The Illinois Department of Corrections is planning on downsizing its number of prisons. It’s causing some ire from corrections’ employees unions.

Illinois NPR reports that Illinois’ prison population has dwindled to around 28,000. According to Capitol Fax, the Illinois prison population has decreased by 42% since 2015. IDOC says that mounting maintenance costs at facilities are driving the need to close portions of the Vandalia and Pontiac correctional facilities.

Under the proposed plan, Pontiac would close the medium security unit and go from 1,740 beds to 642 beds. Pontiac currently houses 1,144 inmates, including a unit that houses seriously mentally ill individuals. Shuttering of the medium security facility at Pontiac would result in the moving of around 329 inmate, according to the Bloomington Pantagraph.

Vandalia Correctional Center currently has a capacity of 1,001 and would be reduced to 401 inmates under the plan. Vandalia’s capacity downsize would not result in the moving of any prisoners according to the drafted plan.

Both facilities face maintenance costs, including $3.8 million at Pontiac. The reduction of beds at Vandalia will save the state $12 million, according to plan estimates.

IDOC says the department has not started moving people in order to reduce the populations in these facilities, but that claim was disputed by Anders Lindall, public affairs director for AFSCME Council 31. Lindall told Capitol News Illinois that IDOC began moving prisoners on February 11^th. Lindall says the union subsequently received notice of IDOC’s intent to reduce populations at Vandalia and Pontiac with a target date of March 16 for the first phase, with additional unit closures to be completed by the summer.

Several GOP General Assembly members have since sent a letter to Governor J.B. Pritkzer asking about information on the transfers. According to Bloomington Representative Dan Brady, approximately 100 prisoners had been moved out of the Pontiac prison by the middle of this month.

There has not been any information released on how this will effect prison populations at Western Illinois Correctional Facility in Brown County or the Jacksonville Correctional Facility.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has recalled two popular aerosol deodorants after a carcinogen has been found inside the cans.

Connecticut-based HRB Brands issued a voluntary recall on Wednesday of four types of Brut deodorant sprays and two types of Sure antiperspirant sprays.

Officials are concerned about the presence of the chemical benzene. It is not an ingredient in the products but unexpected levels of cancer-causing substance were discovered in the propellant used for the spray cans.

The recalled items have an expiration date of on or before August 2023. The FDA advises people with the products to throw them away.

Retailers are being notified of the recall, and consumers with questions can contact TCP HOT Acquisition LLC by calling 866-615-0976 Monday to Friday from 11:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. EST or visit https://www.brutsurerecall2022.com to request a refund.

Symptoms of benzene poisoning include the following:

• Drowsiness
• Dizziness
• Rapid or irregular heartbeat
• Headaches
• Tremors
• Confusion
• Unconsciousness

The recalled products are:

Brand	Product Description	UPC	Expiration Date
Brut	Classic Antiperspirant Aerosol, 4oz	00827755070085	On or Before August 2023
Brut	Classic Antiperspirant Aerosol, 6oz	00827755070108	On or Before August 2023
Brut	Classic Deodorant Aerosol, 154g	00827755070177	On or Before August 2023
Brut	Classic Deodorant Aerosol, 10oz	00827755070047	On or Before August 2023
Sure	Regular Antiperspirant Aerosol, 6oz	00883484002025	On or Before August 2023
Sure	Unscented Antiperspirant Aerosol, 6oz	00883484002278	On or Before August 2023

A Brown County non-profit group hopes a competition will help spur economic growth.

The Journal Courier reports that Action Brown County has set up a business start-up competition. Entrepreneurs wanting to start a business but maybe don’t have the capital or a firm business plan can apply to the competition by downloading an application at actionbrowncounty.org. Applications will be accepted through April 1^st.

Applicants will take part in business workshops and then will develop a business plan to pitch to a panel of judges. The judges will decide a winner from the group of business models, and award the winner $20,000 and provide ongoing support such as accounting, marketing, and customer service.

Applicants will be judged on such criteria as sustainability, employment generation, and sales potential. Although those who apply don’t have to live in Brown County, they must agree to physically locate a business in the county if their plan is chosen as the winner.

For more information, email actionbrowncounty@gmail.com. Winners of the competition will be selected in June.

lllinois college students may have one less expense in their budgets later this year. 

A bill making its way through the Senate would require public colleges in Illinois to rent books and course materials to in-state students at no cost.

The College Board, a non-profit organization focused on higher education, estimates it would save students an average of $1,300 annually.

According to Illinois State Board of Education data from 2017, more than 48% of high school graduates chose to attend a university out of state.

Chief sponsor of the bill, State Senator Scott Bennett of Champaign, told WCIA he wants to make higher education cheaper in the state to retain residents.

According to Wall Street Journal data compiled in 2018, approximately 60% of state university graduates stay within 100 miles of their alma mater.

The bill passed the Senate Higher Education Committee on February 9^th and now heads to the full Senate for a second reading and passage.

The Illinois House voted Thursday along party lines to approve retired federal judge Michael McCuskey to be new Legislative Inspector General.

Majority Democrats approved McCuskey’s appointment despite McCuskey lacking approval by the bipartisan Legislative Ethics Commission responsible for recommending candidates for the position. Yesterday, House Republicans voted either no or present to approve the appointment despite McCuskey being a popular choice.

Representative C.D. Davidsmeyer says it doesn’t matter who the General Assembly appoints to the position, the title holder doesn’t have any actual teeth to do their job: “Until we get serious in this body about ethics reform, it doesn’t matter if we appoint Mother Teresa to that position. It doesn’t matter if we appoint Jesus Christ himself to that position, because this body has taken the power away from that position. This body has just recently under the guise of ethics reform.”

Davidsmeyer is referring to SB 539 passed in the Summer 2021 by both chambers of the General Assembly. Republicans argued the bill stripped the powers of the LIG. Democrats and some Republican voted in favor of the bill, but did admit more work needed to be done on ethics reform. Under the bill, Republicans argued the LIG would be prohibited from beginning an investigation into a lawmaker’s conduct unless someone first filed a complaint with the office and also limit the jurisdiction to matters arising out of government service and conduct. The bill also left out the LIG’s independence to issue subpoenas for investigations or the ability to publish reports that implicate or vindicate lawmakers without prior approval from the General Assembly’s ethics commission.

Davidsmeyer also echoed other GOP concerns that Democrats bypassed the process laid out in Illinois statute when it comes to the appointment of the position: “Would you assume that if we create a committee, that the individual should go through that committee, or do we just create it just for the heck of it? So my point here is we need to fill this position, but we need to get serious about ethics reform in this place, right? I’m sure you are tired of people walking around saying ‘You’re just a politician…one of those dirty politicians’ because we are not serious about holding ourselves and our colleagues accountable. Until we get there, it doesn’t matter who we put in this position.”

McCuskey’s appointment was approved by the House 77-16, with 19 members voting present and 6 members not voting.

McCuskey was nominated to become a federal judge by former President Bill Clinton in 1998 after presiding over cases for the Tenth Judicial Circuit Court and Third District Appellate Court. He served on the U.S. District Court for the Central District of Illinois from 1998 to 2014. McCuskey returned as a judge for the Tenth Judicial Circuit Court from 2014 to 2020. He also served 15 years on the Illinois Supreme Court Commission on Professionalism. McCuskey told The Illinoize yesterday that neither Senate President Don Harmon or House Speaker Chris Welch contacted him until after the vote was cast to tell him he had been selected for the position. In questions about his politics, McCuskey said: ” Judges don’t talk about partisan politics. We’re talking about what we do as judges. Justice Rehnquist picked me for a national committee. Justice Roberts appointed me for another committee. They don’t pick people on politics. I didn’t get here without having a lot of Republican friends. I was elected circuit judge twice in a county that doesn’t have any Democrats. I’m down the middle, I’ve always been.”

McCuskey replaces Carol Pope who left the job on January 6th. Pope noted in her July 2021 resignation letter that lawmakers did nothing to help her with investigations during the 2020 legislative session. Pope called the office “a paper tiger” in the letter, saying that the most recent round of ethics reforms did little to nothing to empower the position to investigate any legislator accused of wrongdoing while in office.

A major endorsement in the Illinois Secretary of State race was given Thursday.

Multi-term incumbent Jesse White, who is not seeking reelection after more than two decades in office, announced his endorsement of current Chicago City Clerk Anna Valencia.

Valencia is one of at least three Democrats hoping to succeed White, a group that also includes former state Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias. Valencia has also gotten endorsements from Illinois U.S. Senators Dick Durbin and Tammy Duckworth.

Valencia told WMAY that she hopes to become the first woman to fill the office in the state’s history. White noted in his endorsement that Valencia has helped to modernize the Chicago City Clerk’s office during her tenure.

White and Valencia are expected to campaign tomorrow together in Chicago.

A federal judge today declined to toss federal charges against four members of ex-House Speaker Michael Madigan’s inner circle, rejecting arguments in a key ruling seven months ahead of a scheduled trial.

The Chicago Sun-Times reports that U.S. District Judge Harry Leinenweber issued a 25-page opinion that nevertheless required the feds to identify false statements made amid an alleged eight-year scheme prosecutors say was designed to curry favor with Madigan.

Madigan confidant Michael McClain of Quincy, ex-ComEd CEO Anne Pramaggiore, ex-top ComEd lobbyist John Hooker, and former Chicago City Club president Jay Doherty were charged in a federal indictment in November 2020.

The four have been accused of arranging for Madigan’s associates and allies to get jobs, contracts, and money in order to influence Madigan while key legislation worked its way through Springfield in favor of the energy giant.

Madigan has not been charged and has denied wrongdoing. The scandal helped to end his record-setting tenure as Illinois House speaker. He has repeatedly been referred to in charging documents in ComEd’s deferred prosecution agreement with the federal court as “Public Official A.”

A hearing in the case against McClain, Pramaggiore, Hooker, and Doherty is set for March 23rd. A trial in the case is set for September 12th in Illinois’ North District federal court.

Two area school districts appear to be joining many around the state going mask-optional.

Greenfield and Franklin have announced or are soon to be implementing mask-optional policies in the wake of n Illinois appeals court dismissing Governor J.B. Pritzker’s appeal of a ruling allowing masks to be optional for several Illinois school districts.

Superintendent of Greenfield CUSD #10 Kevin Bowman made the announcement on Friday to parents and on the school’s Facebook Page. Franklin’s School Board is set to vote on the mask-opitional policy to remain in place for the remainder of the year at their Wednesday night board meeting.

Over 500 districts in the state have implemented mask-optional policies since Sangamon County Judge Raylene Grischow issued a temporary restraining order earlier this month against districts named in a lawsuit brought by parents and students from around the state.

Governor J.B. Pritkzer and Attorney General Kwame Raoul both contend the executive order is still in place and have appeal rulings to the State Supreme Court.