coalition to Stop the Proposed Tax Hike Amendment launched a new ad today reminding voters nothing in the Tax Hike Amendment protects retirement income from being taxed.
In the ad, 85-year-old Phyllis Barklow speaks for retirees in Illinois when she says to vote No to the Springfield Politicians who are threatening to tax retirement income.
This threat was amplified in June by Illinois State Treasurer Michael Frerichs when he said, “One thing a progressive tax would do is make clear you can have graduated rates when you are taxing retirement income.”
As further evidence the Springfield Politicians cannot be trusted on the issue of taxing retirement income, Frerichs this week tried reversing his position, but no amount of flip-flopping can steer voters away from knowing that the Tax Hike Amendment gives Springfield Politicians a blank check to change tax rates and set as many tax brackets as they want—whenever they want, including taxing retirement income.
“Nothing in the Constitutional Amendment protects retirement income from being taxed,” said Lissa Druss, Coalition Spokesperson. “Springfield Politicians want us to trust them with our taxes when they can’t even keep their word on taxing retirement income. Retirees across the state know the Tax Hike Amendment is a direct threat to them. Retirees like Phyllis, who are living on a fixed income, will have to survive with even less if more power is granted to Springfield Politicians.”
It is important to note that of the states that have a graduated income tax, they also have a retirement tax.
They promise they won’t tax retirement income if their constitutional amendment passes, but their measure lets them increase income taxes on every group of taxpayers including retirees.
Even our state treasurer said so publicly.
The truth is nothing in the constitutional amendment protects retirement income from being taxed.
So, we could trust the politicians to be fair to taxpayers or vote no.
…Adding… Quentin Fulks at Vote Yes for Fairness…
Opponents of the Fair Tax are tripling down on an attack that’s been repeatedly called out as flat out false. Their motivation is clear — they have no excuse for why a billionaire is paying the same tax rate as a nurse or why they’re fighting against a tax cut for 97% of Illinoisans, so they’re trying to force the conversation away from what the Fair Tax is really about. Voters won’t be fooled by their deceptive tactics and lies.
He’s not wrong about almost anything until his last sentence. Not convinced of that.
Governor Pritzker and the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) are announcing that Region 4, the Metro East, will return to Phase 4 of the Restore Illinois Plan today, October 9, 2020 at 5 p.m. While the rate of testing in Region 4 has remained relatively stable, the rolling average positivity rate in the region has fallen from a high of 10.5 percent on August 27, 2020 to a rate of 5.8 percent today. The roll back is a result of close coordination between IDPH, local health departments, and community leaders encouraging proven and targeted mitigation efforts.
“After surpassing an 8 percent positivity average in August – later reaching a peak 7-day average of over 10 percent– Metro East leveled off between an average of 7 and 8 percent positivity for several weeks, and as of this morning, has secured the progress necessary to end the increased mitigations in Region 4,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “All of this takes place in a landscape where Illinois is continuously increasing our ability to test for and monitor this virus: we are now pushing an average of nearly 60,000 tests a day – and we surpassed 6 million tests to date. There is testing available to you if you need it. If you were potentially in contact with a COVID-19 case, if you’re feeling unwell, or if you just want to check in, you are able to get a test at no cost.”
“We are excited to see that after weeks of mitigation measures and sacrifice, Region 4 has reduced its positivity rate and can return to Phase 4,” said IDPH Director Dr. Ngozi Ezike. “It takes communities working together to reduce the spread of the virus and lower the positivity rate. I want to thank Region 4 for its hard work to decrease the risk for all of Illinois.”
Region 4 — which includes Bond, Clinton, Madison, Monroe, Randolph, St. Clair and Washington counties — initially moved to stricter mitigations on August 18, following three consecutive days of a rolling positivity rate above 8%. On September 2, additional mitigations were implemented after the region increased its positivity rate to a 7-day rolling positivity rate of 9.6%.
As of today, Region 4 has reached the threshold to lift mitigations following three consecutive days of a rolling positivity rate below 6.5%. Therefore, indoor dining and bar service can resume along with larger gathering sizes as outlined in Phase 4 of the Restore Illinois plan. IDPH will continue working closely with the region to prevent another spike in cases.
The administration also continues to strengthen its nation-leading testing operation. In early May, the State of Illinois opened a community-based testing site at the Jackie Joyner-Kersee Center in East St. Louis to make testing more readily available for anyone. On Wednesday, the state surpassed 6 million tests, less than three weeks after Illinois was one of the first states to cross the 5 million test benchmark. Testing remains a critical step in reducing the spread of the virus, given that a positive test result begins the contact tracing process and can prevent further spread in communities.
In addition to testing, IDPH continues to monitor each region in the state for several key indicators to identify early increases of COVID-19 transmission in Illinois, potentially signifying resurgence. Additional measures will be implemented if a region experiences an increase in COVID-19 test positivity with a simultaneous decrease in hospital capacity or increase in hospital admissions for COVID-like-illness, or if the 7-day rolling positivity rate is above 8% for three consecutive days.
Region 1, home to Rockford, Dixon and Galena, is currently operating under additional mitigations as the region continues to report a 7-day rolling positivity rate above 8%. Additional mitigations can be found online here.
A full list of mitigation measures pertaining to certain businesses and industries may be found on the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO) website at www.dceocovid19resources.com/restore-illinois.
“I learned last night that I have tested positive for COVID-19. Despite taking my temperature regularly and having no evidence of a fever, I experienced a mild cough and a rapid loss of both taste and smell and recognized it was important to get tested immediately.
“My staff and I have consulted with Congress’ Office of the Attending Physician for additional guidance and any staff I’ve been in close contact with will quarantine until receiving their own test results. We are also beginning the process of reaching out to any constituents I’ve met with in recent days.
“I am postponing my public event schedule but will continue conducting virtual meetings as I isolate at home. We are taking this situation seriously and will continue to serve the people of Southern Illinois while doing our best to ensure their health and safety. I will provide additional updates in the days ahead and am anxious to get back to work as soon as I make a full recovery.”
A Will County landlord wants Gov. J.B. Pritzker to modify his blanket moratorium on evictions to address tenants who were set to be evicted for nonpayment of rent before the pandemic began.
Craig Horvath, 48, of Chicago, said he is dealing with a tenant in unincorporated Lockport who has not paid rent for more than a year.
“This is incredibly unfair to me as a landlord, as my problem existed prior to anything related to the COVID-19 pandemic,” Horvath said.
Horvath owns multiple properties in Cook and Will counties, he said. He said he has worked with some tenants who fell behind in rent payments because their incomes were affected by the pandemic.
The existing eviction moratorium is in effect until October 17.
Less than a week after a state mandate shuttered bars and restaurants for indoor dining in the Rockford region, Rockford Mayor Tom McNamara and State Rep. Maurice West call on Gov. JB Pritzker to remove such restrictions in place due to rising COVID-19 cases.
Among closing indoor dining, the restrictions, which went into effect Oct. 3, said bars and restaurants must close at 11 p.m. The restrictions were in response to the region’s rising positivity rate, which Thursday sits at higher than 8 percent for the 11th day in a row.
Mayor McNamara and State Rep. West request the governor move Region 1 from Tier 2 mitigation status of the Restore Illinois Plan, to Tier 1 status, which would allow restaurants to maintain indoor dining capacity at 25 percent.
“As you also know, residents and businesses in IDPH Region 1 are struggling with the economic challenges brought on by COVID-19,” the letter said in part. “Now, we are seeing small businesses, and especially restaurants, bearing the brunt of the recent move to Tier 2 mitigation status of the Restore Illinois Plan.”
The Rockford region’s COVID-19 test positivity rate is moving in the wrong direction to get itself removed from the list of places required to operate under additional state restrictions.
Since additional COVID-19 mitigation rules went into effect Saturday, the region’s positivity rate has gone up instead of down. Positivity rate is a key measurement the state uses to determine whether a region can remain in Phase 4 of Restore Illinois, the state’s plan for reopening the economy during the coronavirus pandemic.
The nine-county region’s seven-day rolling average for COVID-19 test positivity was 8.7% on Sept. 30, the same day Gov. JB Pritzker announced that the Rockford region would move into resurgence status and that area businesses — specifically bars and restaurants — would be required to adhere to a new set of rules, such as closing at 11 p.m. and shutting down indoor dining and bars.
Winnebago County’s average positivity rate is 10.1 percent.
* And this is from a CDC report on an amazing success in Arizona…
The average number of daily cases increased approximately 151%, from 808 on June 1, 2020 to 2,026 on June 15, 2020 (after stay-at-home order lifted), necessitating increased preventive measures. On June 17, local officials began implementing and enforcing mask wearing (via county and city mandates), affecting approximately 85% of the state population. Statewide mitigation measures included limitation of public events; closures of bars, gyms, movie theaters, and water parks; reduced restaurant dine-in capacity; and voluntary resident action to stay at home and wear masks (when and where not mandated). The number of COVID-19 cases in Arizona peaked during June 29–July 2, stabilized during July 3–July 12, and further declined by approximately 75% during July 13–August 7. Widespread implementation and enforcement of sustained community mitigation measures informed by state and local officials’ continual data monitoring and collaboration can help prevent transmission of SARS-CoV-2 and decrease the numbers of COVID-19 cases.
Emphasis added for obvious reasons. These mitigation measures are effective. Work the program.
Several organizations and city leaders in Champaign County wrote and signed a letter addressed to Governor JB Pritzker, D-Illinois, and the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) asking to make Champaign County its own region.
If Region 6, the region Champaign County is currently in, reaches above 8% positivity rate three days in a row, mitigation efforts will be applied.
Last week, Champaign County data started to be excluded from Region 6 data to give an accurate representation of what testing is being done without the influence of the University of Illinois’s testing sites.
The region’s 7-day rolling average positivity rate [without Champaign County] is currently on the downswing, however. It peaked at 7.6 percent and declined over four days to 6.9 percent. So, maybe they’ll dodge the bullet.
We’ll know later today whether the Metro East Region 4 will escape mitigation measures. The positivity rate has been under 6.5 percent for two straight days.
* In other news…
Also, remember the jammed international terminal at O’Hare on March 15, 2020, as Americans in Europe scrambled to fly home ahead of the travel ban?
