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Isabel’s afternoon roundup
Monday, Sep 16, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller * WTTW…
* WBEZ…
* Tribune | ‘We are on the friends and family plan now’: Jury sees emails from Speaker Madigan’s son in bribery trial of ex-AT&T boss: In his donation request, Andrew Madigan made clear that “our good friend Mike McClain” had suggested he reach out to AT&T. McClain, according to prosecutors, was at the center of a scheme to have AT&T funnel payments to former state Rep. Eddie Acevedo, a Madigan ally, to help win the speaker’s support. In the email exchange shown to jurors, Barry told La Schiazza: “We are…and there is a sensitivity in that office about us going away now that we got COLR. That is something to keep in mind in rest (of) 17 and in 18 regarding budget and profile with the Speakers office.” * Tribune | Former Madigan aide to face cross-examination in bribery trial as Madigan due in court for pretrial conference: Longtime Springfield insider Tom Cullen will face cross-examination Monday in the trial of a former AT&T Illinois boss accused of bribing House Speaker Michael Madigan by funneling payments the speaker’s ally through Cullen’s lobbying firm. As Cullen is testifying, a pretrial conference is scheduled in Madigan’s own racketeering case in another courtroom at the Dirksen U.S. Courthouse. * Tribune | Electric bill savings will be lower for some new Illinois rooftop solar owners starting in 2025: Starting next year, some new Illinois rooftop solar owners will see lower savings on their electric bills than those who got their solar panels earlier. The long-expected change — required under the state’s 2021 climate law — essentially trims a generous introductory offer, but ComEd and the nonprofit consumer watchdog Citizens Utility Board say that residential rooftop solar will remain a very good deal for customers. “You can still save an awful lot of money on your electricity bill by deploying solar,” said Scott Vogt, ComEd vice president of strategy and energy policy. * Crain’s | Illinois nursing home associations merging: The Health Care Council of Illinois, or HCCI, and the Illinois Health Care Association, IHCA, announced their plan to merge today. The combined organization will be called the Health Care Council of Illinois and become the Illinois affiliate of the American Health Care Association. The two parties have signed a memorandum of understanding to merge, according to a statement. The plan is still subject to due diligence and detail finalization. * Tribune | Onetime COPA supervisor slams agency leadership in whistleblower lawsuit: Matthew Haynam filed the lawsuit against the city last week, alleging that COPA chief administrator Andrea Kersten fired him in late August “in retaliation for Plaintiff’s good faith disclosure of Kersten’s outrageous misconduct to both the Office of the Inspector General for the City of Chicago and Civilian Commission on Public Safety and Accountability.” Haynam’s suit accuses Kersten of repeatedly tainting the public’s perception of still-ongoing police misconduct investigations. What’s more, Haynam alleges, COPA investigators have a practice of disregarding Chicago Police training materials that are critical in determining if an officer engaged in misconduct.
* Chalkbeat | Explaining Chicago Public Schools: The students: The vast majority are students of color, with 47% identifying as Hispanic, 35% as Black, 11% as white, and 4.5% as Asian American. About 70% come from low-income households, 16% are students with disabilities, and 24% are learning English. These demographics shifted over the past decade — as Black families left Chicago, birth rates declined, and new immigrants arrived. * WBEZ | More arts classes in CPS schools is an easy sell. Paying for it and finding teachers is the real feat.: In Chicago, arts education is determined by a school’s size and, critically, by how much an individual principal prioritizes it. But leaders are questioning whether it should be this way. As the school year starts, district leaders and the Chicago Teachers Union are putting a spotlight on arts education. In ongoing union contract negotiations “more art teachers” is a rallying cry. At the same time, CPS’ director of arts education is spearheading a new plan to replace the existing 12-year-old blueprint. * Tribune | Ex-National Association of Realtors employee files lawsuit alleging sexual harassment, discrimination: An ex-employee of the Chicago-based National Association of Realtors has filed a federal lawsuit against the trade association alleging a hostile work environment that included sexual harassment and discrimination, as well as retaliation after she was fired. Roshani Sheth, a former product manager for Realtors Information Network, a subsidiary of NAR, worked at company headquarters from 2014 to 2019 and was the only woman and person of color on her team, according to the amended lawsuit filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois on Sept. 10. Sheth was repeatedly subjected to comments about her body and other derogatory language, as well as sexual advances, by male supervisors, the suit alleges. * Daily Herald | ‘I wouldn’t wish that on anybody’: ’62 Mets hurler has sympathy for White Sox: As the White Sox appear destined to shatter the 1962 New York Mets’ modern-day record for losses in a baseball season, a suburban native who pitched for that infamous Mets squad has empathy — and encouragement — for the South Siders. “As I said many, many times, I wouldn’t wish that on anybody,” said Jay Hook, who grew up in Grayslake before going on to an eight-year Major League Baseball career. “I’m surprised I’m still talking about the ‘62 season.” * Daily Herald | Huntley chosen for stop on new Chicago-to-Rockford train line. But where will the station go?: Last year, Huntley was announced as one of the municipalities that would be getting a stop on the proposed Chicago-to-Rockford Metra line. The service is expected to launch in 2027, have maximum speeds of 79 mph and take about two hours from Rockford to Chicago, according to a presentation from the Illinois Department of Transportation to the Huntley Village Board. * ABC Chicago | Threat forces schools in Joliet, Plainfield to switch to remote learning: Disclosing the threats over the weekend, Joliet police said they surfaced online, adding that while there doesn’t appear to be any credible evidence to support them, additional security measures would be taken. Joliet Public School District 86 reverted to e-learning for Monday. As did Plainfield’s Troy Community Consolidated School District 30-C. * WCIA | Mahomet president not re-running, endorses board member: Sean Widener has served the community in different positions since 2006. First with planning and zoning, then on the board of trustees, and finally as the president starting in 2015. But now, he knows it’s time to focus on his day job at Clark Dietz overseeing engineering in Chicago, suburban Oakbrook and Champaign. * WCIA | Central Illinois airports improving infrastructure with FAA money: Officials said the money is being used to improve terminals to handle more passengers, modernize technology and improve the integrity of taxiways. Rantoul Airport used their $2.4 million to improve their north-south runway. “The runways are graded by a company called applied payment technology,” said Carson Vericker, the airport manager. “And they put a grade on what their asphalt is and the degrade that come off of runway 1836 was very poor.” * NBC | Cut up and leased out, the bodies of the poor suffer a final indignity in Texas: In the name of scientific advancement, clinical education and fiscal expediency, the bodies of the destitute in the Dallas-Fort Worth region have been routinely collected from hospital beds, nursing homes and homeless encampments and used for training or research without their consent — and often without the approval of any survivors, an NBC News investigation found. * WGN | REO Speedwagon to cease touring in 2025, citing ‘irreconcilable differences’: “To our fans: Bruce has intended to be Back On the Road Again by now. If it were up to just him, he’d be back on tour… but it’s not up to just him. The consensus opinion was that he had not recovered sufficiently to be able to perform at the level the fans have come to expect. Bruce respected that opinion and is grateful that Matt has been around to keep the Wagon rolling through the summer tour. Bruce never had any intention of retiring or walking away from the band, fans, and crew he has loved for almost 50 years.” * Tallahassee Democrat | Florida school board pays over $100K to defend ban on book about same-sex penguin pair: “The question is: Is that what you want your school district spending money on, which could go to providing services or books or hiring staff, rather than defending a decision to keep people from reading a book that some people don’t like,” said Deborah Caldwell-Stone, director of American Library Association’s Office for Intellectual Freedom.
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Showcasing The Retailers Who Make Illinois Work
Monday, Sep 16, 2024 - Posted by Advertising Department Showcasing the Retailers Who Make Illinois Work Retail provides one out of every five Illinois jobs, generates the second largest amount of tax revenue for the state, and is the largest source of revenue for local governments. But retail is also so much more, with retailers serving as the trusted contributors to life’s moments, big and small. We Are Retail and IRMA are dedicated to sharing the stories of retailers like Tresa, who serve their communities with dedication and pride.
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Question of the day
Monday, Sep 16, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller * As the late state Sen. Vince Demuzio said, “Yard signs don’t vote,” but campaigns do rely on them. From The Hill…
* The Question: Do you regularly/occasionally put up campaign yard/window signs? Take the poll and then explain your answer in comments, please.
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2024 Illinois State Fair breaks attendance record
Monday, Sep 16, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller
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Is this a war declaration?
Monday, Sep 16, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller * My weekly syndicated newspaper column…
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Open thread
Monday, Sep 16, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller * What’s going on in your part of Illinois?…
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Isabel’s morning briefing
Monday, Sep 16, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller * ICYMI: Downstate federal trial poses latest test for Illinois gun ban. Tribune…
- The state’s ban prohibits the delivery, sale, import and purchase of more than 100 high-powered guns including semiautomatic rifles, shotguns and handguns. -The bench trial is before U.S. District Judge Stephen McGlynn, who said last year the law was likely unconstitutional following a hearing over a request by plaintiffs seeking to temporarily block the ban from being enforced. * Related stories… * Daily Herald | ‘People who should be held are being held’: Pretrial Fairness Act marks first year this week: Supporters include Lake County State’s Attorney Eric Rinehart, who said cashless bail has not resulted in the release of accused murderers and rapists, as opponents predicted. “We are holding more sex offenders and all murderers under the new system,” Rinehart said, adding “crime is down in Lake County at a steeper rate of decline than the national average.” * Capitol News Illinois | ADM carbon sequestration project violated Safe Drinking Water Act, per EPA: Agribusiness giant ADM violated federal regulations, a federal permit and the Safe Drinking Water Act earlier this year when a monitoring well at their carbon sequestration site in Decatur leaked liquified carbon dioxide into “unauthorized zones,” according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. In an August notice, the federal regulatory agency also alleged the company failed to follow proper emergency response and remediation plans after it identified the leak. * ABC Chicago | Increasing diversity in Illinois’ adult use cannabis industry: In July, a study by the Illinois Cannabis Regulation Oversight Office found that 60% of all cannabis business licenses went to minority or women-owned businesses. […] However, not one dollar of sales was documented going to Black or Brown owners when the study ended in 2023. Instead, white male owners took in 78% of recreational dispensary sales and 91% of grower sales. * Tribune | ‘People are desperate’: Illinois harm reduction organizations await settlement funding in effort to reduce opioid overdoses: Now, groups in Illinois providing harm reduction services are set to receive at least $15 million from settlements between states and prescription drug companies. Providers across the state say they could do much more with additional funding, but getting money from the remediation fund is complicated. “Unrestricted settlement dollars could really — I mean, there needs to be an investment in harm reduction supplies across the state of Illinois. People are desperate for them,” John Werning, executive director of the Chicago Recovery Alliance, said. * Press Release | Gov. Pritzker Announces James Jennings as Next Director of Illinois Environmental Protection Agency: Today, Governor JB Pritzker announced his appointment of James Jennings, environment professional and policy expert, as the next director of the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA) pending Senate approval. James Jennings began serving as Interim Director in July. […] Before he was appointed Interim Director, Jennings served as Deputy Director of the IEPA, overseeing policy implementation and regulatory enforcement, as well as working in tandem with the federal EPA on initiatives impacting Illinois and surrounding states. * SJ-R | Former state board of ed superintendent who worked in the Bush Administration dead at 82: Ted Sanders, who served as superintendent of the Illinois State Board of Education and worked in the education department in the President George H.W. Bush administration, died Sunday, Sept. 8. He was 82. […] A towering figure, literally, at 6-foot-8-inches tall, and figuratively, Ted Sanders also served as the chief education officer in Ohio and Nevada and was president of the Southern Illinois University System. * Sun-Times | Ex-lawmaker became ‘borderline unprofessional’ when AT&T offered him money, jurors hear at corruption trial: Prosecutors are nearing the end of their case against AT&T Illinois President Paul La Schiazza. Attorneys say it could be in the hands of the jury by the end of next week. * Capitol News Illinois | In bribery trial, AT&T lobbyists detail contentious meeting with Madigan ally: On an afternoon in late April 2017, recently retired state Rep. Eddie Acevedo was called to a meeting in the state Capitol in Springfield. The 20-year veteran lawmaker had joined his sons’ lobbying firm and was looking for work. Meeting with a trio of lobbyists for telecommunications giant AT&T Illinois was a major step forward in Acevedo’s new lobbying career. But Acevedo grew agitated when the lobbyists offered him $2,500 per month, raising his voice to express that he was worth more, according to testimony Friday in the federal bribery trial of former AT&T Illinois president Paul La Schiazza. * Block Club | City Closes Gold Coast Homeless Shelter Used To House Tent City Residents During DNC: The Tremont Hotel shelter closed for good Sunday, Department of Family and Support Services spokesperson Brian Berg said in a statement. Prior to the closure, shelter staff worked to “slowly place remaining Tremont residents who have not yet moved to housing into other available shelter beds,” he said. “The Tremont shelter was a temporary operation, originally designed to expand shelter bed capacity during the winter months,” Berg said.
* Crain’s | Chicago’s nonprofit leaders saw their pay surge in our latest ranking: Despite retiring from the Big Ten Conference in 2020, James Delany still managed to earn nearly $5.9 million in 2022, according to the organization’s most recent 990 tax filing. The former commissioner holds the No. 1 spot on Crain’s list of the highest-paid nonprofit executives in the Chicago area. The list, which excludes university and hospital executives, ranks 25 leaders by 2022 total compensation, which for most nonprofits is the most recent available data. These executives saw 2022 median compensation swell by 20% to $906,243. * Block Club | Muslim Families Outraged After Headstones Removed From Bohemian National Cemetery With No Notice: Last Sunday, Ayman Halim took his wife, his mother and his 8-month-old son to the Bohemian National Cemetery to commemorate his late father’s 77th birthday. It was his son’s first time visiting the gravesite of his grandfather, who died five years ago, Halim said. When they arrived, Halim found that his father’s headstone and dozens of others were missing. Returning to the cemetery a few days later, he discovered a pile of Muslim grave markers left beside a dumpster. Now, he and his family want answers. * Tribune | Evanston has paid out just over $5 million in reparations so far: The committee met in September to approve records regarding how the first round of reparations has been spent. Of the $5.03 million distributed to 141 people directly affected by unfair housing practices, which the program calls ancestors, and 71 people who are descendants of those who did, $1.36 million will be spent on home improvement projects, mortgage assistance, or be used in the down payment for a home. The remaining $3.69 million will be spent on direct cash benefits, with recipients eligible to receive a $25,000 check from the city of Evanston. Recipients will not need to pay taxes on the benefit, according to 2nd Ward Councilmember Krissie Harris. * Sun-Times | At event honoring K-9 killed in deadly 2023 shooting, Kane County sheriff rips Aurora police: Kane County Sheriff Ron Hain essentially blamed his agency’s strained relationship with Aurora police for the incident that killed a police dog and a carjacking suspect. Aurora’s mayor called the remarks ‘laughingly incredible and absolutely wrong,’ and the area’s top prosecutor says she, too, disagrees with Sheriff Hain. * WBBM | Replacement likely for historic Cenacle Bridge in DuPage County forest preserve: The bridge once led to the Cenacle Sisters commune near Warrenville. The retreat center was demolished years ago, but the bridge has remained in use by hikers and bikers as part of a trail system within the Blackwell Forest Preserve. At a recent planning meeting, commissioners weighed whether it would be best to repair the aging bridge or to replace it completely. The bridge features some visually striking elements, including large stone pillars and white handrails, but Forest Preserve District Civil Engineer Chris Welch said those elements actually present a few issues. * WCIA | Massey family meets with Congressional Black Caucus for police reform push: The families were joined by renowned civil rights attorney Ben Crump, who expressed frustration with the slow pace of change. A bill known as the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act, introduced in 2021, remains stalled in Congress. * BND | Video of traffic backup in O’Fallon goes viral, prompts member of Congress to intervene: A viral TikTok video has gotten the attention of an Illinois congresswoman because it shows a “massive threat to motorists’ safety” on the Interstate 64 exit ramp to O’Fallon and Shiloh, according to the lawmaker. O’Fallon resident Tisha Crawley’s Aug. 15 video shows a line of cars on the Exit 16 ramp so long that it is spilling onto the interstate. More than 40 million TicTok users have seen it, including U.S. Rep. Nikki Budzinski. […] The Illinois Department of Transportation is aware of the problem, and the agency has plans to add additional lanes to the area to address it. But construction is years away, according to the agency’s project timeline published online. * PJ Star | Referendum on ranked-choice voting in Illinois: Voters in Peoria Township will make their voices heard on whether or not the state of Illinois should opt for ranked-choice voting in future elections. A non-binding referendum will be on the Nov. 5 ballot asking voters if the state should use the system, which is designed to prevent spoilers and allow a more accurate representation of voters’ preferences. * BND | ‘Politics’ by Belleville mayor threatens future of Art on the Square, directors say: Developments in the past few weeks have prompted the co-directors to speak out for the first time about a problem they say they’ve been dealing with for three years: Hostility from Belleville Mayor Patty Gregory, who co-founded the show and formerly served as executive director for 20 years. Gregory wanted to continue running the show after being elected mayor in 2021, but board members rejected that idea due to ethical, legal and practical concerns, according to Bartle and Dorris. “We had created our own little monster because none of us went up against (Gregory),” Dorris said this week. “We didn’t challenge her. She was used to getting her way.” * WSIL | The Jackson County State’s Attorney Office announces a new video camera doorbell program: Starting on October 1st victims and witnesses of violent crimes will be eligible to get a free video camera doorbell from the Jackson County State’s Attorney’s Victims Advocate’s Office. “Upon application, we can get these video doorbells out to individuals in the community to make them feel safer,” Jackson County State’s Attorney Joseph Cervantez said. * WAND | 13-year-old charged after making false threats in Jacksonville: Jacksonville concluded their investigation after speaking with all parties involved after finding the teen did not posses a gun at the time, nor did the teen have access to weapons at their home. […] The threats were shared across multiple social media sites. Shortly after the threats were reported, the Statewide Terrorism and Intelligence Center was able to deem them not credible. They say the online threats reported on the 11th were unrelated to the arrest of the teen for disorderly conduct. * WSIL | Two 11-Year-Olds Charged in School Threat Investigation in Southern Illinois: Two 11-year-olds face legal trouble in relation to an investigation of threats made at a Centralia school on Wednesday. The Centralia Police Department said they were informed by an school resource officer about a threat made at the Centralia Junior High School on September 11. * Nextstar | Do campaign yard signs even make a difference?: Studies have shown that when it comes to down-ballot races — usually non-presidential, like school board or a county-level representative — it’s important for the candidate to build name recognition. Yard signs can do that, even if the candidate is not real, one study found. * Nieman Lab | An AI chatbot helped Americans who believe in conspiracy theories “exit the rabbit hole”: The uncle who believes 9/11 never happened. The next-door neighbor who thinks Biden stole the 2020 election. The Nieman Lab editor who’s been known to wonder if aliens really do exist and the U.S. government is covering them up. You probably don’t want to talk to these people and convince them that they are wrong. But what if an AI chatbot could do it for you? That’s exactly what a group of researchers just did. In their peer-reviewed article “Durably reducing conspiracy beliefs through dialogues with AI,” featured on the cover of Science this week, Thomas Costello of American University, Gordon Pennycook of Cornell, and David Rand of MIT explain how they put 2,190 conspiracy-believing Americans in brief but detailed conversation with the large language model GPT-4 Turbo.
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Protected: SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - Today’s edition of Capitol Fax (use all CAPS in password)
Monday, Sep 16, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller
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Live coverage
Monday, Sep 16, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller * You can click here or here to follow breaking news. Click here to keep up with the La Schiazza trial. It’s the best we can do unless or until Twitter gets its act together.
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Selected press releases (Live updates)
Monday, Sep 16, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller
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Reader comments closed for the weekend
Friday, Sep 13, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller * Con Brio…
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Isabel’s afternoon roundup
Friday, Sep 13, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller * Illinois Federation of Teachers president Dan Montgomery and Illinois Education Association president Al Lorens…
* Tribune…
* Tribune reporter Kori Rumore Finley has a fun thread on Friday the 13th…
* Capitol News Illinois | On witness stand, former AT&T lobbyist describes how Madigan ally got $22,500 contract: La Schiazza wrote that getting AT&T’s bill passed “should be simple.” “And if our consultants can’t sell that then we should find new ones..…this should be an easy lift,” his email said. “Just saying.” A few weeks later, when one of those same colleagues forwarded news to La Schiazza about the retirement of ComEd’s longtime top outside lobbyist, the AT&T boss wrote back that it was “huge news.” The lobbyist, Mike McClain, was well-known in Springfield to be close to powerful House Speaker Michael Madigan, and therefore more influential than most.
* Sun-Times | Facing defeat, Johnson pulls plug on Sigcho-Lopez as Zoning Committee chair: The Zoning Committee has been without a permanent chair for more than a year. It’s former chair, Ald. Carlos Ramirez-Rosa (35th), was forced to resign after being accused of bullying and intimidating his colleagues in an attempt to block a City Council vote on a non-binding resolution that would have allowed Chicago voters to weigh in on whether or not Chicago should remain a sanctuary city. * Tribune | Mayor Johnson shifts course on Zoning chair, picks West Side moderate over progressive ally: The decision, confirmed by a top Johnson administration official Friday, marks a sharp change in course for Johnson, who for months had tried to put Southwest Side Ald. Byron Sigcho-Lopez, 25th, into the important position overseeing development. Sigcho-Lopez’s appointment faced strong opposition from council opponents who argued he would be too politically radical and hostile to developers. In Burnett, 27th, a mentee of former Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White who is the longest-serving alderman in the City Council and is currently Johnson’s vice mayor, aldermen said Friday they see a more acceptable pick. * Tribune | City to announce phase one of plan to combine homeless and migrant shelter systems: The event, held from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. at 2822 W. Jackson Blvd., culminates months-long discussions between city and state officials and non-profit leaders about how to turn the two systems into a unified shelter structure, dubbed the “One System Initiative.” Homeless advocates have long championed the move, saying it will better serve unhoused Chicagoans and recently arrived asylum seekers with wrap-around services: employment, food, and health care. Some have pointed out, however, that providers helping asylum seekers may be new to housing and homelessness, which could pose challenges. * Block Club | Humboldt Park Tent Encampment Residents Will Get Housing By December, City Leaders Pledge: “In collaboration with Mayor Brandon Johnson’s office, the Department of Family Support Services, and Chief Homelessness Officer Sendy Soto, we seek to house ALL tent encampment residents and help them move out of the park by December 2024,” Fuentes wrote in her newsletter. People in the park will be connected to 60 apartments later this month through Chicago Rents. The program is organized by All Chicago and aims to end homelessness by working with private property owners who volunteer their units to house people. The program launched in 2020 and has been expanding its reach to the Northwest, North and West sides within the last year as more landlords offer up their apartments, organizers said. * Sun-Times | Mixed immigration status families around Chicago hope Biden’s ‘parole in place’ plan survives legal challenge: A program announced this summer by President Biden would let undocumented immigrants married to U.S. citizens remain in the country while trying to adjust their immigration status. But a legal challenge halted the program until at least Sept. 23. * Sun-Times | ‘Three Senators’ mural celebrates Illinois’ Obama, Braun and Burris — all from the South Side: Installed in Mahalia’s Mile in Chatham, the mural by Mike Stidham features the state’s three Black U.S. senators and many other famous Chicagoans, landmarks and symbols, encouraging passersby to pause for a treasure hunt. * WBEZ | Welcome to the CTA bus ‘rodeo’: The history of the bus roadeo in Chicago goes back to the early 1980s. Since then, the annual event has grown to include competitions in mechanical, janitorial and other categories as part of a larger CTA transit “jamboree.” After going on hiatus starting in 2020 because of the Covid-19 pandemic, the jamboree returned earlier this month. We attended the fete and spoke with competitors, fans and event organizers about the history of the competition and what it means to them. * The Athletic | Hawk Harrelson spent 3 decades calling the White Sox. Now he can’t stand to watch: “This team has no presence. After the pregame show is on, I basically watch part of the first inning to see if they get any presence. They don’t have a presence,” Harrelson told The Athletic in a phone interview this week, one of the few times he has spoken publicly this season. * The Triibe | Family seeking answers about death of Chicagoland truck driver Javion Magee: One family is seeking answers from authorities about their son, Javion Magee, a 21-year-old truck driver from the Chicagoland area who was found hanging from a tree in Henderson, North Carolina. […] The case is under investigation. * Naperville Sun | Naperville City Council to vote on $25.5 million settlement resolving federal civil rights lawsuit over wrongful conviction: With the six-page settlement, plaintiff Jeanne Olson — representing the estate of Amor, who died in 2023 — would agree to accept $25.5 million from the city “to resolve all allegations and claims,” the proposed agreement reads. To pay out the settlement, the city has $18 million in applicable insurance coverage, according to an agenda report for Tuesday’s meeting. The remaining $7.5 million would be accommodated as a one-time payment from the city’s self-insurance fund. The council is also scheduled to vote on a budget amendment Tuesday that would allow for the one-time payment. * Daily Southtown | Dolton firefighters secure contract, trustees put temporary halt to travel by officials: The labor pact was announced Thursday at a special Village Board meeting, where four trustees who have battled Mayor Tiffany Henyard were joined by a fifth trustee who has been a staunch ally of the mayor. Trustees voted to put a temporary freeze on travel by village elected officials to curb costs, and said they hope to have a new village budget hashed out in about a month, although they warned job cuts are a real possibility. * WCIA | Illinois State Police Trooper returns to duty after being shot during traffic stop: The ISP trooper who was shot and injured in October of 2023 is back at work, with full duty status, according to Illinois State Police. Trooper Dakota Chapman-Green is back working for Illinois State Police sinceCristobal Santana is accused of shooting Trooper Chapman-Green during a traffic stop in Springfield. * SJ-R | After two years of enrollment increases, here’s where UIS stands for 2024-25: Enrollment numbers at the University of Illinois Springfield held steady for the fall semester officials announced Wednesday, after the school had two years of increased numbers. A total of 4,628 students were enrolled at the 10-day count, compared to 4,661 students last year, a less than 1% dip, though the number of new first-year freshmen, first-time transfer students and online students all increased. * WCIA | ‘I feel like he’s still helping me’: Former Danville mayor’s $100,000 legacy: For more than 40 years, Bob Jones owned and operated the Dairy Queen on Main Street in Danville. Although the former mayor died seven months ago, his legacy continues to live on helping employees going from serving ice cream to sitting in classrooms at Danville Area Community College. “He would also talk to his employees about attending DACC and how they can come here and get financial help,” DACC Foundation Executive Director Tonya Hill said. * Smile Politely | Carle Illinois student team developing “space suit” to protect babies from radiation: Developed by primarily by CI Med student Annie Tigranyan, alongside fellow CI Med students Debora Nya and Madeline Minneci, and U of I chemical engineering student Katherine Park, the suit is meant to reduce the exposure in children in the NICU as some are subjected to dozens of x-ray screenings. Reducing the amount of radiation each baby receives is ultimately the goal, and the suit would be able to be worn in order to do just that. * NYT | Jon Bon Jovi Helps Woman Off Ledge of Bridge: In a video released by the police, Mr. Bon Jovi and another person, whom other news outlets have identified as a production assistant, slowly approach the woman, who is on the edge of the bridge, facing outward, on the far side of a railing. They are seen speaking to her for a minute or so, before she turns around to face them, and they lift her over the railing to safety. Mr. Bon Jovi then hugs the woman and the three walk together along the bridge, attended by law enforcement officials. The woman was taken to a hospital for evaluation, the police told CNN. * CNN | America’s stores are winning the war on shoplifting: At first, retailers underestimated how much merchandise they were losing. When they adjusted their metrics to compensate, they overestimated their original losses in some cases. Stores have also added ways to prevent theft, which may have been effective at reducing the problem, even if they frustrated shoppers. Companies locked up products and removed self-checkout stations. * ProPublica | The NYPD Is Tossing Out Hundreds of Misconduct Cases — Including Stop-and-Frisks — Without Even Looking at Them: In one instance, an officer punched a man in the groin, the oversight agency found. In another, an officer unjustifiably tackled a young man, and then another officer wrongly stopped and searched him, according to the CCRB. The incident involving the young man was one of dozens of stop-and-frisk complaints the NYPD dismissed without review this year — a significant development given that the department is still under federal monitoring that a court imposed more than a decade ago over the controversial tactic.
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‘Preliminary data’ released on Pretrial Fairness Act
Friday, Sep 13, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller * Amanda Vinicky at WTTW…
Those 77 counties do not include Cook and most of the collar counties. Click here and scroll down for the map.
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ADM leak a ‘wake-up call’ (Updated)
Friday, Sep 13, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller * E&E News…
* From the violation notice…
* Illinois Clean Jobs Coalition…
* Protect The Mahomet Aquifer campaign…
…Adding… Sen. Chapin Rose…
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Today’s must-read
Friday, Sep 13, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller * Background is here if you need it. In These Times reporter Sarah Lazare spoke with people dependent on Belivdere’s Stellantis plant reopening…
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It’s just a bill
Friday, Sep 13, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller * WGLT…
* Tribune…
After passing the House 71-38 in 2023, HB1294 was referred to Senate Assignments and has not moved. * WGLT…
* Cooley…
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Open thread
Friday, Sep 13, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller * Happy Friday! What’s going on?
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Isabel’s morning briefing
Friday, Sep 13, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller * ICYMI: The latest in the La Schiazza trial… * Tribune | ‘Is there even a small contract for Eddie Acevedo?’: Jury sees emails from Madigan confidant asking AT&T to pay former state rep: “Eddie tended to go out in the evenings in Springfield after session and on occasion would have too much to drink,” testified Stephen Selcke, who worked for years as one of AT&T’s top internal lobbyists. “And when he drank too much, he could get belligerent and, to a degree, a little loose-lipped.” But it turned out Acevedo had something going for him that trumped even his more unpleasant attributes. He had Illinois House Speaker Michael J. Madigan in his corner. * Sun-Times | No job at AT&T for ‘loose-lipped’ Madigan ally — until exec ‘got a call,’ jurors hear: The push came when the utility was trying to pass crucial legislation. Selcke said he believed the request came from a Springfield insider named Michael McClain. And Selcke explained to a jury Thursday why the contract for Acevedo was likely so important to La Schiazza. “My impression was that Mr. McClain was advancing a request to [La Schiazza] after a presumed discussion that he had had with Speaker [Michael] Madigan,” Selcke testified. If you want live updates from the trial, we’ve added a link to the live coverage post. * Tribune | Nostalgia and pride: The Chicago history of celebrating Mexican Independence Day by caravan: The event commemorated the cry of the Mexican people to rise against the Spaniards. It was the heart of the celebration for the growing population in Chicago and nearby cities. “It was a beautiful and heartfelt celebration even though there weren’t very many of us yet,” said Teresa Fraga, now the president of the Mexican Cultural Committee of Chicago. * WAND | Treasurer Frerichs introducing lower fees, mobile app for Bright Start 529 program: Illinois families participating in the Bright Start college savings program will soon have lower fees and easier access to their investments. Treasurer Michael Frerichs announced Thursday that he is preparing to launch a new mobile app to help people prepare for their future college students. The Bright Start 529 is already among one of the lowest-cost savings programs in the country. Although, Frerichs said he wants to make it even better. * WGEM | Illinois Treasurer announces changes to Bright Start College Savings Program: Frerichs said the change will lead to lower management fees and give people more investment options. Bright Start will also be launching a mobile app for people to track their savings. “We’re proud of the progress that Bright Start has made over the past nine years but we’re not finished,” Frerichs said. “I want Illinois families to have the absolute best 529 program in the country.” * WTTW | Illinois Child Care Advocates Say Higher Wages Needed to Overcome Staffing Shortage: The state has plans to invest in Smart Start compensation grants and the Illinois Department of Human Services has allocated federal COVID-19 funding, which officials say needs to be allocated by the end of this year and spent by the end of 2026. The lack of those federal dollars could add to the already growing crisis. * WTTW | Dirksen Courthouse Juror Kitchen, Public Cafeteria Tested Positive for High Legionella Levels; CDC Says Building Has Widespread Problem: WTTW News obtained information showing positive results for legionella bacteria across dozens of tests in 2023 and 2024. While many of those tests merely showed reportable levels of legionella, some found fixtures with potentially dangerous levels of the bacteria — including in a kitchen used by jurors and in the building’s cafeteria, which is open to the public. The fixture in the juror kitchen was found to be contaminated last year, while two cafeteria fixtures tested positive as recently as July. * Sun-Times | Mayoral aide who called cops ‘f—ing pigs’ now accused of antisemitism: Ald. Debra Silverstein, the City Council’s only Jewish member, said two days after the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel, Kennedy Bartley tweeted, “From the river to the sea. Palestine will be free. Amen!” Four months later, Silverstein said, Bartley jeered her during Council debate on a Gaza cease-fire resolution. * Tribune | Aldermen call on Mayor Johnson aide to resign over social media post, police comment: Ald. Matt O’Shea, 19th, said Bartley’s X post will renew concerns over the judgment of Johnson’s leadership team, given that it came weeks before Israel’s full invasion of Gaza on Oct. 27. “This is disgusting that someone could comment on social media about such a vicious, brutal attack of innocent people,” O’Shea, Johnson’s handpicked chair of the Aviation Committee, said, questioning “how this administration could not have known about this from a high-ranking member on their own social media account less than a year ago. This individual is not suited for leadership in government.” * Fox Chicago | Dolton trustees meet without Mayor Henyard, address layoffs and budget issues: House also noted that the village must [Trustee Jason House] a new bank after Henyard allegedly refused to sign numerous checks totaling millions of dollars. House stepped in to sign them, but said Henyard disapproved. “The mayor’s office was disappointed in that they contacted our bank claiming false, false signatures on the bank account so the bank essentially said we are not playing this game we are tired of it and gave us a 60 day notice,” House said. * WGN | With Henyard absent, an ally and trustee joins village board to help tackle fiscal issues: In the wake of WGN Investigates extensive reporting on Henyard and her allies’ lavish travel on taxpayer dimes – the trustees voted to approve a moratorium on reimbursing the travel for elected officials and employees. “Taking these trips to all of these conferences and bringing back absolutely nothing means you’re just taking trips on the taxpayers dime,” said Kiana Belcher. * Tribune | Convicted ex-US Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. pushing for presidential pardon with help from suburban mayors: Jackson, who served about 17 months in federal prison after pleading guilty in 2013 to conspiring to defraud his campaign fund of roughly $750,000, has enlisted the help of south suburban mayors from his former congressional district and also put out a general call on his Facebook page for others to write letters of support to Biden. […] That was the same day NBC News reported nine south suburban mayors had sent a letter to the White House requesting Jackson be pardoned. Jackson shared the NBC story and a copy of the letter in one of his posts that day on Facebook. But neither Jackson, who served in Congress from 1995 until he resigned amid burgeoning controversies in 2012, nor the NBC story mentioned the letter was drafted with Jackson’s involvement and at his request. * Daily Herald | ‘A lot of people have an interest in it’: What could be Lake County’s single largest road project advances: Untangling congestion centered in the Hawthorn Woods/Lake Zurich area along Old McHenry Road has been considered for years. Doing that will involve a railroad underpass and related improvements for what could be the single largest road project ever undertaken by Lake County. * Action Network | IIlinois Gaming Board Renews Rivers Casino’s License: Rivers Casino, located in Des Plaines near O’Hare International Airport, is the top revenue generator among Illinois’ 15 casinos in operation, having reported $346.2 million in winnings through the first eight months of the year. That has resulted in $103.9 million in state and local tax revenue. * Rock River Current | Hard Rock’s August Numbers Illustrate High Interest In Casino’s Rockford Debut: The casino had 57,047 admissions in August, according to data released this week by the Illinois Gaming Board. The most monthly admissions Hard Rock has had since opening its interim casino nearly three years ago was 58,379 in March. Specific grand-opening weekend numbers haven’t been released. The data comes from the gaming board’s regular monthly reporting. * Daily Herald | Cook County leaders ponder future of programs begun with ARPA funds: Cook County received $1 billion in American Rescue Plan Act funds in 2021. After distributing $800 million of those ARPA funds to 73 community programs and spending nearly $200 million on county operations, county leaders are looking for input to determine which programs should continue and how to sustain them as originally funding dries up. Today is the last day for people to submit their thoughts to the Community Voices Survey about prioritizing potential future funding. * Daily Herald | Why Des Plaines might change ambulance rates: The city council may switch to a federally subsidized system that would increase the city’s revenue without increasing most customers’ costs. The program’s fee for a participating fire department is determined annually by the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services, based on a cost report that includes the department’s budget for ambulance service. The subsidized system’s current rate for Des Plaines would be about $2,647 for advanced life support service and about $2,756 for basic life support service, documents indicate. * ABC Chicago | Teacher allegedly calls Elgin middle school student racial slur; mother sues district: Amica Richardson said last year her then-11-year-old daughter was verbally abused by her math teacher who called her a racial slur. “She walked into the classroom, and the teacher immediately got into her face, and saying, ‘What should you be called? What should I address you as? The N word or Black?” Richardson told media on Thursday. * Tribune | FDA calls out AbbVie over ‘misleading’ commercial featuring Serena Williams: The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is taking North Chicago-based drugmaker AbbVie to task, warning in a recent letter that a migraine medication commercial featuring Serena Williams is “misleading.” The television commercial shows Williams in a talk show dressing room, appearing to experience migraine pain, closing her eyes and holding a hand up to her head. She then starts walking and a logo for the AbbVie medication Ubrelvy appears in a backstage hallway. Williams’ face relaxes and she holds up a single dose packet of Ubrelvy. She then says: “With Ubrelvy, there’s another option. One dose works fast to eliminate migraine pain.” She’s then shown in the dressing room laughing and smiling. The problem, the FDA says, is that a dose of Ubrelvy has not been shown in clinical trials to work immediately or for all patients. * WICS | School district to discipline rumor spreaders disrupting Jacksonville Middle School: Jacksonville School District 117 Superintendent Steve Ptacek sent a letter to parents regarding rumors of threats at Jacksonville Middle School: […] Here are the facts. A student did make a statement today after school, in anger, to a group of students that they needed to back off because he has a gun. The police are involved. They did a threat assessment of the student. It was determined that he does not have weapons and doesn’t have access to weapons in the home. Regardless, this student will face serious disciplinary consequences for his statement and for the disruption he is causing. * WCIA | Springfield bridge to be renamed, decorated with mural to honor Sonya Massey: A bridge in Springfield may be dedicated to Sonya Massey, thanks to the support of the Springfield City Council. The pedestrian bridge over Clearlake Avenue and Jefferson Street has already been painted with a mural by Alex Wells, and now city leaders are working to add more murals on the bridge to remember her and officially designate the bridge as Massey Memorial Bridge. * WIFR | Rockford’s ‘Go Team’ launches at The Music Box: At Thursday night’s launch party at The Music Box in Rockford, dozens of the community’s movers and shakers learned what they could do to become a ‘first friend’ to people who just moved to the area and really make the newcomers feel at home. ‘Go Team’ members will lead tours of the Rockford area and become a resource to those committed to making the stateline their new permanent residence. * Washington Times | DHS designates Electoral College vote count as special national security event: The move comes in response to the 2021 count, which saw a mob storm the Capitol to try to head off the count that certified President Biden as the winner over former President Donald Trump. The vote counting joins other major events such as the national nominating conventions, presidential inaugurations and the president’s annual State of the Union address. * AP | Boeing factory workers go on strike after rejecting contract offer: The strike started at 12:01 a.m. PDT, less than three hours after the local branch of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers announced 94.6% of voting workers rejected the proposed contract and 96% approved the work stoppage, easily surpassing a two-thirds requirement. The labor action involves 33,000 Boeing machinists, most of them in Washington state, and is expected to shut down production of the company’s best-selling airline planes. The strike will not affect commercial flights but represents another setback for the aerospace giant, whose reputation and finances have been battered by manufacturing problems and multiple federal investigations this year. * Press release | AG Raoul calls for DOJ investigation into Texas raids targeting Latino candidates and campaign volunteers: In the letter, Raoul and the coalition argue the Texas attorney general’s office sought to intimidate voters of color by conducting raids and seizing the property of organizers and Latino candidates. Raoul and the coalition are calling on the DOJ to investigate the Texas raids to determine whether they constitute violations of civil rights, including the right to vote. There has never been evidence of widespread voter fraud anywhere in the United States, and by conducting the Aug. 20 raids to search the homes of Latino candidates and voting rights activists, Raoul and the coalition argue the Texas attorney general’s office is perpetuating a racist, baseless claim in order to intimidate voters of color. * News Guard | Triple Hearsay: Original Sources of the Claim that Haitians Eat Pets in Ohio Admit No First-Hand Knowledge: NewsGuard identified and tracked down the two people central to the claim: Erika Lee, the Springfield resident who wrote the original Facebook post, and Kimberly Newton, the neighbor who had provided her with a third-hand account of the rumor, making Lee’s social media post a fourth-hand account: the alleged acquaintance/cat owner; Newton’s friend; Newton; and Lee, who posted it on Facebook. In exclusive interviews, NewsGuard spoke both with Lee, a 35-year-old hardware store worker who has lived in Springfield for four years, and Newton, her neighbor and a 12-year resident of Springfield. The interviews reveal just how flimsy and unsubstantiated the rumor was from the beginning — based entirely on third hand hearsay. Yet it quickly gained traction and, remarkably, found its way to Trump’s lips on a national stage.
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Protected: SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - Supplement to today’s edition
Friday, Sep 13, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller
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Protected: SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - Today’s edition of Capitol Fax (use all CAPS in password)
Friday, Sep 13, 2024 - Posted by Rich Miller
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Live coverage
Friday, Sep 13, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller * You can click here or here to follow breaking news. Click here to keep up with the La Schiazza trial. It’s the best we can do unless or until Twitter gets its act together.
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Selected press releases (Live updates)
Friday, Sep 13, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller
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