Relief in sight? Maybe, maybe not
Thursday, Oct 5, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller
* AP…
The Biden administration is going to resume deporting migrants to Venezuela, two U.S. officials told The Associated Press on Thursday.
The process is expected to begin shortly, the officials said, though they did not provide specific details on when the flights would begin taking off. The officials were not authorized to publicly disclose details of the government’s plan ahead of an official announcement and spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity.
I have no idea whether this will slow anything down. Stay tuned for the announcement.
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Afternoon roundup
Thursday, Oct 5, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller
* AP…
At least 453,000 workers have participated in 312 strikes in the U.S. this year, according to Johnnie Kallas, a Ph.D. candidate and the project director of Cornell University’s Labor Action Tracker. This year’s work stoppages have spread across multiple industries — including transportation, entertainment and hospitality.
* Dude was in the Illinois General Assembly for four years and yet believes he lives in California or another ballot initiative state…
Either that, or he’s counting on his base to be ignorant.
* ISP…
With information provided by the community, the Illinois State Police (ISP) Division of Criminal Investigation has been able to identify the vehicle and driver believed to be involved in the September 29, 2023 crash just outside of Teutopolis that resulted in five fatalities and multiple injuries.
“Thank you to the communities of Montrose and Teutopolis, and everyone who provided information to ISP,” said ISP Director Brendan F. Kelly. “The information we received from the community has been instrumental in identifying the vehicle and driver believed to be involved in this case.”
On Friday, September 29, 2023, ISP, the Effingham County Sheriff’s Office, Teutopolis Fire Protection District, and other local law enforcement, fire, and emergency services responded to a crash that occurred at 8:42 p.m. on 19740 East U.S. Highway 40. The crash involved a semi-truck tanker carrying 7,500 gallons of anhydrous ammonia, of which approximately 4,000 leaked due to the tank being punctured. Due to the plume from the ammonia leak, roughly 500 residents were evacuated from northeastern parts of Teutopolis until around 8 p.m. on Saturday, September 30, 2023, and U.S. Highway 40 was closed between Effingham and Montrose.
ISP continues to investigate and is consulting with the Effingham County State’s Attorney. No additional information is available at this time.
* Got a lot of texts on this topic today…
That’s accurate, as long as state’s attorneys do their jobs. Threatening a public official is a detainable offense.
* Isabel’s afternoon roundup…
* Crain’s | Former Northwestern football coach Pat Fitzgerald suing university over firing: Former Northwestern University head football coach Pat Fitzgerald filed a lawsuit seeking more than $100 million against the university and its president, Michael Schill, alleging Fitzgerald was fired improperly after allegations of hazing in the football program came to light.
* Capitol News Illinois | State-run developmental center in Dixon will not lose Medicare funding despite citations: Mabley Developmental Center in Dixon has two pending “immediate jeopardy” citations from the Illinois Department of Public Health in connection with resident physical abuse and failure to properly address the spread of a bacterial infection at the facility. […] IDHS Director of Developmental Disabilities Tonya Piephoff said in an interview on Friday the corrective action plan has been submitted, but the immediate jeopardy citation is only purged after a reinspection from the IDPH to ensure the mitigations outlined in it are underway. IDHS and IDPH can negotiate the plans until they are accepted.
* Crain’s | New public-private partnership looks to spur Midwestern climate investment: The Chicagoland Climate Investment Alliance will aim to spur investments in building decarbonization and secure federal grants for climate-resilient technologies developed in the Midwest. Along with the city and state, the Alliance’s public and private members include World Business Chicago, Invenergy, ComEd, Nicor Gas and Jones Lang Lasalle. The group will also receive support on federal grants and startup collaborations from several partners including 1871, the Energy Policy Institute & the Polsky Center at the University of Chicago and mHUB.
* Block Club | CTA President Will Be Required To Meet With City Council Quarterly As Train, Bus Service Woes Continue: When the hearing requirement ordinance was considered last year, aldermen had debated freezing funding for Carter’s signature Red Line expansion project until he improved the transit system’s reliability. In last year’s failed ordinance, Vasquez tried to tie CTA funding to the president fulfilling City Council appearances — an ultimatum not included this time around.
* Tribune | Changes, turnover on Chicago Police Board in ongoing shakeup: The Chicago Police Board, the nine-person body that metes out discipline in the most serious cases of alleged misconduct by Chicago police officers, is in a state of flux. No longer does the board have a say in who should be CPD superintendent, and the union representing rank-and-file CPD officers contends that cops facing disciplinary charges should be afforded the option to have their cases decided by a third-party arbitrator — a potential departure from 60 years of precedent.
* ABC Chicago | Workers at CSL Behring plant in Bradley reach deal to end strike: Last week, more than 700 workers walked off the job in Bradley. The plant in Bradley is the second largest employer in Kankakee County with a total workforce of 1,500. The union said they will get yearly raises, a $2,500 ratification signing bonus and their insurance premiums will remain the same.
* Crain’s | Chicago parking company SP Plus to be acquired in $1.5 billion deal: Metropolis Technologies has agreed to pay $54 a share for SP Plus, which a press release says is a premium of about 52% to its closing price Wednesday and a premium of about 28% to the stock’s 52-week high.
* SJ-R | UIS announces new financial aid program for first-time students: The school announced Wednesday the Prairie Promise program, a trial initiative that takes care of tuition and fees for first-time, first-year in-state undergraduate students enrolled in on-campus degree programs, beginning in the fall of 2024. Any student applying for the program must be eligible for the Illinois Monetary Award Program (MAP), as the program will use MAP grant funds along with scholarships, awards, and AIM HIGH grant funds to cover all costs.
* Tribune | Judge orders man accused of operating illegal puppy mill to remain in jail for parole violation: Rajcinoski has been in jail since a May 2023 raid of his Center Township home and a pole barn on a property he owns in Rensselaer in Jasper County. Investigators discovered a new alleged puppy mill operation and a total of 41 dogs.
* Daily Herald | Des Plaines officials targeting O’Hare travelers parking on city streets: To solve the problem, Oakley proposed the city ban overnight parking on residential streets, but Walsten wasn’t keen on that idea. Walsten instead suggested the city post resident-parking-only signs on Cedar, Scott, Magnolia and Hickory streets and some others. The restriction would be enforced by police officers who would respond to complaints about cars rather than patrolling the neighborhoods seeking scofflaws, Chief David Anderson said.
* CBS Chicago | University of Chicago alum Moungi Bawendi shares Nobel Prize in Chemistry for work on quantum dots: “These tiny particles have unique properties and now spread their light from television screens and LED lamps. They catalyze chemical reactions and their clear light can illuminate tumor tissue for a surgeon,” said the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, which announced the award in Stockholm.
* Block Club | This Whitney Young Senior’s Method Of Predicting Wildfires Is Wowing International Scientists: Agrawal, a South Loop resident and senior at Whitney M. Young Magnet School, is not only interested in wildfire prevention but also in advancing environmental justice. She said she’s deeply concerned about the effects of climate change and wildfires on “environmentally disadvantaged” communities.
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* Background is here if you need it. From Shaw Local…
An $8.6 million state grant awarded to Joliet Township for asylum seekers would fund services now being provided to migrants already coming to the area, Township Supervisor Angel Contreras said Wednesday. […]
He said asylum seekers being bused into the Chicago area already are finding their way to Joliet and other suburban areas. The Spanish Community Center in Joliet has done casework for 2,200 asylum seekers since August 2022, Contreras said.
The grant would be used to fund services already being provided to asylum seekers by the Spanish Community Center and Will-Grundy Medical Clinic, the two organizations named as grant recipients.
“I envision it (the grant) just stabilizing the work that the organizations are already doing so that they don’t go under,” Contreras said. “The people are here already, and we don’t want our systems to go under.”
Contreras’ full letter is here.
* From the township’s grant application…
Shelter and nights of stay are currently provided at the Mainstay Joliet hotel off of the Larkin exit at Interstate 80 in Joliet, Illinois. A Memorandum of agreement will exist with the hospitality owners to continue utilizing services for socially vulnerable individuals and providing guidance to triage, resources and services through direct continuity of care planning. This agreement provides protection to vulnerable clients that are experiencing acute or chronic stages of disease, and/or health and social vulnerability. […]
Spanish Community Center (SCC) will be opening and operating an Illinois Welcoming Center (IWC) program at its 309 N Eastern Ave location, which will be able to provide services to asylum-seekers. The IWC program will have the capacity to provide in-depth case management to 700 clients, crisis intervention services to 350 clients, and resource and referral services to 3000 clients, with a total funding award of $350,000. […]
In the last two years SCC also doubled the size of its legal and immigration programs, greatly increasing client capacity. So much so, that a secondary office location had to be opened in Joliet to house the expanding programs. Due to this growth, there have been several successes in the legal programs. In the current fiscal year, every employment authorization filed by the program has been approved, a family that filed for VAWA recently received their social security cards, and in FY23, the program surpassed its intake and case acceptance goals, conducting 145 screenings and accepting 63 cases.
* But, as you know, Joliet’s mayor claimed he and the local fire department were blindsided…
A state grant awarded to Joliet Township to provide services for migrants is raising concerns from elected leaders in Joliet.
“The decision maker in the city did not have knowledge of the grant request made by the Joliet Township with community partners and organization,” said Mayor Terry D’Arcy.
Mayor D’Arcy at a council meeting Tuesday night told the public his office and the Joliet Fire Department did not sign or approve any memorandum with the township as submitted to the state.
The township’s grant application not only featured the logos of the City of Joliet and the Joliet Fire Department at the top of its front page, the application itself more than just implied support from the mayor and cooperation with the fire department…
Joliet Township Government, with partners Will Grundy Medical Clinic, The Spanish Community Center, and The South Suburban Immigrant Project, with support from the City of Joliet Mayor’s Office, will work through memorandum of agreement alongside local safety net providers to offer temporary, rapid, and responsive support services to those individuals that are, under definition, seeking Asylum in the United States. […]
Working with the local Fire Department, to provide immediate on-site services through community paramedicine, and reciprocity through Joliet Township Government programs such as trauma informed services to violence prevention, non-emergency transportation, housing and shelter, food and nutrition access, and economic development.
If the township doesn’t have that cooperation, the entire program could founder.
* And there are clearly some proposed expansions in current efforts, including this one…
Will Grundy Medical Clinic Health Housing and Hope program has provided health care, shelter, medication and transportation, for over 800 individuals and families that reside unsheltered and within the emergency shelters, Morning Star Mission and Daybreak in Joliet, Illinois. This program will expand to offer a “Welcoming Clinic” for individuals and families seeking Asylum
*** UPDATE *** The City of Joliet’s interim city manager says the city was aware of the grant but it provided no input on the grant application and continues to oppose the proposal…
This statement is being released to provide clarity on the City’s position regarding Joliet Township’s application for asylum seeker funding. The City of Joliet routinely shares grant funding opportunities to other local government and social service agencies that support Joliet residents. We do this to help offset the financial impact to these agencies.
The City of Joliet received a notice of funding opportunity regarding this grant on August 9, 2023.
As standard practice, City staff reviewed the funding opportunity. A link was shared with Joliet Township and Spanish Community Center to attend a statewide zoom information session hosted by the grantor on this funding opportunity. On September 1, 2023, City staff met with Joliet Township, Spanish Community Center and Will Grundy Medical Clinic. A general discussion was held regarding the current pressures placed on these agencies from asylum seekers currently in the community and whether this grant would help stabilize the financial burden placed on the community.
City staff was aware these three organizations intended to have additional conversations regarding this grant opportunity and its applicability to meeting the current needs in the community. The City of Joliet provided no input in Joliet Township’s grant application.
The City did not receive a request from Joliet Township, nor did we authorize Joliet Township to include the Mayor’s Office and Joliet Fire Department as collaborators. In fact, the City did not receive a copy of the grant application until October 2, 2023.
The extreme amount ($12.1M) that Joliet Township requested does not correlate to any conversation City staff had regarding the current needs within the community.
As Interim City Manager, I do not support Joliet Township’s grant application. In the future, the City will continue to partner on funding opportunities with our governmental and community partners that benefit the residents and businesses of Joliet.
The Mayor’s strong request that Joliet Township withdraw the application stands.
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* Tribune…
In a post-City Council meeting news conference Wednesday afternoon, the mayor said Chicago was now expecting at least 14 — and as many as 22 — buses that day
* From last week’s city council hearing…
Representatives from two volunteer-led organizations at Friday’s meeting said that volunteers haven’t gotten any financial support from the city. In a presentation, a representative from the mutual-aid Police Station Response Team estimated volunteers have spent about $2.4 million on food and water for migrants and nearly $1 million on supplies. They’ve also supplied about $2.9 million in free labor, according to the estimate.
* Chicago Ald. Nicole Lee told Mayor Brandon Johnson that her 9th Police District volunteers are simply overwhelmed after providing what looks like a remarkable level of comfort and goods for asylum-seekers. Lee is right that volunteers shouldn’t be expected to indefinitely carry this heavy of a load…
Dear Mayor Johnson:
I’m writing to you today on behalf of the residents of the 11th Ward, the mutual aid volunteers and roughly 298 migrants currently in the 9th District and the officers who work there. As a community, we have welcomed thousands of migrants who have come through the 9th District as they awaited shelter space. Our mutual aid volunteers, donors from the ward including residents and nonprofits, and police officers have provided food, clothing, blankets, suitcases, toys and more for more than a year now. My office works closely with the mutual aid organization for D9 and together, we operate a free shop where donated items are sorted and organized so that new arrivals can shop with dignity for basic items they need.
We’ve worked with our park district and community partners to provide showers which means the other citywide resources can be sent to other locations where they are needed. Our community has handled the pressures of this crisis as well as anyone could ask and thankfully, we have so far, not had any major incidents between migrants, residents and police. The number of ‘minor incidents’, however, are beginning to accrue and frankly, the situation has become untenable: last night, 25 asylum seekers were essentially “evicted” from D9 due to capacity constraints. Moreover, our mutual aid group has made gargantuan efforts to welcome asylum seekers but we can no longer sustain these efforts with the numbers we currently have. We need citywide equity across the police districts for placement of migrants. Our district has regularly ranked among the ones with the greatest number of people being “staged”. In fact, based on yesterday’s figures alone, Area 1 has 142 more migrants in its districts than the next highest which is Area 3. Area 1 has more migrants than all of Area 2 and Area 5 combined.
Mr. Mayor, the 9th District cannot handle any more migrants at this time. With the number we have currently, we know it is unsafe and unsanitary for the migrants, the police and our community. Our volunteers have done an incredible job, but, as you know, they have full time jobs too. I recognize the challenge of finding solutions and while we cannot control the flow of buses, and the use of migrants as ‘political weapons’ by the Republican Party, I would love to have a conversation about how we can better manage the situation on the ground specifically around:
1. Having full-time staff at our police districts to perform intake and conduct oversight
2. Leveraging technological tools to help process migrants and inform them of the resources at their disposal to better set them up for success for their new life in our city
3. Hiring a team of canvassers from Chicago to travel to border states to combat false information about what services and resources are available here.
4. Developing a playbook for this response with processes and protocols that should be followed at every location new arrivals are being staged, sheltered or housed.
Seems like she makes some good points and has decent ideas. The mayor should listen. Volunteers are of course essential (and the mayor ought to shower them with praise), but they just can’t handle all these tasks on their own. Especially going forward.
* Meanwhile…
Far and away, the best option is to come up with a solution at the source, in Venezuela. But until that happens, one thing the state, city and county can do is get tough on these bus companies. Yes, some of them have cooperated by tipping off officials about arrival times and places and other intel, but obviously that bus company did not cooperate.
* Bottom line: Since the federal government is not providing much assistance and the city is flailing without a plan, the state needs to step up and take at least temporary command.
…Adding… Something posted in comments that some of y’all need to keep in mind…
=== Why is there a presumption that everyone arriving in the city has some type of legal status.===
Because if they weren’t legal, Abbott wouldn’t be able to put them on the bus without breaking the law. Federal law – 8 USC 1324
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Question of the day
Thursday, Oct 5, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Sun-Times…
Mayor Brandon Johnson said Wednesday he planned to make his own trip to the Mexican border — as soon as he can arrange it with his wife and kids — to see for himself the unfolding disaster creating havoc and hardship in Chicago.
“We need to go assess the situation — just like our team has gone to D.C. We need better coordination, quite frankly,” Johnson said. “I recognize what our southern states are dealing with, so going to see it firsthand” makes sense.
Johnson recently had an eye-opening meeting with Mexican leaders.
He said that “2,500 or so families who are seeking asylum reach the southern tip of Mexico. By the time they get to the northern tip of Mexico right on the border of our country, that 2,500 amasses to anywhere from 7,500 individuals to 10,000. This is serious.”
The Tribune reports that the city is also sending “a delegation to the Texas border for a learning expedition.” The state has already done that, but let’s set that aside for the moment and focus only on the mayor’s comments.
* The Question: In your opinion, is this trip more likely a wise use of the mayor’s time and effort or is it more likely grandstanding that could backfire? Take the poll and then explain your answer in comments, please.
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* SB689 synopsis…
Provides that school districts, libraries, village libraries, library systems and their staff shall not limit access to biographies, autobiographies, memoirs, or any other books or materials in libraries or prohibit the purchase for library collections of biographies, autobiographies, memoirs, or any other books or materials based upon the depiction in those books or materials of matters of race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, sexual and reproductive health, gender identity, religion, human rights activism, or any other subject. Authorizes school districts, libraries, library systems and their staff to impose limitations on access to books or materials in a school library for public safety reasons or based upon the age and developmental level of persons who will have access to those books or materials.
The bill passed the Senate and was stripped of all content in the House and then just sat there.
* The Senate sponsor talked to WAND TV…
Illinois became the first state to prohibit book bans in public libraries earlier this year, but state lawmakers could expand the reach of that law by blocking school districts and staff from banning books in classrooms.
“One of the best and unique gifts of American democracy is that we have free access to information,” Sen. Mike Simmons (D-Chicago) told WAND News. “We can walk into a public library and read about all sorts of topics. We can sit in a classroom and have a curriculum in front of us that has integrity and is not something that is just one viewpoint.”
* Let’s move on to the Yorkville school district…
The Illinois Attorney General’s Office is investigating a complaint alleging that the Yorkville School District 115 board violated the Illinois Open Meetings Act when discussing the book “Just Mercy” in closed session.
The board voted 4-2 at its Aug. 7 meeting to prohibit use of Bryan Stevenson’s memoir in the Yorkville High School English II Rhetorical Analysis course. […]
Earlier this year, a parent’s objection to the book triggered the district’s uniform grievance procedure.
Associate Superintendent Nick Baughman investigated the complaint and determined that no board policy had been violated. A letter to that effect was sent to the parent over the signature of then-Superintendent Tim Shimp.
The parent appealed the decision to the Yorkville School Board and the board discussed the matter in closed session before issuing a decision on May 22.
One parent objected. One. The school board decided the book was just “too controversial,” according to WSPY.
* Keep in mind that this is an advanced high school course, and the kids were unhappy…
A group of Yorkville High School students blasted the four Yorkville school board members who voted to prohibit use of the book “Just Mercy” in an English class, during a board meeting on Sept. 25.
“By allowing the opinions of a select few to influence what is taught in our classrooms, you’re sending the message that their beliefs are more important that the quality of our education,” YHS senior Alexis Barkman told the board.
* ACLU of Illinois…
As America marks Banned Books Week, the ACLU of Illinois today strongly condemned a recent, secret vote by the Yorkville Board of Education to bar the inclusion of Just Mercy by civil rights lawyer Bryan Stevenson in an English course. The Board’s vote in August 2023 reversed a previous Board decision maintaining the title in the curriculum.
“Banning books is not a practice limited to other states,” said Edwin C. Yohnka, director of communications and public policy at the ACLU of Illinois in criticizing the action in Yorkville. “What we are seeing in Yorkville is part of a national attempt to curb reading materials based on politics and ideology, to the detriment of students and educators. “
Just Mercy raises critical questions about mass incarceration and racial inequities in our criminal legal system through the story of a young lawyer, Bryan Stevenson, founding the Equal Justice Initiative in Montgomery, Alabama to combat systemic racism in Alabama and across the South. It follows Stevenson’s efforts over many years to free Walter McMIllan, a Black man who served years on death row for a murder he did not commit. Yorkville High School has used the title for a number of years in one an English classes on rhetoric—the art of using language effectively and persuasively. Many Yorkville students have read the text as part of that class.
At a meeting in May, the Yorkville Board addressed a complaint from at least one parent about the inclusion of the book. After discussion with school staff and teachers, the Board voted unanimously to continue its use in the English class, while suggesting that staff identify an alternative title that could be offered if some parents object to Just Mercy. During an executive session of the Board in August, a majority reversed that decision – without public explanation – and barred the book’s use from the curriculum.
The Board’s actions have led to a complaint with the Illinois Attorney General’s Office alleging a violation of the state’s Open Meetings Act.
“The national fever to remove certain books is driven by a desire to stifle LGBTQ+ stories, voices addressing racial injustices, and others who often suppressed in our society,” added the ACLU’s Yohnka. “Yorkville should not join this movement and we hope they will heed the voices – the majority of voices – in the community who do not did not want this book removed from the curriculum by Board members not actually in the classroom.”
Since the Board acted in August to remove Just Mercy, a number of residents – led by students who have used the text at Yorkville High School — have spoken out publicly to condemn the Board’s actions. The ACLU of Illinois encourages those community members to continue their advocacy for an inclusive curriculum.
* A notorious group was active in the recent Yorkville school board election and declared victory…
The Tribune wrote about this race…
They are backed by a local political action committee called the Stamp Act PAC in Yorkville, the Naperville-based group Awake Illinois and the Kendall County Republican Party.
The Stamp Act PAC vows to “fight to preserve our cultural and religious heritage” and “resist attempts by the Left to transform and reshape American society.” Awake Illinois, meanwhile, has gained notoriety for deploying anti-transgender rhetoric in opposing instruction on gender identity and sexual orientation in schools and for generating social media outrage over kid-friendly drag-themed events at a northwest suburban bakery and a west suburban library.
* The roll call…
Those voting in favor of removing the book from the class included [School Board President Darren Crawford] and board members Jason Demas, Mike Knoll and Mike Houston.
Demas, Crawford and Houston were all endorsed by Awake’s founder.
* Related…
* NBC 5 Investigates uncovers record number of requests to challenge books in Chicago-area schools, libraries: The majority of the books being challenged – 38 percent — involved books that cover sexual orientation or gender identity topics followed by materials that touch on race, which made up 17 percent of books challenged in the Chicago area. … Shannon Adcock with Awake Illinois represents one of the parents’ rights groups that has called for civic engagement in what materials are available in both school and public libraries. “It really has to do with age appropriateness. What is appropriate for children,” Adcock said. “Are we going to lean into the sexualization of children? Or are we not for organizations that support the fundamental rights of parents to direct the upbringing of their children,” Adcock asked. When pressed about the fact parents already have that right, she said: “Well, it’s been challenged, it has been challenged… because if you look at media the depiction of concerned parents is that they’re automatically labeled as book banners or Nazis or fascists or bigots. That’s limiting the conversation and it’s incredibly unfair,” she said.
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Open thread
Thursday, Oct 5, 2023 - Posted by Isabel Miller
* What’s going on in your part of Illinois?…
(Here are some bears that won’t disappoint you…)
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Isabel’s morning briefing
Thursday, Oct 5, 2023 - Posted by Isabel Miller
* Here you go…
* Sun-Times |Illinois kickstarts funding to state prison libraries with $420K in grants: Each of the state’s 28 prisons will receive $15,000 for books, magazines and other supplies, the first time they’ve received public funding of any kind in six years.
* Jim Nowlan | Here’s how to create a future for moderate Republicans in Illinois: So, how and where can moderate Republicans (let’s call us the Mod Squad, for “moderate” or “modern”) make our mark and become significant? In the burbs. In the six counties that surround Chicago and Cook County, a language other than English is spoken in one-third of the homes, according to the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning. The burbs are no longer your white-bread, vanilla, GOP enclaves. Yet, there are lots of highly educated, socially moderate folks in the suburbs, of all hues.
* WCIA | Pritzker, other state leaders, recognize late Sen. Scott Bennett in Danville: “In a world of public service, Scott was a statesman. That’s not a word that I throw around lightly,” Governor J.B. Pritzker said. “He radiated joy, he always lent a helping hand when he knew that you needed it.” To honor that joy, state leaders planted a burr oak tree for Bennett at DACC.
* 25 News | Second Republican announces run for Illinois Senate seat: A former Livingston County Board member is announcing his intention to run for the Illinois Senate in the 53rd District, which covers many communities in the area. Mike Kirkton is the second Republican to formally enter the race to replace Sen. Tom Bennett (R-Gibson City), who announced his retirement in late July.
* WBEZ | Mayor Brandon Johnson vows to hire a new leader to address gender-based violence: Darci Flynn served as the first director of gender-based violence strategy and policy within the mayor’s office – a position created by former Mayor Lori Lightfoot. Flynn submitted her resignation Sept. 21, and was terminated four days later, she said. In a statement, the 13-member Survivor Working Group of the city’s task force on gender-based violence said they are “deeply disturbed” by Flynn’s departure, which came amid budget discussions and the finalization of a second strategic plan for the city to address gender-based violence and human trafficking.
* Block Club | Chicago Could Receive ‘As Many As 22’ Migrant Buses On Wednesday Alone, Mayor Says: Mayor Brandon Johnson also confirmed he would join a city delegation to visit the southern border “as soon as possible.” More than 17,000 asylum seekers have arrived in Chicago since August 2022.
* Sun-Times | Lawsuit seeks to stop city from using public buildings to house migrants: In an amended suit, South Shore residents accuse the city of violating zoning ordinances and creating a public nuisance by placing new arrivals in schools, police stations.
* WBEZ | Isolated and afraid, pregnant migrants cobble together prenatal care any way they can: Regular prenatal care is a long established medical protocol that protects the health of mothers and babies – and Illinois even pays for it for up to one year postpartum no matter a person’s immigration status. Yet beyond putting expectant mothers on a priority list for shelter, Chicago “does not have specific protocol in place relating to women who arrive pregnant,” said Mary May, a spokesperson for the city’s Office of Emergency Management and Communication. And many migrant women are potentially not getting medical care, according to WBEZ interviews with new arrivals, volunteers and medical professionals across the city.
* WBEZ | Toni Preckwinkle pitches a $9 billion Cook County budget with no new taxes, fees or hikes: Among her priorities, Preckwinkle is bracing to pay more to help provide medical care for thousands of asylum seekers arriving in Chicago. And she plans to tap about $166 million in reserves to continue some programs the county created with federal pandemic relief dollars after that lifeline runs out in a few years.
* Reader | How many opioid overdoses occur on the CTA?: Over the last four years, more than 150 people have died from opioid-related overdoses on the CTA—but CTA officials aren’t keeping track.
* Daily Herald | Three fire departments will fill gap after Elk Grove Township department’s demise: Mount Prospect Fire Chief John Dolan said he and chiefs from Elk Grove Village and Des Plaines have been meeting for two years to prepare. “To sit back and wait for it to happen would have been irresponsible,” he said. “Operationally, we had to collectively come up with ‘What are we going to do if one day, they just don’t show up?’ Which is exactly how it played out.”
* Tribune | Laid-off workers at abruptly closed Signature Room rally, sue for backpay and benefits: No one hinted the 95th floor restaurant and its 96th floor lounge would close when Abelar worked there the night before layoffs blindsided about 130 workers last Thursday, he said. The news shocked him, and he’s wondering how he’ll pay bills and go to the doctor.
* Tribune | Puerto Rican museum in Humboldt Park to tear down archives building amid complaints, lawsuit and find new site: But when the museum began construction about a year ago — without proper permits — on a cinder-block structure for archives beside the Chicago landmark, some residents and preservation groups were alarmed, calling it an eyesore that blemished the area’s historic charm and didn’t involve enough community input.
* AP | America’s nonreligious are a growing, diverse phenomenon. They really don’t like organized religion: In U.S. religion today, “the most important story without a shadow of a doubt is the unbelievable rise in the share of Americans who are nonreligious,” said Ryan Burge, a political science professor at Eastern Illinois University and author of “The Nones,” a book on the phenomenon. The nones account for a large portion of Americans, as shown by the 30% of U.S. adults who claim no religious affiliation in a survey by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.
* Tribune | Brother of convicted Berrios son-in-law charged with lying to feds about alleged contacts with Outfit hit man: According to the six-page indictment, Weiss collected revenue and performed other services for his brother’s sweepstakes gaming business, which operated the quasi-legal machines that look like video poker terminals but are not regulated by the state.
* Tribune | Fans react to Lionel Messi’s absence at Chicago Fire game: ‘I’m not mad, just disappointed’: With waves of people wearing pink and black shirts with Messi’s name scattered throughout Soldier Field, the Bolingbrook dad said he was excited to be at the stadium for the “once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see Messi, even on the bench.” Hernandez and his 12-year son, Noe, are both soccer fanatics; Hernandez is a coach for a suburban youth league, and his son plays in the league.
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Live coverage
Thursday, Oct 5, 2023 - Posted by Isabel Miller
* ScribbleLive is still down. Twitter has stopped allowing people to embed list feeds on websites. So, click here or here to follow breaking news.
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* Press release from the Mayor Brandon Johnson administration…
“Today, NASCAR announced its 2024 schedule, which includes a return to Chicago on July 6th and 7th for Chicago Street Race weekend. At the conclusion of this year’s race, the Johnson Administration began conversations with NASCAR with the goal of addressing concerns raised by residents, alderpeople and other stakeholders, while acknowledging NASCAR’s contributions to the City’s economy and communities.
“As a result of these conversations, NASCAR has agreed to shorten the event’s set up and tear down windows, reducing travel disruption for impacted communities and other residents. NASCAR has also committed to addressing costs incurred by City departments and agencies in facilitating and securing the event as consistent with other large-scale events. This is a win for Chicago taxpayers, as the original agreement did not include provisions for such costs.
“Finally, NASCAR has committed to growing its impressive investments in Chicago communities and expanding opportunities for small-, minority- and women-owned businesses to participate as vendors in 2024. The City looks forward to working with NASCAR and other stakeholders to deliver a successful Chicago Street Race weekend in 2024 that works for residents, fans and Chicago’s economy.”
Thoughts?
…Adding… Crain’s…
The racing company issued a press release on Wednesday hours after the city’s tourism bureau, Choose Chicago, released the results of an economic impact study that showed the race weekend generated $108.9 million for the local economy, despite being hampered by rain that canceled the Saturday NASCAR Xfinity Series race and weekend concerts and postponed the main event, the NASCAR Cup Series race on Sunday.
The report is here.
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Isabel’s afternoon roundup
Wednesday, Oct 4, 2023 - Posted by Isabel Miller
[Note from Rich Miller: I had a haircut appointment and a dental appointment and one stop at Walgreens scheduled this morning, but that turned into a four-hour adventure. Long story. Nothing bad happened and I did get to eat a nice lunch with one of my best friends. Isabel ably took charge of the blog since I left this morning, so please give her a big hand. Thanks.]
* Illinois Answers | Illinois DCFS chief to resign from the embattled child welfare agency: The head of the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services is resigning as leader of the long-embattled child welfare agency, a week after a state audit outlined major failures by the department in recent years. Marc D. Smith made the announcement Wednesday in a virtual all-staff town hall. He said his last day will be Dec. 31.
* Capitol News Illinois | DCFS director to step down at end of the year after agency hit with another scathing audit: Smith announced his voluntary resignation Wednesday via a livestreamed video to agency staff, noting that his decision came after discussions with family and colleagues within the child welfare system. “Sometimes the media sometimes politicians, sometimes critics take an opportunity of tragedy to move an agenda,” Smith said during the call. “But we understand that we are here for the day-to-day. We are here, at all times, for all of our kids and we will serve them and care for them with compassion, seriousness, and honor.”
* Tribune | Marc Smith, head of Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s embattled child welfare agency, announces resignation: Marc Smith was appointed to director of the state’s Department of Children and Family Services by Gov. J.B. Pritzker shortly after the governor took office in 2019. The announcement of Smith’s impending departure comes a little more than a week after the state’s auditor general issued a scathing report on the agency that among other things cited significant delays in reporting abuse and neglect to local prosecutors, other state agencies and to officials at children’s schools.
* Sun-Times | Embattled DCFS director Marc Smith announces resignation: In another instance, the agency neglected to notify directors of state agencies in a timely fashion about cases in which children were alleged to have been abused while receiving care in a hospital. In all those cases, the reporting time ranged from 34 days to 885 days from the time the investigation was opened, the report found. The report also noted the department didn’t take immediate action to take care of the children in those cases.
* AP | Director of troubled Illinois child-services agency to resign after 5 years: Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s named Smith DCFS director in April 2019. Smith steered the agency during a tumultuous period in which a judge held him in contempt of court repeatedly for failing to adequately house children who had been placed in the department’s custody. Smith’s departure was one of three announced by Pritzker on Wednesday. He said Theresa Eagleson, director of the Department of Healthcare and Family Services will be replaced by Lizzy Whitehorn, currently an aide to Pritzker for health services.
* Center Square | Legislators hope resignation of child welfare director brings fix to agency: Senate President Don Harmon’s office told The Center Square of Smith’s departure, “President Harmon thanks him for his service and wishes him well.” Republicans see Smith’s planned departure as an opportunity to address a range of issues with the agency.
* WGN | Capitol rioter from Illinois who attacked Reuters cameraman, police officer gets more than 4 years in prison: Shane Jason Woods, 45, was the first person charged with assaulting a member of the news media during the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection. Woods, of Auburn, Illinois, took a running start and tackled the Reuters cameraman “like an NFL linebacker hunting a quarterback after an interception,” federal prosecutors wrote in a court filing.
* NBC Chicago | NBC 5 Investigates uncovers record number of requests to challenge books in Chicago-area schools, libraries: Over the past decade, NBC 5 Investigates found a total of 464 separate challenges to books or other materials in schools and public libraries in the Chicago area. Most of those challenges – more than 300 – have come in the last three years.
* Marijuana Moment | Illinois Sold More Recreational Marijuana Products In September Than During Any Other Month Since Legalization: Illinois marijuana retailers sold nearly 3.7 million adult-use cannabis products in September, according to newly posted state sales data. That’s more products than during any other month since recreational sales launched in January 2020.
* Block Club | While The CTA Flounders, Its Leader Keeps Getting Pay Hikes: Most other big city transit agencies have formal accountability measures in place. Out of the seven largest transit agencies in the country, only New York’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority and the CTA let their top leaders work without written contracts or formal reviews of their performance. Yet Carter has received at least two salary raises yearly since 2018. In the eight years he’s led the CTA, his salary has climbed more than 60%, jumping from $230,000 to $376,065 as of July, according to CTA records.
* Block Quote | ‘Little Free Libraries’ On City Property May Soon Require Permits: Introduced this summer by Ald. Raymond Lopez (15th), the ordinance would require a public way use permit to build a free library on city-owned property. Little Free Libraries are often placed on cit Additionally, only “organizations, not-for-profit entities and licensed businesses” would be eligible to receive the necessary permit to build a bookcase on city land under the legislation.
* Daily Herald | Why Maine Township District 207 is getting a $44,904 payout from Big Tobacco firm: The plaintiffs alleged Altria helped fuel a national health crisis by targeting teen customers. Student use of e-cigarettes by students caused District 207 to spend money “in the form of staff time, disciplinary proceedings and other costs,” district documents claim.
* Chalkbeat | When will Chicago’s new map for the elected school board be ready? Still no answer.: For the past year, some advocates have called on state lawmakers to draw a map reflective of the city’s public school student enrollment, not the city’s overall population. The city is 33% white, 29% Black, and about 29% Latino, according to U.S. Census Bureau data from 2022. Chicago Public Schools’ student population, meanwhile, is 46.9% Latino and 35% Black, while white students make up 11.1%, according to enrollment numbers from last month.
* SJ-R | A $10,000 donation helps to fund safety improvements for District 186 school buses: Those new arms are manufactured by BusGates, a Springfield-based firm led by Sherman Mayor Trevor Clatfelter. Springfield will be the first school district south of Interstate 80 to get the new arms, which he Clatfelter says will reduce the risk of children being hurt by drivers attempting to get around school buses.
* AP | Thousands of US health care workers go on strike in multiple states over wages and staff shortages: Kaiser Permanente is one of the country’s larger insurers and health care system operators, serving nearly 13 million people. The nonprofit company, based in Oakland, California, said its 39 hospitals, including emergency rooms, will remain open during the picketing, though appointments and non-urgent procedures could be delayed.
* SJ-R | ‘I knew I wasn’t done:’ Yazell back as director of planning and economic development: “I knew I wasn’t done,” she said, recalling the conversation last week. “I didn’t necessarily know it was done with this, but I knew I wasn’t done with working, for sure. With the new administration, I knew there was a difference in approach. I knew there was a difference in philosophies, and it was an environment that I felt I could be very comfortable working in.”
* Crain’s | Crain’s 40 Under 40 event returns with Rahm Emanuel as speaker: Emanuel’s presence at the event is something of a homecoming for the former Chicago mayor. In 1990, before ever running for political office, he was named as a Crain’s 40 Under 40. “In politics, campaign contributions talk and underfinanced candidates walk,” his honoree profile read. “That fact puts Rahm Emanuel in great demand.”
* AP | Suspect charged in rapper Tupac Shakur’s fatal shooting makes first court appearance in Las Vegas: “Law enforcement hasn’t cared for a long time,” Mopreme Shakur, Tupac Shakur’s stepbrother, told The Associated Press over Zoom from his home in Los Angeles. “Young Black men often deal with delayed justice because we’re often viewed as the criminals. So justice has been delayed for quite some time — in spite of all the eyes, all the attention, despite the celebrity of my brother.”
* Daily Herald | Gambling and groceries: Caputo’s adding terminals to Mount Prospect market: Angelo Caputo’s Fresh Markets, 215 E. Prospect Ave., recently received a video gambling license. It submitted a petition to Mayor Paul Hoefert in June, and the village waived its requirement that liquor licensees operate for at least 12 months before being approved for video gambling.
* NYT | Inside the Menendez Indictment: A Mercedes and a Secretive Fatal Crash: A 2018 fatal car crash in Bogota, N.J., drew no media attention and resulted in no charges. The driver was the soon-to-be wife of Senator Robert Menendez.
* Block Club | Lionel Messi In Chicago: With Star Questionable To Play, Chicago Fire Offers Ticket Credits To Sold-Out Crowd: “While we don’t yet know the official status of Lionel Messi’s availability for our match tomorrow, as there’s never a guarantee that an athlete will play on any given night due to several factors, we understand that many of our fans may be disappointed if they don’t get the chance to see him play,” Fire management wrote in a statement.
* WSIL | 17th Street Barbecue closes their doors in Marion after 19 years: “We’ll continue to service Marion and the entire Southern Illinois region with our catering, concession, and food truck operations,” said Mills. “Our landmark Murphysboro restaurant, in operation for 100 years, attracts people not only from the Southern Illinois region, but from all over the world. We’ll be here to satisfy those barbecue cravings.”
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* Press release…
Today Governor JB Pritzker announced several upcoming transitions in state agency leadership. Theresa Eagleson, Director of the Department of Healthcare and Family Services (HFS), will step down at the end of 2023. The Governor has appointed Lizzy Whitehorn, who currently serves as First Assistant Deputy Governor for Health and Human Services, to serve as Director of HFS beginning January 1, 2024, pending confirmation by the Illinois Senate. The Governor also announced the upcoming transitions, also at the end of the calendar year, of Paula Basta, Director of the Illinois Department on Aging (IDoA), and Marc D. Smith, Director of the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS). Finally, the Governor announced the appointment of Camile Lindsay as Acting Director of Professional Regulation at the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR), pending confirmation. Lindsay is currently serving as First Assistant Deputy Governor for Public Safety, Infrastructure, Environment and Energy.
“Theresa, Paula, and Marc reflect the best of state government—people who have sacrificed to help millions of constituents through their dedication to service,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “Despite the excellent quality of the candidates who will fill their shoes, their full impact on state government can never truly be articulated or replicated, and I thank them for their years of service. Lizzy and Camile’s years of service in my office have shown their passion for what they do, and I’m glad they will continue to have an opportunity to do this important work at an even higher level.”
Eagleson has served as Director of HFS since January of 2019. Prior to that appointment, Eagleson was the state’s longest serving Medicaid director, as well as the Executive Director of the University of Illinois’ System Office of Medicaid Innovation. Under Eagleson’s leadership, HFS has implemented numerous initiatives aimed at reducing disparities and creating a more equitable healthcare delivery system and child support services program and expanding behavioral and reproductive healthcare. She and the HFS team initiated and implemented a first-in-the-nation, equity-driven Healthcare Transformation Collaboratives program to incentivize health providers of all kinds and community-based organizations to partner in new ways to provide better care in historically underserved communities across the state. Together with DCFS, HFS successfully launched Youthcare, a managed care program specifically designed for youth in care. HFS also implemented new assessments for Managed Care Organizations (MCOs) and other provider assessments, making the Illinois Medicaid program less dependent on state general funds, and implemented nation-leading nursing home rate reform to improve care for 45,000 residents in Illinois nursing homes.
“Serving the people of Illinois, especially the millions of customers within the Medicaid program, from newborns to seniors, drives me every day,” Eagleson said. “It has been the honor of a lifetime to lead this wonderful team of professionals at HFS, and I am grateful to Gov. Pritzker for giving us the opportunity to create transformational change within the larger healthcare landscape in this state, especially for nursing home residents. I will always treasure these 30 years spent serving the state of Illinois.”
Basta, who is retiring at the end of 2023, was appointed Director of IDoA in March of 2019. Prior to joining IDoA, Basta served as the Director of Senior Services and Health Initiatives at the Chicago Housing Authority, where she oversaw social services for 54 senior buildings and 10,000 seniors throughout Chicago. During her tenure at IDoA, Basta guided Illinois’ network of Area Agencies on Aging (AAAs), Care Coordination Units, and aging services providers through the COVID-19 public health emergency, ensuring continuity of services to older adults who are a population group at high risk of COVID-19 complications. Basta also helped to launch new programming to support older adults’ health, independence and well-being during and beyond the public health emergency, such as the Illinois Care Connections program to combat social isolation, emergency gap filling services, and the expansion of nutrition programs in partnership with locally owned restaurants.
“It has been a privilege to serve Governor Pritzker’s administration as Director of the Illinois Department on Aging,” said Basta. “As the agency celebrates its 50th anniversary this fall, I am optimistic about the direction it’s headed, and I am endlessly grateful to our staff and partner organizations for their ongoing efforts to meet the needs of older adults.”
Smith was appointed Director of DCFS in April 2019. Prior to his appointment, Smith served as the executive vice president of foster care and intact services at Aunt Martha’s Health & Wellness, Illinois’ largest provider of services to families in crisis, since 2009. During his tenure, DCFS created a capital program investing in youth service providers and sought federal opportunities for funding, grew the agency budget to stable levels after years of disinvestment, and increased transparency and accountability to the public. Under Smith’s direction, DCFS also prioritized technology upgrades to a 30-year-old infrastructure enabling new operational efficiencies, grew funding for youth scholarships, and increased staffing to the highest levels the agency has seen in 15 years.
“When I joined this administration in 2019, my mission was clear. Build a child welfare system in Illinois that keeps kids safe and supports families in crisis,” said Smith. “As someone who has spent my entire career committed to improving the child welfare system – I am incredibly proud of the profound progress we have made. DCFS continues making a difference where it matters most – by keeping children safe, creating brighter futures for the youth in our care, and giving hope to families in crisis that need support. We are on our way to building a child welfare system in Illinois that will once again serve as a national model. The governor and his administration have been incredible partners. Together we confronted the longstanding challenges at DCFS head-on, with both optimism and pragmatism, so we can help families and children thrive. I am profoundly proud to have had the opportunity to lead and work alongside the amazing team of professionals at DCFS that have dedicated their lives to protecting and supporting our most vulnerable children.”
Whitehorn has served as First Assistant Deputy Governor for Health and Human Services since 2019. Alongside Deputy Governor Sol Flores, Whitehorn led the state’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, including testing and vaccine efforts and the nation-leading rental assistance and childcare restoration grant programs. From the Governor’s Office, she spearheaded the Children’s Behavioral Health Transformation Initiative, a collaborative approach among six state agencies to improve services, resources, and outcomes for youth with significant behavioral health needs. Over the last five years, Whitehorn has worked closely on the administration’s healthcare initiatives, including legislation to authorize a state-based healthcare exchange, increased access to healthcare services, and expanded programs supporting reproductive healthcare, as well as efforts to strengthen the state’s early childhood system. Whitehorn is a committed public servant, who previously served as Deputy Director in the Department of Central Management Services and Associate General Counsel in the Governor’s Office.
“Over the last four and a half years, I’ve worked closely with the health and human service agencies and seen firsthand the results of interagency cooperation and coordination—a system that works better those we serve,” said Whitehorn. “I’m honored to continue this work at HFS to increase access to affordable and equitable healthcare and support the millions of Illinoisans who rely on our Medicaid system every day.”
Camile Lindsay currently serves as First Assistant Deputy Governor for Public Safety, Infrastructure, Environment and Energy. Lindsay was responsible for overseeing several Illinois state agencies, including the Department of Transportation, State Police, Department of Corrections, Emergency Management Agency, and the Capital Development Board. Prior to joining the Governor’s office, Lindsay served as Chief of Staff and Chief Legal Counsel for the Illinois Department of Corrections. Earlier in her career, she worked as Supervisory Regional Counsel for the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services, Assistant Attorney General for the Illinois Attorney General’s office, and Assistant State’s Attorney for the Cook County State’s Attorney’s office.
“Professional licensing serves as the economic backbone in Illinois, with more than 1.2 million individuals counting on IDFPR for the means to verify they’re qualified to work in their chosen field,” said Director of Professional Regulation Camile Lindsay. “I look forward to building upon the successes achieved at IDFPR to ensure the people of Illinois continue to receive the quality service they need from licensed professionals.”
Over the next several months, a national search will be conducted to find a new Director of IDoA and Director of DCFS.
…Adding… IARF President Josh Evans…
“Throughout her tenure leading the Department of Healthcare and Family Services, Director Eagleson collaborated with sister state agencies involved in the regulating and provision of social safety net services, including to persons with intellectual/developmental disabilities and serious mental illnesses.”
“Even through the tremendously challenging months of the COVID-19 pandemic, which required constant engagement with healthcare and social safety net providers and the federal government, Director Eagleson worked to advance necessary Medicaid policies and rate changes to strengthen and support the disability and behavioral health service arrays, including unprecedented increased investments in Medicaid mental health funding.”
“Under Director Eagleson, HFS expanded access to Medicaid telemedicine services and we expect further work in this area. Illinois’ commitment to implementing and expanding Certified Community Behavioral Health Center models of providing behavioral health care is a credit to the Director’s leadership.”
“IARF thanks Director Eagleson for her public service. Further, we congratulate Lizzy Whitehorn, First Assistant Deputy Governor for Health and Human Services, on being named HFS Director this coming January. We look forward to working with Ms. Whitehorn to further advance shared priorities in ensuring high quality I/DD and behavioral health services and supports.”
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* Hannah Meisel…
* CBS Chicago…
Smith, who was first appointed to the post in 2019, announced his resignation during a virtual town hall meeting for DCFS staff.
“After having some discussion with my family, and people who are part of our system who are important to me, and the way we think about the work, I wanted to announce today that I will be stepping down as director of DCFS,” Smith said.
* WGN…
In 2021, WGN Investigates cited data from Cook County public guardian Charles Golbert’s office which determined 356 kids had been hospitalized longer than medically necessary in the previous year. The average stay was 55 days longer than deemed medically necessary, according to the data. […]
In a statement issued Wednesday, Golbert said in part, “DCFS Director Marc Smith leaves a mixed legacy. On the one hand, in serving for four and a half years, Smith brought much needed consistency in leadership after DCFS rotated through 13 different directors and acting directors over the prior ten years. … On the other hand, over four and a half years and despite the increased resources, Smith failed to substantially expand desperately needed placement capacity. As a result, under Smith’s watch, we started to see children sleeping on the hard, cold floors of offices instead of in a warm, comfortable bed in an appropriate placement for the first time since the 1990s. This is now happening to hundreds of children every year. … The placement shortage crisis is so bad that Smith holds the dubious distinction of being the only director in DCFS’s history to be held in contempt of court a dozen times for failing to place children appropriately in violation of court orders. … During Smith’s tenure, hundreds of children have died despite DCFS involvement. At least a dozen of these deaths were high profile in the new media. This is likely, at least in part, because DCFS still has a 20% vacancy rate for investigators. DCFS has been in violation of the investigator caseload mandates of a federal consent decree for many years. … So Smith leaves a mixed legacy.”
* Sen. Craig Wilcox…
“Here in McHenry County we have a constant reminder of the failings of DCFS, as the senseless and avoidable death of AJ Freund is never far from people’s minds. The problems at this agency are vast, and simply replacing the Director will not solve them. The fact that many of the findings in the most recent Auditor General’s audit of DCFS are repeat findings clearly illustrates the agency is not taking these findings to heart and making necessary changes, and the fact that the new report identifies even more problems than the last audit is unacceptable. Until our Governor recognizes the dire need for a structural rebuild of DCFS from the ground up, I fear it is only a matter of time until another child experiences a tragic outcome due to negligence by the agency that is supposed to protect them.”
* Sens Steve McClure and Sally Turner…
“Protecting and caring for our state’s most vulnerable children and families is an incredibly important responsibility of the Governor’s administration. As the recent compliance audit makes crystal clear, the issues with DCFS aren’t getting better, the situation actually appears to be getting worse. We hope the Governor takes this opportunity to finally fix the issues that plague DCFS and have led to heartbreaking stories of children waiting months for placements, or those who tragically have lost their lives.
“Unfortunately, the issues with DCFS go much deeper than one appointed leader, the problems are systemic. Governor Pritzker needs to undertake a comprehensive review of agency operations, prioritizing solutions that protect children who cannot protect themselves.”
* Sen. Don DeWittee…
“Having met with Marc Smith and members of his staff on many occasions, it is clear he recognizes the problems at DCFS run very deep. Unfortunately, our Governor has refused to make the same acknowledgement or take steps to fix this agency from the ground up. Changing the individual at the helm is not enough to fix DCFS; deep organizational changes are needed to prevent tragedies like the murder of AJ Freund of Crystal Lake from happening again. We need to seek national expertise and identify best practices from states that are doing a good job with the welfare of children, because the system in place in Illinois is clearly failing the most vulnerable children and families among us.”
* NASW IL…
* House Minority Leader Tony McCombie…
“DCFS is undeniably a dysfunctional agency in our state, and immediate change is critically necessary. As children in our care and agency workers continue to be harmed or worse, the House Republican caucus will strongly advocate for common-sense proposals to structurally reform the functions of the agency. It is our duty to protect children in the state’s care.”
* Illinois Collaboration on Youth…
On behalf of the Board and members of the Illinois Collaboration on Youth, I want to thank DCFS Director Marc Smith for his service to our state. Director Smith is one of our longest- serving directors in recent memory and he brought much needed stability to our system.
When Governor Pritzker took office, Illinois was reeling from the wanton destruction of our health and human services system brought on by the budget impasse. Child welfare services are always a lagging indicator of the functionality of that system, and as predicted, the number of children and youth in care exploded following the impasse, putting an enormous strain on a system that had been neglected for nearly two decades. Governor Pritzker and Director Smith had only just begun to respond to this situation when they were forced to navigate the uncharted waters of a global pandemic. Illinois’ child welfare system had one of the best responses to COVID-19 in the nation; we salute their leadership in this area.
Thanks to the Governor and Director Smith, Illinois has seen five consecutive years of investments into the child welfare system to help it better cope with the growing population and the ongoing workforce crisis. We have also seen the implementation of the Family First Prevention Services Act and the transition to YouthCare, as well as funding for capital expansion and building capacity in our residential treatment programs.
While there remains much more to do to improve outcomes for children and families, we are looking forward to the full implementation of the Governor’s Blueprint for Transformation, and continued collaboration with the new leadership to come.
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* Good news from Crain’s…
One of the largest independent clean energy producers in the world is adding about 84,000 square feet to its Wacker Drive headquarters, a rare massive expansion of workspace and a deal that could tee up the creation of a new clean energy innovation hub in downtown Chicago.
In a move that bucks the trend of companies slashing office space in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, Invenergy has inked a long-term extension of its lease at 1 S. Wacker Drive and increased its footprint to around 180,000 square feet in the building, a company spokesman confirmed. The three-floor expansion fortifies the renewable power company’s position as the 40-story tower’s largest tenant. It also comes a few months after Invenergy announced private-equity giant Blackstone Group was adding $1 billion in new backing for the company to the $3 billion it had invested in it over the previous two years. […]
Invenergy also might not be done expanding in the building. In a move that could help raise Chicago’s profile in the renewable energy sector, the company is working with city of Chicago officials on a plan to build out an innovation hub in the building that would be akin to tech incubator 1871, but for the clean energy industry, according to sources familiar with the plan. Details of that concept, including the city’s role and when it would be created, were not immediately available. But the space would be in addition to Invenergy’s office expansion, sources said.
1871 really helped transform Chicago, so let’s hope this works out.
* Speaking of tech…
University of Illinois System President Tim Killeen, Urbana-Champaign Chancellor Robert Jones, Chicago Chancellor Marie Lynn Miranda, Springfield Chancellor Janet Gooch and other members of the U of I leadership team stopped at the Giant City Lodge on Tuesday to discuss expanding access to broadband service in rural Illinois. […]
Chapman said Jackson County is one of a few Illinois counties who is putting ARPA funds into broadband. They have invested $5 million in broadband.
In the county, 8,160 people are unserved or underserved regarding internet rates. After conducting surveys, a plan has been developed and Western Kentucky and Tennessee Telecooperative has been chosen as the provider for Jackson County broadband.
* Tribune…
The battle over massive carbon dioxide pipelines proposed for Illinois and other Midwestern states has reached Congress, with 13 House Democrats — including U.S. Rep. Jesús “Chuy” García of Illinois — calling on President Joe Biden to block construction until new federal safety guidelines are released.
In a letter sent to the president Tuesday, the lawmakers cited a 2020 pipeline rupture in Mississippi in which CO2, an invisible gas that displaces oxygen, spread to the nearby town of Satartia. There were reports that victims experienced breathing problems and confusion, and three men were found in a stalled car, unconscious.
No one died but 45 people sought hospital care, and federal regulators started working on updated safety standards, which are expected to be completed and in place in 2024.
* Granite City…
Between 260 and 265 steel and iron workers at Granite City Works will be officially out of work starting this week, according to the union local’s president.
Those layoffs come less than two weeks after U.S. Steel, the Pittsburgh-based parent company, said it would temporarily shutter the only operational furnace on the mill’s campus.
Dan Simmons, president of United Steelworkers Local 1899, said the union will host informational meetings on Tuesday for the workers who lost their jobs.
* Sun-Times…
Temporary workers in Illinois have new protections — and the right to equal pay — thanks to a new state law passed in August.
The Temp Worker Fairness and Safety Act aims to prevent “permatemping,” when an employer keeps a temp worker indefinitely, by requiring employers pay temps similar wages as direct hires after 90 days on the job.
Worker advocates who helped pass the law took the first step toward enforcing it Tuesday by filing complaints against 15 staffing agencies that haven’t registered with the state, as required by the new law.
* In other business news…
As Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson works to close a yawning budget gap, he’s under pressure to find more money for the city’s performing arts sector, which still hasn’t recovered from the COVID-19 pandemic.
To aid struggling Chicago theaters, Claire Rice, executive director of Arts Alliance Illinois, the state’s top arts advocacy group, is asking Johnson to tap the city’s corporate fund for nearly 35% of the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs & Special Events’ $81 million annual budget, an unprecedented move for a department traditionally funded primarily by other sources.
* Oy…
A vote on a measure to require all Chicago businesses to pay their workers the same minimum hourly wage, regardless of whether they earn tips, has been delayed after an error by City Clerk Anna Valencia’s office, officials said Tuesday.
The earliest the Chicago City Council could vote on the compromise crafted by Mayor Brandon Johnson and backed by the Illinois Restaurant association to give restaurants five years to prepare for the end of the tipped minimum wage would be Friday morning, because state law requires the public to be given at least 48 hours’ notice before a legislative body takes final action on a measure.
Valencia acknowledged her office had erred, delaying a triumphant moment for Johnson and the progressive political movement that elected him to office earlier this year. Valencia, who was reelected without opposition, blamed “an administrative and human issue” and pledged new procedures “to ensure this doesn’t happen in the future.”
Speaking of that ordinance…
* Crain’s…
Latino representation on corporate boards continues to lag behind the demographic’s headcount in the broader Illinois population.
While Latinos make up 18% of the state’s residents, only 3% hold board seats in Illinois-based public companies, according to a study by the Latino Corporate Directors Association.
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I’ll believe it when I see it
Wednesday, Oct 4, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Tribune…
A day after sending President Joe Biden a letter criticizing the White House effort on migrants, Gov. J.B. Pritzker on Tuesday called for a stronger show of unity among local Democrats in responding to the swelling influx of asylum-seekers arriving in Chicago from the southern border. […]
The governor said the letter was not an initial request for help from his political ally in the White House but an effort to reiterate the multiple pleas for assistance the state has made over the past year.
“We wanted to make sure that there was a public statement out there of many of the things that we’ve talked about in the past with the administration, but the things that we need right now,” Pritzker said.
I just don’t think the White House has a grasp on this topic.
* Background is here if you need it. Joe Mahr at the Tribune…
Six months after the Chicago Tribune published its “Stalled Justice” investigation, court officials told the Tribune they soon will begin recording the reason that a criminal case gets pushed to another date — a step that experts have long recommended so the county can better understand and target issues that can drag out cases for years.
The Tribune investigation, which focused on murder charges, found that the vast majority of court hearings in those cases last only a minute or two and end with a legal maneuver called a “continuance.” The case is then resumed on another date, typically four to six weeks later. Some cases get continued 50 or more times.
Reporters found a wide variety of reasons that judges grant continuances. Prosecutors may say they need more time to track down and turn over potential evidence. Judges might give themselves more time to rule on lawyers’ requests. Some police officers fail to show up to testify at pretrial hearings and need to be ordered back.
Though attorneys may tell the judge why a case should be delayed, many judges don’t record that information, the Tribune found. Instead, they typically scribble the date of the next hearing on a sheet of paper with the phrase “B/A” — to signify a case was continued “by agreement” of both attorneys.
Took ‘em long enough. But will the fix actually work? Color me skeptical.
* Meanwhile, from the Sun-Times…
Mayor Brandon Johnson on Tuesday signed an executive order creating Chicago’s first chief homelessness officer position.
The person in the role will be tasked with providing solutions “for stable, permanent and affordable housing” for the unhoused in the city, Johnson said in a statement.
“By establishing a Chief Homelessness Officer for the City of Chicago, we will have a critical point of contact to coordinate efforts and leverage the full force of government to provide shelter for all people,” Johnson said.
The officer will be responsible for “fostering greater policy and operational coordination across city departments and sister agencies” to tackle the crisis, the mayor’s office said.
This person will be purely a figurehead unless the office hires staff to do the work. We found out last week that Johnson’s Deputy Mayor of Immigrant, Migrant and Refugee Rights has only one paid staffer. Johnson has one comms staffer. Almost his entire administration is a shell of what it should be.
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Open thread
Wednesday, Oct 4, 2023 - Posted by Isabel Miller
* What’s going on in your part of Illinois?…
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Isabel’s morning briefing
Wednesday, Oct 4, 2023 - Posted by Isabel Miller
* Here you go…
* Tribune | Gov. J.B. Pritzker calls for united front in migrant response after criticizing Biden administration effort: A day after sending President Joe Biden a letter criticizing the White House effort on migrants, Gov. J.B. Pritzker on Tuesday called for a stronger show of unity among local Democrats in responding to the swelling influx of asylum-seekers arriving in Chicago from the southern border.
* WHBF | Illinois leaders send warnings about book bans: Governor Pritzker and Lieutenant Governor Juliana Stratton were at the University of Chicago’s Joseph Regenstein Library warning about the dangers of book bans. The free speech group PEN America says attempts to censor books have jumped 33% in the past year. They say a majority are written by people of color or members of the LGBTQ+ community.
* Sun-Times | Temp worker advocates hail Illinois law that promises equal pay: The Temp Worker Fairness and Safety Act aims to prevent ‘permatemping,’ where an employer keeps a temp worker indefinitely, by requiring that employers pay temps similar wages as direct hires after 90 days on the job.
* Sun-Times | Former Cook County employee admits helping businesses cheat on taxes for free golf: Basilio Clausen, 51, pleaded guilty to a conspiracy charge and formally agreed to cooperate with federal prosecutors. Though he faces a maximum sentence of five years in prison, the feds are likely to ask for a light sentence if Clausen lives up to his end of the deal. The scheme Clausen admitted to Tuesday took place in 2017, when Joseph Berrios served as Cook County assessor. Clausen is not due to be sentenced until his cooperation with prosecutors is complete.
* Daily Herald | District 214 launches ethics probe into employees’ trip paid for by vendor: Former District 214 Director of Operations Jerry Cook and maintenance employee Linas Paul attended the trip paid for by Trane, a Willowbrook-based HVAC contractor that performed more than $1 million in work for the district between 2018 and 2022.
* WAND | Nurses, union leaders push for safe patient limits proposal: The people taking care of your loved ones told a joint committee of lawmakers Tuesday that they are fed up with their working conditions. “Some of these nursing home workers have 20 patients. On third shift, it might be one CNA to one floor,” said Denise Stiger, the union organizer for Teamsters Local 743. “So, that means she is doing the whole floor. Even though they’re saying that the patients are asleep at night, they still have to be changed. They still have to be cleaned.”
* Windy City Times | Former Illinois GOP chair joins Personal PAC board: The move is considered controversial within the Republican Party, putting the moderate and more conservative components at odds. According to a press release Windy City Times received, Brady “has joined the Personal PAC Board because of his belief that the right of women to control their own health care decisions is one of the most important freedoms we as a society should strive to protect.” A decade ago, when he was Illinois GOP chair, Brady defied the party platform by speaking up in support of marriage-equality legislation.
* WTTW | Vote to End Tipped Minimum Wage in Chicago Delayed by City Clerk’s Error: The earliest the Chicago City Council could vote on the compromise crafted by Mayor Brandon Johnson and backed by the Illinois Restaurant association to give restaurants five years to prepare for the end of the tipped minimum wage would be Friday morning, because state law requires the public to be given at least 48 hours’ notice before a legislative body takes final action on a measure.
* Daily Herald | Haymarket sign goes up, but Itasca ’stands by’ decision to reject drug rehab center: After two years and more than 35 public hearings, Itasca trustees in November 2021 unanimously voted against the project. The subsequent lawsuit alleged officials violated the Fair Housing Act and other laws prohibiting discrimination against people with disabilities, including patients in treatment for substance use and mental health disorders.
* Sun-Times | Mayor Brandon Johnson establishes city’s first chief homelessness officer: The move comes a day before a public hearing before the City Council on the mayor’s proposal to raise the real estate transfer tax on high-end home sales to create dedicated funding to combat homelessness.
* Tribune | Stalled Justice update: Notoriously slow Cook County courts will begin tracking why cases are delayed: Though attorneys may tell the judge why a case should be delayed, many judges don’t record that information, the Tribune found. Instead, they typically scribble the date of the next hearing on a sheet of paper with the phrase “B/A” — to signify a case was continued “by agreement” of both attorneys.
* Tribune | Ald. Ray Lopez running for Congress, taking on Rep. Jesus ‘Chuy’ García in Democratic primary: Surrounded by supporters at a restaurant in Berwyn, the Chicago alderman — who has positioned himself as a backer of Chicago police on the City Council — said García is “extreme.” “He has chosen to try to lead from the left of the left, and in the meantime, he has left everyone else out in the cold,” the alderman said.
* Sun-Times | FEMA emergency test alert will send ‘unique tone’ to every U.S. phone Wednesday: “The purpose of the Oct. 4 test is to ensure that the systems continue to be effective means of warning the public about emergencies, particularly those on the national level,” according to a statement from FEMA.
* Sun-Times | Damen Silos demolition delayed by federal review: The city won’t determine next steps in the proposed teardown of the Southwest Side structures until the Army Corps of Engineers does its own assessment.
* Sun-Times | McCarthy ousted as speaker — how House members from Illinois voted: The three Illinois Republicans in the House, Mary Miller, Darin LaHood and Mike Bost, voted to keep McCarthy as speaker. All 14 Democrats from Illinois voted to remove him.
* WLPO | Former State Senator Gary Dahl Passes Away: Following a stint in the United States Army, Dahl eventually became a truck driver and founded Double D Express in 1985. When retiring, Dahl went into politics, getting elected to the Illinois Senate in 2005. He resigned in late 2010 to spend more time with his family. While in Springfield, Dahl lived in an RV and donated his salary to charity.
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Live coverage
Wednesday, Oct 4, 2023 - Posted by Isabel Miller
* ScribbleLive is still down. Twitter has stopped allowing people to embed list feeds on websites. So, click here or here to follow breaking news.
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