Daily Political Highlights

March 20, 2023

March 20, 2023

Daily News

• * News-Gazette | Behind-the-scenes state office helps judges decide bond amounts: “There’s been a law on the books that required pretrial services since the ’80s, but nothing was done with it because the Legislature never funded it,” said Champaign County Judge Brett Olmstead, whose primary assignment is to set bonds five days a week for people accused of crimes. […] The state Supreme Court realized that judges would need information quickly about defendants — as much and as accurate as possible — to make those decisions. Enter Cara LeFevour Smith, hired in fall 2021 to start the Office of Statewide Pretrial Services from scratch.

  * Herald & Review | Comprehensive Illinois gun violence data ‘unattainable,’ state police say: But in the four years since the law was signed, the state’s top law enforcement agency is still in the dark, telling lawmakers in the February report that the “lack of a centralized and uniform data collection tool for use by all Illinois law enforcement agencies has made the collection and reporting of all mandated information unattainable.”

  * Tribune | Political rift between Michael Madigan, Senate President John Cullerton gets public airing at ‘ComEd Four’ trial: Madigan complained about a political ad critical of him and tied to Senate Democrats that Cullerton led in 2018, saying that the attacks should be aimed at President Donald Trump and other Republicans rather than the speaker, who doubled as chair of the Democratic Party of Illinois.

  * Crain’s | Nursing home workers ask for stricter staffing rules amid industrywide worker shortage: SEIU is advocating for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to enforce a stricter staffing rule recommended in its own research, which found that a minimum of 4.1 nursing hours per resident a day are needed to prevent harm to residents. But in some Illinois facilities, nursing homes report as low as 2.16 required hours of care per day, SEIU officials say. Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed legislation in January requiring minimum staffing levels of 3.8 hours per resident per day, and 2.5 hours per day for residents who need intermediate care, but the rules won’t go into effect until 2025.

  * Tribune | Lake in the Hills bakery ‘likely forced to close’ due to financial struggles after threats, vandalism last summer over planned drag event: Lake in the Hills-based UpRising Bakery and Cafe announced “horrific attacks” on the establishment dating back to last summer, including threats and vandalism that led up to a planned drag show in July, have forced the bakery to close its doors as soon as the end of March.

  * Daily Herald | Election workers wanted in Cook, DuPage, McHenry counties: “Our election (workers) are a precious resource and they deserve this pay raise,” County Clerk Karen Yarbrough said in a news release. “They are the lifeblood of our election operations and we could not get the job done without their service.”

  * JG-TC | More female firefighter recruitment encouraged in Illinois: “It seems like we wait until we get into a war before we start recognizing the women on the other side that can very much contribute to the success of the fire service,” Swan said. “Without (women), we would be really struggling, and that’s happening all around Illinois and this country. Realizing that we need both sexes to be able to do our jobs out there, to protect lives and property.”

  * ABC 20 | GOP, Dems draw battle lines over few swing districts: Battle lines are being drawn for the 2024 election, with congressional Republicans going on offense and releasing a list of targeted Democrats in competitive districts. The NRCC listed 37 seats, two of which will be open, that it’s eyeing as “prime pick-up opportunities for Republicans.”

  * Crain’s | California firm buys Mag Mile retail property: A venture of Los Angeles-based Blatteis & Schnur last week bought the fully leased, 5,860-square-foot block of retail space at 909 N. Michigan Ave. on the ground floor of the Westin Michigan Avenue Chicago, according to a source familiar with the deal. Bethesda, Md.-based Pebblebrook Hotel Trust, which owns the hotel and sold the retail portion, announced today that it sold the retail property for $27.3 million but did not disclose the name of the buyer.

  * AP | World on ‘thin ice’ as UN climate report gives stark warning: Stepping up his pleas for action on fossil fuels, Guterres called for rich countries to accelerate their target for achieving net zero emissions to as early as 2040, and developing nations to aim for 2050 — about a decade earlier than most current targets. He also called for them to stop using coal by 2030 and 2040, respectively, and ensure carbon-free electricity generation in the developed world by 2035, meaning no gas-fired power plants either.

  * WCIA | Gov. Oglesby Mansion hosting its first open house of the year next weekend: The house, located on W. William Street, was built in 1876 in the Italianate style with a low-pitched roof and a widow’s walk. Officials said notable skyscraper architect William Jenney was commissioned by Oglesby to design the home in Decatur. The Macon County Conservation District purchased the home in 1972 and began restoration in 1976.

• * News-Gazette | Behind-the-scenes state office helps judges decide bond amounts: “There’s been a law on the books that required pretrial services since the ’80s, but nothing was done with it because the Legislature never funded it,” said Champaign County Judge Brett Olmstead, whose primary assignment is to set bonds five days a week for people accused of crimes. […] The state Supreme Court realized that judges would need information quickly about defendants — as much and as accurate as possible — to make those decisions. Enter Cara LeFevour Smith, hired in fall 2021 to start the Office of Statewide Pretrial Services from scratch.

  * Herald & Review | Comprehensive Illinois gun violence data ‘unattainable,’ state police say: But in the four years since the law was signed, the state’s top law enforcement agency is still in the dark, telling lawmakers in the February report that the “lack of a centralized and uniform data collection tool for use by all Illinois law enforcement agencies has made the collection and reporting of all mandated information unattainable.”

  * Tribune | Political rift between Michael Madigan, Senate President John Cullerton gets public airing at ‘ComEd Four’ trial: Madigan complained about a political ad critical of him and tied to Senate Democrats that Cullerton led in 2018, saying that the attacks should be aimed at President Donald Trump and other Republicans rather than the speaker, who doubled as chair of the Democratic Party of Illinois.

  * Crain’s | Nursing home workers ask for stricter staffing rules amid industrywide worker shortage: SEIU is advocating for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to enforce a stricter staffing rule recommended in its own research, which found that a minimum of 4.1 nursing hours per resident a day are needed to prevent harm to residents. But in some Illinois facilities, nursing homes report as low as 2.16 required hours of care per day, SEIU officials say. Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed legislation in January requiring minimum staffing levels of 3.8 hours per resident per day, and 2.5 hours per day for residents who need intermediate care, but the rules won’t go into effect until 2025.

  * Tribune | Lake in the Hills bakery ‘likely forced to close’ due to financial struggles after threats, vandalism last summer over planned drag event: Lake in the Hills-based UpRising Bakery and Cafe announced “horrific attacks” on the establishment dating back to last summer, including threats and vandalism that led up to a planned drag show in July, have forced the bakery to close its doors as soon as the end of March.

  * Daily Herald | Election workers wanted in Cook, DuPage, McHenry counties: “Our election (workers) are a precious resource and they deserve this pay raise,” County Clerk Karen Yarbrough said in a news release. “They are the lifeblood of our election operations and we could not get the job done without their service.”

  * JG-TC | More female firefighter recruitment encouraged in Illinois: “It seems like we wait until we get into a war before we start recognizing the women on the other side that can very much contribute to the success of the fire service,” Swan said. “Without (women), we would be really struggling, and that’s happening all around Illinois and this country. Realizing that we need both sexes to be able to do our jobs out there, to protect lives and property.”

  * ABC 20 | GOP, Dems draw battle lines over few swing districts: Battle lines are being drawn for the 2024 election, with congressional Republicans going on offense and releasing a list of targeted Democrats in competitive districts. The NRCC listed 37 seats, two of which will be open, that it’s eyeing as “prime pick-up opportunities for Republicans.”

  * Crain’s | California firm buys Mag Mile retail property: A venture of Los Angeles-based Blatteis & Schnur last week bought the fully leased, 5,860-square-foot block of retail space at 909 N. Michigan Ave. on the ground floor of the Westin Michigan Avenue Chicago, according to a source familiar with the deal. Bethesda, Md.-based Pebblebrook Hotel Trust, which owns the hotel and sold the retail portion, announced today that it sold the retail property for $27.3 million but did not disclose the name of the buyer.

  * AP | World on ‘thin ice’ as UN climate report gives stark warning: Stepping up his pleas for action on fossil fuels, Guterres called for rich countries to accelerate their target for achieving net zero emissions to as early as 2040, and developing nations to aim for 2050 — about a decade earlier than most current targets. He also called for them to stop using coal by 2030 and 2040, respectively, and ensure carbon-free electricity generation in the developed world by 2035, meaning no gas-fired power plants either.

  * WCIA | Gov. Oglesby Mansion hosting its first open house of the year next weekend: The house, located on W. William Street, was built in 1876 in the Italianate style with a low-pitched roof and a widow’s walk. Officials said notable skyscraper architect William Jenney was commissioned by Oglesby to design the home in Decatur. The Macon County Conservation District purchased the home in 1972 and began restoration in 1976.