THE ILLINOIZE: Monday Free for All...Breaking down Pritzker's $160 million commitment to the migrant crisis...Ed Burke trial underway with plenty of theatrics...What rate hike rulings mean
November 20, 2023
Good morning, Illinois.
Welcome to Thanksgiving week. I roasted a couple of pumpkins yesterday for my pumpkin pie duties Thursday. No canned punkin’ around these parts.
Let me know any fun or interesting traditions (or dishes) your family has on Thanksgiving. Drop me a note at patrick@theillinoize.com.
The General Assembly is out until January. There’s nothing on Governor Pritzker’s public schedule today.
I’m thankful for you, but also for our paid subscribers. It’s how to get the latest news and analysis about Illinois politics that we provide to our paid subscribers every day. Just click below to join us as petition filing is about to begin and things are gonna get…weird.
A quick programming note: We’ll have our subscriber newsletter tomorrow (if we don’t have anything before) and then we’ll plan to shut it down for the week. Of course, if something blows up, we’ll be here. We’ll be back Monday for petition filing, though I won’t be hanging out with the crazies in line in Springfield. Been there, done that more times than I can count.
Let’s get to it.
YOUR MONDAY FREE FOR ALL
(note: we’re not responsible for paywalls and restrictions from other news outlets, because good journalism isn’t free)
State pouring $160 million more for Chicago asylum-seeker relief efforts as winter approaches (Chicago Tribune)
After months of deflecting questions about additional state funding for Chicago’s migrant crisis and declaring instead the federal government needed to do more, Gov. J.B. Pritzker announced Thursday a new infusion of state cash as winter fast approaches and the city struggles to shelter asylum-seekers from the southern border.
While Illinois government is devoting an additional $160 million, the move comes as both the state and city are also unveiling policy initiatives signaling the support is not indefinite.
The state will start cutting off a rental assistance program for new arrivals who aren’t already in the city’s shelter system and will begin looking to help asylum-seekers relocate to other parts of the country, while the city this week said it is implementing a 60-day limit for migrant stays at city shelters.
Still, Pritzker said the new state assistance will go toward three major initiatives aimed at unclogging “bottlenecks” in Chicago’s shelter system that are slowing down efforts to connect asylum-seekers with more permanent housing and jobs. The $160 million will go for establishing a centralized intake center, creating a state-funded tent encampment, and providing more robust legal and employment assistance, the governor said.
Despite the welcoming rhetoric, the governor’s announcement still left many unanswered questions about how other state programs will be affected by shifting funds, how quickly the city and state can mobilize the new efforts after months of deliberation and delays, and whether the new funding will be enough.
The governor’s plan, after Pritzker for months indicated the state already was spending as much as it could, includes $30 million to help the city set up the centralized intake center to process new arrivals and also identify asylum-seekers who want to move to different cities as their final destination.
State and city officials have been talking behind the scenes for months about plans to open state-supported shelters at some shuttered retail stores. But Pritzker offered no explanation for why those plans haven’t come to fruition despite his previously expressed “concerns” about housing migrants in tents during the winter.
“You’ll have to ask the city; they run the shelter system,” Pritzker said.
You’ll see my thoughts down below, but there are some serious transparency issues here.
Related: Chicago gets $160 million boost from state to address migrant crisis (Chicago Sun-Times)
Pritzker designates additional $160M for migrant response as winter approaches (Capitol News Illinois)
Mayor Johnson begins process of kicking migrants out of city shelters; first ejections coming in January (Chicago Sun-Times)
Asylum-seekers living in city shelters will begin to receive 60-day exit notices (Crain’s Chicago Business)
Mayor Brandon Johnson’s administration issuing notices it will begin removing migrants from shelters in 60 days: ‘We have finite resources’ (Chicago Tribune)
Migrants are finding spare rooms and shared spaces as an alternative to city shelters (WBEZ)
Editorial: Faced with a growing migrant crisis in Chicago, Gov. J.B. Pritzker rides to the city’s rescue (Chicago Tribune)
Ed Burke’s corruption trial opens with conflicting takes on him — ‘extortionist’ vs. ‘good man’ (Chicago Sun-Times)
When the trial of former Ald. Ed Burke finally kicked off in earnest Thursday, a federal prosecutor wasted no time leaning forward, pointing his finger at the veteran politician and calling him perhaps the “most powerful member of the Chicago City Council.”
Then Assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy Chapman told the jury that Burke was more than that: “He was a bribe taker. And he was an extortionist.”
For the next 90 minutes, Burke listened with a poker face as Chapman outlined the case the feds first unveiled nearly five years ago, helping end Burke’s 54-year career.
At one point, Burke could be heard across the courtroom clicking a pen as he listened to the prosecutor lay out the allegations against him.
After that, Burke’s defense attorney got his turn. The former City Council dean began to smile as lawyer Chris Gair stood behind his chair and called it the “greatest honor of my career to represent this good man.”
And the smile lingered on Burke’s face as Gair went on to tell the jury, “I’d like to introduce you to Exhibit A in the world of people who are corrupt and who are untruthful.”
Gair then displayed a photo on a screen and explained, “This is Danny Solis.”
With that, a jury of nine women and three men got a taste of what they’re in for over the next six weeks or so as the corruption trial of Chicago’s longest-serving City Council member gets underway.
Burke is charged with racketeering, bribery and extortion.
He is accused of using his seat on the City Council to steer business to his private law firm amid schemes that involved the Old Post Office, a Burger King at 41st and Pulaski, and a Binny’s Beverage Depot on the Northwest Side.
He is also accused of threatening to block a fee increase at the Field Museum because it didn’t respond when he recommended his goddaughter for an internship.
Related: In opening argument, defense attorney sketches Ed Burke: Working-class hero (Crain’s Chicago Business)
‘Stickler’ defense? Opening statements wrap in Burke trial, feds begin calling witnesses (Chicago Sun-Times)
Ex-Ald. Ed Burke corruption trial resumes with expert giving ‘Schoolhouse Rock’ version of Chicago political power (Chicago Tribune)
Opinion: C’mon guys, read the ethics code (Chicago Sun-Times)
Advocates hail regulatory ‘earthquake’ as state slashes requested gas rate increases (Capitol News Illinois)
Regulators at the Illinois Commerce Commission on Thursday unanimously approved rate hikes for four major natural gas utilities, but the little-known regulatory body’s decision was perhaps more notable for what it rejected.
The five-member board flexed its regulatory muscle, slashing the utilities’ requested rate increases by as much as 50 percent.
“This was an earthquake in Illinois utility regulation,” Abe Scarr, director of consumer advocacy group Illinois PIRG told Capitol News Illinois after the Thursday meeting.
Scarr and PIRG were among the consumer advocates asking for greater regulatory oversight of the natural gas industry ahead of the requested rate increase from the four utilities that collectively serve 98 percent of Illinois’ gas customers – Nicor Gas, Ameren Illinois, Peoples Gas and North Shore Gas.
Rates will still rise next year, but not nearly as much as they would have if the commission had approved the utilities’ initial requests.
The commissioners instead sided with consumer advocates – rejecting several recommendations from the ICC’s own staff – in several key areas, including profit rates, low-income discounts and spending oversight.
Commissioners lowered Ameren’s initial ask by about 50.8 percent and cut Nicor’s request by 30.3 percent. For Peoples Gas, it was a 25 percent reduction, and for its sister company North Shore, regulators cut the request by 34 percent.
Related: What utility hikes mean for Illinois gas customers (WBEZ)
Editorial: Illinois Commerce Commission steps up for natural gas customers (Chicago Sun-Times)
LAST WEEK ON THEILLINOIZE.COM
POLITICAL POTPOURRI
State school board weighs increased funding requests ahead of budget season (Capitol News Illinois)
Law loosens Illinois mandate for farm mutual insurance companies (Bloomington Pantagraph)
Illinois' once-thriving craft brewing scene faces a steep cliff (Crain’s Chicago Business)
Chicago police unit that reviews cops’ use of force ‘critically understaffed,’ Illinois attorney general’s office says (Chicago Sun-Times)
Chicago cops tied to Oath Keepers barred from testifying in court, Kim Foxx decides (WBEZ)
Bally’s Medinah Temple ‘temporary’ casino will be around awhile, City Council critic says (Chicago Sun-Times)
Editorial: Bill lifting moratorium puts nuclear power in the conversation and prioritizes safety (Daily Herald)
Editorial: Forget the bid for Congress. Treasurer Conyears-Ervin should worry about keeping her current job. (Chicago Tribune)
Opinion: Teachers unions win, but kids are hurt in the process (Crain’s Chicago Business)
Opinion: Pretrial Fairness Act is shifting the scales of justice for Illinois (Chicago Sun-Times)
Opinion: Fixing onerous license processing requires a heavy lift (Shaw Media)
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