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* Molly Parker…
At Ludeman Developmental Center in Park Forest, 37 employees have been fired, resigned or face pending disciplinary action after a state watchdog found that they defrauded a federal pandemic-era small business loan program.
The employees who work at the state-run developmental center in south suburban Cook County include 32 mental health technicians – about 6 percent of frontline workers with that job – three residential services supervisors, one habilitation program coordinator and a licensed practical nurse.
A spokesperson for the Illinois Department of Human Services, the agency that runs the 383-bed residential center for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, confirmed these additional details late last week.
Neil Olson, the general counsel for the Illinois Office of the Executive Inspector General, previously confirmed to Capitol News Illinois that dozens of employees of state agencies and other entities under the OEIG’s jurisdiction are the subjects of an ongoing investigation into whether they fraudulently obtained Paycheck Protection Program loans. Beyond confirming the investigation, Olson declined to provide any additional details about the probe.
* In other news…
WATCH: Pritzker on expected release of IL Supreme Court gun ban opinion Friday and conflicts of interest https://t.co/8vtWm9f1jh
— Bishop On Air (@BishopOnAir) August 10, 2023
On a somewhat related note, here’s Sen. Durbin…
U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, released the following statement regarding ProPublica reporting providing the fullest public account yet of Justice Clarence Thomas’ undisclosed gifts and troubling ethical conduct, to the tune of at least 38 destination vacations, 26 private jet flights, and numerous other luxury gifts:
“The latest ProPublica revelation of unreported lavish gifts to Justice Clarence Thomas makes it clear: these are not merely ethical lapses. This is a shameless lifestyle underwritten for years by a gaggle of fawning billionaires.
“Justices Thomas and Alito have made it clear that they are oblivious to the embarrassment they have visited on the highest court in the land. Now, it is up to Chief Justice Roberts and the other Justices to act on ethics reform to save their own reputations and the integrity of the Court. If the Court will not act, then Congress must continue to.”
The Senate Judiciary Committee advanced the Supreme Court Ethics, Recusal, and Transparency Act to the full Senate on July 20. The bill would require the Supreme Court Justices to adopt a code of conduct, create a mechanism to investigate alleged violations of the code of conduct and other laws, improve disclosure and transparency when a Justice has a connection to a party or amicus before the Court, and require Justices to explain their recusal decisions to the public.
Durbin has been calling on the Supreme Court to adopt an enforceable code of conduct for more than a decade. He first sent a letter to the Chief Justice on this issue more than 11 years ago.
Click here for the story.
* Oof…
According to a copy of the Stellantis proposal [UAW contract negotiation] obtained by Automotive News, the company said it lost 16,706 units of production because of absenteeism in 2021 and 2022, which cost it $217 million. In 2022, it had an absenteeism rate of 23 percent, the document said.
* Daily Herald…
The three school districts locked in a property tax battle with the Chicago Bears launched a website Wednesday about that and other issues related to the proposed stadium at Arlington Park.
The website, suburbanstadium.org, was created and is maintained by Palatine Township Elementary District 15, Northwest Suburban High School District 214 and Palatine-Schaumburg High School District 211 — the school systems whose boundaries lie within the 326-acre former racetrack property now owned by the NFL franchise.
It joins similar informational websites maintained by the Bears and village of Arlington Heights, as the schools seek to increase their public messaging around the monthslong tax controversy.
* WCIA…
The Illinois State Fair opened in Springfield Thursday morning, but amusement rides did not open to fairgoers along with the grounds.
The Illinois Departments of Agriculture and Labor announced that the rides are unable to operate because safety inspections were not performed on Wednesday. Rainy weather resulted in the inspections being delayed.
IDOL ride inspectors will be performing those inspections on Thursday. Officials said they hope to have the rides open at 3 p.m.
* He’s not too bad at that…
The glass encasing of the butter cow got a little condensed, so @GovPritzker squeegeed it. All clear now! #twill 🐮🧈 pic.twitter.com/OesJbUK3RA
— Brenden Moore (@brendenmoore13) August 9, 2023
* Isabel’s roundup…
* Tribune | State representative takes witness stand at perjury trial of Madigan ‘gatekeeper’ Tim Mapes: “He ran a tight ship,” Rita said, with a frown on his face and a slight waver in his voice. “He ran the House, he kept the trains on time, he kept a lot of moving parts moving.”
* Daily Herald | Embattled DuPage clerk’s spending questioned by county board again: “What we’re all hearing here is that it seems to be the same department that is coming forward with these requests and budget issues. That’s why we’re having this discussion,” said board member Lynn LaPlante, a Glen Ellyn Democrat. “I’m concerned that this is going to be death by a thousand papercuts as a way to backward-map a budget that works for you.”
* Tribune | Quantum information school launches at Fermilab, using subatomic principles for groundbreaking technology: About 150 students, including scientists, researchers, college students and industry professionals, are spending two weeks at the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory to learn theory and practical skills. They’ll focus especially on superconducting quantum platforms for computing and sensing.
* Crain’s | A new lawsuit against Northwestern alleges inaction on report of sexual assault: Filed yesterday by a current student identified in the complaint as Jane Doe, it’s the latest in a series of lawsuits against Northwestern since allegations of hazing in the university’s football program unleashed a firestorm of controversy and led to the firing of former head football coach Pat Fitzgerald. Northwestern also has appointed former U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch to conduct a wide-ranging probe into the culture and practices of its athletic department.
* 21st Show | Comptroller Susana Mendoza talks Illinois budget, pensions, and diversity: Illinois Comptroller Susana Mendoza (D) joins The 21st show to discuss the state’s growing rainy day fund from $48,000 to nearly $2 billion, which would cover 10 days’ worth of state operations.
* Axios | Illinois farmers join calls for migrant work authorization: Farmers tell me they can’t continue their operations without immigrants coming in and reinforcing our workforce,” Durbin told the audience at a food policy conference last week.
* WBEZ | What do you think a new Illinois flag should look like?: We turn to a longtime local flag maker for his take.
* SJ-R | Former chief deputy appointed Sangamon County Circuit Clerk: Joe Roesch, who worked for more than 20 years at the sheriff’s office, including a four-year stint as chief deputy under Wes Barr, was confirmed as the new circuit clerk after the Sangamon County Board approved his nomination Tuesday. Roesch is currently serving as an attorney specializing in labor and employment law with Stratton, Moran, Reichert, Sronce and Appleton in Springfield, with a wide range of public and private employers under his purview.
* Tribune | Corn dogs, livestock and the Butter Cow: Illinois State Fair kicks off Thursday in Springfield: Gov. J.B. Pritzker was on hand for the unveiling of the Butter Cow sculpture Wednesday afternoon. Sculptor Sarah Pratt’s work depicts a cow being milked by dairy farmer Lorilee Schultz of Orangeville. A fixture at the fair since 1922, the cow celebrates Illinois dairy farmers.
* SJ-R | Five Grand Central Stage acts at the Illinois State Fair you won’t want to miss: Fairgoers can also find free musical entertainment at the Apex Stage (corner of Grandstand and Illinois Avenue); the Busch Light True Music Tent (on the Avenue of Flags behind the Commodity Pavilion); the Coors Light Tent (across from the Grandstand); the Illinois Building/Senior Center (just inside the Main Gate); the Lincoln Stage (on Central Avenue across from The Shed); the Miller Lite Tent (on Illinois Avenue) and Village of Cultures.
* WICS | Copi returns to Conservation World for 2023 Illinois State Fair: “We know there’s a lot of curiosity about Copi, and the Illinois State Fair is a perfect time for people to find out what all the buzz is about,” Phelps Finnie said. “Anytime IDNR has offered Copi during the fair, people walk away impressed by how light, delicious and versatile it is.”
* WICS | Illinois State Fair delays opening of amusement rides due to safety inspections: Officials say Ride safety inspections were canceled on Wednesday due to the rain. To ensure the safety of fairgoers and amusement riders, IDOL ride inspectors are working Thursday morning in an effort to permit the rides to operate for Thursday afternoon at 3 p.m.
* Sun-Times | The Jerry Reinsdorf problem: When an owner doesn’t want to own up to anything: It’s hard to understand the point of this nothingness, this sports nihilism. Why own a team if you don’t want to behave like an owner? If you want to run a neighborhood grocery store where all the employees have worked there for 30 years and you know the customers by name, go do that. But even a grocery store owner wouldn’t put up with ineffective stockers and some bad apples in the produce department.
* NYT | The Sandwich Southerners Wait for All Year: Five years ago, Mary — a Greensboro, N.C., YouTuber known as SouthernASMR Sounds — posted an innocent-enough video of herself making and eating a classic Southern tomato sandwich. Speaking gently, she walked through each element of her ideal sandwich, from the soft white bread to the thinly sliced, salted and peppered tomatoes, down to the brand of mayonnaise (“twangy” Duke’s, of course). “Don’t knock it till you’ve tried it,” she says.
* Illinois Newsroom | Champaign Clippers is a throwback to vintage baseball: Before baseball became the popular game we know today, in the mid-19th century an early iteration of the game known as “base ball,” yes two words, was the game of the century. On August 26, the Champaign Clippers will host a vintage base ball game at Weaver Park.
* WBEZ | Meet the lobster-like crustaceans invading the Chicago River: It turns out the creature the listener saw was a red swamp crayfish, and its presence in Chicago waterways is a warning sign. According to one ecologist, that particular crayfish species currently inhabiting the Chicago River is second only to Asian carp in terms of its invasiveness and potential to wreak havoc on local ecosystems.
* Peoria Journal Star | These are the Illinois vanity license plates denied by Secretary of State in 2022: Illinois received 54,236 requests for personalized vanity plates in 2022, according to a news release from the state office. Of those submissions, 383 were denied based on “their tawdry, lewd or offensive nature, or because they were difficult to read.”
* City Cast | Hannah Meisel’s Guide to Springfield: Springfield became the state capital in 1839 thanks to Abraham Lincoln and his associates. Railroads, agriculture, and mining once contributed significantly to Springfield’s economy. Today, Illinois legislators wheel and deal at the Statehouse while tourists explore Lincoln’s legacy. Hannah Meisel, a Capitol News Illinois reporter, has covered Springfield for the last decade. She shares her recs.
posted by Rich Miller
Thursday, Aug 10, 23 @ 2:20 pm
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Regarding the Governor’s squeegee skills, I know this stuff is just playing to the cameras, but at least it shows him being silly in public and doing normal things. Or talking about condiments for corn dogs.
Rauner tried it with moving boxes from the mansion to the fairgrounds house but was exposed as staged. Or he wore camo gear after a hunt, Carhartt jackets, and Timex watches but it came across as phony. And DeSantis sugar-shamed a little kid at an Iowa fair on a hot day. All he had to do was say how good a cold icy drink would be on a hot day. But he couldn’t be normal.
Comment by Baloneymous Thursday, Aug 10, 23 @ 2:35 pm
“Like clockwork, Thomas’ leisure activities have been underwritten by benefactors who share the ideology that drives his jurisprudence”
Justice Thomas has rich friends that share his political ideology - that’s very common. SCOTUS justices serve a lifetime appointment and those “lavish” gifts came over a 30-plus-year career. Perhaps most importantly the activities in the report, which are hyped to be so damning are not against any law or code of ethics.
Comment by Donnie Elgin Thursday, Aug 10, 23 @ 2:36 pm
From the Axios article on the dairy farmer…
“I can’t find local people to help”
He didn’t say the end of the sentence out loud….
“for what I want to pay them”.
Comment by btowntruth from forgottonia Thursday, Aug 10, 23 @ 2:37 pm
===SCOTUS justices serve a lifetime appointment and those “lavish” gifts came over a 30-plus-year career. Perhaps most importantly the activities in the report, which are hyped to be so damning are not against any law or code of ethics.===
So ethically speaking, rewarding a Justice for the same ideology that also can be found in rulings is fine for you?
Don’t worry, I’ll remind you of your ethical definitions if you question other’s … “non-ethical friendships”
Love of Pete…
Comment by Oswego Willy Thursday, Aug 10, 23 @ 2:45 pm
How about this…
It’s not that folks like Alito or Thomas are doing ethical or unethical things…
It *IS* that folks like Alito and Thomas are pushing against any cleaning up or clarifying ethics going forward.
That’s the story, for me.
They already have no shame, they are trying to protect the gravy train from ending.
That’s the crazy. The appearances? “Meh, so what” … “Don’t you dare put ethics on us”… it’s amazingly brazen and appalling.
Comment by Oswego Willy Thursday, Aug 10, 23 @ 2:50 pm
Good work Neil Olsen, finally an example of Illinois policing itself without the FBI. Find them all, fire them all, and make sure they can’t be re-hired at another agency
Comment by Merica Thursday, Aug 10, 23 @ 2:57 pm
Caulkin’s case which deals with more esoteric violations of the equal protection clause and the special legislation clause, is but one of many cases in opposition to the Protect Illinois Communities Act which bans Semi-Auto and high capacity mags. The other cases go after the law based on 2A claims. In these cases, it is necessary to lose in IL courts and get the cases into the hands of Federal/Scotus judges. The long game will be making these bans unconstitutional in all 50 states.
Comment by Donnie Elgin Thursday, Aug 10, 23 @ 3:13 pm
===In these cases, it is necessary to lose in IL courts and get the cases into the hands of Federal/Scotus judges. The long game will be making these bans unconstitutional in all 50 states.===
You forgot to add that deaths by guns are regrettable.
It’s an odd flex to accept a loss in state court as a plan to curtail … curtailing.
Comment by Oswego Willy Thursday, Aug 10, 23 @ 3:18 pm
Actually Donnie, the plaintiffs in Caulkins have belatedly tried to raise Second Amendment issues on appeal, but if they had better lawyers they would know reviewing courts almost never do that.
And why I am not surprised that while you scream for blood anytime a Democrat does anything you disapprove of, you are a cheerleader for the corrupt disgrace that is Clarence Thomas?
Comment by Big Dipper Thursday, Aug 10, 23 @ 3:23 pm
==The long game will be making these bans unconstitutional in all 50 states.==
Yeah, because how can you possibly be denied of your right to shoot 50 rounds in seconds. Heaven forbid.
Comment by Demoralized Thursday, Aug 10, 23 @ 3:23 pm
==37 [DHS] employees have been fired, resigned or face pending disciplinary action . . . they defrauded a federal pandemic-era small business loan program==
Is this in addition to the 30 already noted in other stories?
If you work at a developmental center and think this is OK, what else will you do? Abuse patients? Cover up abuse? I feel ill just thinking about it.
Comment by Sangamo Girl Thursday, Aug 10, 23 @ 3:26 pm
“It’s an odd flex to accept a loss in state court as a plan to curtail … curtailing”
The supremacy clause might be inconvenient to you, but it is a thing. The Supremacy Clause of the Constitution of the United States (Article VI, Clause 2) and affirmed in In Martin v. Hunter’s Lessee, and Cohens v. Virginia, gives SCOTUS power to review decisions involving state issues.
Comment by Donnie Elgin Thursday, Aug 10, 23 @ 3:27 pm
===inconvenient===
Maybe deaths by guns are now both… regrettable and inconvenient?
I’ve yet to find any constitutional right in the class of the 2A, historically, to be absolute.
Comment by Oswego Willy Thursday, Aug 10, 23 @ 3:34 pm
==“Justices Thomas and Alito have made it clear that they are oblivious to the embarrassment they have visited on the highest court in the land. Now, it is up to Chief Justice Roberts and the other Justices to act on ethics reform to save their own reputations and the integrity of the Court. If the Court will not act, then Congress must continue to.”==
Does anyone know if Sen. Durbin’s hands were visible when this statement was released, or was he in his preferred posture, sitting on them?
Comment by Roadrager Thursday, Aug 10, 23 @ 3:38 pm
I wish I could believe there was some kind of behind-the-scenes dealing on judicial confirmations that justifies it but Durbin sure comes across like such a wimp on SCOTUS oversight as Senate Judiciary chair.
I fear the current Dem gerontocracy that runs the party in D.C. is just too old and tired to work hard and effectively at politics.
Please let this be his last term so we do not have another Feinstein catastrophe on our hands.
You have had a good run, Sen. Durbin, but it is time to pass the torch to the deep Dem bench here.
Comment by hisgirlfriday Thursday, Aug 10, 23 @ 4:13 pm
===Good work Neil Olsen….===
Every one of these county and state employees should prosecuted to the full extent of the law for their illegal activities. Having been “fired, resigned or facing pending disciplinary action” is a slap on the wrist.
Comment by Big Tent Thursday, Aug 10, 23 @ 4:18 pm
Is Stellantis really making $12,989 per vehicle?
Comment by Chicago 20 Thursday, Aug 10, 23 @ 4:40 pm
I gotta get on SCOTUS. The benefits package looks awesome.
Comment by Nick Name Thursday, Aug 10, 23 @ 4:44 pm
=Justice Thomas has rich friends that share his political ideology - that’s very common.=
Common for who? Or is this one of those “in common use” thingys when they really are not.
The USSC Justices know what the job pays and =what the benefits are, that should suffice.
Forgoing lavish gifts from “friends” who just happen to have business before the court should be a tolerable sacrifice for the honor of the appointment and the common sense avoidance of clearly ethical issues regardless of legal or illegal.
As adults, you and they should know that.
Comment by JS Mill Thursday, Aug 10, 23 @ 5:41 pm
PPP. A way to go after people at Choate. Or will that take out the “wrong” people?
Comment by Anyone Remember Thursday, Aug 10, 23 @ 7:17 pm
===“He ran the House, he kept the trains on time, he kept a lot of moving parts moving.”===
For those that enjoy popcorn the only times I’ve ever heard “kept the trains on time” as a descriptor, it’s usually about Italian or German regimes of the 1930s or 1940s or their leaders.
===PPP. A way to go after people at Choate. Or will that take out the “wrong” people? ===
The Governor’s had a few years to be proactive about the situation at Choate and only got involved when it started getting headlines. Depending on an unrelated investigation at an independent OEIG to get rid of the bad eggs or easily tempted at Choate isn’t really a great look for the administration.
Comment by Candy Dogood Thursday, Aug 10, 23 @ 7:40 pm