NBC5
— J.B. Pritzker Discusses His Agenda Ahead of Inauguration Day – Mary Ann Ahern
https://www.nbcchicago.com/blogs/ward-room/jb-pritzker-interview-governor-inauguration-504295631.html
CHICAGO SUN-TIMES
— Graham: Trump isn’t giving in on southern border wall – AP
https://chicago.suntimes.com/news/trump-border-wall-government-shutdown/
CHICAGO TRIBUNE
— DIERSEN HEADLINE: Anti-Trumps say “Americans blame Trump and GOP much more than Democrats for shutdown.”
https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/politics/ct-trump-democrats-gop-shutdown-blame-20190113-story.html
— Driver was high, had no driver’s license during fatal Lower Wacker Drive wreck, police say – Rosemary Sobol
https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/breaking/ct-met-wacker-cfrash-charges-20190112-story.html
— Hart Selected to Lead DuPage Opioid Taskforce – Patrick McKay
https://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/burr-ridge/community/chi-ugc-article-hart-selected-to-lead-dupage-opioid-taskforce-2019-01-12-story.html
— Pritzker meets with Aurora seniors, calls bingo – Linda Girardi
https://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/aurora-beacon-news/news/ct-abn-aurora-pritzker-st-0114-story.html
DAILY HERALD
— Governor-elect visits suburbs during statewide day of service
https://www.dailyherald.com/news/20190112/governor-elect-visits-suburbs-during-statewide-day-of-service
— Thorny questions threaten to slow legal pot in New York – AP
https://www.dailyherald.com/article/20190113/news/301139947/
— House GOP leader to meet with King over race remarks – AP
https://www.dailyherald.com/article/20190113/news/301139931/
CRAIN’S CHICAGO BUSINESS
— Pot, minimum wage, child care: What are Pritzker’s first priorities? The new governor lays out some of his agenda: He suggests a capital bill will be linked to his first budget and he won’t commit to a Chicago casino. – GREG HINZ (DIERSEN: Each and every candidate, elected official, and party leader in Illinois should be asked: “If pot is legalized for recreational use in Illinois, will you use it and why or why not?”)
https://www.chicagobusiness.com/greg-hinz-politics/pot-minimum-wage-child-care-what-are-pritzkers-first-priorities
HERALD & REVIEW
— Here’s what to expect at Pritzker’s inauguration ceremony on Monday
https://herald-review.com/news/state-and-regional/govt-and-politics/day-one-here-s-what-to-expect-at-pritzker-s/article_53bd638c-6920-53b5-9883-56ef7806ccab.html
SPRINGFIELD STATE JOURNAL REGISTER
— Rauner administration reduces Rutan-exempt positions – Doug Finke (DIERSEN: All my critics/opponents, all their operatives, and all their dupes promote patronage and reject the decision in Rutan v. Republican Party of Illinois (SEE: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rutan_v._Republican_Party_of_Illinois and http://www.nytimes.com/1996/03/13/us/seeking-return-to-ways-of-patronage-in-politics.html). My Democrat IRS and GAO superiors treated me like I was part of a plot to stop them from hiring, retaining, and promoting young Democrat minorities and young Democrat females. They knew that my wife had helped elect Jim Thompson. They were fully aware of the arguments that Thompson, Jim Edgar, and Lee Daniels made in Rutan that government employers should be allowed to engage in political affiliation discrimination.)
https://www.sj-r.com/news/20190113/rauner-administration-reduces-rutan-exempt-positions
(FROM THE ARTICLE: Hundreds of state jobs that once were exempt from Rutan anti-patronage protections have been reclassified to remove them from political influence during the four years of Gov. Bruce Rauner’s administration. In an interview with The State Journal-Register, Joe Hartzler of Chatham, who was special counsel to Rauner, said that most of his time with the administration was spent on eliminating patronage positions. “The thing that I spent most of my time on, you can call it employment reform or hiring reform to reduce the number of patronage-eligible positions,” Hartzler said. “It is a radical change.” Hartzler said that “we knocked out like 2,500 patronage positions.” “More importantly, we drew a very bright line between people who could be appointed with political considerations versus those people who are, let’s just call them protected employees,” he said. “No administration can any longer hire its political people and saddle the next administration with them.” The U.S. Supreme Court’s 1990 Rutan decision essentially said that patronage or political affiliations should not play a role in most hiring, firing and other personnel decisions in government jobs. There are exemptions, however, for some policy-making positions and other key jobs where political considerations could play a role in who was hired or fired. At one point, several thousand state jobs were considered Rutan-exempt and subject to patronage considerations. Hartzler said the number is now below 1,500.)
— J.B. Pritzker seeks stability and growth for Illinois – Bernard Schoenburg
https://www.sj-r.com/news/20190113/jb-pritzker-seeks-stability-and-growth-for-illinois
CHAMPAIGN/URBANA NEWS GAZETTE
— If state isn’t growing, is it shrinking? – Jim Dey
http://www.news-gazette.com/opinion/columns/2019-01-13/jim-dey-if-state-isnt-growing-it-shrinking.html
— Pritzker starting off on right foot – Editorial
http://www.news-gazette.com/opinion/editorials/2019-01-13/editorial-pritzker-starting-right-foot.html
BELLEVILLE NEWS DEMOCRAT
— J.B. Pritzker discusses gambling, marijuana, capital bill before inauguration – JOSEPH BUSTOS
https://www.bnd.com/latest-news/article224486195.html
— Pritzker: ‘I want to create jobs in downstate Illinois and I’m going to do that’ – JOSEPH BUSTOS
https://www.bnd.com/news/local/article224484310.html
DANVILLE COMMERCIAL NEWS
— Pritzker faces big challenges – Editorial
https://www.commercial-news.com/opinion/editorial-pritzker-faces-big-challenges/article_ab51100e-0dae-5960-9144-1754a1437c3f.html
ROCHELLE NEWS LEADER
— Washington politics starting to mirror Illinois antics – Scott Reeder
https://rochellenews-leader.com/article/opinion-washington-politics-starting-to-mirror-illinois-antics
ALTON DAILY NEWS
— Fresh Debate in Springfield About Conflicts of Interest – Greg Bishop
http://altondailynews.com/news/details.cfm?clientid=17&id=277675#.XDvYRVxKiM8
RIVER CITY READER
— Pritzker Inspiring Optimism and Excitement … on Both Sides – Rich Miller (DIERSEN: From what I see, in Illinois, only those who are members of the following groups are optimistic and excited: anti-Trump, anti-Protestant, anti-conservative, anti-patriotic, anti-Republican, anti-American, anti-White, anti-male, anti-older people, anti-rich people, anti-gun owners, anti-German Americans, anti-draft avoiders, and/or anti-those whose ancestors have been in America for a long time.)
https://www.rcreader.com/commentary/pritzker-inspiring-optimism-both-sides
CHICAGO NOW
— Oh sure, Pritzker, Madigan and Democrats will fix Illinois – Dennis Byrne
http://www.chicagonow.com/dennis-byrnes-barbershop/2019/01/oh-sure-pritzker-madigan-and-democrats-will-fix-illinois/
CHICAGO HEIGHTS PATCH
— Here’s How Illinois Ranks For Raising A Family Raising a family is hard no matter where you live, but some states are better for it than others. – Shannon Antinori
https://patch.com/illinois/chicagoheights/s/glds5/here-s-how-illinois-ranks-for-raising-a-family
NEWS BUSTERS
— University of Chicago Student Newspaper Reveals School President Voted Republican – P.J. Gladnick
https://www.newsbusters.org/blogs/nb/pj-gladnick/2019/01/13/university-chicago-student-newspaper-reveals-school-president-voted
DAILY CALLER
— TRUMP PREDICTS DACA WILL BRING HISPANIC VOTERS ‘OVER TO THE REPUBLICAN SIDE’ AMID SHUTDOWN STALEMATE – Evie Fordham (DIERSEN: Democrats shout at Hispanics that Republicans have caused, are causing, and will forever cause all the problems that Hispanics have had, are having, and will have.)
https://dailycaller.com/2019/01/13/trump-daca-wall-deal/
BREITBART
— Durbin: Shutdown Will End When Trump ‘Realizes He’s Lost the Senate Republicans’ – Pam Key
https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2019/01/13/durbin-shutdown-will-end-when-trump-realizes-hes-lost-the-senate-republicans/
— Illinois Refuses Permit for Concert to Be Hosted By R. Kelly
https://www.breitbart.com/entertainment/2019/01/13/illinois-refuses-permit-for-concert-to-be-hosted-by-r-kelly/
AMERICAN THINKER
— Congressional Democrats are wobbling most on the wall – Monica Showalter
https://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2019/01/congressional_democrats_are_wobbling_most_on_the_wall.html
EPOCH TIMES
— Number of People Who Support Border Wall Reaches All Time High – BOWEN XIAO
https://www.theepochtimes.com/number-of-people-who-support-border-wall-reaches-all-time-high-poll_2765145.html
AOL
— DIERSEN HEADLINE: Trump-haters say “Americans blame Trump for the government shutdown over a border ‘crisis’ that they don’t see.”
https://www.aol.com/article/news/2019/01/13/americans-blame-trump-for-the-government-shutdown-over-a-border-crisis-that-they-dont-see-according-to-polls/23641370/
ABC NEWS
— Durbin to Trump: ‘Put an end to this shutdown and put everything on the table’ Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Illinois, said Democrats won’t take blame for the shutdown. – Kris Schneider
https://abcnews.go.com/beta-story-container/Politics/durbin-trump-put-end-shutdown-put-table/story?id=60331812
NBC NEWS
— Federal worker forced to ration insulin because of government shutdown “I can’t afford to go to the ER. I can’t afford anything. I just went to bed and hoped I’d wake up,” Mallory Lorge said about her blood sugar going high. – Phil McCausland and Suzanne Ciechalski
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/federal-worker-forced-ration-insulin-because-government-shutdown-n958066
NEW YORK POST
— DIERSEN HEADLINE: Trump-haters say “Majority of Americans blame Trump for government shutdown.”
https://nypost.com/2019/01/13/majority-of-americans-blame-trump-for-government-shutdown/
NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
— DIERSEN HEADLINE: Trump-haters say “President Trump, congressional Republicans deserve most blame for historic government shutdown.”
https://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/ny-news-trump-republicans-blame-shutdown-20190113-story.html
WALL STREET JOURNAL
— New Test for Law Schools: Do Enough Graduates Pass the Bar? California said that 40.7% of test takers passed the most recent bar exam, the fifth straight year where more failed than passed – Sara Randazzo
https://www.wsj.com/articles/new-test-for-law-schools-do-enough-graduates-pass-the-bar-11547391600
STARS AND STRIPES
— Sen. Graham says Trump isn’t giving in on southern border wall – AP
https://www.stripes.com/news/us/sen-graham-says-trump-isn-t-giving-in-on-southern-border-wall-1.564291
