Capitol Fax.com - Your Illinois News Radar

Isabel’s morning briefing

Posted in:

Illinois

* Here you go…

* Bloomberg | CME Group CEO Duffy says exchange is prepared to leave Chicago ‘if we had to’: CME Group is prepared to leave Chicago if the city and state take steps that are perceived as “ill-conceived,” Chief Executive Officer Terry Duffy said in an interview. Duffy’s remarks, made in an episode of the Odd Lots podcast, come as Mayor Brandon Johnson is being sworn into office after proposing additional taxes, including one on financial transactions, to help boost the city’s revenue. That plan was fiercely opposed by Chicago’s exchanges and investment firms. A higher levy would also require state approval to pass.

* WBEZ | Exelon is paying the legal tab for two former executives convicted in ComEd bribery scheme: But on the other, the Exelon-financed legal teams for former ComEd CEO Anne Pramaggiore and former ComEd executive vice president John Hooker spent close to two months telling a federal judge and jury that their clients — and the power company — had done nothing illegal.

* WAND | Springfield senators share priorities going into final scheduled week of session: “When we had a lot of federal money coming in, there were lots of programs that were going to be continuous programs that were new programs that the governor decided to fund,” said Sen. Steve McClure (R-Springfield). “Well, what happens when the federal money dries out? These big bills are still there, but unfortunately we don’t have the money to pay for them.”

* AP | State revenue drops nearly $2B in April, but budget-makers at the Capitol aren’t panicking: “It’s actually a lower revenue estimate that was put into my budget than we actually thought. We wanted to make sure that we were being conservative,” Pritzker said. “If we pass the budget as it is, that budget would be balanced and we would have a surplus.”

* Sun-Times | Not a game when business owner with old mob ties gets a gambling license: Szaflarski “routinely collected money from the machines” he gave Bertucci and “divvied up the proceeds,” the Sun-Times reported at the time. Bertucci, who testified that he illegally paid out winnings from the gaming machines and split his take with the Szaflarski, also acknowledged in open court that he got some machines from a company owned by Outfit boss James Marcello.

* Hyde Park Herald | Neely Du Buclet appointed state representative for 5th District: Kimberly Neely Du Buclet, a commissioner of the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District (MWRD), was selected to replace Lamont Robinson as representative of the Illinois General Assembly’s 5th District. A former state house appointee for the 26th District, Neely Du Buclet was again appointed to the legislature by local democratic committeepeople last Saturday.

* Center Square | Future uncertain for Illinois’ tax credit scholarship program for private school tuition: Under a five-year trial period, the Invest in Kids Tax program has provided tuition money for working class and low-income families who want to send their children to Illinois private schools. The initiative is set to expire at the end of 2023, unless the state legislature acts to extend it. Lawmakers are in session through May 19.

* Tribune Editorial | The book ban movement grows. Illinois is right to fight back.: “Fahrenheit 451″ is fiction, but America’s dangerous dalliance with censorship reminiscent of Ray Bradbury’s novel is becoming increasingly precarious.

* Tribune | State Treasurer Mike Frerichs buys $1.4M Lakeview home: “I got remarried last year, and my wife has a job in Chicago and we have a growing family,” Frerichs told Elite Street in a phone interview. “So we were looking for a new house and we really liked the (Lakeview) neighborhood. I’ve been commuting (to Chicago) for the last few years, and we got engaged, and my wife had a nice place in West Town, but it was not big enough for the growing family. It had an awful lot of stairs, which gave us a great view of the city, but which are not conducive to having a growing family.”

* NBC Chicago | Brandon Johnson Signs Executive Orders on First Day in Office. Here’s a Breakdown: The first of four orders seeks to boost youth employment by instructing the city’s Office of Budget and Management to analyze resources in the fiscal year 2023 budget that are available to fund youth empoyment and enrichment programs. The order also instructs the Mayor’s Office to coordinate youth employment and enrichment activities among city sister agencies and city departments for summer internships and community service opportunities, according to the news release.

* Sun-Times | History, humility, hope — and a few hugs — mark swearing in of younger, more diverse City Council: ‘We need a fresh start’: New members said they were moved by Mayor Brandon Johnson’s inaugural address and caught up in the excitement of taking the oath of office. “It’s a new day in the city of Chicago,” said freshman Ald. Lamont Robinson (4th).

* Chalkbeat | Chicago’s principals association plans to file for union recognition: A group representing Chicago’s school leaders said it plans to file a petition today to form a union, several months after state lawmakers changed the law to allow that.

* Sun-Times | Program is ‘one stop shop’ for navigating life after prison: The Supportive Reentry Network Collaborative connects returning citizens to whatever they need, from completing parole mandates to finding health care and a job. Leaders say they’ve had a successful first year, but need to grow.

* SJ-R | Lincoln Library director fired: While Beck-Griffith confirmed her firing to The State Journal-Register, she did not offer further comment.

* Illinois Times | Springfield in the spotlight: Public television viewers across the country will soon learn what Springfield has to offer, thanks to a television feature hosted by actor Dennis Quaid.

* Tribune | Museum of Broadcast Communications exits River North home: Museum officials aren’t saying yet where the museum, which is home to the nation’s only Radio Hall of Fame, is headed. However, the museum’s exhibits have been removed, and its doors are closed in its longtime 62,000-square-foot building at Kinzie and State streets.

posted by Isabel Miller
Tuesday, May 16, 23 @ 7:35 am

Comments

When you look at the board of elections website and look at all those donations for the mayor’s race you can see huge checks that had been written by CEOs and company owners.

Maybe these same people would be interested in hiring youngsters. I know Citadel contributed thousands and they also have an intern program. It’s shouldn’t be to hard to look at that list and call these people and ask them to hire this summer.

Comment by Betty Draper’s cigarette Tuesday, May 16, 23 @ 8:34 am
Re: Paying the legal fees of its convicted former executives- “Any fees paid by the company are excluded from rates and their cost is not recovered from customers.”

But I’m wondering where that money will come from if not from customers (including me)??

Comment by Friendly Bob Adams Tuesday, May 16, 23 @ 8:37 am
Agree with Friendly Bob Adams about the money. Are other execs kicking in to pay the fees? And, if so, doesn’t their money come from the customers? From investment? Where’d the money to invest come from. From shareholders? There’d be holy heck to pay in any company if shareholders had to pay.

Comment by West Side the Best Side Tuesday, May 16, 23 @ 9:10 am
“It had an awful lot of stairs, which gave us a great view of the city, but which are not conducive to having a growing family.”

This made no sense to me — but then I remembered that we have three sets of stairs and no children, so…

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

– MrJM

Comment by MisterJayEm Tuesday, May 16, 23 @ 9:20 am
From the WBEZ article: “The pro-bono costs associated with former Illinois Gov. George Ryan’s legal defense, for example, have been estimated as high as $20 million.” At Ryan’s sentencing hearing Big Jim Thompson came in and shook hands all around. Showing support for his boy Ryan. Must be nice to have friends like that who run Winston & Strawn, and can give you 10-20 $Mil when the federal authorities come after you.

The problem with ComEd is that the legislature has been giving them too many quasi-governmental powers for too many years, like being able to enter anyone’s land at any time and not be charged with trespassing and criminal damage to property. So glad to see them taken down a peg.

Observation re. Scott Lassar: I don’t know if he’s a good defense attorney, but his nasally voice is a turnoff. He sounds like one of old my burned out Chicago high school teachers.

Comment by Payback Tuesday, May 16, 23 @ 10:24 am
@MrJM =but which are not conducive to having a growing family.=

Oddly worded. Bottom line, having little kids bedrooms on another floor as your own isn’t ideal. Having stairs separate living spaces with little kids also not ideal.

Comment by Cool Papa Bell Tuesday, May 16, 23 @ 10:25 am
So learn IL has lost it only downstate office holder, ComEd has cash from sources other than ratepayer and no one has done the math on who else was paid from the $40,000 contract.

Comment by Annonin' Tuesday, May 16, 23 @ 10:54 am
Sad to hear the Museum of Broadcast Communications is gone. It was really neat when I visited.

Comment by hisgirlfriday Tuesday, May 16, 23 @ 11:17 am