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* ICYMI: Governor Pritzker launches abortion rights group Think Big America…
∙ The 19th: Think Big America, a 501(c)4 nonprofit, is Pritzker’s latest step to centralize and formalize that work. The organization is now funded just by Pritzker but will accept other donations, an aide said, and will contribute to ballot measure campaigns in Ohio and Nevada “in the coming days.” Several senior Pritzker advisers and other members of the governor’s campaign team will start to split their time with the new organization.
∙ Sun-Times: The creation of the group — and the split of political resources — further signals Pritzker is not mulling a presidential run next year, despite plenty of speculation. But it also raises his national profile and could set him up for a 2028 run. Pritzker’s staffers likened the group to Tom Steyer’s nonprofit NextGen America, which he created in 2013. It also helped lead up to a presidential run in 2019.
* Pritzker launched the group with his own money, but will be accepting donations from elsewhere…
Our nation faces a pivotal moment.
Far-right extremism threatens our democracy and our freedoms.@Think_Big_USA is here to defend it. Join us at https://t.co/W2lQqdJ9f8 pic.twitter.com/4gssA3nnQn
— Think Big America (@Think_Big_USA) October 18, 2023
* Isabel’s top picks…
* Sun-Times | Chicago casino a sure bet for ramp-up in gambling addiction, experts say: Chicago-area addiction treatment experts who spoke with the Sun-Times said that while there hasn’t been an influx of people seeking help for gambling disorder since Bally’s opened downtown, they’re bracing for a steady increase in clients — just like they’ve seen after other gaming expansions in Illinois.
* NPR | What was the impact of COVID on the Illinois teacher workforce? A new report examines what really happened: Is there a teacher shortage in Illinois? Which school positions are hard to staff? Did a ton of teachers leave the field during the pandemic? WNIJ’s Peter Medlin spoke with Robin Steans of Advance Illinois – a nonpartisan education policy organization — about their new report “The State of Our Educator Pipeline 2023” that set out to answer those questions and more.
* Here’s the rest of your morning roundup…
* Muddy River News | ‘People need to know they’re being heard’: Beardstown businessman to run for 99th District seat: When asked about what people aren’t being heard about, Snellgrove said abortion. “No preacher who I’ve ever been in front of has jumped up in the pulpit and said, ‘You know, abortion is OK, and it’s a good thing,’” he said. “That’s the number one thing that any churchgoer probably feels somewhere deep in their soul that needs to be changed … that should be changed.”
* WAND | Gov. Pritzker announces tax relief for people, businesses affected by Middle East conflict: Gov. JB Pritzker announced tax relief for individuals and businesses affected by the attacks that took place in Israel a week ago and the resulting Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Impacted taxpayers may request to waive penalties and interest with the Illinois Department of Revenue if they cannot file their returns or make timely payments for income, withholding, sales, specialty, and excise taxes.
* CBS Chicago | Illinois sees 44% more electric cars on the road in 2023: This year alone, there are 44% more electric vehicles on the roads than at this time last year. The state has awarded nearly $13 million for fast-charging ports. There’s also up to $4,000 in rebates for Illinois residents who buy electric cars.
* Tribune | New CPD boss promises to balance reform and aggressive policing through transparency: “I don’t think we’ve done a very good job of explaining what real constitutional, proactive police work looks like,” Snelling said Tuesday. “The way that we balance this is to, one, be transparent about what we do. Sometimes police work does not look good. But if we can explain the constitutionality of stops, of our interactions with individuals, I think it’ll be a lot more palatable for those who just don’t understand what they’re looking at.”
* Sun-Times | Outgoing Police Board president urges City Council to reject arbitrator’s ruling, says it would undermine police reform: The August ruling would allow Chicago police officers accused of the most serious wrongdoing and recommended for firings or suspensions longer than a year to bypass the board and take their cases to an independent arbitrator, who might be more sympathetic to their arguments and would hold proceedings on those cases behind closed doors.
* Crain’s | The $5 million pot sweetener in Johnson’s $16.6 billion budget: For years, members of the City Council have been asking for additional funding to boost their office staff from three full-time employees to four in an effort to stay on top of connecting residents to city services through their ward offices, meeting with developers and shaping policy at City Hall.
* NBC Chicago | Invoices show how millions of dollars flowed to Favorite Healthcare Staffing to staff migrant shelters: In the past year, city financial records show nearly $60 million has flowed to an out-of-state company, Favorite Healthcare Staffing, which holds the contract to staff the city’s migrant shelters. […] When it came to employees assigned to security, the invoices show that Favorite charged Chicago taxpayers a median payrate of $24,000 apiece for each security guard, for four weeks’ worth of work. That translates to an annual charge, for each security guard, of $312,000.
* Daily Herald | Train horns return in some Lake County towns, for now : Following inspections, the Federal Railroad Administration mandated upgrades in seven communities including installation/maintenance of “No Train Horn” signs and changes in curb height and length, according to Molly Gillespie, Buffalo Grove’s director of communications and community engagement. The village is the point agency for the Lake County Quiet Zone, which temporarily was suspended Oct. 11.
* The Telegraph | Striking statue of Jacksonville’s Civil War governor turns 100: The Yates statue was one of two sculptures dedicated in front of a sizable crowd on Oct. 16, 1923. The other was the likeness of John M. Palmer, a Carlinville man who was a Civil War corps commander, Illinois governor from 1869 to 1873, and U.S. senator from 1891 to 1897.
* AP | Report: Young driver fatality rates have fallen sharply in the US, helped by education, technology: Using data from 2002-2021, a non-profit group of state highway safety offices says in the report made public Wednesday that fatal crashes involving a young driver fell by 38%, while deaths of young drivers dropped even more, by about 45%. For drivers 21 and older, fatal crashes rose 8% and deaths rose 11%.
* Sun-Times | Metra to buy zero-emission, self-propelled rail cars with $169.3M federal grant: The grant supports the purchase of up to 16 train sets, with a new type of propulsion that could accelerate and brake faster than traditional trains. Buying the train sets would allow Metra to retire some of its oldest, most polluting diesel locomotives. If Metra could take 16 locomotives out of service six years earlier than planned, it would reduce Metra’s carbon dioxide emissions by about 567,000 tons over that period, said Metra spokesperson Michael Gillis.
* NYT | Barnes & Noble Sets Itself Free: “Any design agency would have a heart attack if they could see what we’re doing,” James Daunt, the Barnes & Noble chief executive, said. “We don’t have any architect doing our design at any stage. There’s no interior designer.”
* AP | Europe is looking to fight the flood of Chinese electric vehicles. But Europeans love them: Chinese EV makers are drawn to Europe because auto import tariffs are just 10% versus 27.5% in the U.S., independent auto analyst Matthias Schmidt said. Europe also has the world’s second-biggest EV battery market after China. Nevermind the geopolitics. Climate-conscious car buyers in Europe who are grappling with an increased cost of living rave about how Chinese EVs are affordable yet packed with features and stylish design. Concerns about the threat to local carmakers and jobs just aren’t a factor for them.
* Sun-Times | Demolition of Thompson Center facade, atrium for Google makeover approved by city: The move isn’t a complete surprise. Renderings released after the tech giant’s takeover of the building last year show prospective views of the renovated edifice with new exterior and interior glazing that either abandoned or muted the building’s current blue, salmon and white color scheme — one of its signature features — and other architectural details.
posted by Isabel Miller
Wednesday, Oct 18, 23 @ 8:00 am
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The Sun Times article on partial demolition of the Thompson Center building seems to indicate this is a fairly minor change. But the atrium and facade were a big part of the building’s design.
Might as well tear the whole thing down. Which may very well be plan B.
Comment by Friendly Bob Adams Wednesday, Oct 18, 23 @ 8:23 am
If you demolish the facade and the atrium what is left? The foundation?
Comment by Betty Draper’s cigarette Wednesday, Oct 18, 23 @ 8:40 am
For me, to the post,
Think Big America is quite smart to the politics of 2024 and actually “beyond”
The biggest GOP mistake is thinking abortion is not going to be a catalyst this next election.
This group, if the goal is to highlight and continue to remind voters how dangerous Republicans are to women’s health by being the voice of pro-choice politics this cycle as the noise tries to silence abortion, this is a big deal. This is smart to generate turnout and advocacy to voters that can’t be complacent to abortion rights.
Telling a woman the rights to their body are dictated by the zip code they reside is a message too that needs to be told this cycle, because telling half of society they are less because of geography is important to winning elections. Ask… Kansas, Ohio, Wisconsin…
Comment by Oswego Willy Wednesday, Oct 18, 23 @ 8:40 am
==The biggest GOP mistake is thinking abortion is not going to be a catalyst this next election==
compared to the economy? the border crisis?
Comment by RIP Terry Deering Wednesday, Oct 18, 23 @ 9:01 am
===compared to the economy? the border crisis?===
Have you talked to a woman about abortion rights?
Why do you think GOPers just won’t embrace their pro-life win?
Comment by Oswego Willy Wednesday, Oct 18, 23 @ 9:02 am
The border crisis isn’t affecting half the population’s basic human rights. Besides it’s only a crisis because we call it one. The country has a population of 331 million. Which means 3 million is around 1%.
The economy seems in pretty decent shape right now. Inflation is being tamed and we don’t have high unemployment.
Again, though, right to self-determination for child age bearing women seems to completely trump those concerns to me.
Comment by cermak_rd Wednesday, Oct 18, 23 @ 9:17 am
==compared to the economy? the border crisis?==
As long as Republicans won’t let the issue of abortion go and they keep pushing extreme anti-abortion measures, including some that have gone so far as to say that contraception should be banned, then yeah abortion is going to be a big issue. If Republicans would just back off and shut up about it then maybe you might be right. But they can’t stop tripping over themselves.
Comment by Demoralized Wednesday, Oct 18, 23 @ 9:18 am
=If Republicans would just back off and shut up about it then maybe you might be right.=
Kind of tough to alienate half of the population and then say “never mind.” And the current GOP brand seems to revolve around limiting rights in the name of “freedom.” Women are prominently featured in that effort but certainly aren’t the only group the GOP is looking to marginalize.
Comment by Pundent Wednesday, Oct 18, 23 @ 9:27 am
“compared to the economy? the border crisis?”
In the last two weeks, not counting my little area, I have been to Nashville and St. Louis.
People everywhere, spending money.
…and don’t tell me that’s simply anecdotal.
Comment by Flyin'Elvis'-Utah Chapter Wednesday, Oct 18, 23 @ 9:29 am
Although long, I enjoyed that Barnes and Noble article. I look forward to the two in Illinois that I like to visit to be reinvented.
Comment by Lurker Wednesday, Oct 18, 23 @ 9:31 am
== Have you talked to a woman about abortion rights? ==
Make that “… to a college-educated woman …”.
From my vantage point at the nexus of Red and Blue America (physically, because of where I live, and metaphysically or culturally, in terms of my personal associations), education level seems to be the thing that really divides how people view the world. Stronger than line of work, income, ethnicity, even affiliation with some religious denomination.
But, with that qualification, your point is well taken. I see no other issue that triggers a comparable emotional response and activist determination in some materially large segment of the population (although immigration is creeping up on that scale …).
Comment by ARepublicIfUCanKeepIt Wednesday, Oct 18, 23 @ 9:39 am
The law of unintended consequences is already hitting the states with abortion restrictions and private rights of action against providers. Two more hospitals in Alabama announced closures of ob/gyn wards. Med school grads wanting to practice in that specialty will not risk moving to those states, and presumably med schools in those states won’t be able to teach the full range of procedures available in states like ours. You’ll be hearing more about ob/gyn deserts before the 2024 elections.
Comment by Steve Z Wednesday, Oct 18, 23 @ 9:48 am
===From my vantage point===
Explain the recent events/elections/referendums in Ohio, Kansas, Wisconsin…
The sitch for this is really clear and really powerful because Republicans own the truth that women’s rights are now diminished by the zip code you reside.
The education “angle” is odd considering that women of color are the most reliable Democratic voters as a demographic, education not factoring into that truth.
One of the most important reality to women’s rights, especially now, is remembering that the right to vote, for a gender, needed to be enshrined in the constitution, partly because any law at any time can change… like Roe to Dobbs.
It’s that important that the right to vote for women is enshrined because Republicans deem the rights for women, including the right to their own body, is up for legislative review.
You can’t parse “education” or “location” to the unequal rights to a gender and think that folks won’t pay attention.
Think Big America could be a huge catalyst to voter engagement, because the opposite is embracing that others can decide the bodily rights of a gender, and that’s ok.
Comment by Oswego Willy Wednesday, Oct 18, 23 @ 9:52 am
RIP Terry Deering
This is an example of the GOP’s “abortion problem” … .
https://www.yahoo.com/news/keep-her-legs-closed-republicans-100001890.html
Comment by Anyone Remember Wednesday, Oct 18, 23 @ 10:01 am
== compared to the economy? the border crisis?===
The economy is fantastic. Lowest unemployment numbers in fifty years, and 336000 new jobs just last month. Inflation is at 3.7%.
GDP increased 9.31% from last year.
By what metrics is the economy a problem?
Comment by Betty Draper’s cigarette Wednesday, Oct 18, 23 @ 10:29 am
Anyone Remember, thanks for sharing that article. The underlying sexism is obvious. For example, since we have a legal system that generally assumes one intends the possible consequences of one’s actions, why haven’t we heard any anti-abortion politicians propose that, with the rape exception, rapists be prosecuted for 2nd degree murder or manslaughter? Is it because they’re all dudes? (I had faint hope that when the idiot governor of Texas said a while ago that he had a plan to get rid of rape he might propose this, but I guess I gave him too much credit.)
Comment by Steve Z Wednesday, Oct 18, 23 @ 10:31 am
I am so, so glad Pritzker is our governor. I will happily vote for him in 2028.
Comment by Nick Name Wednesday, Oct 18, 23 @ 10:38 am
===By what metrics is the economy a problem?===
Polling.
Plus the narrative to tell the economic story is already losing to far right media that won’t embrace factual truths but will enflame anger, hate, and division, and “economy” helps… pretending it’s about “evil wealthy Libs”, but ignoring good economic news and deficits driven by tax cuts.
And if Dems could ever learn to really-really message against the far right…
… and this Think Big America is hopefully an instrument to put front and center what Republicans don’t want seen.
The far right drum beats are loud. Messaging needs to match it, overcome it.
Comment by Oswego Willy Wednesday, Oct 18, 23 @ 10:45 am
=By what metrics is the economy a problem?=
There’s a nexus between being anti-abortion and where you get your information. If you’re getting a steady diet of Fox News or Newsmax you won’t hear the pro-choice narrative but a lot about how bad the Biden economy is and the border crisis. As such we shouldn’t be surprised by those who don’t have a stilted view of the facts and issues. The reverse also holds true.
Comment by Pundent Wednesday, Oct 18, 23 @ 10:54 am
===compared to the economy? the border crisis?===
The economy is humming along at a positive clip. There has been GDP and income growth, corporations are massively profitable.
So, I guess tell everyone how bad off they are?
Comment by JS Mill Wednesday, Oct 18, 23 @ 10:59 am
Glad to see JB add his firepower to the dozens of ongoing progressive efforts around key states that matter. That can only help with the right messaging that ties choice to freedom for women to choose — freedom to make their own reproductive health care choices and access. Democrats are bleeding support from working class blacks (not women), Hispanics and whites. The messaging needs to reach them as well as motivate college-educated blue bubble voters although they won’t need the push - they’re fired up already.
Comment by This Wednesday, Oct 18, 23 @ 10:59 am
The ISBE might draw on the experience of retired teachers and hire them to provide demonstration lessons in the practice of teaching reading. Different strategies for grades 1-3, 4-6, and 7-8 are needed.
A combination of the Dolch Sight Words, the Fry List, and phonics including long and short vowels, blends, silent letters, syllables, primary and secondary accents, understanding sentence structure…the list goes on.
Using Scrabble tiles to assist students with dyslexia provides a tactile approach to reading.
Using a base word and suffixes: to create (infinitive), create, creates, creating, creator, creation, creative, creatively.
Just ask a teacher.
Comment by Rudy’s teeth Wednesday, Oct 18, 23 @ 11:12 am
===The biggest GOP mistake is thinking abortion is not going to be a catalyst this next election==
===compared to the economy? the border crisis? ===
Tell me you assume men are the default voter without telling me you assume men are the default voter.
Comment by Suburban Mom Wednesday, Oct 18, 23 @ 12:35 pm