It’s called me belligеrent, it’s took me for ignorant
But it ain’t never once made me scared just to be
Could you imagine just constantly worryin’
Kickin’ and fightin’, beggin’ to breathe?
State Rep. Emanuel Chris Welch released the following statement Friday:
“Today, acting on behalf of the Special Investigating Committee, I sent letters to Speaker Madigan, Michael McClain, Anne Pramaggiore, Fidel Marquez, John Hooker, Jay D. Doherty, Michael R. Zalewski, and Commonwealth Edison seeking their appearance before the Special Investigating Committee as requested by the committee’s Republican members. The committee will reconvene on Tuesday, Sept. 29 at 2 p.m. in the Capitol for this hearing.”
The Tribune has identified and interviewed the families of nearly 50 deceased health care workers in Illinois to chronicle the devastating loss of life and acts of heroism.
They include nurses, doctors, medical assistants, technicians, therapists and other support staff who clean rooms, serve food and provide security.
The dead worked in hospitals, nursing homes, private offices or on ambulance crews and in homes as health aides. Most were minorities, including those who were Black and by themselves made up nearly half of the 112 counted. Many had an underlying health condition that made them particularly vulnerable.
Some were near retirement or had delayed it as they refused to leave their careers during a time of such crisis. Relatives compared the dedication of their loved one during the pandemic to that shown by 9/11 rescuers who did not pause when facing danger nearly two decades ago.
My dad was in the Army for 25 years, but this place is my home. The people here are my friends, family and neighbors.
I grew up poor. I know what it’s like to pay for gas with change from the floorboards, wear shoes that are too small, to try so hard and come up against barriers you didn’t even know were there. And I know what it’s like to be trying anyway. So do all of you.
We need jobs and health care and health, and too many of us are struggling. We deserve more than Adam Kinzinger is giving us. I’m Dani Brzozowski and I approve this message.
President Trump won this district by 16 points four years ago. Bruce Rauner won it by 11. Secretary of State Jesse White has won it by double digits every cycle, but AG Lisa Madigan is the only other Democrat to have ever carried it, and that was by just 1.4 percentage points in 2014.
So, this may be a waste of time, but I’m still curious what you think.
Parents and students continue to put pressure on Gov. JB Pritzker to reopen schools and school sports.
Rallies were held Thursday in the northwest and southwest suburbs, including Orland Park. As CBS 2 Investigator Megan Hickey reported, parents said the status quo – rooted in precautions for COVID-19, is doing more harm than good.
Sources said the discussions were continuing Thursday night, and that the Governor’s office is at least reviewing these requests to return fall sports in Illinois.
I asked the governor’s office if the last line of the piece was accurate. “No,” was the answer.
IHSA Executive Director Craig Anderson joined Bloomington radio station WJBC-AM 1320 on Friday and shot down rumors that the IHSA, the Illinois Department of Public Health and Governor JB Pritzker are close to announcing a full return of fall sports, including football, girls volleyball and boys soccer.
“Well, there’s an insider out there that really truly isn’t an insider that’s really providing some false information to the media,” Anderson said. “And it’s quite unfortunate. That’s what I can share right off the top.”
Anderson said there has been a single phone call by Dr. Ngozi Ezike, director of the Illinois Department of Public Health, and Dr. Cynthia LaBella, who heads the IHSA’s Sports Medicine Advisory Committee. Anderson said the phone call was “simply a call for an invitation” and no follow-up has been made this week.
“While we hope in one facet it to be some progress toward us resuming more activities for our students that we’re currently offering at the present time, there is no movement and no further conversation other than that request to join and support IDPH in that communication and how they would return,” Anderson said.
With the U.S. gaining 1.4 million jobs in August and the national unemployment rate at 8.4% compared to the nearly historic high of 14.7% at the peak of the coronavirus pandemic, WalletHub today released updated rankings for the States Whose August Unemployment Rates Are Bouncing Back Most, along with accompanying videos and audio files, to illustrate which areas of the country have had the best recovery so far.
This report examines unemployment rates on a monthly basis, complementing the weekly analysis in WalletHub’s report on the States Whose Weekly Unemployment Claims Are Recovering the Quickest.
In order to identify the states with the best recovery in unemployment, WalletHub compared the 50 states and the District of Columbia based on four key metrics. We looked at the change in each state’s unemployment during the latest month for which we have data (August 2020) compared to August 2019 and January 2020. We also compared not seasonally adjusted continued claims in August 2020 to August 2019. Finally, we considered each state’s overall unemployment rate. Below, you can see highlights from the report, along with a WalletHub Q&A.
Unemployment Recovery in Illinois (1=Most Recovered, 25=Avg.):
• 168.32% Change in Unemployment (August 2020 vs August 2019)
o 691,640 unemployed people in August 2020 vs 257,769 in August 2019;
o 8th worst recovery in the U.S.
• 173.04% Change in Unemployment (August 2020 vs January 2020)
o 691,640 unemployed people in August 2020 vs 253,312 in January 2020;
o 6th worst recovery in the U.S.
• 597.74% Change in Not Seasonally Adjusted Continued Claims (August 2020 vs August 2019)
o 593,305 continued claims in August 2020 vs 85,032 in August 2019
o 19th best recovery in the U.S.
The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) today reported 2,120 new confirmed cases of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Illinois, including 20 additional confirmed deaths.
• Cook County: 1 male 50s, 1 male 60s, 2 females 70s, 1 male 80s
• DeKalb County: 1 infant
• DuPage County: 1 male 40s
• Edgar County: 1 male 60s, 1 female 70s
• Franklin County: 1 male 50s
• Lake County: 1 male 80s
• McHenry County: 1 male 60s
• St. Clair County: 1 male 70s, 1 male 80s
• Tazewell County: 1 female 30s, 1 female 80s
• Will County: 1 male 70s
• Williamson County: 1 female 80s, 2 females 90s
Currently, IDPH is reporting a total of 270,327 cases, including 8,411 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 September 11 – September 17 is 3.6%. Within the past 24 hours, laboratories have reported 61,918 specimens for a total of 4,982,856. As of last night, 1,481 people in Illinois were reported to be in the hospital with COVID-19. Of those, 329 patients were in the ICU and 149 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. Information for a death previously reported has changed, therefore, today’s numbers have been adjusted. For health questions about COVID-19, call the hotline at 1-800-889-3931 or email dph.sick@illinois.gov.
* Press release…
The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) today reported 24 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-four counties are currently reported at a warning level – Bond, Bureau, Cass, Clinton, Coles, Crawford, Cumberland, DeWitt, Edwards, Effingham, Greene, Jasper, Jo Daviess, Lawrence, Madison, Marion, Rock Island, St. Clair, Shelby, Washington, Wayne, Williamson, Wabash, and Union.
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 university and college parties as well as college sports teams, large gatherings and events, bars and clubs, weddings and funerals, long-term care facilities, correctional centers, manufacturing plants, schools, and cases among the community at large. General transmission of the virus in the community is also increasing.
Public health officials are observing people not social distancing, gathering in large groups, and not using face coverings. Some communities lack access to convenient testing before people become symptomatic. In some counties, local law enforcement and states’ attorneys are not enforcing important mitigation measures like social distancing and the wearing of face coverings. Additionally, some people refuse to participate in contact tracing and are not providing information on close contacts or answering the phone.
Several counties are taking swift action and implementing mitigation measures 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, meeting with local leaders, and educating businesses and large venues about the importance of mitigation measures.
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.
* Press release…
Governor Pritzker and the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) are announcing that Region 7, which includes the greater Will and Kankakee County areas, will return to Phase 4 of the Restore Illinois Plan today, September 18, 2020 at 5 p.m. This announcement follows weeks of close coordination between IDPH and local health departments, as well as a concerted effort by community leaders and residents to follow the additional mitigation measures implemented on August 26, 2020.
Region 7 moved to stricter mitigations following three consecutive days of a rolling positivity rate above 8 percent. As of today, Region 7 has reached the threshold to lift mitigations of three consecutive days of a rolling positivity rate below 6.5 percent, with today’s rate at 5.6 percent. This means that as of 5 p.m. today, indoor dining and bar service can resume along with larger gathering sizes as outlined in Phase 4 of the Restore Illinois plan.
“Today, Region 7 – Will and Kankakee Counties – will return to the standard Phase 4 of the Restore Illinois plan because residents chose to be all in for each other, for their small businesses, for their bars and restaurants, for their kids, for their neighbors,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “Let that be a testament to the power of a community that embraces doctor-recommended mitigations proven to reduce risk and slow the spread. We can’t outrun this virus, but with the tools we know to work – masks, distancing, handwashing, and respect for public health and each other – we can beat it back enough to keep our businesses open and our neighborhoods safer all at once. Don’t let up now, Region 7 – let’s keep this success going.”
“I want to commend and thank those in Region 7 for working together to reduce the spread of COVID-19 in their communities,” said IDPH Director Dr. Ngozi Ezike. “Moving from a greater than 8 percent rolling positivity rate to below 6.5 percent in a matter of weeks demonstrates how concerted efforts to reduce exposure risks through limiting large gatherings, increased masking and other mitigation measures can truly make a difference. It also shows how quickly the positivity rate can move, in either direction. Because of the speed in which the rate can change, we must continue to wear our masks, watch our distance, and follow the guidance in Phase 4 of Restore Illinois. It will take all of us working together to get through this.”
Over the last few weeks, IDPH has worked closely with elected officials and community leaders in Region 7 to slow the spread of COVID-19 and bring down the number of positive cases in the area, helping bring the region from a rolling positivity rate above 8 percent to 5.6 percent. IDPH will continue working closely with the region to ensure residents continue to follow the mitigations that remain in place and wear face covering to will help prevent another spike in cases.
* I’m taking the morning off to run some errands. I think I told you before that as part of being a responsible adult (first time for everything) I took Dr. Ezike’s summertime advice and am having literally everything checked out in case this awful virus comes back with a vengeance and we can’t make doctor’s appointments for non-emergency issues. What I didn’t realize is how long it takes to schedule some appointments. You can’t just bunch them up all at once. And it’s not just doctors. I also have like a half-dozen factory recalls on my truck that I never dealt with (oops), and my service appointment date is finally here.
Anyway, I’ll be back after lunch.
In the meantime, did you hear that the White Sox clinched a playoff spot yesterday?
* Whatever you talk about, please be nice to each other and keep the discussion Illinois-centric. You can use this thread to talk about any breaking news as well. Talk to you soonish.
Federal prosecutors gave the state House committee investigating Speaker Michael Madigan’s dealings with ComEd the “green light” to proceed on Thursday — but not without flashing a cautionary yellow light.
U.S. Attorney John Lausch wrote to the top state representatives on the panel — Democratic chair Emanuel “Chris” Welch of Hillside and Republican Tom Demmer of Dixon, telling them his office did not “have a general objection” to the House Special Investigative Committee seeking documents or testimony related to the federal probe of the utility company during the course of its proceedings.
But Lausch also set some parameters. The six-member panel can’t ask witnesses about their participation in grand jury proceedings or request they produce materials disclosing grand jury activity.
In the letter released by Republicans, Lausch also objected to the committee asking witnesses about any contact they’ve had with prosecutors or federal law enforcement related to the criminal investigation into the utility or to share information learned from the feds during the investigation.
And, should the committee steer too close to his own ongoing investigation into ComEd, Lausch said his office “might raise objections to particular testimony or document requests” as the two parallel probes go forward. Lausch said he was not currently raising that objection.
The Special Investigating Committee was formed after House Republican Leader Jim Durkin, of Western Springs, and two other Republican House members filed a petition Aug. 31 to commence disciplinary proceedings against Madigan, a Chicago Democrat and the longest-serving state legislative speaker in U.S. history.
Madigan was implicated in a bribery scheme when ComEd officials entered a deferred prosecution agreement with Lausch’s office in which they admitted that, from 2011 through 2019, they awarded no-work jobs and lobbying contracts to close associates of Madigan in an effort to win his favor for legislation that benefitted the company.
Madigan so far has not been charged with any crime and has staunchly denied any wrongdoing.
The legislative probe, however, is not focused on whether he committed a crime, but whether he “engaged in conduct which is unbecoming to a legislator or which constitutes a breach of public trust.” If his fellow lawmakers find that he did, disciplinary action could range from a reprimand or censure to expulsion from the House.
The partisan jockeying continued after Lausch’s letter came out Thursday. Welch issued a statement that said the letter “confirms our understanding that while this committee can call individuals to voluntarily appear, they would be limited in what they can discuss.” […]
“We also see clearly that Republican members of this committee attempted to go beyond what has originally been discussed with the U.S. attorney,” Welch said, adding that he won’t allow it to be “used as a stage for political theater.”
Ron Safer, the attorney representing Durkin through the process, said in a statement that Lausch’s office gave the testimony “the green light to pursue all avenues of the investigation, including testimony and documents, that were articulated in the petition.”
The six-person special investigating committee has an equal number of Democrats and Republicans. Authorizing a charge against Madigan would require a majority vote.
But there remain very different — and partisan — takeaways from Lausch’s guidance that will affect the tenacity with which the House panel will conduct its investigation into Madigan, who also chairs the state’s Democratic Party. The committee is evenly split between three Democrats and three Republicans.
State Rep. Chris Welch, D-Hillside, chairs the House panel and has accused Republicans of “using the committee as a political stunt.”
“Lausch’s letter today confirms our understanding that while this committee can call individuals to voluntarily appear, they would be limited in what they can discuss,” Welch said in a statement. “In particular, information underlying the deferred prosecution agreement beyond what is already public could be met with objection by federal investigators, and any further information collected by the federal government that informed that agreement is explicitly off limits.”
But that appears to contradict what Lausch wrote in his own letter Thursday.
“[If] a witness explained certain facts to prosecutors or federal law enforcement agents, we do not object generally to the witness explaining those same facts to the [committee],” he wrote. “We object, however, to questions about whether the witness shared those (or any other) facts with prosecutors or federal law enforcement agents, as such questions could reveal confidential information about the course of our investigation and could deter cooperation with our investigation by that witness and others.”
However, Lausch’s letter never stated that witnesses could not repeat the facts of their testimony or their recollection of events, only that they could not reveal whether or not they had already shared that same information with federal investigators, and also could not reveal what information federal investigators may have shared with them.
“We do not object generally to the witness explaining those same facts to the SIC,” Lausch wrote. “We object, however, to questions about whether the witness shared those (or any other) facts with prosecutors or federal law enforcement agents, as such questions could reveal confidential information about the course of our investigation and could deter cooperation with our investigation by that witness and others.”
After Lausch clarified his position in a letter on Thursday, Rep. Grant Wehrli (R-Naperville), who sits on the committee, said, “This is exactly how we interpreted the phone call. It is clear we can call witnesses and have testimony regarding the [deferred prosecution agreement]. The things [Lausch] requested we not ask about are things we have no intention of asking about.”
House Republicans said they intend to call Madigan, former ComEd lobbyists Mike McClain, Fidel Marquez, John Hooker, Jay Doherty, Michael Zalewski, and former ComEd CEO Anne Prammagiore to testify before the committee.
An Evanston resident for more than a decade, Daniel Biss has announced that he is planning to run for Mayor of the City of Evanston. He is currently a consultant for the Energy Foundation.
The RoundTable asked Mr. Biss five questions about his candidacy. His answers appear below.
Asked why he wishes to be Mayor of Evanston, Mr. Biss said, “We’re experiencing a long-overdue national reckoning on issues of racial justice, policing, and segregation — and Evanston is a progressive community that wants to be at the forefront of addressing these subjects. It would be an honor to spend the next four years helping our community make critical but difficult strides toward justice, and to lead our neighbors down that same path.” […]
The Mayor’s foremost duty, Mr. Biss said, “is to bring all of Evanston together. This means bringing in all voices to formulate a bold vision for our city, and then working relentlessly in pursuit of that vision. The Mayor must also lead the City Council to ensure that it is both a highly functioning legislative body and an effective instrument to transmit concerns from all nine wards. Finally, the Mayor must communicate very clearly and transparently with residents to ensure that when the City acts, everyone has a clear understanding of what is happening and why it’s happening — and this has to be done in a timely manner so that residents can weigh in when it still matters.”
* The Question: Daniel Biss’ mayoral campaign slogan?
Maggie Crotty is stepping down from her elected post as supervisor of Bremen Township for health reasons, officials said Wednesday.
Mary Margaret “Maggie” Crotty, 71, of Oak Forest, has been township supervisor since 2005. She previously held elected positions as a state senator, state representative and Democratic Party committeeman for Bremen Township.
“Right now Maggie doesn’t feel like she can continue,” said Rondal Jones, who serves as office manager and deputy clerk for Bremen Township and as an elected alderman in Markham. “We pray for her health.” […]
Crotty is credited with leveraging her political connections and influence in Springfield to benefit local communities after she retired from the General Assembly. Crotty helped secure $2.5 million in grants that helped pay for a new Metra station that opened in Oak Forest days before Christmas in 2013. […]
Crotty served 16 years in the state legislature. She served three terms in the House, from 1997 to 2002. She represented the 19th District in the Illinois Senate from 2002 to 2012. She was known for her work on health care and education legislation.
I knew her when she was in the legislature and covered her first race. She was part of the south suburban group that helped put the House Democrats back into the majority.
Unlike a lot of politicians, her smile comes from a real place. She was ambitious, but was also like everyone’s favorite aunt. Sometimes, I’d drop by her office just because I needed to cheer myself up. Maggie was the type of legislator who gave you hope for what that body could be. I sure hope this is a temporary setback. We need more people like her in this world.
Amid a flurry of complaints that the marijuana licensing process is flawed, Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s office announced Wednesday that his team will meet with those affected to address the issue.
“The Governor’s office is currently working to schedule meetings with interested stakeholders, however, meeting dates and times have not been finalized,” Pritzker’s press office wrote in response to a Tribune inquiry. “The goal of the Governor and the administration is to take time to ensure that the process is fair and equitable.”
Just 21 of some 700 applicants qualified for a lottery to determine who will get 75 new recreational marijuana retail licenses. Since the finalists were revealed early this month, state regulators said they have indefinitely delayed the lottery to review objections.
State Rep. La Shawn Ford said the governor’s office will meet with lawmakers who’ve objected to the process, including members of the Black and Latino caucuses. Many of the finalist companies involve politically connected or big-money businessmen, including former Chicago police Superintendent Terrence Hillard, and restaurant owner Phil Stefani, which critics say flies in the face of the program’s goal of adding marginalized newcomers to the largely white-owned industry.
A federal judge on Thursday rejected a bid by the Cook County Republican Party to block the state’s enhanced vote-by-mail program, rejecting as conjecture allegations that the program was a scheme aimed at disenfranchising GOP voters.
U.S. District Judge Robert Dow ruled the Cook County GOP also was tardy in filing its lawsuit in August seeking a preliminary injunction over the law approved in May as an effort to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic by offering an alternative to traditional in-person voting.
Dow’s ruling also noted existing state statute is aimed at preventing so-called ballot harvesting by political operatives, requiring a voter authorization signed on the exterior of vote-by-mail ballots that are dropped off to election authorities or at drop boxes as an alternative. […]
“Looking at the record compiled to date in this litigation, however, Plaintiff (the Cook County GOP) has provided no basis for concluding that its alleged harms are anything but speculative and therefore fails to demonstrate that ‘irreparable injury is likely in the absence of an injunction,’” Dow wrote.
The disputed measures include expanded use of secure ballot drop boxes and requiring officials to accept ballots without enough postage, among others. Republicans cited news articles and isolated cases of election fraud to back their claim.
But the allegations “rest primarily on unsupported speculation and secondarily on isolated instances of voter fraud in other states and historical examples from Illinois during the prior century,” the judge wrote. “Plaintiff cannot demonstrate either that it is likely to suffer irreparable harm or that it has some chance of success on the merits.” — Erik Larson
