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Today, Governor JB Pritzker joined ComEd, Region 1 Planning Council, Rockford leadership, and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to announce that DOE has granted ComEd $50 million in federal funding to enhance the city of Rockford’s power grid. This Grid Resilience and Innovation Partnership (GRIP) program investment, the largest in Illinois history, supports DOE’s ongoing clean energy initiative in states across the nation. […]
The $50 million in federal funds will be matched by ComEd, alongside other investments from community partner Region 1 Planning Council and various innovation partners and vendors. By 2029, the investment in the Rockford grid will total about $116 million. The funds will enhance ComEd’s clean energy investments, further expand access to carbon energy resources, improve grid resilience against extreme weather, and offer clean jobs training for members of the Rockford community and surrounding areas. […]
Following Governor Pritzker’s landmark Climate and Equitable Jobs Act (CEJA) in 2021, the state has worked to secure private and federal investments to strengthen Illinois’ clean energy initiatives. With an ultimate goal of putting Illinois on a path to 100 percent clean energy by 2050, partners like the DOE, ComEd, and Region 1 Planning Council, have become instrumental in developing clean energy technologies and equitable workforce development in the clean energy industry.
Rockford joins as one of only 57 smart grid projects nationwide, and over the next twelve months, ComEd and other partners will identify areas and communities that would most benefit from clean energy and grid investments. Soon, the Rockford community will also see increased workforce development and small business resource programs to support the ongoing clean energy transition and secure the workforce of the future.
* Sun-Times…
A train operator had alcohol in his system when a CTA Yellow Line train crashed into a slow-moving snowplow last year and injured dozens of people, according to a report released by the National Transportation Safety Board.
But the federal agency insists the train operator’s impairment did not cause the crash.
“The investigation is ongoing, however, at this time investigators have not found that the operator’s actions contributed to the accident,” the NTSB said in a statement to the Sun-Times. A full analysis won’t be released until one or two years after the crash, the statement said. […]
About a month after the crash, the NTSB said the operator had followed protocols and stopped the train as quickly as he could. The train operator “did not do anything wrong,” National Transportation Safety Board chair Jennifer Homendy said in December. Instead, the NTSB pointed to issues in the CTA train’s brake system and leaves on the tracks that caused the wheels to slip while braking.
* Tribune | ‘This is no longer me talking’: Jurors hear first wiretap audio in Madigan corruption trial: “This is no longer me talking,” said Michael McClain, Madigan’s confidant and now co-defendant, in the wiretapped November 2018 phone conversation with then-Skokie Rep. Lou Lang. “I’m an agent, somebody that cares really deeply about you, who thinks that you really ought to move on,” McClain said in the call. On the stand Thursday, Lang said he knew McClain was saying he was simply a messenger for Madigan, who was no longer interested in giving Lang a more powerful position within the House.
* Sun-Times | ‘You really ought to move on’ — Former lawmaker testifies about call telling him Madigan wanted him out: The call between Lang and McClain occurred after someone threatened to come forward with an allegation against Lang late in 2018. Springfield had just endured months of #MeToo scandals. McClain asked Madigan on Nov. 3, 2018, “When do you want me to call Lang and just lower the boom on him?” “Sooner rather than later,” Madigan told him.
Madigan's jury now gets to see Michael McClain's famous "musket" letter about his retirement from lobbying. It was written in 2016 — roughly two years before McClain's call to Lang: pic.twitter.com/vvJm38TnY3
— Jon Seidel (@SeidelContent) October 24, 2024
* Tribune | Big money floods Illinois campaigns with few rules and little enforcement: The flood of money pouring into the state’s pliable political system has created a raucous campaign environment where the last two races for Illinois governor have become the most and third-most expensive governor’s races in the nation, and, in 2022, allowed the incumbent governor to spend as much as he wanted to help pick the Republican rival he correctly thought would be easiest to defeat. It has permitted legislative leaders in Springfield to consolidate their power and protect incumbents by weaponizing political donation rules meant to ensure fair play and directing the flow of cash to preferred candidates.
* WTTW | ‘A Moment in Time That We Cannot Afford to Squander’: New Chicago Board of Education Members Sworn in at First Meeting: Martinez, who was also present at Thursday’s meeting, has seen questions swirl about his continued employment with the school district. […] Thursday’s agenda did not include any items specifically relating to Martinez or his employment, but it did include language that during the board’s closed session it would discuss “the appointment, employment, compensation, discipline, performance, or dismissal of specific employees.” That language, however, is typical for board agendas.
* Block Club | Lakeview Parents Beg CPS For More Janitors As Teachers Clean Filthy Elementary School: Like most elementary schools in the city, Nettelhorst is usually staffed by three full-time custodians, said Chicago Public Schools spokesperson Evan Moore. Industry standards for custodial staffing in CPS schools are based on square footage and task frequency, Moore said. But before summer break, Nettelhorst’s third custodian was laid off. When teachers arrived to school Aug. 26, they quickly realized that cleaning the entire building was a job too big for just two-full time custodians.
* CBS Chicago | Argonne National Laboratory team to study causes of flooding in Chicago’s Chatham neighborhood: The Greater Chatham Initiative is a community group now working directly with a team of scientists and researchers from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Argonne National Laboratory has launched a project to focus on flooding. They are homing in on Chatham as the Chicago neighborhood hardest hit. […] “Chatham tends to flood first and tends to flood worst,” said Scott Collis of Argonne National Laboratory. “We are going to bring state-of-the-art research radar to the region.”
* Block Club | Father Of Slain Teen Caleb Westbrooks Writes Children’s Book To Honor Him — And Process Immense Grief: Westbrooks was at the airport trying to get an earlier flight home when he finally learned his son had been killed. The next few hours were full of shock and panic as he flew back to Chicago. “My brain is like, if you get hysterical or something, they’re gonna land this plane somewhere, and you won’t be able to get to Chicago,” he said. “So it was like, just keep it together. Just keep it together at all costs. Just keep it together.”
* Crain’s | Company that shut Chicago steel-conduit plant sues Mexico: The owner of a Chicago-based steel company has sued the Mexican government over claims that companies there are flooding the U.S. market with cheap product. Zekelman Industries filed the suit Oct. 21 in federal court in Washington, D.C., for breach of contract in violating the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement trade deal that replaced the North American Free Trade Agreement in 2020.
* Block Club | The Pilsen Food Pantry Is Fundraising To Help More Neighbors In Need: The Pilsen Food Pantry is looking to raise $100,000 by Oct. 31 as it hopes to continue its work of helping people who face food insecurity — and it’s close to hitting its goal. […] The Pilsen Food Pantry is open Monday-Friday, distributing fresh produce, frozen proteins, dairy, shelf-stable foods and household items to 120 clients daily. Clients can pick what they want, a model that reduces food waste, promotes healthy eating and cooking and is “more dignified” for struggling neighbors, Figueroa said.
* News-Sun | Election to determine if Lake County continues its Democratic shift; ‘The Republican Party is hungry to talk to the voters’: When exactly Lake County started turning blue is up for debate. Lake County Republican Chair Keith Brin pointed to 2016. “There was a rapid shift in the electorate and within four to six years, Lake County had flipped from a super majority of Republicans on the County Board to a super minority,” he said. Brin said the cause was national politics, which “forced people to polarize.” Suburbs were no longer “mildly red or mildly blue,” and the national elections, “didn’t play well for Republicans in Lake County.”
* Daily Herald | Lawsuit against Huntley High over E. coli outbreak dropped — for now: Just over a month after two families sued Huntley School District 158 following last year’s E. coli outbreak at Huntley High School that sickened 15 people, the lawsuit has been withdrawn, although the legal battle might not be over. McHenry County court records indicate that the plaintiffs asked for a “voluntary dismissal” of the case, which was granted Tuesday.
* Daily Herald | ‘Answer to a prayer’: Community invited to honor Korean War MIA soldier as he’s laid to rest in Elgin: For 74 years, all Gloria Valle knew about her “Tio Beto” was from stories she heard from her family. Though the Elgin woman always kept his picture up in her home, she never met her uncle Eriverto Ortiz, a U.S. Army corporal who was declared missing-in-action in Korea in 1950. But after all this time, she’ll finally get to help him find his final rest.
* Daily Herald | ‘Spaceship’-look midcentury Barrington home by noted local architect sells in warp speed: Inside, the single-story house is equally dramatic. Though about 2,700 square feet, it has only two bedrooms and 1½ bathrooms. Most of the space he said, is taken up by a “massive” great room filled with natural light where built-in couches and shelves stretch out across white carpet. Two wide steps lead to a conversation pit around the fireplace.
Back in Normal for two events today: @CongressmanRaja. He participated in a roundtable on transit issues earlier. Now, at @IllinoisStateU for a GOTV rally with @ERICSORENSEN, @sharonchungIL, @DaveKoehler_IL and other Central Illinois Democrats. #twill @illinoisdems pic.twitter.com/6UqIBPooWE
— Brenden Moore (@brendenmoore13) October 24, 2024
* SJ-R | Family of fallen Illinois State Police trooper releases statement: “Our world has been shattered, and we will never be the same,” the family said. “But we take comfort in knowing that he lived life to the fullest, he loved his family and friends deeply, and he died doing what he loved. “We could never begin to thank law enforcement or the thousands from our community who have reached out to us to express their love and support,” the family said.
* WCIA | Past Iroquois Co. health admin due back in court December after pleading not guilty to falsifying timesheets: DeAnn Schippert, the former public health administrator, pleaded not guilty in court last week, according to Iroquois County court records. Schippert was arrested by Illinois State Police and charged with 33 counts of theft of government property, forgery, and official misconduct in March. The Attorney General’s Office said Schippert was paid more than $100,000 she should not have received for fraudulent time sheets claiming regular and overtime hours she did not work.
* SJ-R | Who is Bill Pope? Meet the new owner of Gabatoni’s in Springfield: Pope said the only change planned is reopening Gabatoni’s dining room that has been closed since the pandemic in 2020. The business has operated solely as take out and delivery service since. Hours are 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday.
* Vote Beat | No, Michigan does not have more voters than residents eligible to vote: The claim — that Michigan has more voters than people eligible to vote — has been debunked extensively by the state as well as independent experts. A federal court ruling this week weighed in on a similar GOP claim, finding flaws in the comparison of data points and no proof that the discrepancy amounts to a violation of law, just as previous courts have found. Musk and others cite the data points to argue that the discrepancy could enable fraudulent voting. The claim is based on a misunderstanding about the makeup of the state’s voter roll and what it means in relation to Census population data.
* Casino Reports | Inside Pace-O-Matic’s Place In The Developing, Divisive ‘Skill Games’ Industry: Skill games are gaming devices that look and feel similar to traditional slot machines. However, whereas those casino games rely purely on chance, manufacturers like Pace-O-Matic say their games rely on the player’s skill. According to Fortune Business Insights, the global skill game industry was valued at nearly $31 billion in 2022 and it’s expected to swell to $85.34 billion by 2030. And, in the U.S., it’s all unregulated.
posted by Isabel Miller
Thursday, Oct 24, 24 @ 2:27 pm
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Raja stretching out. Has 12 more days to run around the state and rally volunteers and party loyalists. He will need them soon enough.
Comment by Frida's Boss Thursday, Oct 24, 24 @ 3:31 pm
am I the only one who finds that letter to Shirley and Mike completely nuts?
Comment by Amalia Thursday, Oct 24, 24 @ 3:46 pm
@Amalia
Seemed nuts to me too.
Comment by Back to the Future Thursday, Oct 24, 24 @ 4:35 pm
To think that MJM put his trust into the author of that letter, trust as an advisor and confidante… it just seems impossible that he would be that dumb considering the power he wielded and the other much smarter people he had available. Utterly impossible.
Comment by Lincoln Lad Thursday, Oct 24, 24 @ 5:13 pm
As McClain references his “Catholic nun penmanship,” he may have sampled a bit of the Church’s wine as he composed these nuggets.
And, it’s the Palmer Method taught by the Sisters in Catholic schools.
Comment by Rudy’s teeth Thursday, Oct 24, 24 @ 5:41 pm
When Blago was tried all the tapes were available on line for anybody to listen. Are the Madigan tapes available to hear? Blago tapes were on the US ATTY northern district of illinois site but madigan tapes not there. can anybody shed light on this?
Comment by friends and family Tuesday, Oct 29, 24 @ 8:27 am