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Afternoon roundup

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Illinois

* All that turmoil for this? Sun-Times…

Eleven acres of Southwest Side land being set up for a migrant tent camp has a long history of industrial use, raising questions about the polluted soil and the health impact for the hundreds of people who would live there.

City officials are performing environmental testing of the land at 38th and California in Brighton Park as they prepare for a possible temporary home for at least 2,000 migrants. The site for the camp, which is surrounded by a residential area, is zoned for heavy manufacturing use.

Despite residents’ protests about the proposed housing, the city says the area appears to be “viable” for the camp. That determination was made before environmental testing.

The site, once owned by a railroad, previously included a zinc smelter, a potentially toxic operation that uses heat and chemicals to extract metals, according to a historic map provided by a community-based environmental organization.

Oy.

* “That kind of crowd”? WTTW…

It will be much more difficult for migrants sent to Chicago from the southern border to get a municipal identification card before the end of the year after City Clerk Anna Valencia canceled the remaining events designed to bring City Hall into the city’s neighborhoods.

More than 1,000 people – mostly migrants – lined up hours before the city clerk’s event on Oct. 12 at Gill Park in Wrigleyville was scheduled to start, overwhelming the 15-person staff, Valencia told WTTW News.

“It was too much to manage,” Valencia said. “You don’t know what’s going to happen when you have that kind of crowd. It didn’t seem like it would be a safe event.” […]

Valencia said she did not ask the mayor’s office or other city departments to provide additional staff or resources to allow the scheduled Mobile City Hall events to take place, or to add additional events to meet the demand for the city ID cards from the migrants.

* Maybe Chicago could forgive the water bill for this church…

A west suburban church is calling on others to help after spending thousands of dollars in recent weeks to help migrants.

The Parish of St. Catherine-St. Lucy and St. Giles in Oak Park said they’ve opened up their doors for migrants to shower, dress and eat, and the bills have skyrocketed. […]

These shower days mean water bills, which used to be in the hundreds, have skyrocketed to close to $10,000.

“You can see this is wonderful, but it’s not sustainable, by no means, and we are over capacity,” Woznica said.

* ABC 7…

Four people were taken to the hospital from a Chicago police station, where many migrants are staying, Monday morning.

One of those transports, from the 1st District police station near 17th and State streets in the South Loop, was a child.

Several emergency crews were on the scene.

There are several tents set up outside, with dozens of migrants walking around the area.

Crews were called for a report of multiple sick people at the police station.

* OK, let’s change topics. Press release…

Today, Governor Pritzker was joined by Lieutenant Governor Juliana Stratton, Deputy Governor Grace Hou, Deputy Governor Martin Torres, elected officials, and state agency directors at the Carole Robertson Center for Learning to announce a proposal to create a new state agency to house all early childhood programs and funding. The new unified agency will provide a more equitable, integrated, and holistic system of services for young children and families in Illinois.

“We need a governance system that is unified in its approach to serving families, working with providers, and promoting equity,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “Our Smart Start Illinois plan served as the catalyst for this transition, but this new agency will cover so much more. From ISBE’s Early Childhood Block Grants and DCFS’ day care licensing program to DHS’ child care, home visiting and early intervention services, soon all of these programs will be administered under the same agency.”

Reaction from Dezaray Brookshire, State Government Director for Illinois Directors and Owners of Childcare Centers (ILDOCC)…

First, on behalf of ILDOCC, we want to applaud Governor Pritzker and his administration for acknowledging that the licensure and oversight of licensed daycares in the state of Illinois, as overseen by the Department of Children and Family Services, is broken and in desperate need for reform. We agree wholeheartedly that new leadership and a fresh approach is critical to rebuilding and strengthening childcare access in Illinois. And creating a single agency focused exclusively on this issue is a positive step forward.

However, even with today’s announcement, it is important to note that the biggest trade organizations that represent providers of child care in every corner of the state were not involved, consulted or informed prior to this morning’s event. This is an example of what providers have faced far too often — where policy decisions are made without the input of the front line experts that provide these services which are relied upon by working families in Illinois.

We welcome Governor Pritzker’s statement that the process must include all stakeholders, and his acknowledgement that the process will require legislation. This alone is a critical improvement over the status quo. As an organization that represents nearly 1,000 separate childcare facilities in Illinois, we look forward to the promise of our inclusion in this process. More importantly, we look forward to working with our legislative champions to ensure this process improves the industry, addresses the long-standing staffing crisis crippling the industry, and increases access to affordable childcare in every corner of the state.

* Isabel’s roundup…

* Tribune | Ald. Julia Ramirez issues statement ahead of meeting on potential migrant camp: ‘the mayor’s office did not consult with me’: “Additionally, to my frustration, the mayor’s office did not consult with me or my office about their current plans to construct a temporary shelter — meant to house 1,500 people — at 38th & California, nor did they inform my office that they would be sending work crews to conduct a site assessment last week,” she wrote.

* Crain’s | When her house sells, she’ll donate the proceeds to help homeless people and migrants: Robin Potter is selling her Logan Square home of 43 years with an unusual plan for more than $600,000 in proceeds she’s likely to collect when the sale closes: She’ll donate the entire amount to programs that help migrants and those experiencing homelessness in Chicago. “There’s need on a grand scale in this city, with 18,000 migrants and 68,000 people homeless,” says Potter, a labor and employment attorney. “They’re struggling, and it’s our duty to help them.”

* Tribune | 350 Horizon Therapeutics workers to be laid off, mostly from Deerfield offices, following acquisition by Amgen: As of late last year, Horizon had about 2,000 workers globally, including about 600 in its Deerfield offices, which were the company’s U.S. headquarters. Amgen acquired Horizon on Oct. 6 in a $27.8 billion deal. Amgen said in a statement that about 80% of Horizon’s workers will be placed into jobs at Amgen. The 350 who are being laid off are losing their jobs largely because of “overlap with existing teams at Amgen,” Amgen said in the statement.

* WTTW | City Health Official Watchdog Said Should Be Fired for Role in Smokestack Implosion Promoted, Will Oversee Environmental Inspections and Enforcement: The full 94-page report from the Office of the Inspector General, first reported by WTTW News, urged Graham’s termination, saying evidence demonstrated he was responsible for the “abdication of responsibility and willful bureaucratic negligence” for issues including the failure to adequately soak the ground prior to the implosion, which was led by Hilco Redevelopment Partners.

* WTTW | Cook County Prosecutors Won’t Charge Man Accused of Firing Gun Near Pro-Palestinian Rally in Skokie: Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx’s office announced in a statement that after the office reviewed the events, it would not be filing charges against the man. “After reviewing the evidence, which includes surveillance video and witness statements, we have determined the individual, who holds a valid FOID card and Conceal Carry License and has no criminal history, acted in self-defense upon being surrounded by a crowd and attacked by some of those individuals,” Foxx’s office said.

* Block Club | Bring Chicago Home Advocates Rally To Get Northwest Side Alderpeople On Board With Proposal: Members of 39th Ward Neighbors United, the Chicago Coalition for the Homeless and Communities United held a Monday rally at Ald. Samantha Nugent’s 39th Ward office, 4200 W. Lawrence Ave., to ask her to support the proposal. Over 50 people attended the rally, according to the sign-in sheet, said Mary Tarullo, associate director of policy and strategy at the coalition.

* Beacon-News | Kane officials say new solar field will save the county $200,000 a year: The solar field will be owned, operated and maintained by Nelnet Renewable Energy. The county will purchase the power from Nelnet at a reduced rate. The project was developed by the Kane County Environmental and Water Resources Department and members of the Kane County Board Energy and Environmental Committee.

* Daily Herald | $159 million redevelopment project at old Lombard seminary in jeopardy? Developer looking at options: Nearly three years ago, a suburban developer laid out an ambitious plan for a former seminary campus next to Lombard’s Yorktown Center mall. […] The mixed-use project, however, still hasn’t gotten off the ground. The Schaumburg-based development group is looking at their options, including taking on a partner to pursue the original plan, village officials say.

* Crain’s | MacKenzie Scott breaks donation record at another Chicago nonprofit: Billionaire philanthropist MacKenzie Scott donated $8 million to Cara Collective, a Chicago-based workforce development organization. The gift is its largest donation ever, the nonprofit said. This is the latest donation to a Chicago-area nonprofit by Scott, who has donated more than $270 million to Chicago-based locations over the past few years.

* WAND | Owner of Macon Speedway plans to sell: According to the post, Kearns purchased Macon Speedway with the intention of running it with his family but medical issues have made it difficult. Kearns said that if the speedway does not sell in the off season to the right person, he and his son will continue to run it in 2024. The 2023 banquet to honor racers is still slated to continue.

* San Francisco | California DMV suspends Cruise’s driverless taxis in S.F., citing safety concerns: The DMV, one of the state’s regulators for self-driving cars, said there is no set timeline for the suspension. At this time, the DMV says the suspension of Cruise’s driverless ops is based on the determination that “the manufacturer’s vehicles are not safe for the public’s operation.”

* NBC | Tesla says Justice Department is expanding investigations and issuing subpoenas for information: The additional investigation topics and the subpoenas suggest that prosecutors have broadened their inquiry, and they have found the need to force Tesla to disclose information, legal experts say. The filing indicates prosecutors may be investigating Tesla CEO Elon Musk, and whether the company has been candid in describing the features of its vehicles, they say.

* Block Club | Enjoy The 80-Degree Weather — It’ll Be In The 40s By Next Week: “There’s basically a lot of strong, southerly and southwesterly wind, which is pumping a lot of warmer air into the area from the southern plains and the Gulf Coast,” he said. “That’s allowed us to warm up.” Warmer weather in the high 60s and low 70s is expected through the end of the week, though rain is also part of the forecast. By the weekend, temperatures will drop into the 40s and 50s as a cold front passes through the area, Yack said.

posted by Rich Miller
Tuesday, Oct 24, 23 @ 2:34 pm

Comments

FWIW it looks like you can donate to the Oak Park chuch here (can Chicago, presuming they sell Oak Park the water, give an exemption to a church?
All money is fungible, so I’m wondering if that violates the First Amendment.)

http://www.stcatherinestlucy.org/stewardship-and-giving/

Comment by Anonymous Tuesday, Oct 24, 23 @ 2:42 pm
===All that turmoil for this?===

PrOJecT MaNagEMeNT.

Comment by Three Dimensional Checkers Tuesday, Oct 24, 23 @ 2:46 pm
===“It was too much to manage,” Valencia said===

Good thing she’s not Secretary of State, amirite?

Comment by Oswego Willy Tuesday, Oct 24, 23 @ 2:49 pm
And what typically occurs with zinc? Lead. Zinc smelters all over the country and in other parts of Illinois are heavily contaminated with various heavy metals. Sounds like a great place to keep children. But, the adjoining developed neighborhoods are likely contaminated too.

Comment by Jibba Tuesday, Oct 24, 23 @ 4:08 pm
I’m a Democrat so I’m gonna support my Democrats. But Chicago, DC, you are not doing us proud on how you are handling any aspect of this immigration situation.You gotta do better.

Comment by Amalia Tuesday, Oct 24, 23 @ 4:12 pm
This fiasco in communicating anything related to a plan plus last night’s communications mess shows the mayor’s communications and press team is drowning and taking the mayor down with them. It’s time for a shake up.

Comment by The Dream is Over Tuesday, Oct 24, 23 @ 5:05 pm