chicagotribune--2020-09-24--Want to vote early in Illinois' general election? Here’s what you need to know.

Adding to the difficulty for candidates is how they should allocate resources during the campaign ’ s closing weeks , @ @ @ @ @ professor of political science at the University of Illinois at Springfield .
Candidates previously tended @ @ @ @ @ voters closer to Election Day to make sure harder-to-reach people get to the polls .
@ @ @ @ @ a different wrinkle to candidates ' calculations , Redfield said .

Balloting for the Nov. 3 general election kicks off Thursday with the opening of some early-voting polling sites while election officials across the state begin to mail out ballots to some of the more than 1.7 million applicants and brace for an unprecedented surge in both types of voting because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Though election officials will begin sending mail-in ballots to approved Illinois applicants, only some polling places will open Thursday, including a few sites in DuPage, Lake, Kane, Kendall, McHenry and Will counties.
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[ Want to vote by mail in Illinois? Here’s how. ]
Chicago’s in-person early voting operation doesn’t start until Oct. 1 at the Loop Super Site at 191 N. Clark St., before expanding Oct. 14 to locations in each of the city’s 50 wards.
In suburban Cook County, in-person early voting starts Oct. 7 and will expand Oct. 19 to more than 50 sites.
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“We will be hard at work continuing to process mail ballot applications as they come in,” Sally Daly, a spokeswoman for the Cook County clerk’s office, said in an email.
As polling places, mail-in ballots and drop boxes become available to citizens, politicians and voting advocacy organizations have been ramping up fundraising and registration efforts. Election rhetoric also has intensified.
[ Where to securely drop off your mail-in ballot in Chicago and the suburbs ]
The Democratic Party of Illinois unveiled a hotline and webpage last week to help voters navigate how to cast a ballot. Democratic House Speaker Michael Madigan issued letters to local election authorities detailing election law changes.
“We know Donald Trump and his Republican enablers are working hard to suppress the vote and even dispute the outcome of the election, so we are working harder to ensure everyone in Illinois can safely cast their ballot,” Madigan said in a Sept. 17 news release.
The Republican Party of Illinois has been encouraging voters to “get out and lock in their votes early with in-person early voting options,” according to Joe Hackler, a state GOP spokesman. “In terms of directly pushing voters to do that, the various campaigns across the state are taking a lead.”
Adding to the difficulty for candidates is how they should allocate resources during the campaign’s closing weeks, said Kent Redfield, emeritus professor of political science at the University of Illinois at Springfield. Candidates previously tended to focus their resources on voters closer to Election Day to make sure harder-to-reach people get to the polls. The expanded voting window adds a different wrinkle to candidates' calculations, Redfield said.
“Election Day you want your supporters to get out there early so you can focus on the stragglers in the afternoon," Redfield said. "And so this takes that dynamic and spreads it out.”
Voters also may have a lot of anxiety associated with ensuring their ballot gets counted this year given publicity about early voting and potential problems with the Postal Service, he added.
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“It’s not going to overwhelm the system but you’re going to have a lot more activity than you normally would,” Redfield said. “There’s no question a huge volume is coming.”
Nevertheless, Redfield predicted “extremely high” voter turnout this year.
“There’s just a lot of energy on both sides,” Redfield said.
Here’s everything you need to know about the start of voting in Illinois:
How do I register to vote?
You need to be registered to vote to cast a ballot in Illinois' general election.
The State Board of Elections has an online voter registration application page you can fill out to register. You also can print and send your form by mail to your local registration office, such as your county clerk, or register in person by going to a clerk or driver’s license facility.
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The deadline is Oct. 6 if the form is sent by mail and Oct. 18 for online submissions, although people can still register to vote at an election authority or early voting site before Election Day and at their home precinct on Nov. 3. To do so, voters must provide two forms of identification, including one that includes their current address.
The state board has a registration lookup site to check if you’re registered in Illinois.
How do I cast my ballot early?
Early voting runs from Thursday until Nov. 2. You don’t need to provide a reason for voting early — any registered voter can cast their ballot early in Illinois.
You have a few early voting options: You can cast your ballot at your local election authority or at designated early polling places, you can send your ballot through the mail or you can drop off your ballot at secured drop box locations in your area.
Remember you can only vote once in an election. Knowingly voting more than once in Illinois is a class 3 felony.
If you decide you’d rather vote in person after applying for a mail-in ballot, you’ll need to bring your mail-in ballot to an early voting site or your election precinct polling place and surrender it to an election judge. The election judge should then give you a standard ballot, which you can fill out to vote in person.
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State officials have an online database for all Illinois election boards, which voters can use to check their polling places. Be sure to check dates and hours to make sure the polling place is open on the day you hope to vote.
When can I cast my mail-in ballot?
If you plan to vote by mail, you have to apply. Election authorities must receive the application for a mail-in ballot by Oct. 29.
The Postal Service recommended that Illinois voters wanting to cast a ballot by mail submit their applications “at least 15 days before Election Day at a minimum, and preferably long before that time.”
Election authorities will start sending mail-in ballots to approved applicants on Thursday. Once you’ve filled out the ballot, you can return it through the Postal Service or licensed couriers, or bring it to the election board that has jurisdiction over your area, such as the Chicago Board of Elections or the Cook County clerk.
The ballot must be received within 14 days after Election Day. They also must be postmarked by Election Day, meaning any ballot sent through the mail after Nov. 3 will not be counted.
Before casting your ballot by mail, make sure you sign your return envelope and ballot wherever indicated.
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Election boards provide various ways for voters to track their ballot. The Chicago Board of Elections will send an email confirming the ballot was received and another when the vote has been counted.
What’s on the ballot?
Candidates for president and vice president of the United States, candidates for U.S. senator and U.S. representative, candidates for state senator and state representative, as well as county state’s attorneys and county court clerks, and judicial candidates. The state board of elections has a rundown of all candidates who have filed.
The ballot also will include a proposed state constitutional amendment on whether to allow a graduated-rate income tax to replace the currently mandated flat-rate tax, retention of judges and, in Chicago there are three referendum questions on expanding internet service, creating a plan for sustainability and the regulation of “assault weapons.”
Could Illinois experience any voting glitches?
Illinois has a robust voting system that is likely to operate in a good way compared with other states in the lead-up to Election Day, Redfield said. Illinois has conducted mail-in and early voting in past elections, which better prepares the state for the likely surge.
Glitches could come in the form of minor delays or discarded ballots if people don’t follow the rules when sending their votes by mail. Chicago election officials said unsigned return envelopes is a common problem.
Illinois has verification processes and controls in place to limit such situations. Any issues with provisional ballots can be resolved during a 14-day period after Election Day.
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Redfield said Illinois should remain “pretty cut and dry” this election, but the pandemic complicates things. There might be problems with staffing polling places and longer lines given COVID-19 restrictions, even with dispersed early voting.
“If we were not having a pandemic, we would say, ‘Boy, Election Day is going to run really smoothly,’ ” Redfield said. “But trying to vote under pandemic conditions means it takes longer.”
Links to election resources
Vote-by-mail secure drop-off locations
Chicago Tribune map of vote-by-mail drop-off locations
Chicago residents
Chicago Board of Election Commissioners
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- Application to vote by mail
- Early voting locations
- Find your polling place
Suburban Cook County residents
Cook County clerk
- Application to vote by mail
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- Early voting and polling place sites
DuPage County residents
DuPage County Election Division
- Application to vote by mail
- Early voting and polling place locations
Kane County residents
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Kane County clerk
- Application to vote by mail
- Vote-by-mail drop box locations
- Early voting locations
- Election Day polling places
Kendall County residents
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County clerk and recorder
- Application to vote by mail
- Vote-by-mail drop box locations
- Early voting locations
- Polling place locations
Lake County residents
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County clerk
- Application to vote by mail
- Early voting locations
- Election Day polling place locations
McHenry County residents
County clerk
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- Application to vote by mail
- Early voting sites and polling locations
Will County residents
County clerk
- Application to vote by mail
- Early voting locations
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- Election Day polling places
Correction: An earlier version of this story stated that election officials would begin sending mail-in ballots to all Illinois residents. Mail-in ballots are only sent to approved Illinois applicants.
kelsmith@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @KelliSmithNews


chicagotribune--2020-09-24--Hundreds of demonstrators gather around Chicago to peacefully protest that no Kentucky police will f

Hundreds of demonstrators gather around Chicago to peacefully protest that no Kentucky police will face charges in Breonna Taylor’s death

A fully furnished , 3,600-square-foot condominium on the 51st floor of One Bennett Park in Streeterville has been listed for @ @ @ @ @ the building 's developer asked interior designer Bruce Fox to decorate the three-bedroom home .

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chicagotribune--2020-09-25--Rescue group says sick dogs rescued from O’Hare warehouse might be shipped back to the Middle East:

Rescue group says sick dogs rescued from O’Hare warehouse might be shipped back to the Middle East: ‘Why is this happening?’

“ What ’ s even more troubling is that many other puppies imported by puppy mills share the same fate @ @ @ @ @ “ The airlines , the CDC and ( U.S. Department of Agriculture ) must have @ @ @ @ @ care of animals in these situations .
These are sentient living beings and not contraband @ @ @ @ @ a warehouse and forgotten .
”

Two of the 15 French bulldog puppies that were rescued from a warehouse at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport are seen in quarantine in Chicago Oct. 2, 2020. (Terrence Antonio James / Chicago Tribune)
Fifteen sick dogs rescued from a cargo warehouse at O’Hare International Airport last month are facing a dire future, with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention allegedly demanding the dogs be shipped back on a 13-hour flight to the Middle East after arriving in the U.S. without proper documentation.
The shipment of sick dogs was discovered by an employee of the warehouse, who tipped off the Chicago Police Department on Aug. 31, and officers were dispatched to the warehouse to investigate an animal abuse incident, a police spokeswoman said Thursday.
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Officers found 16 French bulldogs in small cages, covered in feces and urine, without water or food, and one dog was deceased, the spokeswoman said.
“The investigation revealed that these animals have received little if any care since arriving in Chicago on Aug. 28, and would need rescue at this time,” she said.
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The company that shipped the dogs, which police did not name, was issued two citations, one with 17 counts of animal neglect and a second for animal neglect that may have contributed to the death of a canine.
A spokeswoman for the rescue organization that is caring for the French bulldogs said the animals found languishing in the warehouse also included four large-breed dogs, two of which are being cared for by Chicago Animal Care and Control, and two dogs that are unaccounted for.
The CDC was not immediately available for comment Thursday evening.
But officials at the Humane Society of the United States said the puppies had been illegally imported into the United States from Jordan by suspected overseas puppy mills to be sold as pets, in apparent violation of federal law, according to the society’s website.
“They were dumped into the warehouse because they did not have vaccination documents required by the (CDC) for their release,” officials said.
“These puppies should not go back to the very people who put them in harm’s way,” Kitty Block, CEO and president of the Humane Society of the United States, said Thursday.
“The puppies, if imported illegally, should have been seized and cared for, and the importer charged for the veterinary expenses,” Block said.
“What’s even more troubling is that many other puppies imported by puppy mills share the same fate,” she said. “The airlines, the CDC and (U.S. Department of Agriculture) must have a better plan for taking care of animals in these situations. These are sentient living beings and not contraband that can be shoved into a warehouse and forgotten.”
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The Chicago French Bulldogs Rescue group spent “tens of thousands of dollars caring for the animals and treating them for a variety of illnesses they were suffering from,” Block said. “But yesterday, the CDC told the rescue that the pups will be returned to Jordan — to the same puppy dealers who were responsible for sending them illegally to the United States in the first place.”
A spokeswoman for the rescue group said after the Police Department discovered the sick dogs, it contacted the rescue group, which “had several veterinary clinics prepped and on standby to provide treatment and quarantine for all of the dogs that same evening.”
After assisting police in evaluating and loading the dogs into a rescue vehicle, volunteers with the group “took custody of the dogs and transported them to their veterinary partners, where they have been treated, quarantined ... and some have even been socialized.”
Officials at the rescue group are asking that the pups be released to their custody and care permanently, where the dogs will continue their rehabilitation and the group can find them loving homes.
“These dogs have been failed by CDC first and then Royal Jordanian Airlines, who were responsible for their safety and well-being,” said the rescue group’s spokeswoman, Mika Stambaugh.
“It looks like the CDC might want the dogs returned as early as tomorrow, but we’re all wondering, why is this so important to the CDC, and why is this even happening?” Stambaugh said, adding: “We’re of the mindset, let’s just get these dogs healthy.”
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kcullotta@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @kcullotta


chicagotribune--2020-09-25--The Deadhead Cowboy asks for help days after animal cruelty arrest: ‘Lori come help me. I can’t do i

The Deadhead Cowboy asks for help days after animal cruelty arrest: ‘Lori come help me. I can’t do it alone’

“ Yes , I ’ d do it again , ” said Hollingworth , 33 .
“ I ’ ve @ @ @ @ @ ’ ve got a background .
I ’ m not perfect .
I would rather @ @ @ @ @ like ( this ) .
That is something worth going to jail for.
” Hollingsworth @ @ @ @ @ didn ’ t mean no harm on my horse , at all .
I ’ @ @ @ @ @ ) animal-loving person .
My focus is Kids Lives Matter .
And If a person @ @ @ @ @ that , I don ’ t know what to call you .
”

Adam Hollingsworth, the Dreadhead Cowboy, speaks during a press conference on Sept. 24, 2020, in the Woodlawn neighborhood of Chicago. Hollingsworth faces a felony aggravated animal cruelty charge, along with misdemeanor counts of trespassing and reckless conduct, after he was arrested for riding one of his horses on the Dan Ryan Expressway during a "Kids Lives Matter" protest. (Erin Hooley / Chicago Tribune)
If Adam Hollingsworth — the so-called Dreadhead Cowboy — had to do it all over again, he said he would still gladly make the unauthorized gallop on the Dan Ryan Expressway to spotlight violence against children in Chicago this year.
The urban horseman enjoyed local celebrity as an activist and Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s census ambassador before being charged with felony animal cruelty following his ride earlier this week. But on Thursday, he pleaded for help from the mayor’s office and Chicago’s pantheon of famous and socially conscious rappers to make the criminal case go away.
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Hollingsworth quickly went viral Monday as he livestreamed his horseback ride on the expressway during the afternoon rush hour. “I shut down the Dan Ryan, Kids' Lives Matter,” he streamed on Facebook Live. But the excitement of the moment quickly melted away at the end of the ride when the animal collapsed, critically injured, and Hollingsworth was arrested. In addition to the felony, he faces misdemeanor counts of trespassing and reckless conduct.
Adam Hollingsworth rides his horse down the local lanes of Dan Ryan Expressway with motorcycles and motorists to support Kids Lives Matter on Sept. 21, 2020. (Todd Panagopoulos / Chicago Tribune)
Speaking with reporters in Woodlawn on Thursday for the first time since he bailed out of Cook County custody on $25,000 bond, Hollingsworth said he would never harm any of his five beloved horses.
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“Yes, I’d do it again,” said Hollingworth, 33. “I’ve been to jail. I’ve got a background. I’m not perfect. I would rather go to jail for something like (this). That is something worth going to jail for.” Hollingsworth added: “And I didn’t mean no harm on my horse, at all. I’m a horse- (and) animal-loving person. My focus is Kids Lives Matter. And If a person can’t agree with that, I don’t know what to call you.”
Surrounded by supporters on a vacant lot on East 63rd Street that he said he hoped to one day purchase and erect a horse stable on, Hollingsworth said he still had not learned of the fate of NuNu, his brown and white horse that authorities said may need to be euthanized.
The animal was dehydrated, exhausted and injured when it collapsed on the asphalt roadway near 95th Street following a 7.5-mile ride. Authorities said the horse was transported to an animal rescue shelter for medical evaluation.
“I’ve been looking for my horse. They haven’t told me anything about my horse,” Hollingsworth said, adding that he was looking for a private lawyer. He also cast doubt on authorities' claims regarding his animal’s condition, saying it was an attempt to sabotage his image.
“Look at my history when it comes to my work. If you look up the Dreadhead Cowboy, you’ll see all the things I’ve done for the community. My focus is on the Kids Lives Matter,” he said.
At his bail hearing, Hollingworth’s court-appointed attorney called him passionate about horseback riding, adding there was no indication he was trying to harm his horse.
Adam Hollingsworth, center, exits Cook County Jail in Chicago after posting bail on Wednesday, Sept. 23, 2020. (John J. Kim / Chicago Tribune)
With a police vehicle and supporters riding on motorcycles alongside him, Hollingsworth’s stunt provided the pandemic-weary city with a brief distraction similar to the Chance the Snapper and coyote sightings.
But since his arrest and court appearance, Hollingsworth said he’s received online jeers and death threats related to the belief that he abused his horse.
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Hollingsworth has said the ride was meant to shut down the Dan Ryan and bring attention to violence against children during a year where dozens of children 17 and younger have been fatally shot on city streets.
Before a judge earlier this week, prosecutors alleged that Hollingsworth kicked and whipped the horse to force the animal on a 7.5-mile trip down the expressway. By the time it collapsed on the pavement near 95th Street, it was in critical condition, prosecutors said.
The animal was extremely dehydrated, its heart rate had doubled, it had cuts to its front legs, and its eyes were “dilated to the point where they looked like cartoon eyes,” Assistant State’s Attorney Kevin DeBoni said. “If medical attention was not rendered immediately, the animal would have succumbed to injuries sustained.”
Expand Autoplay Image 1 of 22 The Dreadhead Cowboy, aka Adam Hollingsworth, stands on his horse Prince on June 23, 2020, in the Woodlawn neighborhood of Chicago. (Erin Hooley/Chicago Tribune)
Hollingsworth became a curious online sensation as a Black cowboy showing up randomly at South Side and lakefront locations on horseback. He has tried to use his growing celebrity to promote awareness about gun violence against children, as well as horseback riding in largely Black neighborhoods of Chicago. A young man who got caught up with the law as a teenager, Hollingsworth said learning to ride and owning his own horse changed his life.
Before ending his news conference, Hollingworth called upon Chicago rappers such as Common, Chance the Rapper and Kanye West to support him. He also called upon Lightfoot to help with his legal problems.
“When she called upon me, I was there for her,” Hollingworth said. “What I did Monday was my stress signal. Lori come help me. I can’t do it alone.”
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wlee@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @MidNoirCowboy


chicagotribune--2020-09-25--Census director in Chicago said agency was ‘pulling out all the stops’ in final weeks of count. Then

Census director in Chicago said agency was ‘pulling out all the stops’ in final weeks of count. Then the number of field workers went down by 3,000.

The Chicago field office would not comment on the cutback of workers in the final weeks of the 2020 census @ @ @ @ @ Washington , D.C. , said one reason might be that the Chicago area is actually @ @ @ @ @ census , with much of its population already counted , contrary to what every local @ @ @ @ @

Jo Padilla easily figured on putting in 40 hours a week as a census worker in Chicago, where some neighborhoods were barely responding to the count.
But as the deadline drew near and response rates remained low, Padilla’s hours were cut in half and others got no work at all.
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“This is really strange because we know that there are these massive disparities in who’s getting counted,” Padilla said. “There are a lot of people ... across the city that are available to work these hours ... but they’re not getting them.”
Despite assurances from U.S. Census Bureau officials that there would be a final push to reach people this month, the latest data shows the Chicago region employed around 3,000 fewer people the week of Sept. 6-12 compared with the previous week. The move raises more questions about the reliability and completeness of a count that will determine Illinois' representation in Congress and the state’s and city’s share of billions of dollars in federal aid over the next 10 years.
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Late Thursday, a federal judge ordered the Census Bureau to extend its deadline from Sept. 30 to Oct. 31. The Trump administration is expected to appeal, but the judge’s order prohibits the agency from winding down operations until the case is resolved
The Chicago field office would not comment on the recent cutback of workers, but an official in Washington, D.C., said one reason might be that the Chicago area is actually faring very well in the census, with much of its population already counted, contrary to what every local official has been saying.
“We’re not letting anybody go,” said Tim Olson, associate director for field operations for the Census Bureau. “Some people, if they get one hour a day of work, it’s not enough so they quit.”
A man listens to speakers at an event on Sept. 16, 2020, in Chicago's Little Village neighborhood, where residents were encouraged to fill out the 2020 census. (John J. Kim / Chicago Tribune)
Olson said Cook County is about 90% counted when you combine responses from households and visits by census workers to homes that didn’t respond. But experts say that’s still not good enough.
Sherrie Taylor, interim head of the State Data Center Network, which works with the bureau, said the agency should not be satisfied with anything less than 99%. “Until there is 99% in every single tract, there’s questions about the reliability of the data,” she said. “In a sample survey, you’re happy to get a 20% response and that’s really good, but this is much more serious than that.”
Even if the rate in the Chicago area were 99%, advocates say they have questions about the reliability of the information gathered.
While census workers in the field knock on doors and encourage people to return their forms, they can also depend on a neighbor, a janitor, a real estate agent or “other knowledgeable person” to gather information after they’ve visited a home at least three times. The bureau’s training manual tells workers to contact up to three such “proxy respondents.”
A survey in July by the Pew Research Center found that 40% of those who had not yet responded would not be willing to talk to a census worker who came to the door.
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One Chicago census worker told the Tribune, for example, that he got some of his information from a door attendant at a River North condo building. An organizer with the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights said she tells people it’s important to fill out their forms because the Census Bureau will get that information one way or another, it just may not be as accurate.
Officials in Chicago and Illinois have focused on the percentage of people returning their forms, considered the most reliable information. In some areas of Chicago, that response rate is as low as 26%, primarily in communities of color that have been traditionally shortchanged of resources.
Padilla thought these last weeks of the count would be busy with visiting homes in some of those areas.
Padilla was supposed to begin work as a census enumerator in the spring, conducting what the bureau calls “nonresponsive follow-up,” basically visiting households that had yet to complete the questionnaire. But because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Padilla did not enter the field until late July, covering an area that stretched from Albany Park to Uptown.
People walk past an advertisement on a truck promoting the 2020 census in the 3000 block of West 26th Street in the Little Village neighborhood in Chicago on Sept. 16, 2020. (John J. Kim / Chicago Tribune)
By the end of August, the number of households assigned to Padilla and a team of around 20 people dropped dramatically, to the point where only seven of them were frequently receiving cases. In recent weeks, Padilla has been assigned only 20 hours of work a week, instead of the 40 requested.
The Chicago census worker, who asked to remain anonymous, said their workload was also cut in half, from 40 to 20 hours a week, after Labor Day.
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Around the same time, a manager in the Chicago office instructed supervisors to begin laying off workers who did not have cases “to get a head start on terminating these people,” according to The Associated Press, which said it listened to the conference call.
AP reported that it was unclear whether the incident violated the federal judge’s order prohibiting the Census Bureau from cutting back field operations. Olson said the agency was investigating and was “instructing field personnel of their continuing obligation to comply with court orders.”
Ellisa Johnson, deputy regional director for the Census Bureau in Chicago, told the Tribune earlier this month that her office was “trying to pull out all the stops” in the final weeks of the count. But workers contacted by the newspaper said they found no evidence of a big last-minute push.
“It’s hard to see how that’s happened,” said the Chicago census worker who didn’t want to be named.
Padilla has not witnessed any layoffs but said a number of workers were recently instructed to turn in the cellphones they use in the field. Response rates are relatively high in the region where Padilla works, especially around Ravenswood, where rates are above 70%, and Padilla believes that may be the reason for the low workload in recent weeks.
Padilla and other census workers have offered to travel to neighborhoods with low response rates. Instead, Padilla was asked to travel to Detroit, where response rates remain around 50%. When Padilla was unable to make the Detroit trip, the agency asked about going to Georgia.
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“It gets to be such an incurable mess,” Padilla said. “We have a different supervisor right now because our supervisor was sent to Georgia, but we have massive problems here in the city as well with counting that, just logistically, (it) would make sense to keep us here.”
A Far North Side census worker, who also asked to remain anonymous, was more sympathetic to the challenges faced by the agency. The official deadline was the end of July, but that was initially pushed back to Oct. 31 because of the pandemic. Then the Trump administration abruptly moved the deadline up to Sept. 30, despite warnings from inside the Census Bureau.
“I can’t even imagine what people at the upper levels of the Census Bureau have had thrown at them from the current administration, in terms of changing rules, in terms of changing processes, in terms of changing ways they want to do things,” the worker said. “I think that everyone is doing their best and I really hope that that’s enough.”
But Olson insisted the count has been going well in Illinois, where he said there are around 130,000 addresses left to be counted and 9,000 enumerators still in the field. He said he expects the workforce to keep shrinking “as you grind down to the end and there’s very little work.”
But Mayor Lori Lightfoot and Gov. J.B. Pritzker have been focusing on much lower numbers representing the number of households that have actually submitted their forms. The state’s self-response rate stands just above 70%, slightly higher than the national average, while the city’s rate remains just under 60%, with some neighborhoods still reporting rates around 30%.
The governor has been making stops across the state, urging people to return the forms and warning about the consequences if they do not.
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“Just a 1% undercount could result in the state losing over $195 million in federal funds each year at a time when we need our full funding the most,” he said earlier this month during a Downstate stop. “Today, when Illinoisans pay our federal taxes, we are one of only 10 states that get back less than we pay.”
ssherry@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-09-25--3 ethics board exits later, Cook County commissioners unveil first draft of ethics code reforms

“ We actually tried to move away from that and focus on what direct conflicts would be as well as @ @ @ @ @ we strengthened the ordinance in that regard , instead of having a vague reliance on @ @ @ @ @ understanding what that means , ” Lechowicz Felicione said .

After a nine-month lag in the Cook County ethics board’s plan to revise the ethics ordinance — as well as three member exits — the Board of Commissioners on Thursday unveiled a bundle of proposed reforms that mostly won the approval of two ousted ethics board chairs.
The changes are based on revisions that the ethics board, a body of five volunteers tasked with enforcing the ethics ordinance, voted in favor of in January despite objection from Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle’s office that more time was needed to examine the language. Since then, two members reluctantly left after Preckwinkle opted not to reappoint them, and a third resigned in protest.
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“We pulled together various issues that have been raised by both the ethics board (and) the other commissioners,” Laura Lechowicz Felicione, Preckwinkle’s special counsel, said in a call to reporters. “We have strengthened the ordinance with the proposed amendments that were introduced today.”
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The suggested amendments to the county ethics ordinance were brought forward by Democratic Commissioners Larry Suffredin, of Evanston, and John Daley, of Chicago, and are backed by Preckwinkle. Commissioners moved the reforms to the legislation committee for further consideration in a 16-0 vote, with one commissioner absent.
Margaret “Peggy” Daley, a previous ethics board chair until Preckwinkle replaced her in January, said the reforms would be “substantive and meaningful.” But while she urged the board to quickly pass it, she said she was disappointed this version left out a definition of dual employment as any position that creates an “appearance of impropriety,” similar to the city of Chicago’s code.
“Prohibiting conflicting employment would help to end ‘Pay to Play’ politics,” Daley wrote in an email. “Until that happens, we will continue to see our elected officials leverage their positions for personal profit and sadly continue to watch them face criminal corruption charges. … With that caveat, these proposed reforms are a real win for the citizens of Cook County.”
Juliet Sorensen, the second ethics board chair to be ousted by Preckwinkle this year, said the dual employment section also let her down. Nevertheless, the proposed amendments were a “thoughtful” effort to address the same “weaknesses and loopholes” the ethics board had tackled in January, she said.
The current proposal doesn’t include the same language on “appearance of impropriety” because the ethics board’s version was not clear enough, Lechowicz Felicione said.
“We actually tried to move away from that and focus on what direct conflicts would be as well as improper influence and believe that we strengthened the ordinance in that regard, instead of having a vague reliance on appearance of impropriety without really understanding what that means,” Lechowicz Felicione said.
The suggested dual employment restrictions do preclude any employee from maintaining another job that would impair their county duties. Officials with outside employment must within 30 days tell the ethics director and ethics board, who will publish those disclosures online.
The bans on improper influence, or leveraging a county position for personal benefit, as well as the type of situations that require recusal due to a conflict of interest would expand in scope. They would include any actions that financially benefit a relative or person whom the employee or appointee received or will receive compensation from in the next or previous year.
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In addition, the changes include strengthening the language surrounding nepotism, adding a definition of sexual harassment to the ethics ordinance, and requiring the state’s attorney to nab the approval of the ethics board when settling its lawsuits.
Also during Thursday’s board meeting, commissioners voted 13-3 with one member present to extend Preckwinkle’s disaster proclamation, giving her 90 more days of expanded powers to respond to the coronavirus pandemic. Despite more dissent during this vote compared with the first extension vote in May, Suffredin said “there has been no abuse of power.”
Longtime independent Inspector General Patrick Blanchard was reappointed for a two-year term as the county prepares to identify his replacement. The ordinance was amended to require the inspector general’s office to allow the department it is investigating to respond to its report before publication.
A preliminary 2021 budget for Cook County’s public health system, approved by its board of directors earlier this week, went to Preckwinkle on Thursday. She will fold it into the overall budget that she will present in October.
Meanwhile, commissioners finalized two of Preckwinkle’s appointments to the health system’s board of directors, Robert Currie and Raul Garza, and moved to the legislation committee the consideration of the system’s next CEO. That person’s identity is only known as “Candidate A.”
ayin@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-09-25--Special Edition: A guide to early voting in Illinois

We strive to cut through the noise and separate fact from fiction .
Whether it ’ s the race between @ @ @ @ @ Democratic nominee Joe Biden , contests in Illinois for seats in the U.S. House and @ @ @ @ @ of government that could either reinforce or shift the balance of power in Washington — @ @ @ @ @ House and Senate contests , count on us .

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Good evening, Chicago. The virtual starter gun to Illinois’ election season started Thursday as election officials throughout the state began sending out mail-in ballots and people registered to vote in some cities and counties across the state (not Chicago or suburban Cook County) began early voting in person.
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As the election season intensifies with a seemingly deeper partisan divide, louder rhetoric and increasingly heated emotions — all complicated by a pandemic and bouts of civil unrest — we’re here for you.
Whether it’s Daywatch, The Spin or our general top-notch reporting, the Chicago Tribune is here to guide you through Nov. 3, and beyond.
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We strive to cut through the noise and separate fact from fiction. Whether it’s the race between Republican President Donald Trump and Democratic nominee Joe Biden, contests in Illinois for seats in the U.S. House and Senate — those coequal branches of government that could either reinforce or shift the balance of power in Washington — or the dozens of state House and Senate contests, count on us.
Also, now that we have your attention, consider signing up for The Spin, the Tribune’s subscriber-only politics newsletter that offers not only insight of the biggest political news of the day but also a digest of local coverage. Sign up here to have it delivered to your inbox weekday afternoons.
— Lisa Donovan, host of The Spin
Here’s a guide to everything you need to know about early voting in Illinois:
Early voting began in Illinois on Thursday. (Jose M. Osorio / Chicago Tribune)
Balloting for the Nov. 3 general election kicked off Thursday with the opening of some early voting polling sites, while election officials across the state begin to mail out ballots to some of the more than 1.7 million applicants.
Do you have questions about how to cast your ballot early or what’s on it? Here’s everything you need to know about the start of voting in Illinois.
A person rides a Divvy bicycle past mailboxes outside Chicago's Lakeview Station post office on Aug. 13, 2020. (Chris Sweda / Chicago Tribune)
Election Day is scheduled for Nov. 3, but many Illinois residents already have requested mail-in ballots, an option state officials encourage for all registered voters this year because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The state is on track to break its record for voting by mail set two years ago, when 430,000 votes, or 9.3%, of the total ballots were cast by mail.
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Here’s what you need to know about voting by mail in the general election.
Gov. J.B. Pritzker speaks May 20, 2020, at the Illinois State Capitol in Springfield. (Erin Hooley/Chicago Tribune)
Before Illinois voters consider any candidate on the Nov. 3 ballot — the presidential contenders, a member of Congress, a state lawmaker or a local judge — they will be asked to cast a simple yes or no vote on what could become the biggest change in state taxation in decades.
(Chicago Tribune dataviz)
More registered voters are expected to request mail-in ballots for the Nov. 3 election due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Though state law allows voters to apply for a mail-in ballot by Oct. 29, the Illinois State Board of Elections recommends voters interested in receiving a mail-in ballot apply as soon as possible. Use this map and listings to help find the closest drop box in your jurisdiction.
Ray Wojtkowski, 90, right, an election judge at a polling place in the 23rd Ward in Chicago, watches on March 17, 2020, as a voter wipes her hands. (Zbigniew Bzdak / Chicago Tribune)
Some Illinois counties are facing dire shortages of election workers ahead of early voting, prompting increased pay for poll workers and ramped-up recruitment of volunteers during the COVID-19 pandemic.
For more information on how to vote and coverage of the 2020 election, visit chicagotribune.com/2020.


chicagotribune--2020-09-24--As early voting begins, some voters experience hourslong wait times in northern Illinois counties

Lorraine Leiser , 73 , of Glendale Heights , said she waited with her son at the DuPage County Fairgrounds @ @ @ @ @ hours to vote .
She said she felt safest voting in person with a paper @ @ @ @ @ possible delays using the U.S .
Postal Service .

Voters in some Illinois counties experienced hourslong wait times Thursday while trying to cast their ballots in the general election on Illinois’ first day of early voting.
A limited number of polling places in counties surrounding Chicago opened Thursday, including in DuPage, Lake, Kane, Kendall, McHenry and Will. Suburban Cook County and Chicago won’t begin in-person early voting until October, though election boards began to send mail-in ballots to some of the more than 1.7 million voters who applied for one and were approved.
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[ Want to vote early in Illinois’ general election? Here’s what you need to know. ]
Many Illinois election authorities had encouraged early voting because of the COVID-19 pandemic, but some county officials said they hadn’t anticipated the level of turnout that occurred on Thursday, with lines that in some cases stretched hundreds of people long.
Lorraine Leiser, 73, of Glendale Heights, said she waited with her son at the DuPage County Fairgrounds in Wheaton for about three hours to vote. She said she felt safest voting in person with a paper ballot given recent speculation about possible delays using the U.S. Postal Service.
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Leiser said she had voted early in past elections but had never seen such lines as she did on Thursday.
“My son actually mentioned, ‘You know, Mom we haven’t seen anybody leave the line,’” Leiser said. “Everybody was determined to vote today.”
The Wheaton site was the only early voting location operating Thursday in DuPage County. By the end of the day, 660 voters had cast their ballots to vote at the location, which at times saw lines that stretched around the county fairgrounds.
Adam Johnson, chief deputy of the DuPage County clerk’s office, said the longer wait times were due to the unprecedented number of people who came out to vote.
“We were prepared for the possibility that there would be a large turnout,” Johnson said, “but even then we did not anticipate the number of voters who ended up showing up.”
Kane County voters also saw lengthy wait times. At the county clerk’s office, which is one of two early voting sites that opened in the county Thursday, about 360 people had voted in person by the end of the day.
That’s up from the usual approximately 30 to 40 people who cast their ballots on the first day of early voting, Kane County Clerk John Cunningham said.
“We had lines going from one building to the next,” Cunningham said.
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In Will County, more than 500 residents voted by the afternoon, up from about 138 residents who voted on the first day of early voting in 2016.
The record-high turnout in these counties meant some polling places stayed open longer than expected.
The Wheaton polling place in DuPage was set to close about 4:30 p.m. Thursday, but it stayed open past the planned closing time because people were still waiting in line to vote. Johnson said that’s an issue that has not come up before during early voting.
“This is completely unprecedented voter behavior,” Johnson said.
Other than longer wait times, election officials said the day ran relatively smoothly. DuPage County Clerk Jean Kaczmarek said officials were “quite happy" with how early voting went.
“Though the line of voters snaked through the Fairgrounds parking lot today, people were patient, they practiced social distancing, and everyone — voters, poll workers, and my staff — worked together to make this first day run smoothly,” Kaczmarek said in a Thursday news release.
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Johnson said it’s hard to anticipate whether Thursday’s turnout was an initial rush or if there will be sustained demand for voting before the additional sites open.
He said residents should know they have many options to vote, including applying and choosing to cast a mail-in ballot or waiting for some of the additional polling sites to open in mid-October or on Election Day.
“If large crowds continue to come out on these first few days then we’ll accommodate them all,” Johnson said. “But this is not how the opening of early voting has ever gone before.”
The Daily Southtown’s Alicia Fabbre contributed.
kelsmith@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @KelliSmithNews


chicagotribune--2020-09-24--Coronavirus in Illinois updates: 2,257 newly confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 30 additional deaths re

Coronavirus in Illinois updates: 2,257 newly confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 30 additional deaths reported

Swenson recently joined in a wave of parent rallies across the suburbs , calling for kids to get back in @ @ @ @ @ in Algonquin , Barrington , Libertyville , Naperville , Orland Park , Villa Park and @ @ @ @ @ .
They say online learning is not working , noting that some districts are operating @ @ @ @ @ showing it can be done safely despite the coronavirus .
In response , some boards @ @ @ @ @ schools , many through a hybrid plan of remote and in-person learning .

We have lifted the paywall on this story. To support essential reporting, please consider becoming a subscriber .
Paca Kujtim of Arlington Heights self-administers a COVID-19 test in his car at the Arlington International Racecourse on March 31, 2021 in Arlington Heights. Kujtim was getting testing as a precaution for upcoming travel. (Stacey Wescott / Chicago Tribune)
Illinois public health officials reported Thursday they had logged 2,257 newly diagnosed cases and 30 additional confirmed deaths of people with COVID-19, raising the statewide tally to 281,371 known cases and 8,538 deaths.
The new numbers come a day after Gov. J.B. Pritzker warned the region of northwest Illinois that includes Rockford and Northern Illinois University and borders Wisconsin and Iowa could soon see stricter rules aimed at curbing the spread of coronavirus.
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Here’s what’s happening Thursday with COVID-19 in the Chicago area and Illinois:
7:45 p.m.: As early voting begins, some voters experience hourslong wait times in northern Illinois counties
Voters in some Illinois counties experienced hourslong wait times Thursday while trying to cast their ballots in the general election on Illinois' first day of early voting.
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A limited number of polling places in counties surrounding Chicago opened Thursday, including in DuPage, Lake, Kane, Kendall, McHenry and Will. Suburban Cook County and Chicago won’t begin in-person early voting until October, though election boards began to send mail-in ballots to some of the more than 1.7 million voters who applied for one and were approved.
Many Illinois election authorities had encouraged early voting because of the COVID-19 pandemic, but some county officials said they hadn’t anticipated the level of turnout that occurred on Thursday, with lines that in some cases stretched hundreds of people long.
Lorraine Leiser, 73, of Glendale Heights, said she waited with her son at the DuPage County Fairgrounds in Wheaton for about three hours to vote. She said she felt safest voting in person with a paper ballot given recent speculation about possible delays using the U.S. Postal Service.
Leiser said she had voted early in past elections but had never seen such lines as she did on Thursday.
“My son actually mentioned, ‘You know, Mom we haven’t seen anybody leave the line,’” Leiser said. “Everybody was determined to vote today.”
Read more here. —Kelli Smith
6:50 p.m.: Cubs cut 60 jobs in their business department — and plan for potential limited seating at Wrigley Field next season — because of COVID-19, source says
The Chicago Cubs on Thursday laid off about 60 members of their business department because of declining revenue amid the COVID-19 pandemic, a source told the Tribune.
In addition, the team is bracing for limited seating capacity for games at Wrigley Field in 2021 in the event fans are allowed to attend games without a vaccine for the coronavirus, the source said. Should fans be allowed to return in limited capacity, the Cubs would prioritize season ticket holders for admission.
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Read more here. —Mark Gonzales
5:10 p.m.: Drive-thru flu shots? Vaccine vouchers? How getting the flu shot in Illinois will be different this year
Getting the flu shot this year is going to look different in Illinois as patients and medical facilities adapt to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Some Chicago area doctors and pharmacies are offering drive-thru flu shots for kids and adults, to help with social distancing. And some companies that normally offer vaccines in the office are giving vouchers to employees working from home that they can redeem at pharmacies.
Meanwhile, children as young as 3 years old can now receive flu shots from pharmacists, a controversial change made by the federal government last month to help as many as possible get vaccines during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The changes come as experts stress the importance of getting the flu shot this year, both to keep people healthy during the pandemic and to preserve health care resources in case COVID-19 surges again during the winter.
Read more here. —Lisa Schencker
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4 p.m.: United Airlines becomes first US carrier to offer coronavirus testing for passengers
United Airlines will become the first U.S. carrier to offer rapid coronavirus testing to some of its passengers — if they’re willing to pay a little extra, the company announced Thursday.
The tests will be available to customers traveling from San Francisco International Airport to Hawaii starting Oct. 15. Passengers would either take a quick test at the airport that delivers results in 15 minutes or request a mail-in, self-collected test ahead of their trip, according to United.
Read more here. —New York Daily News
3:40 p.m.: Peoria Republican LaHood introduces plan for federal loans to state and local governments but exempts Illinois from getting loan forgiveness
Republican U.S. Rep. Darin LaHood introduced legislation on Thursday backed by the GOP-aligned Illinois Policy Institute that would create a loan program for state and local governments — but it would effectively prevent Illinois from receiving any loan forgiveness because of its massive public employee pension debt.
The legislation has little chance of passage in a Democratic-controlled House and it comes amid continued dispute over federal assistance to state and local governments between the House and GOP-controlled Senate.
But it did allow LaHood to continue teeing off on Illinois' financial woes.
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“This pandemic did not create Illinois' financial mess; however, it emphasized the long-term challenges that Illinois and other states face for failing to implement sound budget policy,” LaHood, of Peoria, said in a statement.
“For decades, politicians in Springfield have kicked the can down the road on addressing Illinois' fiscal crisis, exploding the state’s $140 billion in unfunded pension liability and piling up these problems on the backs of hardworking taxpayers. Illinois shouldn’t get a blank check to bail out decades of failing to do what most responsible adults can: spend less than you earn and save for a rainy day,” he said.
Read more here. —Rick Pearson
3:35 p.m.: Democrats to redraft coronavirus relief bill in bid to jump-start negotiations
House Democrats are going back to the drawing board on a huge COVID-19 relief bill, paring back the measure in an attempt to jump-start negotiations with the Trump administration.
The Democratic-controlled chamber could also pass the $2 trillion-plus measure next week if talks fall through to demonstrate that the party isn’t giving up on passing virus relief before the election.
The chamber passed a $3.4 trillion rescue measure in May but Republicans dismissed the measure as bloated and unrealistic. Even as Democrats cut their ambitions to $2.2 trillion or so, Senate Republicans have focused on a much smaller rescue package in the $650 billion to $1 trillion range.
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An aide familiar with the leadership discussions and authorized to characterize them said the new bill would total about $2.4 trillion and is likely to contain additional relief for the airline and restaurant sectors, which have been especially slammed by slumps in business from the virus. The aide requested anonymity to characterize the closed-door talks.
Read more here. —Associated Press
3 p.m.: Fourth grader, middle school worker in North Shore District 112 test positive for COVID-19
A fourth-grade student at Oak Terrace Elementary School and an adult working at Edgewood Middle School tested positive this week for COVID-19, North Shore School District 112 officials said Wednesday.
“While we have been successful so far with being open for four weeks, today COVID-19 has hit us,” said Superintendent Michael Lubelfeld. “The best thing we can do is remind everyone that even in a successful restart of schools, which we have had, we are still in a global pandemic.”
The superintendent said district officials are working closely with the Lake County Health Department on contact tracing. The health department will contact staff and Oak Terrace students who have been identified as “close contacts” with the ones who tested positive and will provide guidance, he said.
The fourth grader last attended school Friday and will be quarantined for the next few weeks, Lubelfeld said.
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“We know exactly what the child’s movements were,” Lubelfeld said. “We were able to confirm there was an adherence to 6-foot physical distancing and all safety protocols. We believe that no further action, other than communication, is warranted at this time. Obviously, we will do an electrostatic deep cleaning out of caution.”
Read more here. —Gloria Casas
12:30 p.m.: How COVID-19 decimated Illinois nursing homes, exposed government flaws and left families in frustrating limbo
At a two-story nursing home in Willowbrook, close to the front entrance, is a resident’s room where crystal ornaments of birds and butterflies adorn the window.
It’s where 93-year-old Joan Keith nearly died gasping for air — and later tested positive for COVID-19.
It’s where she watched ambulances evacuate dying neighbors from Chateau Nursing and Rehabilitation Center.
And it’s where the former beautician has been largely confined since then, feeling a mix of emotions: missing her family, grateful to be alive, yet leery of venturing beyond her door frame.
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“If I go in the hall, there’s people — they have the mask on and everything — but I don’t know if they’re carrying anything,” she said, “and I don’t want to be ill again.”
That uneasiness is felt in long-term care facilities across the state, places where COVID-19 has taken a particularly staggering toll with no clear end in sight.
Six months into the pandemic, the new virus has infected more than 28,000 Illinois long-term care residents and killed more than 4,000. It’s also fueled debate over the Illinois Department of Public Health’s oversight of a mostly for-profit industry. That includes how the agency cut back inspections, at times breaking state law, as the virus raced through facilities.
Read more here. —Joe Mahr and Robert McCoppin
12:15 p.m.: 2,257 newly confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 30 additional deaths reported
Illinois public health officials reported Thursday they had logged 2,257 newly diagnosed cases and 30 additional confirmed deaths of people with COVID-19, raising the statewide tally to 281,371 known cases and 8,538 deaths.
11:25 a.m.: Historic Chicago dive bar Old Town Ale House reopens despite tavern restrictions — by selling frozen pizza
Old Town Ale House, the historic dive bar that the late film critic Roger Ebert once called “the best bar in the world that I know about,” quietly reopened Wednesday night on the North Side of Chicago.
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“GOOD NEWS! THE OLD TOWN ALE HOUSE IS PLANNING ON REOPENING TONIGHT!!!!” wrote artist and self-described mascot-in-residence Bruce Elliott publicly on his personal Facebook page Wednesday morning. Elliott painted the infamous political wall art behind the bar. The series debuted with a naked Sarah Palin holding an assault rifle, progressed to a portrait of Mitt Romney wearing what the artist calls “Magic Mormon Underwear,” as well as a work entitled “Cavity Search” featuring convicted former Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich.
Open since 1958, the bar has been closed since July 24 at 12:01 a.m., when city COVID-19 orders went into effect shuttering all taverns without outdoor seating. By Chicago licensing rules, taverns sell drinks, but no prepared food. Packaged foods, including chips and other staple dive bar sustenance, did not count. So how could Old Town Ale House open? Thank frozen pizza.
The bar obtained a retail food license from the city, which allowed it to sell the pizza.
“My boss drove down to the City Clerk (office) and got a copy that they said we could post and be legal,” said Tim Polk, bartender and manager of 20 or so years. Tobin Mitchell owns the bar, and is Elliott’s ex-wife. “We just found out we could open at noon,” said Polk.
Read more here. —Louisa Chu
11 a.m.: Six months into the COVID-19 pandemic, here’s how the virus has changed our lives
For six months, the world has changed in ways few of us could have imagined at the start of 2020.
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As COVID-19 took hold on so many facets of our lives, from our health to our livelihoods, our schools and our cultural institutions, the Chicago Tribune has sought to follow each development with insight into how the pandemic impacts us all.
Now, six months after the World Health Organization declared the new coronavirus' spread had become a pandemic, we reflect on how the pandemic is shaping our world — and how we’re getting through it together.
Read more here. —Chicago Tribune staff
7:55 a.m.: Jobless claims rise to 870,000 as fraud and backlogs cloud data
The number of people seeking U.S. unemployment aid rose slightly last week to 870,000, a historically high figure that shows that the viral pandemic is still squeezing restaurants, airlines, hotels and many other businesses six months after it first erupted.
The figure coincides with evidence that some newly laid-off Americans are facing delays in receiving unemployment benefits as state agencies intensify efforts to combat fraudulent applications and clear their pipelines of a backlog of jobless claims.
California has said it will stop processing new applications for two weeks as it seeks to reduce backlogs and prevent fraudulent claims. Pennsylvania has found that up to 10,000 inmates are improperly receiving aid.
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In Illinois, 23,113 people filed initial claims for jobless benefits during the week that ended Sept. 19, compared with 27,384 a week earlier.
Read more here. —Associated Press
6:43 a.m.: Sign tallying COVID-19 deaths that was marred with spray paint will stay up in Northbrook after some called for its removal
On the corner of Shermer Road and Walters Avenue in what many refer to as Triangle Park, a large sign displaying the number of national COVID-19 deaths stood Tuesday night, freshly covered with black spray paint.
At the exact same time, Northbrook officials were discussing whether the sign should be allowed to remain standing. Regardless of any personal views, trustees concluded at the meeting that they legally have no right to order the sign taken down.
The sign, which was unveiled Friday, says “We’re #1,” along with an updated tally of the number of national COVID-19 deaths — now displaying a grim 200,000. At the bottom of the sign reads “U.S.A. Donald J. Trump, President.”
Read more here. — Kaitlin Edquist
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6 a.m.: Want to vote early in Illinois' general election? Here’s what you need to know.
Balloting for the Nov. 3 general election kicks off Thursday with the opening of some early-voting polling sites while election officials across the state begin to mail out ballots to some of the more than 1.7 million applicants and brace for an unprecedented surge in both types of voting because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Though election officials will begin sending mail-in ballots to all Illinois residents, only some polling places will open Thursday, including a few sites in DuPage, Lake, Kane, Kendall, McHenry and Will counties.
Chicago’s in-person early voting operation doesn’t start until Oct. 1 at the Loop Super Site at 191 N. Clark St., before expanding Oct. 14 to locations in each of the city’s 50 wards.
In suburban Cook County, in-person early voting starts Oct. 7 and will expand Oct. 19 to more than 50 sites.
Read more here. —Kelli Smith
6 a.m.: ‘This is not good enough.’ Chicago-area parents rally to get kids back in school, and some districts are making it happen.
Her three children had always been good students, but since being relegated to online learning in Downers Grove, Carrie Swenson has had to guard against sleeping during class, poor grades and the temptation to cheat.
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At random times, with all three in band but no group practice, they take turns playing a trumpet, saxophone or percussion, while their golden retriever howls. Swenson’s son is dejected and no longer in the Advanced Placement classes at which he excelled.
“This is not good enough,” Swenson said of remote learning. “It’s like they’re watching TV. I’ve heard of more and more students disengaging. Overwhelmingly, parents are saying this isn’t enough, we cannot do this.”
Swenson recently joined in a wave of parent rallies across the suburbs, calling for kids to get back in the classroom and into athletics in Algonquin, Barrington, Libertyville, Naperville, Orland Park, Villa Park and Wheaton, among other towns. They say online learning is not working, noting that some districts are operating with children in class, showing it can be done safely despite the coronavirus. In response, some boards are taking steps to reopen schools, many through a hybrid plan of remote and in-person learning.
Read more here. —Robert McCoppin and Karen Ann Cullotta
Breaking coronavirus news Stay up to date with the latest information on coronavirus with our breaking news alerts.
In case you missed it
Here are five stories related to COVID-19 from Wednesday:


chicagotribune--2020-09-24--The Spin: Lt. Gov. Stratton warns Illinois residents could see big income tax hike if voters reject

The Spin: Lt. Gov. Stratton warns Illinois residents could see big income tax hike if voters reject ballot initiative | Top Biden adviser offers peek inside campaign |  Kinzinger pushes back on Trump’s uncertainty over peaceful transfer of power

Will Pritzker , Lightfoot vote by mail or in person ?
Two of the state ’ s top-ranking Democrats have @ @ @ @ @ amid the pandemic but they haven ’ t said a lot about how they ’ @ @ @ @ @ election cycle .
Two messages to the governor ’ s office weren ’ t returned @ @ @ @ @ say during an unrelated news conference today that he used to love voting in person @ @ @ @ @ took advantage of early voting as that option expanded and “ in the last two @ @ @ @ @ been so busy I ’ ve been voting by mail . ''

Lieutenant Governor Juliana Stratton addresses members of the audience after being sworn into office at the Bank of Springfield Center Monday Jan. 14, 2019, in Springfield, Ill. (Armando L. Sanchez/Chicago Tribune) (Armando L. Sanchez/Chicago Tribune)
“For weeks, Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritkzer’s administration has cautioned that severe budget cuts could be on the way if voters don’t approve the proposed amendment to overhaul Illinois' income tax system,” the Tribune’s Rick Pearson writes.
Today Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton warned Illinoisans could face an across-the-board income tax hike of at least 20% if voters reject a proposed constitutional amendment on the Nov. 3 ballot to shift the state from a mandated flat-rate tax to a graduated-rate tax based on income. The threat feels like a new strategy in the campaign, Pearson notes.
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It’s Day 1 of early voting here in Illinois — though you’ll have to wait till next month if you live in Chicago or suburban Cook County. Long voting lines were reported in Will and DuPage counties.
In honor of the occasion, The Spin asked two of the state’s high-profile elected leaders — Mayor Lori Lightfoot and Gov. Pritzker — when and how they’ll cast their ballot. Suffice to say it’s a bit of a mystery.
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Less than two months before Election Day, Sheila Nix, a senior adviser in Democratic Presidential candidate Joe Biden’s campaign, shares her views on the campaign’s fundraising efforts, what those polls mean and why voter turnout will take center stage after the Trump-Biden debates.
And U.S. Rep. Adam Kinzinger, the only Chicago-area Republican in Illinois' congressional delegation, is pushing back on President Donald Trump’s refusal to commit to a peaceful transfer of power should he lose his bid for a second term.
While he didn’t call him out by name, Kinzinger wrote on Twitter, “Jefferson defeats Adams in 1800, setting up first peaceful power transition in America. This is fundamental, and will be preserved. I’ve taken the oath for military and Congress. I will uphold that oath."
Welcome to The Spin.
Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton addresses members of the audience after being sworn into office at the Bank of Springfield Center Monday Jan. 14, 2019. (Armando L. Sanchez/Chicago Tribune)
The Tribune’s Pearson writes: “Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton warned Thursday that Illinoisans could face an across-the-board income tax hike of at least 20% if voters reject a proposed constitutional amendment to shift the state from a mandated flat-rate tax to a graduated-rate tax based on income.”
“To adequately address the budget crisis under our current tax system, lawmakers will be forced to consider raising income taxes on all Illinois residents by at least 20% regardless of their level of income,” Stratton said during a virtual rally on behalf of the pro-amendment Vote Yes for Fairness group that marked the start of voting in Illinois.
Proponents said the amendment is needed to stop lower income wage earners from paying the same tax rate as the wealthy, increasing current income inequity, Pearson notes.
Opponents contend it would hurt those small businesses which pay through the personal income tax rate, cost jobs and exacerbate a decline in the state’s population, he writes.
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Data point: A 20% increase would raise the state’s current 4.95 percent flat-rate personal income tax by nearly 1 percentage point to 5.94%. It would raise an estimated $4 billion a year, even more than the projected $3.4 billion that would be generated under a graduated-rate levy enacted if the amendment is ratified, said professor David Merriman, a longtime expert on state finances at the University of Illinois at Chicago. Read the rest of Pearson’s story here.
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U.S. Rep. Adam Kinzinger speaks during a gun violence hearing on Oct. 3, 2019, at Kennedy King College. (Antonio Perez/Chicago Tribune/TNS)
With President Trump yesterday declining to commit to a peaceful transfer of power if he loses in November, several fellow Republican lawmakers are pushing back. Kinzinger, of Channahon, was among a small group who carefully criticized Trump publicly — without saying his name.
“The winner of the November 3rd election will be inaugurated on January 20th. There will be an orderly transition just as there has been every four years since 1792,” GOP Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell wrote on Twitter. The New York Times notes that Sen. Mitt Romney of Utah and Wyoming U.S. Rep. Liz Cheney weighed in similarly, without mentioning or directly criticizing Trump.
Trump continues to claim, without evidence, that expanded mail-in voting this year will result in widespread fraud — tainting the election results. Asked multiple times and multiple ways whether he’ll accept the election results, he’s given only a wait-and-see answer. Read the latest from the AP’s Lisa Mascaro, Aamer Madhani and Kevin Freking here.
Jefferson defeats Adams in 1800, setting up first peaceful power transition in America. This is fundamental, and will be preserved. I’ve taken the oath for military and Congress. I will uphold that oath. — Adam Kinzinger (@RepKinzinger) September 24, 2020
Former Vice President Joe Biden speaks in Collier, Pennsylvania, on March 6, 2018, and President Donald Trump speaks in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington on March 20, 2018. (AP)
Much ado has been made in recent days about Biden and his affiliated campaign committees starting September with $466 million in the coffers — $140 million more than Trump’s $325 million, according to multiple news outlets. Republicans tend to have a leg up on fundraising.
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But on a recent podcast Sheila Nix, a senior adviser to the Biden campaign and veteran of Illinois and D.C. politics, suggested the best fundraiser isn’t guaranteed a victory on Election Day: “I think money is not going to be a deciding factor — I think everyone has the money they need.”
While that kind of cash will keep your campaign TV ads on a loop, the rewards come Election Day may not be particularly large, Nix says.
“The number of undecided voters this cycle compared to 2016 is significantly lower ... there’s not as many persuadable voters left,” Nix said to Bradley Tusk, both former Illinois deputy governors under Rod Blagojevich, on his “firewall” podcast.
Polling matters: Biden is leading in the polls including in battleground states Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin — that Hillary Clinton lost to Trump in 2016. Nevertheless, they’re not taking the lead for granted, Nix says: “I think we have a good path to victory, but there’s nothing we can take for granted and just say ‘it’s in the bag.’” She added that states Clinton narrowly won, like Minnesota, will also be a focus of the campaign.
Turnout matters: Some of those big donations will, no doubt, be used to hire and organize get-out-the-vote efforts. Nix said those so-called “GOTV” efforts have begun with early voting starting in a handful of states, including Illinois. The push will kick into overdrive after the debates wrap up.
Reminder: Hillary Clinton may have won the popular vote in 2016, but political observers believe a large enough chunk of Democratic voters sat out the election that it tipped the scales in Trump’s favor in the Electoral College, which has the final word on presidential contests.
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Campaign trail tracker: Where Trump, Biden and their running mates have traveled in presidential race’s final weeks — Read the latest from the Tribune’s Bill Ruthhart and Jonathon Berlin here.
Democratic U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth will again hit the virtual campaign trial for Biden: The Iraq War veteran will be part of a “Commander in Chief” discussion, focusing on the role of the president in wartime and beyond.
More election news: Biden endorses fellow Democrat and first-term congresswoman Lauren Underwood’s bid for a second term representing the far north and west suburban and exurban 14th District.
“A registered nurse and public health expert, Congresswoman Lauren Underwood is the leader we need fighting for our families in Congress, particularly as we confront COVID-19,” Biden said in a prepared statement.
Underwood upset Republican U.S. Rep. Randy Hultgren of Plano in the midterm elections. Her victory in the GOP stronghold, combined with Sean Casten’s victory in the neighboring district, helped Democrats take control of the U.S. House in 2018.
Underwood’s facing businessman and GOP Illinois state Sen. Jim Oberweis in the general election.
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Ives paints Casten as an ‘elitist’ in new campaign ad: You might say former Republican state Rep. Jeanne Ives of Wheaton is trying to kick Casten in the pants with her new TV spot in the 6th Congressional District race. She dubs him a “wingtips”-wearing elitist who defended a proposed pay raise in Congress last year where he earns $174,000 annually. With all the visuals you’d expect, a narrator describes Ives as a military veteran who traded her Army boots for heels and went off to the state legislature where she “never voted to raise taxes.” Watch the ad here.
Will Pritzker, Lightfoot vote by mail or in person? Two of the state’s top-ranking Democrats have been talking up mail-in voting amid the pandemic but they haven’t said a lot about how they’ll cast their ballots this election cycle. Two messages to the governor’s office weren’t returned, but the governor did say during an unrelated news conference today that he used to love voting in person on Election Day, eventually took advantage of early voting as that option expanded and “in the last two years, I’ve been so busy I’ve been voting by mail."
Mayor Lightfoot’s top political adviser Dave Mellet said she’s still trying to decide whether she’ll vote by mail or in person; in the last election she voted in person at her local polling place.
Rep. Darin LaHood, R-Ill., in 2019. (House Television)
From the Tribune’s Rick Pearson: Republican U.S. Rep. Darin LaHood introduced legislation Thursday backed by the GOP-aligned Illinois Policy Institute that would create a loan program for state and local governments — but it would effectively prevent Illinois from receiving any loan forgiveness because of its massive public employee pension debt.
The legislation has little chance of passage in a Democratic-controlled House and it comes amid continued dispute over federal assistance to state and local governments between the House and the GOP-controlled Senate.
But it did allow LaHood, of Peoria, to continue teeing off on Illinois financial woes. Read the full story here.
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A woman comes out with a face mask from Chateau Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Willowbrook on March 19, 2020. (Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune)
The Tribune’s Joe Mahr and Robert McCoppin write: Six months into the pandemic, the new virus has infected more than 28,000 Illinois long-term care residents and killed more than 4,000. It’s also fueled debate over the Illinois Department of Public Health’s oversight of a mostly for-profit industry. That includes how the agency cut back inspections, at times breaking state law, as the virus raced through facilities.
Overworked and underfunded IDPH officials have done the best they could to oversee nursing homes while also assuming the herculean task of being the state’s lead pandemic agency, advocates agree.
Others, however, question the state’s efforts. AARP Illinois said the state repeatedly failed to protect residents, be open with the public or accept advocates' input. The group wants state lawmakers to hold public hearings on what it called “alarming” actions. Even an industry trade group leader, Pat Comstock, complains the state has seemed to boldly announce initiatives only for efforts to quietly fizzle. Read more here.
In Illinois today, 2,257 newly confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 30 additional deaths reported: Read the updates here.
Chicago-area parents rally to get kids back in school, and some districts are making it happen: Read the full story from McCoppin and Karen Ann Cullotta in the Tribune here.
Ex-child welfare worker and county board member pleads not guilty to child endangerment in death of 5-year-old AJ Freund: Read the Tribune story here.
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Twitter @byldonovan


chicagotribune--2020-09-24--ComEd agrees to testify before special committee investigating Illinois House Speaker Michael Madiga

ComEd agrees to testify before special committee investigating Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan

As part of an ongoing federal corruption investigation ranging from Chicago City Hall to the Illinois Capitol in Springfield , @ @ @ @ @ a deferred prosecution agreement with U.S. Attorney John Lausch ’ s office that it offered @ @ @ @ @ to Madigan allies in the hopes of winning support for favorable legislation .
The utility @ @ @ @ @ 200 million fine and cooperate in the probe .

Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan, before the start of the budget address by Gov. J.B. Pritzker at the Illinois State Capitol in Springfield on Feb. 19, 2020. (Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune)
Commonwealth Edison has agreed to testify before a special Illinois House committee investigating Speaker Michael Madigan in light of the utility’s admission in federal court that it engaged in a “yearslong bribery scheme” aimed at winning the powerful Democrat’s favor.
House Republican leader Jim Durkin of Western Springs, who filed the petition to create the special committee, informed the panel’s chairman, Democratic state Rep. Emanuel “Chris" Welch of Hillside, in a letter Thursday that ComEd agreed to testify at a Tuesday hearing.
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“ComEd has pledged to respect the legislative process that has been initiated and accepted the invitation to provide testimony at the hearing next week,” company spokesman Paul Elsberg said in a statement.
As part of an ongoing federal corruption investigation ranging from Chicago City Hall to the Illinois Capitol in Springfield, ComEd in July admitted in a deferred prosecution agreement with U.S. Attorney John Lausch’s office that it offered jobs, contracts and payments to Madigan allies in the hopes of winning support for favorable legislation. The utility agreed to pay a $200 million fine and cooperate in the probe.
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The House committee is separate from the criminal investigation and is focused on whether Madigan, who is referred to in court records only as “Public Official A,” engaged in “conduct unbecoming to a legislator."
In addition to ComEd, Republicans on the committee have requested voluntary testimony from Madigan, longtime confidant and lobbyist Michael McClain, and other former executives and lobbyists with the utility and parent company Exelon.
Madigan, who has not been charged with any wrongdoing, has dismissed Durkin’s petition as a “political stunt." Spokesman Steve Brown said Thursday that he is “not aware of any decision” by the speaker on whether he will appear before the committee.
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The six-member panel could subpoena witnesses, but that would require one of three Democrats to vote with the three Republicans to compel testimony. One Democrat also would have to side with Republicans for the special committee to approve a charge against Madigan.
Lausch’s office sent a letter last week to Welch and the committee’s top Republican, Rep. Tom Demmer of Dixon, outlining how legislators can conduct their inquiry without interfering with the criminal investigation.
The U.S. attorney’s office would object, for example, to lawmakers asking witnesses about grand jury proceedings or their conversations with federal authorities, among other subjects.
But the letter, sent as a follow-up to a discussion held at the lawmakers' request, leaves room for the committee to ask about facts laid out in the deferred prosecution agreement.
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According to Durkin’s letter, ComEd has acknowledged that the company will be questioned about its agreement with federal prosecutors.
Welch did not respond Thursday to a request for comment.
dpetrella@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-09-24--Only 1 person arrested following Breonna Taylor protests in Chicago, cops say

There also had been separate protests beginning at The Bean in Millennium Park and at 79th Street and Racine Avenue @ @ @ @ @ arrested at any other protest , James said , despite some apparent vandalism , including @ @ @ @ @ in Logan Square was spray-painted , including , according to photos from the scene posted @ @ @ @ @ “ BLM ” and “ Taylor .
”

A 20-year-old man accused of lighting a couch on fire, running from police and carrying drugs was arrested following a Palmer Square protest held after a Kentucky grand jury handed up charges against only one police officer involved in Breonna Taylor’s fatal shooting, Chicago police said.
No one else was arrested and charged in the Chicago protests, police said.
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Gavin Palm, of the 4600 block of North Lawndale Avenue, was arrested on suspicion of two felony counts of possession of a controlled substance, amphetamines and another narcotic, and on the misdemeanor public peace violation of reckless conduct related to setting ablaze a couch, according to Chicago police spokeswoman Karie James.
Chicago police arrested Gavin Palm, 20, on suspicion of two felony counts related to possession of a controlled substance.
Surveillance video showed Palm had been taking part in a protest that began in the east end of Palmer Square Park and drew an estimated 300 people before continued into the nearby Logan Square neighborhood, where Palm was confronted by officers, according to police.
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There also had been separate protests beginning at The Bean in Millennium Park and at 79th Street and Racine Avenue. No one else was arrested at any other protest, James said, despite some apparent vandalism, including when the Illinois Centennial Monument in Logan Square was spray-painted, including, according to photos from the scene posted on social media, with “BLM” and “Taylor.”
Surveillance video showed Palm participating in the Palmer Square protest, James said. He also could be seen on surveillance video “igniting a couch causing it to burn after it had been placed into an intersection on a busy street,” she wrote in an email. No one was reported injured as a result of the fire.
When police confronted Palm in the 1900 block of North Western Avenue just after midnight Thursday, “he then fled on foot dropping his backpack which contained a torch lighter and narcotics,” James said.
James was not able to say whether the torch lighter was used to ignite the couch or whether any accelerant, such as lighter fluid, was used. She said the backpack contained two types of narcotics, amphetamines and synthetic drugs, but said she could not be more specific.
When officers tried to stop Palm he took off running, leading them on a foot chase for just over 10 minutes, according to authorities. He was arrested in the 2400 block of West McLean Avenue, also in Logan Square, about 12:15 a.m.
Palm appeared for a bond hearing Thursday afternoon before Judge Mary Marubio, according to court records, but Cook County court clerk information omitted his bond amount. He was ordered released on a personal recognizance bond, according to a spokeswoman for the Cook County state’s attorney’s office, citing court records..
There were no other incidents that led to arrests at any protests, which collectively drew an estimated 500 people. They were quickly organized following a grand jury’s decision to file a charge against an officer on suspicion of shooting into neighboring apartments but not to file charges against any officers in the shooting death of Taylor in Louisville, Kentucky.
City officials late Wednesday announced that the Emergency Operations Center had been activated and the city deployed more than 300 city vehicles across Chicago “to protect neighborhood commercial corridors and critical businesses in the event of potential public safety incidents.”
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Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot and Gov. J.B. Pritzker each criticized the grand jury’s decision and said they expected civil unrest as a result, while also urging protesters to make their anger and disappointment known peacefully.
kdouglas@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @312BreakingNews


Corrections and clarifications

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Our editorial code of principles governs professional behavior and journalism standards .
Everyone in @ @ @ @ @ live up to this code of conduct .
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· A front-page story in Thursday’s paper incorrectly stated mail-in ballots would start being sent to all Illinois residents. Mail-in ballots will start being sent to all approved Illinois applicants.
The Tribune regrets the error.
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Publishing information quickly and accurately is a central part of the Chicago Tribune’s news responsibility and a value shared in all our publications. Our editorial code of principles governs professional behavior and journalism standards. Everyone in our newsroom must agree to live up to this code of conduct. Download the file.
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chicagotribune--2020-09-24--Lt. Gov. Stratton warns of 20% across-the-board income tax hike if Illinois voters reject graduated-

Lt. Gov. Stratton warns of 20% across-the-board income tax hike if Illinois voters reject graduated-rate constitutional amendment

Pritzker and supporters contend that 97 % of Illinois taxpayers , those making less than $ 250,000 , would pay @ @ @ @ @ less than they currently pay under a law approved if the amendment is ratified .
@ @ @ @ @ tops the Nov. 3 ballot , would raise about $ 1.2 billion if adopted for @ @ @ @ @ state ’ s budget year starting in January and more than $ 3 billion on @ @ @ @

Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker and Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton, right, hold a ceremony to sign the state budget and fair tax legislation at the State of Illinois Building in Chicago on June 5, 2019. (Terrence Antonio James / Chicago Tribune)
Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton warned Thursday that Illinoisans could face an across-the-board income tax hike of at least 20% if voters reject a proposed constitutional amendment to shift the state from a mandated flat-rate tax to a graduated-rate tax based on income.
[ UPDATE: Pritzker tries to blame Republicans after ally suggests big tax hike coming if voters reject tax amendment ]
For weeks, Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritkzer’s administration has cautioned that severe budget cuts could be on the way if voters don’t approve the proposed amendment to overhaul Illinois' income tax system. But Stratton’s threat that all taxpayers, regardless of income, could face a tax hike unless the amendment passes on Nov. 3 appeared to represent a new shift in strategy for the Pritzker administration.
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“To adequately address the budget crisis under our current tax system, lawmakers will be forced to consider raising income taxes on all Illinois residents by at least 20% regardless of their level of income,” Stratton said during a virtual rally on behalf of the pro-amendment Vote Yes for Fairness group that marked the start of voting in Illinois.
[ Fair tax or tax hike? Emotional arguments project hope and fear as voters set to decide what could be Illinois’ biggest taxation shift in decades ]
“We all know that our middle- and lower-income families cannot withstand a 20% tax increase and it will only serve to deepen the dramatic inequities that we already see across the state. It will drive out our residents and it will drive out investment in Illinois,” she said in the rally via Zoom as she traveled to Danville.
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A 20% increase would raise the state’s current 4.95% flat-rate personal income tax by nearly 1 percentage point to 5.94%. It would raise an estimated $4 billion a year, even more than the projected $3.4 billion that would be generated under a graduated-rate levy enacted if the amendment is ratified, said professor David Merriman, a longtime expert on state finances at the University of Illinois at Chicago.
The highest personal rate in the history of the state’s income tax, which dates back to 1969, was 5% from 2011 through 2014.
Stratton urged voter approval of the amendment, which supporters have dubbed the “fair tax.”
“Not only would the fair tax allow the fiscal environment in Illinois to stabilize, it will have a positive ripple effect, allowing us to better and more adequately fund our schools and other important programs along with lowering property taxes,” Stratton said.
[ Illinois income tax calculator: How would Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s proposed graduated income tax affect you? ]
The graduated-rate tax amendment is the singular agenda item of Pritzker, the billionaire first-term Democratic governor, who has contributed more than $56.5 million to its passage. But the proposal is meeting with extensive opposition from wealthy business interests and Republicans. Ken Griffin, the billionaire founder of the Citadel hedge fund and investment firm has donated $20 million to the opposition.
Pritzker and supporters contend that 97% of Illinois taxpayers, those making less than $250,000, would pay at least the same or less than they currently pay under a law approved if the amendment is ratified. The proposed amendment, which tops the Nov. 3 ballot, would raise about $1.2 billion if adopted for the last half of the state’s budget year starting in January and more than $3 billion on an annual basis.
Proponents said the amendment is needed to stop lower-income wage earners from paying the same tax rate as the wealthy, increasing current income inequity. Opponents contend it would hurt those small businesses that pay through the personal income tax rate, cost jobs and exacerbate a decline in the state’s population.
[ Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s graduated-rate income tax: Here’s what you need to know ]
Opponents of the proposal seized on Stratton’s tax hike warning.
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“If you need more proof Springfield has too much power and can’t be trusted, look no further than telling voters to support a tax hike amendment or politicians will continue to raise them for you,” said Lissa Druss, spokeswoman for the Coalition to Stop the Proposed Tax hike.
“It’s clear there’s only three words the Springfield politicians understand: raising your taxes,” she said.
Pritzker first surfaced the possibility of a sizable across-the-board tax hike as an alternative only months after taking office last year in introducing his original schedule of graduated rates. In March 2019 he warned of either a 15% across-the-board spending cut or an increase in the flat income tax rate to at least 5.95%.
[ Want to vote early in Illinois’ general election? Here’s what you need to know. ]
While lawmakers have known an alternative to the amendment was a potential across-the-board hike in the flat tax, Stratton’s warning was a departure from administration warnings of massive budget cuts, including to critical social services, if it was not adopted.
Earlier this month, Pritzker noted that the state’s current budget was heavily dependent upon federal aid and borrowing and the need for a federal coronavirus relief package to aid states which has been stalled in Congress. Pritzker asked the heads of state agencies to prepare for 5% cuts to budgets for this year and 10% cuts next year.
Merriman said given the depths of Illinois' fiscal problems, exacerbated by coronavirus restrictions, “it’s very hard to see cuts that would make a big difference.”
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“I’m not saying there’s nothing you can cut,” he said, but cited large budget areas such as education, health care for the poor and pension funding as unpopular targets for sizable reductions — with pensions already massively underfunded.
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The virtual rally of proponents represented an example of the new campaign style that has taken the place of crowded promotional gatherings in the pandemic era. Several also sought to connect the issue of supporting the amendment to those most affected by issues surrounding COVID-19.
“The current tax system places the burden on the communities that are already struggling. That’s unfair — the same communities that have been disproportionately impacted by the pandemic with deaths, with COVID cases, unemployment and of course the outcomes of not having access to quality and affordable health care,” U.S. Rep. Jesus “Chuy” Garcia, a Chicago Democrat, said.
Bob Reiter, president of the Chicago Federation of Labor, sought to link the issue of the amendment to the pandemic.
“Now more than ever, working people need support. The COVID-19 pandemic has threatened the lives and livelihoods of countless workers while those at the very top continue to make record profits,” he said.
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Noting that the effects of the proposed amendment and its rate structure would shift the tax burden to the more affluent, Reiter said, “I’ve got to tell you, if we were in front of a big crowd of people and I asked, ‘How many people out there were pulling down more than $250,000 a year?’ there wouldn’t be many hands.”
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Twitter @rap30