THE ILLINOIZE: Rage over vaccination delays at long term care facilities...Restaurants open but can they survive?...Brady replacement sworn in...Manar/Steans/Cassidy...Will high school hoops be safe?

Good morning.

I hope many of you, at least in the northern third of the state, are getting a snow day today. I assure you the only one here that will be enjoying the pile of snow outside my back door is the dog.

It’s probably worth mentioning what may the best thing in all of state government: the Getting Around Illinois winter weather road map. When you’ve spent the last 10 years driving around pretty much every corner of the state, it’s nice to know what could be happening around Illinois. Kudos to IDOT for that great asset.

By the way, the state announced yesterday 8 new cases of a more communicable variant of COVID-19 have been found in Illinois. A total of 9 cases of the B-117 strain, which was first spotted in the UK, have now been confirmed in Illinois. All 9 cases have been found in the city of Chicago or suburban Cook County.

As always, we hope you’ll spread the word and forward this newsletter to your friends, colleagues, neighbors, and people you know who won’t shut up about politics on Facebook. Just click here. ⬇

VACCINATION PLAN FAILING SENIORS

Some of the hottest hotspots in the state and around the country for COVID-19 infections and deaths have been long term care facilities like nursing homes.

Here in Illinois, tens of thousands of doses have not been distributed to seniors in those facilities even though they’re at the top of the priority list.

How on earth is this possible?

Republicans are blaming Governor JB Pritzker. Pritzker, a Democrat, is blaming the administration of former President Donald Trump.

The bottom line here is that Walgreens and CVS were contracted to get these doses administered, and they are failing. Miserably.

What may be the most frustrating is that the doses set aside for seniors can’t be given to anyone else while Walgreens and CVS try to get their act together. From Pritzker yesterday in Tinley Park:

“…That program has gone exceedingly slow. And the federal government required that the number of vaccines be taken out of our entire allotment. All the vaccinations that are necessary for that entire group have been taken out already of our allotment and they sit on shelves because that federal pharmacy partnership is so slow at the job."

Sen. Chapin Rose says the Governor (how he gets around the federal contract, I don’t know) needs to get the long term care facilities finished first.

“I have a hard time reconciling how we have people who are literally in 24/7/365 skilled nursing and because they’re in an institutional setting, they’re having to wait until February to get vaccinated but somebody who lives on their own and can drive to the clinic can get a shot today,” said Sen. Chapin Rose (R-Mahomet). “It’s incomprehensible that Governor Pritzker has failed to finish off the 1A population at this point.”

We dispatched our Ben Garbarek to check this out. Here’s his story new on the website this morning.

TOO LITTLE, TOO LATE?

Thousands of restaurants and bars that serve food were allowed to re-open (legally) to indoor diners this weekend after months of limits from the state.

But the Chicago and suburban Cook County restaurants are only able to open, for now, at a maximum of 25% or 10 people per room in the restaurant.

Illinois Restaurant Association President & CEO Sam Toia says such limited capacity won’t help struggling restaurants make ends meet.

“While every step towards reopening indoor dining is a positive one, these limited parameters fall short of the restaurant industry’s critical needs and expectations,” Toia said in a statement to The Illinoize Monday. “As one of the most highly regulated industries in terms of health and safety, with enhanced precautions introduced during COVID-19, Illinois restaurants know how to protect the well-being of their guests and team members. They are capable of safely serving more guests than what the state will currently allow, and they need more to survive this crisis.”

Support your local restaurant.

SEN. TURNER

Former Logan County Clerk Sally Turner is now State Senator Sally Turner.

Turner, who was Logan County Clerk from 1994-2018, was chosen by county chairmen in the district Saturday to replace former Sen. Bill Brady, who resigned December 31.

When she left office, Turner created a business called Sally Turner Government Consulting, so I immediately checked to see if she was a lobbyist. She is not. Turner told me this weekend she assists local governments with levies, budgets, and PTELL grants. Not the lobbyist kind of “government consulting” cynics like me immediately think of.

Turner is the wife of former State Rep. John Turner, who served in Springfield from 1995-2001. He was appointed to the Appellate Court in 2001, where he still serves.

Here’s our story on Turner’s appointment.

We’re told Senate GOP leadership was less than shy about suggestions that chairmen in the district chose a woman for the seat. Sen. Turner’s appointment makes four women of 18 Senate Republicans. (Update: Senate GOP leaders tell me they were open about wanting diversity for the seat, but say Turner was chosen on her qualifications, not the fact that she’s female.

MANAR/STEANS/CASSIDY MUSICAL CHAIRS

Some updates on one open state senate seat, one soon-to-be open senate seat, and a state house seat that may come open as a result.

• Both Decatur Mayor Julie Moore-Wolfe and Springfield Alderman/Sangamon County Democratic Chair Doris Turner have applied for the process to replace now departed Sen. Andy Manar in the Springfield/Decatur/south district. Democratic chairs will decide the appointment. As Sangamon County Chair, Turner told me last week she had recused herself from the process. There may be other applicants, but we’re told those won’t be announced until Wednesday.

• It appears Rep. Kelly Cassidy (D-Chicago) has the inside track to replace outgoing Senator Heather Steans (D-Chicago). Steans resigns January 31.

• If Cassidy’s northside House seat comes open, it looks like there may be a big ‘ol mess of people trying to get that seat. I won’t list all of the names here, I’ll leave that to the Tribune. (They’re way down at the bottom.)

HIGH SCHOOL HOOPS AND SAFETY

I grew up in a small town downstate. There are two types of small towns all around the state or Midwest: football towns and basketball towns. Rochester is a football town. Pinckneyville is a basketball town. My town, Crescent City, was a basketball town. (Was, because the high school closed in 2009.)

The announcement from IDPH and the Governor’s office Friday that youth sports, notably high school basketball, will be allowed to return in the next few weeks was met with relief, happiness, and some concern as to whether a bunch of teenagers throwing sweat, elbows, and jawing at each other is really that safe.

Here’s what we know (at least relating to high school basketball): the IHSA is expected to announce a date to return to play later this week. Teams will be required 12 practices before they can play a game. For now, games will only be played locally and among their conferences. (That means no March…or April or May…Madness tournament). Players will be required to wear masks while playing and crowd sizes will be limited to 50 people maximum.

I asked Kevin McKeown, Athletic Director at Andrew High School in suburban Tinley Park, if he was worried players could stay safe. He said no.

“Our fall season went well where not one athlete contracted COVID from a teammate or opposing school player,” he said. ”We did have a few close contact cases but never when someone contracted it from a practice or competition. Those cases were all individuals that contracted from outside of school. Our staff makes it their priority to follow all IDPH requirements to protect their athletes and themselves. It is because of our dedication to the protection of our athletes we feel confident that through following the guidelines we can drastically reduce the risk.”

Here’s our story and reaction to the announcement.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

House Republican Leader Jim Durkin celebrates Thursday. He’ll turn 60. Happy Birthday, Leader!

BEFORE WE GO…

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Have a great week, everyone.