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Isabel’s morning briefing

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Illinois

* ICYMI: Pritzker, Johnson, Preckwinkle meet to discuss Chicago asylum-seekers. NBC Chicago…

* Isabel’s top picks…

* Capitol News Illinois | Former GOP lawmaker’s trial again delayed amid last-minute hospitalization: McCann had been granted an extension of his trial in late November after ditching his court-appointed attorney the morning opening arguments were set to begin and announcing he’d instead be representing himself. At the time, he told reporters he was confident in his ability to defend his case because “God’s got this.” But 10 weeks later, McCann was missing in action in U.S. District Judge Colleen Lawless’ courtroom. His standby attorney Jason Vincent – the only one of his most recent team of court-appointed attorneys he’d allowed to continue being associated with his case – said his client was in the hospital having been ill over the weekend, including passing out on Saturday night.

* Daily Southtown | Thornton Township Supervisor Tiffany Henyard announces $1 million for housing help during Facebook event: Thornton Township is earmarking $1 million to help residents behind on rent and mortgages, but where the money is coming from isn’t clear. Township Supervisor Tiffany Henyard said the program is meant to provide a maximum of $3,000 assistance to individual homeowners or renters, but can’t be used to help homeowners who are already in the eviction process.

* Here’s the rest of your morning roundup…

* Daily Herald | Casten heading into primary with huge cash lead over opponents: With early voting for the March 19 showdown set to begin Thursday, Casten’s campaign committee reported having a little more than $1 million saved for advertising, consultants and other expenses that might come up in what’s left of the primary race, according to a year-end campaign finance report filed with the Federal Election Commission. In stark contrast, Democratic challenger and Oakbrook Terrace resident Mahnoor Ahmad’s campaign had less than $4,200 saved at year’s end, records show.

* ABC Chicago | Age, ethics and money to be key issues in Illinois 7th District congressional race: [US Rep. Danny Davis] is running for a 15th term, announcing a new round of endorsements from a group of state lawmakers on Monday. […] Collins, who challenged Davis the last two elections and came within six points in 2022, hopes the third time is the charm.

* WTAX | Bailey’s border broadcast: Bailey, the former state lawmaker and 2022 Republican candidate for governor, is now running in the 12th Congressional District in southern Illinois, saying U.S. Rep. Mike Bost (R-Murphysboro), the incumbent, has not done enough to keep the border secure. Joining Bailey was the vice chair of the Illinois Freedom Caucus. State Rep. Blaine Wilhour (pictured, left) (R-Beecher City) is facing a primary fight to keep his seat in the Illinois House.

* Daily Southtown | Park Forest use of drone in arrest is part of debate on use of unmanned crafts: Autonomous drones and the role they should play in Illinois policing continues to be debated in the nine years since the Freedom from Drone Surveillance Act was passed. Lawmakers in 2023 passed the latest amendment, allowing police to fly drones over large public gatherings without a warrant to hopefully stop mass crime events, such as the 2022 Fourth of July mass shooting in Highland Park. “When we pass legislation that allows law enforcement to potentially overstep privacy, I get a little wary about the slippery slope of what that could look like,” Democratic state Sen. Rachel Ventura of Joliet said after the bill passed her chamber in May. “At the same point, we have to find that balance on the spectrum between freedom and safety.”

* Lake County News-Sun | Vista Medical Center East stripped of Level II trauma center designation; ‘Without proper intervention, lives will be lost’: Mike Claffey, a spokesperson for the IDPH, said in an email Sunday the designation was revoked “due to its absence of essential services needed to maintain this designation, including lack of a blood bank, anesthesia, neurology, urology, or a full-time trauma coordinator.”

* Daily Herald | ‘We hope they get things back in order very quickly’: Concerns raised with revocation of Vista East’s Level II Trauma Center designation: Besides Waukegan, Vista serves North Chicago, Zion, Winthrop Harbor, Beach Park, Antioch, Lake Villa and Wadsworth. Vista is pursuing a corrective action plan, said Mark Pfister, Lake County Health Department executive director.

* WTTW | Chicago Principals Association Leader Calls for Accountability After CTU President’s ‘Concerning’ Comments, Union’s ‘Divisive Campaigns’: In a letter written Feb. 2 to CPS CEO Pedro Martinez, Chicago Principals and Administrators Association President Troy LaRaviere wrote, in part: “On Thursday, January 25, 2024, (Hozian’s) safety and well-being were threatened by CTU President Stacy Davis-Gates, who encouraged two Stevenson teachers to “punch your principal in the face,” and then publicly celebrated this comment by repeating it to a room filled with approximately 200 people participating in the Sustainable Community Schools Initiative.”

* Center Square | Illinois legislators return to capitol Tuesday: Top of mind is the state budget for the fiscal year that begins July 1. Illinois taxpayers will hear more about how Gov. J.B. Pritzker plans to spend their tax dollars during his budget and State of the State address Wednesday, Feb. 21. He’s indicated there will be a lot of priorities legislators will have to balance.

* The Crusader | Lt. Governor Juliana Stratton launches Illinois Healing-Centered Task Force: Created by Senate Bill 646, the IHCTF will coordinate existing projects, identify the impact of intergenerational trauma to develop preventative solutions and facilitate broader community engagement. This work will be used to inform legislators on applying trauma-informed principles to the policymaking process.

* Block Club | Pilsen Lot Being Cleaned Up Ahead Of Huge Affordable Housing Development: The site is contaminated with total petroleum hydrocarbons and lead, the city said. total petroleum hydrocarbon is present from a leaking underground storage tank that was removed from a nearby former Go Time gas station, while the lead contamination is from a manufacturing plant that was on the site when it was owned by National Lead.

* WFMJ | Imprisoned mom wins early release but same relief blocked for some other domestic violence survivors: A survivor of human trafficking who is imprisoned in Illinois for shooting a man sought and was granted a resentencing that will lead to her early release.

* Semafor | Leading US lawmaker on China committee says he doesn’t want a TikTok ban: Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL), the ranking Democrat member on the House Select Committee on China, said he had concerns about TikTok’s U.S. operations but did not support a total U.S. ban on the app. “I don’t want to see a ban,” Krishnamoorthi told Semafor’s Morgan Chalfant at Semafor’s Principals Live event on Monday. “The concern is this: If it’s owned by a company thats beholden to the CCP, then you have a new level of concern beyond the social media companies.”

* Rock River Current | Hard Rock Casino Announces Donations Of More Than $1M Across Rockford Region In 2023: Hard Rock took in more than $69 million in revenue from gambling at its Rockford casino in 2023, according to data from the Illinois Gaming Board. It was a 26% increase from 2022. That revenue generated more than $4 million in local taxes.

* Farm Week | IL farmers featured in Super Bowl commercial: Little did Matt Boucher know a social media post spotlighting three generations on his farm would springboard his family to a role in a Super Bowl commercial. The fourth-generation Livingston County farmer and his daughter will be featured in a commercial highlighting the fact that 96% of Illinois farms are family-owned.

* Fox Chicago | How the Waltham Curling Club grew into an Illinois icon that inspires Olympic dreams: If you blink, you might miss it. Triumph, Illinois, is a town of about 100 people. It spans three blocks with a church, a post office, a closed up bar and its century-old curling club. The Waltham Curling Club stands tall in Triumph as the oldest curling club in the state of Illinois.

* Crain’s | Rivian teases first look at smaller, less expensive electric SUV: The model, which Rivian executives have said will be a midsize SUV, is expected to be priced from roughly $40,000 to $60,000, and is slated to be available in 2026. The older R1 line has an average selling price starting at $73,000. The R2 will be marketed at a price point where there are currently not a lot of options, Rivian CEO R.J. Scaringe has told investors.

posted by Isabel Miller
Tuesday, Feb 6, 24 @ 7:43 am

Comments

It’s good to see the pricing are dropping, but for EVs to become common place manufacturers need to find a way to produce a much more affordable option. $40,000 is not a realistic price tag for the vast majority of the population.

Comment by It's Electric Tuesday, Feb 6, 24 @ 9:11 am
IL farmers featured in Super Bowl commercial

“Boucher Farms raises corn, soybeans, wheat and cover crops, as well as pork and chicken for local sales. The operation also includes a trucking business and seed sales. Boucher, as well as his wife, Heather, and teenaged children Harlie, Cole and Delaney, all help out on the farm”

Love this, a hard-working and typical IL farmer getting a national ad. Hopefully, this will also encourage the ILGA to increase the state estate tax threshold for family farms.

Comment by Donnie Elgin Tuesday, Feb 6, 24 @ 9:23 am
3 things-

-It appears that Henyard hasn’t read a history book. Or at least followed the Betty Lauren Maltese story. These things always end the same way.

-Apparently running a family farm like “hands of a farmer” Bailey isn’t a full time job.

- The Illinois Freedom Caucus needs a vice chair? That is hilarious. How bad are that at organization that they need a vice chair for 5 or 6 guys?

Comment by JS Mill Tuesday, Feb 6, 24 @ 9:50 am
===$40,000 is not a realistic price tag for the vast majority of the population. ===

“The U.S. new-vehicle average transaction price in December 2023 was $48,759″

https://mediaroom.kbb.com/2024-01-11-Automotive-Market-Shifts-to-Favor-Buyers-as-U-S-New-Vehicle-Prices-Down-Record-2-4-Year-Over-Year-in-December-2023

Comment by Rich Miller Tuesday, Feb 6, 24 @ 10:45 am
The Sun-Times has a good article on their website about the history of Chicago’s expressways, and how their building contributed to racial segregation: https://chicago.suntimes.com/2024/2/6/23949386/kennedy-eisenhower-dan-ryan-expressway-highway-construction-traffic-segregation-urban-renewal-race

Comment by JoanP Tuesday, Feb 6, 24 @ 11:03 am
Those Rivian vehicles look pretty cool I live fairly close to the plant and have to say they are sharp looking.

Comment by clec dcn Tuesday, Feb 6, 24 @ 11:45 am
Rich - Acknowledged, but what is the percentage of families that can afford to purchase a new vehicle? This article says only 22 percent can afford a new car. At that rate, we are not going to see EVs become the norm for sometime. Just an observation, I would buy one if I could afford one. https://www.thestreet.com/automotive/why-only-about-22-percent-of-americans-can-afford-a-new-car-

Comment by It's Electric Tuesday, Feb 6, 24 @ 11:46 am
= this will also encourage the ILGA to increase the state estate tax threshold for family farms.=

Yeah, those poor oppressed Illinois farmers. They all have half a dozen or more corporations, receive every subsidy known to man and pay next to no taxes. We really need to help them out a little more. You know, because they are hard working.

Comment by JS Mill Tuesday, Feb 6, 24 @ 12:02 pm
=This article says only 22 percent can afford a new car.=

I can afford to buy a new car but haven’t done so in well over a decade. Buying a new car means taking a huge depreciation hit. I typically buy low mileage cars that are 3-4 years old. The cost on average is about 50-60% of their original retail and in many instances they’re still covered under the manufacturer’s warranty. With new leases typically running 36-48 months there’s no shortage of these cars on the market including electrics.

Comment by Pundent Tuesday, Feb 6, 24 @ 12:17 pm
=== This article says only 22 percent can afford a new car. At that rate===

You’re conflating two different things. Also, while it’s true that most people can’t afford a new car, I think that’s probably always been true.

Either way, this is not an EV issue per se. No way would I buy a brand new full-size truck, EV or not. Not gonna spend that kind of money.

Comment by Rich Miller Tuesday, Feb 6, 24 @ 12:23 pm
I never buy cars new; it’s not fiscally prudent. That does mean it will take longer before my choices for my next car include hybrids or ev because of demand versus supply. I’ve seen the Rivians up close and agree they are impressive and good looking.

The way we buy cars continues to change and the trend is moving away from straight purchases and 4 years loans to a subscription/lease model, which suits the car makers but I’m not convinced it’s great for consumers.

Comment by Give Us Barabbas Tuesday, Feb 6, 24 @ 12:24 pm
===which suits the car makers but I’m not convinced it’s great for consumers===

I leased two Cadillac plug-in hybrids because I wasn’t convinced that the technology was strong enough for them to hold their value. It has a purpose. Cadillac discontinued that car or I would’ve probably leased another one.

Comment by Rich Miller Tuesday, Feb 6, 24 @ 12:29 pm
confused. Illinois Politico says Firefighters Union local 2 endorsed Clayton Harris. X has a post from Eileen O’Neill Burke where she is pictured with union brass for an endorsement. are they both endorsed?

Comment by Amalia Tuesday, Feb 6, 24 @ 12:30 pm
=$40,000 is not a realistic price tag for the vast majority of the population.=

That may be true. That said, the average price of a new car is almost $49,000 right now

https://caredge.com/guides/new-car-price-trends-in-2024

Comment by Joe Bidenopolous Tuesday, Feb 6, 24 @ 1:27 pm
Sure, new cars are expensive, but the used EV market is not very friendly to families on a budget either. The cost of replacing an EV’s battery can be prohibitive, especially to those who could not afford a new EV in the first place (ranging from $5,000 to $20,000). A Tesla 3’s replacement battery costs is 30% of its MSRP. https://www.cars.com/articles/how-much-do-electric-car-batteries-cost-to-replace-465308/. I understand all cars require regular maintenance and upkeep costs, but the risk of having to spend $15,000 to $20,000 on a replacement battery doesn’t make the used market for EVs very attractive, especially to that 78 percent of the population who couldn’t afford a new one. My point being, EVs, new or used, only seem to be realistic purchases for the wealthy, which is something I would like to see change.

Comment by It's Electric Tuesday, Feb 6, 24 @ 2:07 pm
===but the risk of having to spend $15,000 to $20,000 on a replacement battery doesn’t make the used market for EVs very attractive===

Another reason why I leased.

Comment by Rich Miller Tuesday, Feb 6, 24 @ 2:13 pm
It might reduce buyer anxiety over used EV purchases if the possibility of needing an early pack replacement was covered by insurance or a tax break or incentives other than just a break on the initial purchase price.

Comment by Give Us Barabbas Tuesday, Feb 6, 24 @ 3:51 pm
== No way would I buy a brand new full-size truck, EV or not. Not gonna spend that kind of money. ==

Car prices are insane, EV or not. Was having my paid for Lincoln serviced for a recall, and the salesmen kept trying to get me interested in a new Lincoln. The fully loaded Navigator on the showroom floor had a sticker of $105,105 … before tax. Insane.

And I don’t even fit in it; too tall.

Comment by RNUG Tuesday, Feb 6, 24 @ 9:04 pm
===Insane===

I will not buy a car that’s more expensive than my first house, which was around $65,000.

I came close on the last one (because I wanted an all-wheel-drive convertible and I absolutely loved it, and because it was not only below that nominal price mark but also way below inflation-adjusted dollars), but that’s it for me. No more.

I’m now looking to trade in my low-mileage 2013 Ram 150 for a Ford Maverick hybrid (which is a bit more than half the inflation-adjusted price I originally paid for my beloved monster). The 2019 convertible is almost paid for. Not sure if I’ll keep it (upkeep costs are crazy for that manufacturer), but I do love a ragtop.

Comment by Rich Miller Wednesday, Feb 7, 24 @ 1:18 am