No Grant Punishment For Businesses Ignoring Pritzker's Mitigation Orders

State agency officials responsible for giving out business aid grants said they had yet to punish any business for noncompliance with Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s COVID-19 mitigation orders. 

Agency officials also said they could have better communicated with businesses about applications.

Illinois’ Business Interruption Grants, administered by the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, provided $580 million to businesses across the state in two waves last year. 

DCEO officials gave details to a virtual panel of state lawmakers on the Senate Commerce Committee Thursday. 

The money was split between childcare grants and aid for applying businesses. $133 million went to restaurants and taverns. More than eight-in-ten of the 42,000 businesses that applied were denied aid, with many getting notice between Christmas and New Years Day of the denial.

Lawmakers from both sides of the aisle said their constituent businesses were frustrated with not only getting denied any help but being strung along for months. 

“I’ve had several businesses and groups call my office and say they’ve applied but, when you look at who was awarded the grants, it’s pretty dismal from my district,” said Sen. Napoleon Harris, D-Harvey. 

State Sen. Steve Stadelman, D-Rockford, asked what the department was doing to ensure grant funds weren’t going to a business that was flouting Pritzker’s closure orders.

DCEO Chief of staff Cara Bader said they had prioritized communicating compliance over clawing back funds. 

“We have not forcibly clawed back funds from any grantees yet but we have initiated actions for dozens of prospective grantees,” she said. “

Gov. J.B. Pritzker had said businesses who disregarded his closure orders risked their eligibility for state aid. 

Sen. Don DeWitte, R-St. Charles, said the lack of communication about the lifelines was entirely unacceptable. 

“Most of the people that I have in my district simply received letters in December that said the money was all gone and got virtually no communication as to why their application was denied, overlooked, or if it was even processed to begin with,” he said. “The communication with some of the applicants in my district was pathetic.”

DeWitte also criticized DCEO’s lack of transparency in who received the funds. 

Bader admitted they could have done a better job at communicating with applicants and explained why they waited so long to stop accepting applications.

“To meet the hardest hit geography and industry requirements of this program, the department kept the application open to ensure the greatest possible chance that very small businesses, businesses that were in DIA’s, and heavily-impacted industries would be able to receive support,” she said.

Indiana Officials Offering Reward For Remote Workers Moving To State

Indiana lawmakers want to offer thousands of dollars for remote workers from other states to become Hoosiers. 

The bipartisan piece of legislation is straightforward: Move to Indiana and work remotely there for a year and the state will reimburse up to $5,000 in taxes or moving costs. They up the ante for workers who earn more than $100,000 in that year, paying them $8,500.

“There are folks looking to live in a state that’s maybe a little more tax-friendly environment, regulatory-friendly environment,” said state Rep. Martin Carbaugh, R-Fort Wayne, who sponsored the bill. “I really look at this as a coupon for people to take a look at us.”

Carbaugh said he had already seen one Illinois resident ask about the program, even though it has yet to become law. The idea initially came from the Indiana Chamber of Commerce.

House Bill 1416 passed from a committee test nearly unanimously on Feb. 2 and awaits a hearing from the House Ways and Means Committee. If enacted, the Indiana Destination Development Corporation would facilitate the program. It would have $1.5 million in reimbursable funds available over a two-year period. 

The bipartisan appeal, Carbaugh said, is that the bill is budget neutral.

“We’re going to receive that revenue before we ever give the coupon anyway because you have to be here for one year before you make an application and receive the grant,” he said. 

Indiana’s income tax is 3.23%. Illinois' income tax rate is 4.95%.

The move could prove enticing to Chicagoans looking for a more affordable residence and more suitable to working from home.

Chicago, and Illinois in general, saw greater losses in the working-age population rather than retirees. A report from Redfin showed Fort Wayne, Indiana as the top destination for moving Chicagoans in the third quarter of 2020. 

“Remote work has opened up a whole new world of possibilities when it comes to buying a home,” said Redfin chief economist Daryl Fairweather. 

An October report from Upwork estimated up to 23 million Americans plan to uproot to a new city somewhere in the United States due to the availability of remote work in their jobs.

IEMA Urges Earthquake Preparedness

The Illinois Emergency Management Agency is promoting earthquake preparedness for the month of February. 

Many Illinoisans don’t consider earthquakes a threat, but Illinois has had at least 13 earthquakes since September 2017, when a 3.8 magnitude quake shook the southeastern part of the state, according to an IEMA news release.

Harvey Henson, assistant professor of geology at Southern Illinois University – Carbondale, said earthquakes pose a real threat in Illinois, especially in the southern region.

Illinois is home to the New Madrid and Wabash Valley seismic zones, which have produced large earthquakes in the past. 

A number of earthquakes hit the area about 200 years ago in the winter of 1811-1812.

“First major earthquake, depending on which study you read, which estimate you believe, it was somewhere around 7.5 to 8.0 in magnitude,” Henson said.

A series of three major earthquakes hit, one in each month of December, January and February, said Henson. In between these major events, minor quakes continued, he said.

“There were settlers in the area – colonists, trappers, explorers up and down the rivers – they said the ground was sometimes in constant agitations with these aftershocks and foreshocks, some of them in magnitude fours, fives and even sixes,” Henson said.

Illinois hasn’t had a major earthquake since its modern infrastructure like bridges, utility lines and skyscrapers have been built. Henson warns of what an 8.0 magnitude quake would do.

“These large cities and large population density that we didn’t have back then, so all that would be affected, and the Midwest would probably be shut down,” he said.

Illinois’ history of earthquakes suggests residents should be prepared, Henson and IEMA said.

There are two steps to preparedness, said Henson. The first is education.

“Put this issue out there so people will consider it, because I think it’s human nature to first be afraid of things we don’t understand, so let’s talk about earthquakes,” he said.

Next, Henson says people should prepare by thinking through how long they might be without the essentials if a disaster hit and what they might need.

“Are you on prescription meds?” he said. “Do you have a pet? How many people are in your home? How much water do you need per person per day?”

Henson recommends putting a kit together for the worst-case scenario.

For information about earthquake kits and earthquake mitigation projects, visit www.Ready.Illinois.gov.

State's Newest Casino Moves Closer To Reality

A planned Rockford casino is one step closer to reality.

The Illinois Gaming Board has given preliminary approval to the city’s Hard Rock
Casino proposal. The decision allows work to begin behind-the-scenes on both a
temporary and permanent gaming location. However, a final ruling on license approval
still is pending.

“This is exciting for the whole region,” said State Sen. Dave Syverson, R-Rockford.
“Hard Rock is one of the most known brand names across the world. To have this brand
in this region, is gonna make a big difference.”

Syverson long has pushed for a gaming license for Rockford and was a leading advocate
of a 2019 gambling expansion package that allows for up to six new casinos in Illinois.

“I took a lot of heat when we first pushed this when I said we really need to be unified
and submit a single application, knowing that if we said submitted multiple applications
to the state, that that would create a problem,” Syverson said. “Sure enough, here we are.
Rockford's the only one approved.”

In a statement, state officials noted that the process isn’t over yet.

“A determination for preliminary suitability is an important step forward in the licensing
process, but is not final licensure,” said Joe Miller, director of policy for the Illinois
Gaming Board. “Nor is preliminary suitability a guarantee of final licensure.”

Before submitting the city’s application to the Gaming Board, Rockford leaders
coalesced around a single potential site, along Interstate 90 on the city’s east side, and a
single operator, Hard Rock.

The plan includes a 65,000-square-foot casino, a Hard Rock Café, and a 1,600-seat Hard
Rock Live venue.

“Now plans have to be submitted for the temporary casino, the drawings and the details
of it, that has to be approved,” Syverson said. “Then they have to submit, and the gaming
board has to approve, the drawings for the permanent casino.”

A site for a temporary casino, not far from the permanent location, already has been
identified. Syverson hopes it might be up and running within 90 days. Groundbreaking on
the main site, meanwhile, could take place by summer, pending final action by the Board.

In a statement, Miller said the Illinois Gaming Board does not speculate on timelines for
any future regulatory actions.

However, it appears the Rockford application is the closest of the six casinos approved in
the 2019 gambling expansion package to final approval.

“While we took some heat to say, ‘Let's be unified with the single location,’” Syverson
said, “the end result is Rockford is the only one approved. The others are going to be a
long way away.”

Work continues on potential licenses for casinos in Danville, Waukegan and south
suburban Cook County. A potential Chicago site has not yet been determined.

“All these other casinos are delayed and Chicago is delayed, but the revenues from those
casinos are what's supposed to be going into the state's capital plans,” Syverson said.
“That's the money that's supposed to be used for rebuilding our infrastructure, our
schools, our state buildings, our roads. That's all being delayed.”

Revenue from the gambling expansion package was earmarked to help fund “Rebuild
Illinois,” a six-year, $45 billion capital infrastructure plan.

Scammers Targeting Vaccine Cards Shown On Social Media

A COVID-19 vaccine can’t protect against scammers.

The COVID-19 crisis has created new opportunities for scammers to take advantage of people who have gotten vaccinated.

The Better Business Bureau is warning consumers not to post photos of their coronavirus vaccination cards on social media. These cards display a person's full name, birth date and location of vaccination, which are all valuable information to an identity thief.

“You don’t want them to have your birthdate, you don’t want them to know how old you are because it will help in stealing your identity in some way because it builds a profile on you, and it all adds up,” said Steve Bernas, president and CEO of BBB of Chicago and Northern Illinois.

Bernas said there still are safe ways for consumers to share their individual vaccine stories. Using a profile picture frame provided by the social media platform is one the BBB suggests, or it could be even simpler.

“Some give stickers out, so what you want to do is see if they get a sticker from them or just cover up the pertinent information or put your finger over it or black it out,” Bernas said.

Bernas recommends checking security settings on social media as well.

“A lot of times people just assume it’s proper and they’re safe, and it’s at settings that are comfortable, but with Facebook and others you can go pretty strong,” he said.

Bernas recommends on Facebook, for instance, only allowing friends to see posts and no one else.

Along with stealing information from photos of vaccination cards on social media, Bernas said scammers are targeting elderly people seeking the coronavirus vaccine, extracting credit card information in exchange for hollow promises.

“They really want the vaccine, and the scammer knows that so they lie. They just create this scam that they have the vaccine or they can get you a better place in line when actually they don’t,” Bernas said.
Scammers are also targeting the masses of people stuck at home doing their shopping online with counterfeit websites, Bernas said.

“So you go to a website you think it’s a legitimate organization when actually it’s not,” Bernas said. “It’s a scam company trying to steal your money or credit card information in some way so you have to do your due diligence.”

Consumers with any concerns about the legitimacy of a business should contact BBB before they hand over any personal information that could be stolen by an identity thief, Bernas said.

City Sets Sights On Acquiring/Cleaning Up Snap On Property

A long time eyesore in Mt. Carmel may finally be cleaned up after action this week by the Mt. Carmel City Council. The city council Monday voted to offer $15,000 to the owners of the vacant Snap On manufacturing plant on Oak Street. Mayor Joe Judge said if the city is successful in buying the property, it opens up a variety of options… 

Judge laid out his goals for the site… 

Snap On Tools announced on 2003 it was closing the Mt. Carmel plant and shifting the operations to Johnson City, Tennessee. Judge stressed the acquisition would only be for the site of the manufacturing plant and not for the two adjacent parking lots. 

2021 City Pool Opening Chances Unclear

This week might seem like a million light years away from summer, but Mayor Joe Judge addressed the status of the 2021 swimming season at the city pool. At this week’s city council meeting, Judge said there are a lot of unknowns right now… 

The city has applied for a $1.126 million grant to extensively rehabilitate the pool and Judge said that could complicate things even further… 

The pandemic prevented the city pool from opening at all last year. 

WSJD File Photo: 5/28/18

Tennessee Trucker Injured In White County Wreck

ISP TRAFFIC CRASH ALERT

WHAT:                      Personal Injury Traffic Crash                                                

WHERE:                   US 45 at 2325 North, White County

WHEN:                      Feb. 9, 2021 at approximately 9:40 a.m.                               

VEHICLE:                Unit 1- 2018 White Freightliner Truck-Tractor Semi-Trailer Combination

DRIVER:                   Unit 1- Anthony Taylor, 48-year-old male from Manchester, TN - Transported to an area hospital with non-life threatening injuries.

PRELIMINARY:      Preliminary investigation indicates the following occurred:  Unit 1 was traveling south on US 45 at 2325 north in White County. The driver of Unit 1 ran off the right side of the road, struck an embankment and overturned. The driver of Unit 1 was transported to an area hospital with non-life threatening injuries.

CHARGES:               Unit 1 Driver was cited for Improper Lane Usage and Failure to Reduce Speed to Avoid an Accident.

All subjects are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

Illinois Newsbriefs

12 MONTHS OF ORDERS
Executive orders Gov. J.B. Pritzker issued Friday mark the 12th month of COVID-19 disaster proclamations. The first order was issued March 9, 2020. Friday’s filing reauthorizes a slew of previous orders ranging from suspending provisions of the Illinois school code to regional COVID-19 mitigation metrics and more. Some at the statehouse are pushing to limit the governor’s authority of rolling executive orders.

IN PERSON SCHOOL
More than half of Illinois public school students are still fully remote, according to the latest data from the Illinois State Board of Education. Of 1.9 million students, more than 1 million are fully remote. About 720,000 students are in a blended model and 187,000 are in-person only. Meanwhile, the IHSA decided Monday non-varsity games for a makeup spring football season can start March 18.

HOUSE RULES
New rules of the Illinois House have been filed, and they allow remote committee hearings for members to participate in because of COVID-19 concerns. The rules also provide term limits of 10 years for the House Speaker and Minority Leader. The House GOP said the rules are largely quote “functionally identical” to rules crafted by former House Speaker Michael Madigan over nearly 4 decades.

UNEMPLOYMENT FRAUD TAX
Tax season is approaching and filers who fell victim to unemployment fraud are going to be asked to pay taxes on the benefits they didn’t receive, unless they file the right form. The Illinois Department of Revenue released 1099-G forms with instructions for identity theft victims. An IRS spokesperson said if an individual's issue isn’t corrected in time for filing taxes, they should file with the correct information and square up the indiscrepancies later.

MOBILE COVID TESTING
Mobile COVID-19 testing teams from the Illinois Department of Public Health will be in Vandalia at the Fayette County Health Department Tuesday. They’ll be taking samples for COVID-19 tests in McNabb at the fire station. Wednesday, teams will be in Galesburg and Rushville. IDPH reported Monday there were 1,747 new positive cases, the lowest since 1,617 cases reported on Oct. 6, 2020.

DISPARITIES
The AARP is working with state legislators on a variety of measures they say will address the disparity of services for minorities of advanced age. The group said the pandemic highlighted the problems with housing costs, access to health care and other issues. Monday, the group released their “Disrupt Disparities” report with various recommendations.

Illinois Mayors Fighting Back Against Unfunded Mandates

Local mayors say the Illinois Legislature forced property tax hikes by mandating new measures and not paying for them. New legislation would change that.

They’re traditionally called “unfunded mandates” and range from additional police training to pension sweeteners that can cost a city millions of dollars over the years.

The village or city is given the order to implement the change with little feedback about what they’re required to do.

State Rep. Anthony DeLuca, D-Chicago Heights, is sponsoring legislation that would require any new mandate placed upon a municipality to come with a payment for the task.

Specifically, House Bill 5 says “any state mandate regarding any subject matter enacted on or after the effective date of this amendatory Act of the 102nd General Assembly that necessitates additional expenditures from local government revenues shall be void and unenforceable unless the General Assembly makes necessary appropriations to implement that mandate. The failure of the General Assembly to make necessary appropriations shall relieve the local government of the obligation to implement any state mandate.”

Illinois Municipal League President Brad Cole said unfunded mandates are a major source of rising property taxes, which are already among the highest in the nation.

“Last year, I believe there were about 175 bills introduced that would have imposed an unfunded mandate,” he said. “This legislation says we have to get serious about unfunded mandates and if the General Assembly isn’t going to pay for something, then they shouldn’t force it on another unit of government and make them pay for it.”

DeLuca’s bill awaits a committee assignment from the House Rules Committee. Lawmakers are due to return to Springfield Wednesday.