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IL Subsidiary of AT&T Under Federal Investigation, Possible Ties to Madigan

Another major company in Illinois with ties to former House Speaker Michael Madigan could soon fall under federal criminal indictment.

WBEZ reports that a subsidiary to AT&T known as Illinois Bell Telephone Company LLC is the focus of a previously undisclosed federal investigation led by U.S. Attorney John Lausch. The investigation reportedly centers around a a single, 9-month consulting contract in 2017 worth $22,500.

Illinois Bell is led by former Madigan aide and policy director Eileen Mitchell. The company filing with the SEC about the investigation on Tuesday did not indicate what, if any, role Mitchell had in the contract in question nor were any details spelled out about the contract itself.

AT&T was one of a number of companies who were named in a subpoena to Madigan’s office records in 2019 the same day Commonweath Edison and Lausch’s office agreed to a deferred prosecution agreement surrounding the energy giant’s patronage hiring scheme and no-work-for-salary positions in order to curry favor with Madigan as Illinois’ House Speaker.

Representatives of the company told WBEZ it has cooperated with Lausch’s investigation since 2019 and does not believe they have done anything wrong in regards to the contract.

Crime Stats for Jacksonville, Morgan County Say Crime Was Down in 2021

Crime is down in the City of Jacksonville and Morgan County.

According to statistics released this week by Jacksonville Police Chief Adam Mefford and the Morgan County Sheriff’s Department, the number of calls for service is up while overall offenses reported in both jurisdictions are down.

Jacksonville Police reported a 5.8% increase in calls of service last year compared to 2020, with the busiest month being July.

Jacksonville Police and the Morgan County Sheriff’s Office reported a dramatic increase in criminal sexual assault and sexual abuse cases, with both reporting an increase of 10 cases over the year.

Crimes Against Persons and violent crime was down in the city by 2.36% and down overall in the county in 2020.

Traffic fatalities went up by one case in the county compared to 2020.

Turner Short Term Substitute Teacher License Extension Bill Heads to IL Senate

48th District State Senator Doris Turner is championing a measure to allow school districts to hire substitute teachers with a short-term license for longer periods of time.

Turner says the bill will make it easier for districts to find long-term solutions for openings and vacations of full-time staff. The bill raises the cap on consecutive days a short-term substitute teacher can teach from 5 to 15 days.

Senate Bill 3907 passed the Education Committee on Tuesday and awaits further consideration.

JHS Student Strikes Nerve With Superintendent, School Board on Mask Mandate

The Jacksonville School Board meeting held a wide range of emotions last night concerning the statewide school mask mandate.

The district moved to a mask-optional policy last week in the wake of a temporary restraining order administered by Sangamon County Judge Raylene Grischow. District 117 was named in that lawsuit brought by several parents and teachers from around the state. Yesterday, the Joint Committee on Administrative Rules or JCAR struck down the Illinois Department of Public Health’s attempt to re-up the mask mandate for schools across the entire state.

Jacksonville High School Freshman Leviana Moody spoke to the school board last night detailing irreparable emotional and mental harm that masks have had on her educational and social development for the last two years from a student’s perspective. Her mother Trista Moody and former teacher Cheryl Kelly echoed those concerns in follow up comments to the board asking how the board would move forward in a world without masks and full of mentally damaged students and teachers caused by the masks and the traumas caused by COVID-19 mitigations and the virus itself.

Superintendent Steve Ptacek got emotional when speaking about his own two children, who are also students in the district. Ptacek feels that Ms. Moody summed up the arguments from a student’s perspective quite well: “Ms. Moody did a phenomenal job of representing a major concern that both kids and parents have had, and she definitely touched a nerve knowing that I’ve got two students that are juniors and seniors in high school. My [oldest] kid’s last two and a half years of his high school experience have been not ruined. He’s enjoyed them…but just altered in such a major fashion. It definitely hit an emotional part within me. I’ve been in the unfortunate position over the last couple of years to have to analyze risk and make decisions that I personally, at time, don’t agree with but my personal feelings…that’s not my job. My job is to analyze risk, analyze situations, try to keep kids in school, and bring that information to the board so they as a group can ultimately make the decision with my recommendations. I’m not going to shy away from those. The emotion of the last two years have hit a lot of people now, and I hope that’s one of those good signs that it’s at the end of it so that it’s time to breathe a sigh of relief. Then, we can reflect on the impact that this thing has had on us. I think when you are caught in the middle of it, when you’re in the middle of the race, you just keep moving forward. I think that the feeling that we could be at the end is allowing a lot of emotions from a lot of people to come out.”

District 117 School Board members Brenda Stewart and Teresa Wilson also brought up their own personal reflections with their families on the pandemic and hope that the world is on the down side of the pandemic. Ptacek and the board commended both sides of the issues, the staff, the faculty, and the nursing staff for their work throughout the pandemic.

Ptacek hopes for a clear ruling from the Appellate Court in the coming days. He says that the mask issue has turned away from a scientific one and into a political one: “This is not about health. This is not about education. This is 100% right now about politics, and schools are being put in the middle. I have to watch what I fully say because we are included in the lawsuit, but anybody who is closely involved with this knows that’s absolutely what’s going on right now. The most disturbing part of this is that it doesn’t seem that the kids are at all a focus. It’s about politics, and that’s from both sides, and that needs to stop.”

Ptacek said during the meeting that some parents have asked about remote options for students who are in fear of coming to school. He says that it will not be an option in District 117 because of not only the district’s stance but the Illinois State Board of Education stressing the importance of in-person learning. The only action taken on the issue was that Ptacek is going to be amending language in the district’s dress code to allow for masks to be worn by those who wish to wear them for their own health or personal reasons. He told the board he would be finalizing language on masks in the dress code in the coming days to ensure that the masks that are worn are not a personal fashion choice but for health and personal reasons only.

Uihlein Donates $1 Million to Bailey Gubernatorial Campaign

Another wealthy Illinois business man has weighed in on the Republican gubernatorial nominee race with a major donation.

Business supply company CEO Richard Uihlein of Lake Forest is giving $1 million to State Senator and GOP candidate for governor Darren Bailey. Uihlein is the CEO of of the packing and shipping firm Uline.

According to the Chicago Tribune, Uihlein and his wife Elizabeth have donated nearly $31.5 million to Republican candidates and causes since 1998.

The donation will give a lift to Bailey in the crowded GOP primary, and Bailey said on a Facebook video yesterday it was an “initial” donation with a promise of more to come.

Uihlein’s donation to Bailey comes just days after billionaire Ken Griffin, the founder and CEO of the Citadel investment firm, gave $20 million to rival candidate Aurora Mayor Richard Irvin.

Republicans are trying to match the $125 million that Democratic Governor JB Pritzker has donated to his own campaign since last year.

Dean Sentenced To 65 Years In Prison For 2019 Mt. Sterling Murder

A Mt. Sterling man found guilty in December of murdering his girlfriend in 2019 is heading to prison.

42 year old John M. Dean was sentenced to 65 years in the Illinois Department of Corrections today for the shooting death of 44 year old Rebecca Niewhoner.

Judge Charles H.W. Burch announced the sentence after hearing victim impact statements from Niewhoner’s mother Carolyn Woodward and Niewhoner’s ex-husband, Kraig Niewohner, with whom the victim had a daughter.

The trial lasted a little over 8 days, with a 12-person jury of seven men and five women finding Dean guilty on December 16th. Defense Attorney John Leonard filed a post trial motion for acquittal and asked for a new trial on January 14th, with Judge Burch ruling against the motions.

Dean was remanded to the custody of the Brown County Sheriff’s Department today and returned to the Schuyler County Jail pending transfer to an IDOC facility.

Green Haven Co. to Join Wildly Rooted Boutique in Springfield

A Jacksonville business is expanding into a downtown Springfield location.

The Springfield Business Journal reports that Callie Estes, owner of Jo Jo’s Jewelry, is partnering with Jessica Lynn, owner of Green Haven Co. and One Knotty Maker in Jacksonville, and Courtney Wright, owner of Cloth + Oak of Springfield to form the Wildly Rooted Boutique.

The trio has signed a lease for 1,700 square feet of space at 306 E. Adams Street right next to the planned Ad Astra Wine Bar & Market. Estes told the Springfield Business Journal that she looks forward to being adjacent to another female-owned small business and feels it will be a good draw for additional foot traffic.

In addition to selling their own products, the women plan to carry products from other small local businesses. According to Estes, she hopes to have Wildly Rooted Boutique open by early summer and time it to coincide with the grand opening for Ad Astra.

Road Commissioner Responds To Marnico Village Issues

A Morgan County Road Commissioner wants to clear the air about awareness of problems surrounding drainage and the sewer system at Marnico Village.

Road District #6 Commissioner Roger Ore says that new president of the Marnico Betterment Association, Luke Marquardt, Jr. has not spoken to him recently about any concerns in Marnico Village that Marquardt brought to the Morgan County Commissioners’ attention on Monday: “I have not been talked to at all about this. There will be meetings coming up between me and [stakeholders], and hopefully we can get something solved.”

Ore recollects that the last time he and Marquardt spoke about any issues in Marnico Village was approximately 7-8 years ago, and he wished that Marquardt would have spoken to him or County Engineer Matt Coultas first before bringing his grievances to the County Commissioners.

Ore says that currently there isn’t any water flowing through the sewer systems in the village because of ice and cold temperatures, which is causing standing water. He says an upcoming meeting with the Morgan County Commissioners and Morgan County Engineer Matt Coultas will help clear up funding questions to make repairs and responsibility questions to set in motion getting the problems fixed.

Ore says the problems have been ongoing for a long time and that funding has always been a problem. He says he covers over 100 square miles in his road district. He says in and around Marnico Village alone, the cost to replace culverts alone would likely be several hundred thousand dollars according to his own estimates. Ore says he hopes the meetings with all the stakeholders will find a clear path forward on finding a resolution.

Pritzker Contends Mask Mandate Stands Despite JCAR Ruling

Governor JB Pritzker contends a mask mandate for Illinois schools is still in effect, despite a decision by a legislative committee’s suspension of that rule on Tuesday.

Pritzker called the vote by the Joint Committee on Administrative Rules (JCAR) a “procedural move” and that schools not named in a Sangamon County lawsuit still have to mask up: “I think the most important point I want to make [in addressing this ruling] is that we have to do everything that we can to keep students and teachers safe while keeping our schools open. That has been my focus since the very beginning of this pandemic. Doctors says that masks are the best way to preserve in-person learning and keep children and staff safe. And, as I’ve said, the ruling by the Sangamon County judge created an enormous amount of confusion, which is why we have asked the Appellate Court to move quickly to respond. The executive order requiring masks is still in place. School districts that aren’t part of the lawsuit should follow the executive order. Everyone should feel comfortable wearing their masks to keep yourselves and your loved ones safe.

“As for the JCAR action, we re-filed the rule as a procedural step to simply keep the status quo in place while the Appellate Court considers our appeal [to the TRO]. The JCAR members preferred a different procedural route to suspend the rule while waiting for an Appellate Court ruling. I think we share the common view that we need to get a ruling, and either way, the next step is to hear from the Appellate Court and go forward.”

Pritzker says what’s needed now is for the Appellate Court to make a decision on the validity of that lower court ruling and the legality of the mask requirement.

Pritzker says he is looking forward to the indoor mask mandate for other places coming off on February 28th.

In filings to the Appellate Court yesterday afternoon, the Illinois Attorney General’s office said in their filing that the JCAR ruling related only to the IDPH renewed Emergency Rule, it does not affect the validity of Pritzker’s Executive Orders, and have asked the court to determine the enforceability of those executive orders: “Thus, regardless of the validity or invalidity of the IDPH Emergency Rule and regardless of JCAR’s action on February 15, this court should decide the consolidated appeals from the TRO and determine the enforceability of the EOs. And for the reasons stated in State defendants’ memoranda — the circuit court’s departure from the status quo, plaintiffs’ unlikelihood of success on the merits, their failure to establish irreparable harm, and the circuit court’s abuse of discretion in balancing the harms — this court should reverse and vacate the TRO.”

Attorney Thomas DeVore on behalf of the plaintiffs in the Sangamon County suit said in his filing that the JCAR ruling negates the crux of the Attorney General’s argument in the Sangamon County case: “As the parties all concur, this Court should review the trial court’s granting of the temporary restraining order at issue here for an abuse of discretion. An abuse of discretion will be found only where the court’s ruling is arbitrary, fanciful, unreasonable, or where or where no reasonable person would take the view adopted by the trial court. Abuse of discretion means clearly against logic; the question is not whether the appellate court agrees with the trial court, but whether the trial court acted arbitrarily, without employing conscientious judgment or whether, considering all the circumstances, the court acted unreasonably and ignored recognized principles of law, which resulted in substantial prejudice.

“The JCAR ruling has vitiated a significant part of the State Defendants argument. Should this Court listen to the JCAR audio, it was clear this legislative body was giving due respect and deference to Judge Grischow’s ruling, and in fact committee members scolded the IDPH representative for continuing to pursue re-issuance of a rule which Judge Grischow had found to be invalid. This legislative committee showed the proper respect to our judiciary that the executive agency was not. As for this Court, the question for today is what is left for it to decide given the actions by JCAR. It is the position of the Plaintiffs that the only matter left to review is whether Judge Grischow abused her discretion when she found Plaintiffs have raised a likelihood of success in showing a fair question exists that the IDPHA applies in regard to matters of quarantine, vaccination or testing, and exclusion from school, and that neither the Governor under some inherent Constitutional authority, or under some delegated authority under the IEMAA can authorize quarantine, vaccination or testing, and exclusion from school and disregard the due process protections of Plaintiffs. Also, this Court is left to decide those same questions as it relates to any inherent authority of the school districts. As to both of these questions, the Plaintiffs argue Judge Grischow has not abused her discretion, her restraining order should be affirmed, and the matter sent back to proceed to a final ruling on the merits off all of the pending matters.”

Jacksonville School District 117 discussed the matters at length during their monthly board meeting last night. In an email yesterday afternoon, Superintendent Steve Ptacek said that he is now preparing the board and the district for the reality that masks, and asymptomatic exclusions, and required testing might never return.

The Appellate Court has yet to provide a ruling on the temporary restraining order or the governor’s executive orders.

Logsdon To Be Evaluated For Mental Fitness Ahead of Child Porn Trial

A Virginia, Illinois man arrested for dissemination and possession of child pornography last month by State Police investigators will now be evaluated for mental fitness.

40 year old Jared A. Logsdon appeared in Cass County Court on Monday on a nine count information filed by the Cass County State’s Attorney’s Office on January 18th. The information accuses Logsdon of trading child sexual abuse images through a social media app. ISP Division of Criminal Investigation Zone 4 investigators began their investigation into Logsdon in April 2020.

Cass County State’s Attorney Craig Miller says that Logsdon’s counsel, Cass County Public Defender Denise Barr, believes that Logsdon may not be fit to stand trial: “The preliminary hearing was continued generally because of his counsel, who is the public defender here in Cass County. In talking with family, or individuals that know him, and the defendant himself, she has sort of bonafide doubt as to his fitness to stand trial, whether it be for mental health reasons or cognitive functioning. Because she believes there is a bonafide doubt, she is the one who raised that motion with the court and the court agreed and ordered Dr. Terry Killian to do some sort of psychological evaluation for fitness.”

Logsdon is next due in court on the defense counsel’s motion pertaining to fitness and general status on February 28th.