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Isabel’s afternoon roundup

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* Block Club Chicago

Campaign mailers from candidates for the 20th state Senate District are inundating neighbors, trash cans and alleys, with many complaining that state Sen. Natalie Toro has sent more than her opponents and candidates in other races.

Neighbors told Block Club and shared on social media that Toro’s campaign has filled their mailboxes and doors with so many mailers and door-hangers that some are afraid to check their mailboxes. […]

Dave Seman, a political campaign consultant who runs Paladin Political and has worked on local and national campaigns using direct mail and digital media, said that even though neighbors are feeling overwhelmed with Toro mailer ads, frequency is key to boosting her platform.

“The mailer perspective is, we’re definitely persuading them and giving the voter an argument, but we are asking for their vote,” Seman said. “To the people who are offended that we asked them too many times for their vote … they probably weren’t our voters in the first place. This is a race where you have a millionaire, a lobbyist and a teacher — they’re going make that conversation as prevalent as they possibly can.”

Click here, here and here for Reddit posts from those swamped with Toro campaign mail.

* People’s Fabric

An owner of a video gambling business. President of a political consulting firm. Owner of a private law practice. These are some of the outside jobs held by senior advisors in Cook County Circuit Court Clerk Iris Martinez’s office. […]

A People’s Fabric investigation shows senior advisors failing to report potential conflicts and outside income on required ethics disclosures. In one case, an advisor’s unreported income came from political work for Martinez and her close allies.

Gloria Chevere is a “longtime Martinez confidante” and former Cook County judge.

In her capacity as judge, Chevere faced several controversies, including an investigation that found her sunbathing in her backyard when she was supposed to be at work. She was later removed from the courtroom after several allegations of misconduct, including jailing defendants who wore baggy pants.

Chevere now serves as a Senior Policy Advisor to Martinez, receiving a salary of $175,044.

* More Martinez


* Chalkbeat

Next year, Illinois high school juniors could take the ACT instead of the SAT as the federally-mandated state test. The Illinois State Board of Education has started the process of awarding a three-year, $53 million contract to ACT Inc.

The College Board’s contract to administer the SAT for 11th graders and PSAT for ninth and 10 graders is set to expire June 30. The state board is required by federal law to administer accountability assessments to high school students. State law says that exam must be a nationally recognized college entrance exam like the SAT or ACT. All Illinois public high school students must take a college entrance exam in order to receive their high school diploma.

The ACT would be administered in school buildings starting with the school year 2024-25, but students will still be able to take the SAT if they want to pay for it.

Illinois’ plan to switch tests comes at a time when the SAT is going fully digital and will take two hours instead of three. (The ACT is three hours). The new SAT will also be adaptive, with test questions that adjust in difficulty based on how students respond to previous questions.

* Here’s the rest…

posted by Isabel Miller
Thursday, Mar 14, 24 @ 2:42 pm

Comments

  1. I find it hard to believe that someone is actually afraid to open their mailbox because of a political flyer. If this is true the Block Club reporter should have sought out a mental health professional to treat this person. Very sad.

    Comment by Drury's Missing Clock Thursday, Mar 14, 24 @ 3:12 pm

  2. At least the political mail ends at or shortly after (heh) the election. I scan it all the way to the recycling bin. Not a hassle or a big deal.

    The credit card companies, on the other hand, inundate me year round with one spectacular offer after the last. Oversized, flashy and expensive junk that I also scan briefly before adding it to the bin.

    Too much mail? Talk about first world problems. Doesn’t surprise me that this spawned so many Reddit threads with even more comments. There are actual problems in the world, but too much mail isn’t one of them.

    Comment by 47th Ward Thursday, Mar 14, 24 @ 3:17 pm

  3. The U 0f I article on insulin is really cool. Hopefully this can advance to market. Good for the word and good for ACES.

    Comment by NotSoCivlEngineer Thursday, Mar 14, 24 @ 3:22 pm

  4. 100 percent agree, 47th.

    Also, journalists probably shouldn’t be propagating stories about too much spending in one of the industries that drives a large portion of the news and then boo-boo when another news agency announces layoffs.

    Comment by Drury’s Missing Clock Thursday, Mar 14, 24 @ 3:39 pm

  5. “Toro’s campaign has filled their mailboxes and doors with so many mailers and door-hangers that some are afraid to check their mailboxes”

    Hey, it is good business for the union bug printers.

    Comment by Donnie Elgin Thursday, Mar 14, 24 @ 3:57 pm

  6. I do genuinely wonder if it is possible to do “too much” mail. I am mostly of the opinion that it is not, but this Toro race is testing my limits, haha.

    Comment by Wowie Thursday, Mar 14, 24 @ 4:02 pm

  7. how the heck is Clayton Harris holding a press conference today with an anti choice pastor who talks abortion is murder? and who is openly anti choice? Personal PAC has fallen off the edge of reason.

    Comment by Amalia Thursday, Mar 14, 24 @ 5:19 pm

  8. Many recent mayors have chipped away at CPD gang enforcement.

    Comment by Macon Bakin Thursday, Mar 14, 24 @ 6:27 pm

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