THE ILLINOIZE: Thursday Free for All
October 14, 2021
Good morning.
Both Republican Supreme Court Justice Michael Burke and his likely opponent next November, Appellate Judge and former State Representative Mary K. O’Brien, have filed their first campaign finance reports in what some speculate will be the most expensive Supreme Court campaign in state history.
But they’re starting out slowly.
O’Brien has around $35,000 in the bank and Burke has about $27,000 on hand as of October 1st. But the big bucks won’t get thrown around until next fall.
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As always, let me know what’s on your mind. Drop me an e-mail anytime at patrick@theillinoize.com. I may be a little slow to respond sometimes, but I always try to respond.
Let’s get to it.
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Chicago police union boss tells officers to defy city vaccine mandate. Mayor responds to threat of FOP lawsuit: ‘Bring it’ (Chicago Tribune)
The head of Chicago’s police union has advised officers not to comply with the city’s COVID-19 vaccine reporting requirement and says members should be willing to be sent home without pay rather than submit to the shot mandate for city workers.
With city employees’ vaccine status deadline Friday, Fraternal Order of Police Local 7 President John Catanzara also said in a video posted Tuesday that the union has filed a labor grievance against the city and plans to pursue legal action to fight the mandate.
Mayor Lori Lightfoot, asked about his comments at an unrelated news conference Wednesday, said: “He’s threatening litigation. I say, bring it.”
“I’ve seen some of the messaging from the FOP president, but really what we’re focused on is making sure that we maximize the opportunity to create a very safe workplace,” Lightfoot said.
Catanzara’s video was posted to Facebook and YouTube the same day that the FOP announced the death of former police union President Dean Angelo following his hospitalization with COVID-19 complications.
Lightfoot announced last Friday that, through the end of the year, Chicago city workers will have the option to be tested semiweekly for COVID-19 instead of getting vaccinated. But the city also said employees have to report their vaccination status by Friday. If they don’t, they’ll be placed on no pay status.
I’ve continued to say this is the dumbest hill in the world to die on, especially if your job involves, you know, public safety.
Related: Two aldermen ask mayor to postpone enforcement of vaccine mandate at Chicago Police Department (Fox 32 Chicago)
Lake County requiring COVID-19 vaccine or weekly testing for 600 employees (Daily Herald)
2 Peoria TV stations tell employees to get vaccinated against COVID or get terminated (Peoria Journal Star)
Danville VA nursing home where 11 residents died didn’t follow COVID guidelines, report finds (Sun-Times)
New COVID-19 school visitor policy divides some Sycamore parents (DeKalb Daily Chronicle)
‘No Way’ Aurora Mayor Richard Irvin runs for Governor (Aurora Beacon-News)
A campaign official for Aurora Mayor Richard Irvin said this week there is “no way” the mayor will join the race for governor.
Dennis Cook, a campaign spokesman who has served as Irvin’s campaign manager in his races for mayor, said this week an online video interview that named Irvin as a potential candidate in the Republican primary was likely “just wishful thinking.”
“No, he’s not running for governor,” Cook told The Beacon-News. “Richard just got re-elected in April. We have a job to do.”
What gave the online interview between two political pundits some legs was that the person predicting Irvin would join the GOP race specifically said it would happen in six weeks. There is no explanation of where that timing came from, or what it is related to.
For what it’s worth, I don’t think there was a lot of credibility to the original “report.”
Medical marijuana, more popular than ever, could still cost you your job in Illinois (WLS-TV)
Medical marijuana is more popular than ever in Illinois, despite the fact that recreational marijuana has been legal for more than a year. In fact, data indicates the spike in medical marijuana usage may be because of recreational marijuana, which is taxed at a much higher rate.
But it's also a resource for doctors and patients struggling with chronic conditions and looking to avoid using opiates.
"My thought process is, if you can reduce opiates, if you can start living your life more, then it's a wonderful medication," said Dr. Rahul Khare, Innovative Express Care.
Some doctors insist the increase in medical marijuana consumers reflects growing demand for effective and legitimate pain treatments; Khare said he has certified more than 13,000 Illinoisans for medical marijuana in the last five years.
"How do we protect employees who are using this legal substance when it stays in their system for up to 30 days?" said Rep. Bob Morgan (D-IL 58), one of the original architects of the state's medical marijuana law. "So, this is not a new topic, but certainly is much bigger now that we have a larger pool of individuals in Illinois who are legally using the substance."
Some companies continue to enforce a zero tolerance policy for all employees who test positive for marijuana on drug tests, even if they have a medical marijuana card.
Inside renovations at the Old State Capitol in Springfield (Illinois Times)
"The character of downtown makes a community," says Springfield architect Bruce Ferry, who has had his office in downtown since the early 1990s. "Downtown is the cultural center and core of the community. The Old State Capitol is the core of Springfield's downtown."
"Maintenance is not a glamorous topic," says Blandford. However, deferred maintenance can result in significant damage and higher costs for repair. Problems at the Old State Capitol have been addressed in small ways over the last eight to ten years to mitigate damage caused by water infiltration. This undertaking, however, is much more than a maintenance project. It is part of ensuring the important stories of freedom that transpired in this very historic place continue to inspire people today and into the future.
Don Ferry and Wally Henderson of Ferry and Henderson Architects developed an audacious plan to remove the 3,300 exterior dolomite stones, dug from a quarry that is now under Lake Springfield, number and store the stones, and then painstakingly put them back in their original places from 1837. Architects photographed the building and labeled each stone with a code to identify its original location. Master prints of the codes were stored in four separate locations to ensure the plans would not be lost to fire or other calamity. The stones were stored at the Illinois State Fairgrounds until being reinstalled. After the stones were removed, the old courthouse was demolished. A two-level parking garage and space for the Illinois State Historical Library were built underground. All of the indoor surfaces were rebuilt as identical as possible to the date Lincoln delivered his House Divided speech, but all materials were new. Original building materials were dumped in deep coal mines, which architect Wally Henderson said was "to prevent an endless supply of authentic or simulated souvenirs." Each stone weighed 900-1,200 pounds. A large crane was used to swing the old stones back into place. The reconstructed Old State Capitol has a steel frame that supports the old stones and the reconstructed interior. There were many skeptics, but the project was a remarkable undertaking and highly acclaimed. Only a few of the original stones were cracked and unusable.
The Old State Capitol is my favorite historical site in Springfield. I’m excited to be able to check out the renovations.
Go read the whole thing. It is an amazing process.
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