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* Tribune | Turnover and change are backdrop as new General Assembly is sworn in, despite continued Democratic dominance: Turnover and change was the backdrop for the inaugural, where 16 new senators and 24 new representatives were sworn in — with two House vacancies yet to be filled — as several veteran lawmakers in both parties departed due to resignation or election losses.
* Sun-Times | Welcome warning? Illinois Senate president’s message to newly sworn senators: Fly right or get lost: Illinois Senate President Don Harmon quoted both his late mother, who worried “that Springfield will change your notion of what the right thing is,” and former Chicago Police Supt. James Rochford, who once warned officers “If you lack integrity, get out — get out now.”
* AP | Legislature’s swearing in heavy on symbolism, selflessness: Speaking from the Old State Capitol rostrum where Abraham Lincoln delivered his June 1858 “House Divided” speech, newly reelected Senate President Don Harmon noted that Lincoln’s call for slavery’s demise cost him a U.S. Senate seat. Even though Lincoln had no idea the same idea would make him president two years later, he knew that people needed to hear the words even advisers said were too radical, Harmon said.
* WMBD | Illinois House Bill 9 needs one more signature to be made law: Passed in the Illinois House and Senate, there’s one more stop for House Bill 9. It’s a bill that would amend the Vital Records Act, requiring the state registrar to issue a new birth certificate to someone who would like to change their gender identity.
* WGN | Ald. Derrick Curtis involved in Southwest Side shooting — again: The daughter of a Southwest Side alderman was shot in the leg last week during a concealed carry class taught by her father — the same alderman who shot himself in the hand last October.
* Tribune | Ex-US Rep. Luis Gutierrez allegedly lobbied Speaker Michael Madigan for ComEd board appointment for Juan Ochoa, according to new filing: Among the new revelations: Former McPier boss Juan Ochoa is expected to testify how he enlisted the help of a member of Congress in 2017 to help repair his tattered political relationship with Madigan and ultimately secure a lucrative position on ComEd’s board of directors.
* Chalkbeat | Illinois lame-duck legislative session: Education bills you might have missed: Among the education bills passed was one that focused on the state’s bus driver shortage. When students returned to the classrooms during the 2021-22 school year, many districts struggled to hire bus drivers to transport students to and from school. In Chicago, students with disabilities were hit the hardest. Throughout Illinois, students in rural communities or areas that do not have a public transportation system struggled to get to school.
* WTTW | Lightfoot Campaign Asks CPS Teachers to Encourage Students to Help Her Win Reelection in Return for Credit: It was unclear how many Chicago teachers received the email from Megan Crane, whose LinkedIn page identifies her as the deputy campaign manager for Lightfoot. The message was sent to teachers’ official work email accounts, which end in cps.edu.
* Sun-Times | Feds say ex-Board of Review worker should get up to 2.5 years in prison for taking bribes for tax breaks: A defense attorney for Danilo “Danny B” Barjaktarevic asked a judge to sentence him to probation instead, arguing he’s already lost his job, will lose his pension, brought shame to his name and spent hours answering questions from the FBI.
* Tribune | With state’s ban on military-style firearms, Illinois gun shop owners wake up to a new reality: Roger Krahl, who owns R-Guns in Carpentersville, said Wednesday that it is a “tragedy” that the new law affects law-abiding Illinoisans. His shop specializes in selling the kind of guns banned under the new law.
* Patch | Elmhurst’s Mazzochi No Longer In House: Douglass’ election was certified in late November. But Mazzochi has not publicly acknowledged her loss. Even an Elmhurst GOP official who recently reported on the outcomes of local races excluded Mazzochi’s result.
* WBBM | The next drug frontier in Illinois could be magic mushrooms – for medical use, only: An Illinois House member has introduced a measure that could pave the way for the regulated use of psychedelics in treating a variety of mental and physical illnesses. House Bill 1 from Rep. LaShawn Ford, D-Chicago, would create a psychedelic therapy program for people 18 and older that employs “natural medicines produced and tested at licensed service centers,” according to a news release.
* WCIA | General Assembly issues resolutions to honor Scott Bennett: “Stacy, I know you did not ask for this role,” Senate President Don Harmon (D-Oak Park) said. “Everyone in this room wishes that you did not have to fill it. But I am confident that you will also always be your children’s hero. And you will always be part of the senate family.”
* WBEZ | People with sex and gun convictions are required to register with police. CPD can’t keep up.: Thousands of people in Chicago are on a criminal conviction registry, including registries for gun crimes, sex offenses and murder and violence against youth. People on the registry have to show up yearly, quarterly or weekly or risk getting locked-up. But WBEZ has found men are repeatedly being turned away because of staffing shortages in the Chicago Police Department’s registry office.
* Illinois Times | An exit interview with Rodney Davis: Rodney Davis, the Taylorville resident who failed on Nov. 8 to win a sixth two-year term in the U.S. House, pointed to many successes during his career in Congress in an interview before he left office Jan. 3.
posted by Isabel Miller
Thursday, Jan 12, 23 @ 8:58 am
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The letters to the editor in today’s Illinois Times includes several more reactions to the pre-Christmas removal of two African-American candidates from the Springfield wards 5 and 7 races. Some are accusing Mayor Langfelder, the unions, and Bill Houlihan of orchestrating the removals.
https://www.illinoistimes.com/springfield/letters-to-the-editor-01-12-23/Content?oid=16305461
Comment by Stuck in Celliniland Thursday, Jan 12, 23 @ 9:13 am
Wow. That WTTW story.
Comment by yinn Thursday, Jan 12, 23 @ 9:19 am
The way Lightfoot is going, I might have to take back my thought that it would be Chuy and her in the runoff. She very well might not make it.
Comment by Ron Burgundy Thursday, Jan 12, 23 @ 9:27 am
I’m not sure Ald. Curtis is who I want to take my concealed carry classes with.
Comment by Homebody Thursday, Jan 12, 23 @ 9:36 am
-I’m not sure Ald. Curtis is who I want to take my concealed carry classes with.-
Seems kind of like the shop teacher who needs two hands to count off the five rules of band saw safety.
Comment by Ron Burgundy Thursday, Jan 12, 23 @ 9:42 am
So Lori Lightfoot’s campaign manager reaches out to CPS teachers to support a re-election campaign. There isn’t enough extra credit in the universe to make that happen.
Desperate times…desperate measures.
Comment by Rudy’s teeth Thursday, Jan 12, 23 @ 9:43 am
It’s not too late for Kelly Cassidy to retract her endorsement of Lori Lightfoot.
Comment by Shannon Rovers Thursday, Jan 12, 23 @ 9:45 am
==The letters to the editor in today’s Illinois Times includes several more reactions to the pre-Christmas removal of two African-American candidates from the Springfield wards 5 and 7 races. Some are accusing Mayor Langfelder, the unions, and Bill Houlihan of orchestrating the removals.==
Calvin Pitts is instead running a write-in campaign for Ward 5 instead. Maybe Jalessa Davis (who got removed from the Ward 7 race) could do the same thing, but better yet, a write-in for Mayor instead. Is that still possible or is it too late?
Comment by Stuck in Celliniland Thursday, Jan 12, 23 @ 10:11 am
Who in the Lightfoot campaign thought that was a good idea? “Hey, let’s ask teachers to get their students to volunteer for Lori.” And completely aside from the question of whether it’s ethical, it’s just plain stupid. Did no one point out that the CTU endorsed one of her opponents? Did they think no one would notice and blow the whistle?
Talk about shooting yourself in the foot . . .
Comment by JoanP Thursday, Jan 12, 23 @ 10:47 am
Oh boy. The outreach by Lori Lightfoot’s campaign manager was a huge blunder. What’s next?
Adding a co-chair for her re-election campaign…Joe Perillo.
Comment by Rudy’s teeth Thursday, Jan 12, 23 @ 11:14 am
It’s hard to conceal a bullet wound.
Comment by Dotnonymous Thursday, Jan 12, 23 @ 12:11 pm
From the WGN Ald. Curtis article:
““If we were in a relationship, she should have contacted me. I deserved some type of call or conversation just to see how I was doing. Just checking in on me. That’s what friends do,” Curtis told the newspaper.”
Is it just me or does that resemble examples of statements that can be viewed by some as sexual harassment? At least in state employee sexual harassment training tests and videos? I don’t think I could get away with making such a statement without consequences.
Comment by Stuck in Celliniland Thursday, Jan 12, 23 @ 12:26 pm
== Rodney Davis, the Taylorville resident who failed on Nov. 8 to win a sixth two-year term in the U.S. House, ==
Um, pretty sure Hot Rod failed to win that term back in June during the primary…
Comment by Leap Day William Thursday, Jan 12, 23 @ 1:13 pm
Rodney wasn’t unemployed for long:
https://illinoisnewsroom.org/former-congressman-rodney-davis-has-been-hired-by-a-lobbying-firm/
Comment by Stuck in Celliniland Friday, Jan 13, 23 @ 7:56 am