Subject: POLITICO Illinois Playbook, presented by Nuclear Matters: RAUNER to sign higher ed stopgap bill -- NYT edit board bemoans 'intolerable abuse' by state lawmakers -- RAVINIA in CHICAGO?
From: Natasha Korecki <[email-masked]>
To: <[email-masked]>
Date: Mon, 25 Apr 2016 05:59:45 -0600

04/25/2016 07:57 AM EDT

By Natasha Korecki ([email-masked]; @natashakorecki) with Manuela Tobias ([email-masked]; @manuelatobiasm)  

Good Monday morning, Illinois. Somehow, the Blackhawks returned from a 3 to 1 deficit to tie up the first-round, best of seven, playoff series with the Blues. Tonight's the determining matchup at 7:30 p.m. in St. Louis. 

Today, Gov. Bruce Rauner is soon expected to sign a bill authorizing stop-gap higher ed funding after all sides finally came together on Friday and passed the legislation out of the House and Senate. #Progress. 

A week after City Hall floated an unpalatable package to salvage the Lucas Museum after the original plan faltered, a new idea is floated that is more tolerable. Of course, that new idea is really the original plan (plus a promise for more parks). It now sounds so much easier than borrowing money and hiking taxes. Read on. 

BATTLE TO THE DEATH -- "Chicago Fights to Keep George Lucas Museum," by The Wall Street Journal's Mark Peters: "Mayor Rahm Emanuel celebrated two years ago when Chicago landed a museum planned by filmmaker George Lucas. But his administration is now fighting to keep it here. In the coming months, Mr. Emanuel must sell state lawmakers, park advocates and the public on a new $1.2 billion plan for the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art to keep the 'Star Wars' creator from going elsewhere. The museum of art and movie memorabilia has been stymied by a federal-court battle over its lakefront site. 'These are the types of investments that built the city, that made it a dominant player,' Mr. Emanuel
 told reporters recently. It was seen as a coup for the nation's third-largest city when Mr. Lucas picked Chicago for the museum over Los Angeles and San Francisco. Helping to seal the deal was Mr. Lucas's wife, businesswoman Mellody Hobson, who is from here, and the site on the city's famed museum campus along Lake Michigan." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=2e5582d73a6d7d8a3880a966031649ee6cdd2b91b5171336dda6f91f977292a4 

COMPROMISE PLAN -- "Here's a Lucas Museum proposal that everyone might like," by Crain's Greg Hinz: "The two-part idea: Put the museum back in its original location, which happens to be a windblown surface parking lot between Soldier Field and McCormick Place; that would provide a few acres of new green space in the process. Second, enact an ordinance or whatever legally binding step is needed declaring that, when the dilapidated Lakeside Center at the east end of the McCormick Place complex is demolished-you could even add a deadline-all of the land there will be returned to permanent park status, perhaps 20 more acres of it. Friends of the Parks would have a real public benefit to brag
 about: not one, but two chunks of new park space. Lucas would be able to start construction on his museum this year. Emanuel would get both without having to spend a ton of money he doesn't have. And while some of the space in the Lakeside Center (also known as McCormick Place East) eventually might have to be replaced with new exhibition space elsewhere in the McCormick Place campus, the city would have time to come up with a comprehensive plan." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=2e5582d73a6d7d8a735b689819e4be887e95818f151d8967a507a9a551317dc9 

NEW LOOK AT MISCONDUCT CLAIM -- "CPD Reopens Investigation into 2011 Use of Force," by WBEZ's Greta Johnsen: "Two Chicago police officers have been stripped of their powers while they're investigated for use of force in a 2011 robbery. It's the first case being reopened for investigation since new police Superintendent Eddie Johnson took the helm of the Chicago Police Department less than a month ago ... Video shows an officer roughly handling a woman who's been pulled over; she exits the car with her hands up and is immediately thrown to the ground. This new investigation of an old case comes as Mayor Rahm Emanuel pledges to change how police-involved shooting and misconduct cases are
 handled." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=2e5582d73a6d7d8ae9faf8be12bf6d816273a13dbcdc5d2adcd3dc1d84978b16 

VIDEO: "Video Shows Chicago Officer Slamming Woman Who Had Hands Up," by The Associated Press' Jason Keyser: "Newly released dashcam video shows a Chicago police officer slamming an unarmed robbery suspect to the ground after she got out of a car with her hands up. The video was released Friday by the Chicago Police Department, whose new chief is trying to increase openness and rebuild trust after several cases of excessive force." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=2e5582d73a6d7d8ac503ff582f0fdb6e22761ca3b35ddba0db8cafede2ec740e 

GETTING RICH AT EXPENSE OF LOW INCOME -- "Cashing in on the CHA - a Sun-Times/BGA special Watchdogs report," by Chicago Sun-Times' Chris Fusco, Tim Novak, Mick Dumke and BGA's Brett Chase: "From her 49th-floor condo at Lake Point Tower, Diane L. Gottlieb oversees a public housing empire that brings her nearly $1 million a year in government-subsidized rent. Gottlieb, 55, has a growing portfolio of apartments - from swanky digs in a Gold Coast high-rise to rundown buildings on the South Side and the West Side - that she leases to dozens of tenants whose rent is covered in full or in part by the Chicago Housing Authority ... 

"According to a Chicago Sun-Times and Better Government Association investigation ... thousands of voucher tenants are living in buildings that have been cited by City Hall inspectors over the past five years for code violations. The Sun-Times and BGA also found that, despite the CHA's massive 'Plan for Transformation' of public housing, most of the more than 44,000 voucher tenants continue to live in high-crime, poverty-riddled neighborhoods on the South Side and the West Side where the bulk of the housing agency's tenants lived in the days of the old CHA high-rise projects." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=2e5582d73a6d7d8a0c539442574ec666ff20510195a7f952a68b4568b8817524 

TRACKING POLICE CHANGE -- City Bureau, a start-up newsroom and journalism lab has launched its newest public tool: the Chicago Task Force Tracker. The project partnered up with Smart Chicago, the Invisible Institute and Genius "to annotate each and every recommendation from the recent Chicago Police Task Force report in terms of potential obstacles, current progress, and more. From City Bureau: "We used Genius for our Task Force Tracker because it allows the public to add their own annotations and comments to the work we've begun-we're already seeing folks do both of those things but we hope to see more. In short, the more people see and use the tool, the better it will become in the coming
 months and years as these issues of policing progress in Chicago." Find Chicago Task Force Tracker here: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=2e5582d73a6d7d8a0062c1e2ef1bdd3bae33dd44077e1ddef49e0d4e369153e2 

** A Message from Nuclear Matters: Providing 90 percent of Illinois' carbon-free electricity, nuclear energy plants play a vital role in achieving our clean-energy and carbon-reduction goals. Illinois' nuclear energy fleet supports approximately 28,000 direct and indirect jobs and contributes nearly $9 billion to the state's economy. Learn more at NuclearMatters.com. ** 

IMPRISONED PARENTS -- "New report finds 186,000 Illinois children have a parent who has been incarcerated, recommends immediate action. Policy and program investments recommended to preserve the parent-child connection during and after incarceration," From a release: "The Annie E. Casey Foundation today proposed recommendations that state and local policymakers should adopt to help millions of children who struggle with emotional and financial instability as a result of having an incarcerated parent. More than 5 million children nationwide have experienced the separation of a parent due to incarceration, including 186,000 children in Illinois, according to A Shared Sentence: The Devastating
 Toll of Parental Incarceration on Kids, Families and Communities. Although the societal and financial implications of mass incarceration have prompted proposed solutions from policymakers, advocates and activists, the needs of children are usually overlooked. 'It's critical for Illinois' leaders to take action to expand programs that address the trauma a child experiences when their parent is incarcerated," says Leslie Helmcamp, policy analyst at Voices for Illinois Children." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=2e5582d73a6d7d8ab562fb23ca368226f3ca7296dd509a46752bf4c0cf1286a5 

RAVINIA IN CHICAGO? -- "Douglas Park may take swing at outdoor concert venue to replace golf course," by Chicago Tribune's Leonor Vivanco: "A small scale, Ravinia-style outdoor music venue could replace a three-hole golf course at Douglas Park in North Lawndale under a conceptual plan floated by the local alderman. 'My thought would be something similar to Ravinia where you can come, put out a blanket and sit and bring a picnic basket and enjoy music from the community or a reputable artist. It's in your backyard and you don't have to travel to Highland Park to do so,' said Ald. Michael Scott Jr. of the 24th Ward. Instead of a golf course, he said he envisioned a concrete staging area
 supplied with electric power where concerts could be held for 2,500 to 5,000 people seated on the grass." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=2e5582d73a6d7d8ab829318e26fa430ab98b2011b007778d31ae3a901acc62a9 

PRICEY DUPAGE SECURITY -- "Why court security costs in DuPage are double that of its neighbors," by Daily Herald's Robert Sanchez: "DuPage County spends roughly double the money to provide courthouse security as four other collar counties, according to a new study. The main reason is DuPage's use of full-time, sworn sheriff's deputies for almost every court security position. In Kane, Lake, McHenry and Will counties, lower-paid court security officers are used. On average, DuPage spends nearly $160,000 annually for each of its 44 courtrooms. In the other counties, costs range from $75,000 to $95,000 per courtroom, according to the study, done by DuPage administrators for the county board.
 The study didn't include Cook County, which uses sheriff's deputies for court security." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=2e5582d73a6d7d8a48cb9255d07e9d164eaf926ee1563aefb362f1905c7c018d 

SMALL BUSINESS HELP -- "Emanuel boasts city program has made 250 'microloans,'" by Chicago Sun-Times' Mitch Dudek: "Mayor Rahm Emanuel on Sunday touted the success of a program he started five years ago to offer loans to small businesses that would have a hard time qualifying for such a loan from a traditional bank. Chicago put $1 million in the coffers of the Chicago Microlending Institute in 2011 and has since partnered with corporations that have helped the program loan $2.6 million through several approved lenders. On Sunday afternoon, Emanuel spoke at the Pullman Cafe ... The cafe used a $12,000 CMI loan to open in 2015. Emanuel boasted the program had hit a milestone of 250 loans -
 mostly in amounts ranging from $10,000 to $15,000." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=2e5582d73a6d7d8aaa608b37f1f7ab2a38e8083cf416e519a35e55bd03ddce8a 

SNARKY SNARK -- "Column: The sacking of Troy will not help Emanuel," by Chicago Tribune's Eric Zorn: "Mayor Rahm Emanuel, out of the loop again! Wednesday, the mayor's handpicked Board of Education ousted one of his most prominent critics - award-winning Blaine Elementary School Principal Troy LaRaviere - in a distracting, inflammatory move that will cost Emanuel political capital at a particularly bad time. Our news report on the 'reassignment' of LaRaviere to inactive duty quoted a statement from Janice Jackson, the chief education officer for the Chicago Public Schools: 'We did not consult the mayor in making this decision.' It also quoted mayoral spokeswoman Kelley Quinn: 'CPS handles
 its own personnel matters, with which the mayor does not interfere.' So I guess Emanuel found out about it just like everyone else: What? No way! Really?" http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=2e5582d73a6d7d8af1f2bbc6ddeb24d64df6ab7b008da18b9df0a65200cb6b32 

CALLING ON FEDS FOR HELP -- "Rahm, Congressmen Call For Federal Money To Fight Chicago Violence," by DNAinfo's Joe Ward: " Early childhood education, after school programs and anti-violence efforts run through the YMCA are available because of government funding, something that has dried up not only in Illinois but nationally, said Dick Malone, president and CEO of the YMCA of Metropolitan Chicago. 'This is the front line of our community," Malone said. 'It's only because of those resources that we are able to do what we do. Those resources are shrinking every day.' Members of the U.S. House of Representative's Black Caucus joined Mayor Rahm Emanuel and other civic leaders Friday at the
 South Shore YMCA, 6333 S. Stony Island Ave., to advocate for more federal funding for such programs and efforts." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=2e5582d73a6d7d8aa3e1c0da7a2eaa8b0f09f256e50eb95f32c037b93c781313 

Welcome to the POLITICO Illinois Playbook. Have a tip, event, announcement, endorsement? Send to [email-masked] or @natashakorecki 

SUBSCRIBE to Illinois Playbook: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=2e5582d73a6d7d8a0a048fa021dc3120a50b0671dbaf00e99ebeb0db91988e6d 

HASTERT WORKS TO STAY OUT OF PRISON -- "Tom Delay, others defend Dennis Hastert in letters to court," by POLITICO's Hanna Trudo and Josh Gerstein: "Dennis Hastert's legal team filed dozens of letters in federal court in Chicago on Friday from individuals expressing support for the former House speaker in preparation for his sentencing on Wednesday. Rep. Tom DeLay, the former House majority whip who helped position Hastert for his role as speaker, wrote that he is a man of 'strong faith' and 'great integrity.' DeLay 's letter is one of 41 letters signed by former colleagues and relatives as part of ongoing legal efforts to defend Hastert's character after the former speaker pleaded guilty to
 illegally structuring $900,000 used in payments to an individual he allegedly sexually abused while serving as a high school teacher and wrestling coach in a small Illinois town more than 30 years ago. Two other ex-students have made similar claims about Hastert, as has a woman who says her late brother reported sexual contact by Hastert." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=2e5582d73a6d7d8a0ad307642b53cb3aca2bcc51fce346f0ac94c875f107cfd6 

BUT COULD WIN NEW DISTINCTION THIS WEEK -- "Hastert is latest Illinois pol making history for wrong reason," by Chicago Sun-Times' Jon Seidel: "Commonly described as the longest-serving Republican speaker, Hastert might earn a new distinction: First former House speaker to be sentenced to the Federal Bureau of Prisons. Whether Hastert earns that title will be up to U.S. District Judge Thomas M. Durkin, who has presided over Hastert's case ever since the 74-year-old former speaker was indicted last May. Federal prosecutors have asked Durkin only to impose a sentence within federal guidelines, which allow between zero and six months behind bars. But Durkin is free to go above those guidelines
 and could impose a sentence of up to five years." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=2e5582d73a6d7d8a45c16064c77a49819e078fa14ecae8fbf52cb3dfce85aec0 

THOSE ARE SOME FANCY KNOTS -- "Rope used in 2012 MCC escape might be displayed at FBI HQ in D.C." by Chicago Sun-Times' Jon Seidel: "The jail cell on the 17th floor of the Metropolitan Correctional Center once held a pair of daring bank robbers. But by the time FBI Special Agent Timothy E. Bacha stepped inside late in 2012, it was filled with little more than a cool December breeze. Bacha found a 'pretty decent size' hole at the base of the floor. And a rope, wrapped around a bunk bed, anchored to a pipe ... Now ... the public may get its first look at the bank robbers' notorious rope since Dec. 18, 2012 - the day the men rappelled down the side of the MCC to freedom. Bacha said he hopes to
 send a portion of the rope to be displayed at the FBI Education Center in Washington, D.C. Bacha was the case agent assigned to the escape." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=2e5582d73a6d7d8a75cd9a83ae229c3788221b0e5b02c3c3ce97ef4f032c7de2 

UNLIKELY PATH TO FREEDOM -- "Road to dismissal: State's attorney kept McCullough in prison, then worked to free him," by The Daily Chronicle's Eric R. Olson: "Before DeKalb County State's Attorney Richard Schmack helped to free Jack McCullough, he helped to keep him in prison. In 2014, McCullough was a convicted child murderer and Schmack was more than a year into his first term as state's attorney ... Schmack's doubts about the case began with the timeline the state presented ... eventually expanded to include the way that police and prosecutors had conducted their entire investigation, from guiding and coaching witnesses, disregarding evidence that pointed to McCullough's innocence, and
 putting false and misleading information before judges and grand juries. His suspicions would eventually lead to DeKalb County Judge William Brady's order Friday to dismiss the murder charge against McCullough." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=2e5582d73a6d7d8ad8c9d7663447ddb6214465220eb4ab5c5ffe462c88aed607 

OUT OF BOUNDS -- "Ron Magers fuming over WGN's unauthorized ad," by Robert Feder: "No one was more surprised than Ron Magers to see his name and words appear in an advertisement for a competitor published in Sunday's edition of the Chicago Tribune. The veteran Chicago anchorman, who's retiring next month after 18 years at ABC-owned WLS-Channel 7, said he never authorized the rival station, Tribune Media WGN-Channel 9, to use him in any promotion. In the ad for 'WGN Morning News,' he's identified as 'Ron Magers, TV News Anchor,' and quoted as saying: 'They do just a great job over there. They've created themselves as this kind of hybrid, where there is news, but it's an awfully entertaining
 package as well.' The quote was excerpted from an interview Magers taped last week with Tony Lossano, who hosts and produces the weekly podcast 'Lossano & Friends!'" http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=2e5582d73a6d7d8a1b564458ebe424d8d4c57d65f2ba275f9cc050da73911cb8 

EMANUEL, RUSH TALK TRADE SKILLS AT DUNBAR -- From City Hall: "Mayor Emanuel will join Congressman Bobby Rush (D-IL), CPS and the community to announce a plan that will revitalize Dunbar Career Academy High School with a new and comprehensive citywide construction trades program beginning this coming school year. Due to increasing demand by employers for the skilled trades, the "Construction Trades Campus at Dunbar" is designed to provide Chicago's students with a greater choice in career paths that will set them on a path to the middle class. The new school model will focus on teaching students skills in the following industries: general construction; carpentry; heating, ventilating, and
 air conditioning (HVAC); welding; and electricity. Mayor Emanuel and CPS worked closely with the Local School Council, community, Chicago Building Trades and Rep. Bobby Rush for several months to make the plan to create the new trade school a reality. The expansion returns Dunbar to its roots, which had a construction trade focus when it first opened in 1942." 

STATE  

YEAR IN THE HOLE -- "Former Inmate Details Imprisonment to Lawmakers as Illinois Moves to Limit Solitary Confinement," by NBC Chicago: "Brian Nelson's years in solitary confinement left him terrified of other people, and he says he can still taste the concrete dust from his cell, even though he's been free since 2010. The 51-year-old is afraid to ride the bus, he takes five psychotropic drugs and sees a psychiatrist every week ... 'Those four walls beat me down so bad,' he told members of an Illinois House committee during a recent emotional hearing on the state's solitary confinement practices. Stories like Nelson's have led Illinois lawmakers to push prisons to restrict the use of
 solitary confinement, joining a national movement that has policymakers rethinking the longstanding form of punishment that critics say has a profound psychological impact on inmates." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=2e5582d73a6d7d8ae5891c5debfaed5175564fd31847e5949ae33087d31b65b2 

HIGHER ED MONEY TO COME THROUGH -- "Illinois lawmakers pass $600 million university stopgap," by Reuters' Dave McKinney and Karen Pierog: "Illinois' cash-starved public universities and community colleges won a temporary financial reprieve on Friday after the state legislature approved a $600 million funding plan, offering a rare break in the state's long-running budget stalemate. The legislation now goes to Republican Governor Bruce Rauner, who praised its passage and is expected to sign it. 'By passing this bipartisan agreement, lawmakers in both chambers put aside political differences to provide emergency assistance for higher education, ensuring universities and community colleges
 remain open and low-income students can pay for school,' Rauner said. The plan represents a partial thaw in a crippling 10-month budget deadlock between Rauner and Democrats who control the state legislature that has hit the state's higher education and social service systems acutely. Illinois is the only state without a full operating budget." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=2e5582d73a6d7d8a4a68d4a9910c5a5aaa2ad3d0cb6199988cdfbee81a52e2f9 

GIVING SOMETHING TO GET SOMETHING -- "Rauner, Madigan both blink on higher education money," by Chicago Tribune's Rick Pearson: "For months, Gov. Bruce Rauner and House Speaker Michael Madigan held firm on what it would take to turn on the spigot and let state money flow to cash-starved universities and community colleges caught up in Illinois' record-setting budget impasse. The Republican governor wasn't going to budge on higher education funding until schools cut administrative costs and he got money-saving changes in the way the state and universities purchase goods or some flexibility to move money around in the state budget. The Democratic speaker wanted a measure that also includes
 money for social services such as drug and alcohol treatment, autism therapy and homeless prevention programs. In the end, both of them blinked." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=2e5582d73a6d7d8a4909abb1317907bf3c00ea5b90c01688ac8f475ebb0d860a 

'INTOLERABLE ABUSE OF THE PUBLIC INTEREST' -- "When Statehouse Politicians Make Things Worse," New York Times Editorial Board: "A 10-month budget standoff in Illinois has reached the point where the state comptroller, Leslie Geissler Munger, says she plans to delay the monthly paychecks of lawmakers and state officials because other bills and services deserve to be paid first. The comptroller, a Republican running for re-election, seems to think this will force the Democratic General Assembly and Gov. Bruce Rauner, a Republican, to compromise. The paycheck strategy would be politically amusing were it not for the fact that the budget impasse is having severe effects on Illinois citizens ...
 This is an intolerable abuse of the public interest and a direct result of the cage fights over taxation and budget cutting that have made statehouse politics such an embarrassment across the nation." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=2e5582d73a6d7d8a56c2f888a030f41fd786749bdd4ff9941c8b77d92bf95282 

FEARS OF PLANT's 'EARLY RETIREMENT' -- "Showdown: Lack of state action puts nuclear plant at risk," by Pantagraph's Edith Brady-Lunny: "As the financial losses mount from Exelon's operation of the Clinton Power Station, the message from company officials that the plant may close next year without legislative intervention has taken on a renewed and pressing urgency. The single-unit power plant situated on about 14,000 acres six miles east of Clinton has transformed from a big money producer for Exelon's fleet of 11 reactors at six Illinois sites to posting $360 million in losses over the past six years. That shift has put the 29-year-old plant in danger of early retirement." 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=2e5582d73a6d7d8abba885a4382c55a01ad187aa93cb83d1d93b064e8e8de37c 

'EXTREME MIDGET WRESTLING' CALLED 'BARBARIC' -- "Georgette Braun: 'Midget' wrestling a cringeworthy Belvidere event," by Rockford Register Star's Georgette Braun: "Few things make me cringe. But I'm with Courtney Simross, 21, when it comes to bristling at the use of the word 'midget' to describe 'little people,' those whose short stature is caused by a medical or genetic condition. One event both of us found offensive - Extreme Midget Wrestling, featuring a touring troupe of wrestlers each about 4 feet tall - was held April 16 at the Apollo Theater in Belvidere. Simross ... told me ... 'It's really demeaning,' she said. 'It's very barbaric. It's like they are using us as a source of
 entertainment. It reminds us of circus freak shows. ... It stems from being uneducated, not understanding the connotation. ... We compare it to racial slurs against black people.'" http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=2e5582d73a6d7d8a00699d8f195ac05a104b9b148402f6c04b8e24811604118c 

THEY GOT WHAT THEY WANTED, EXCEPT ... -- "Statehouse Insider: That must have been some other lieutenant governor we were thinking about," by State Journal-Register's Doug Finke: "Rejoice, fans of government bureaucracy, it looks like the lieutenant governor's office will be around at least two more years ... it's a statewide office that has no official job duties outside those assigned by the governor. To make things even more fun, the current lieutenant governor has been assigned to find ways of making government more efficient - everywhere else." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=2e5582d73a6d7d8a906578d3df6fb0c5958a13ca93f2a38f739b0b208fd8a55b 

SPEECH FIT FOR A QUEEN -- "Queen Noor talks empowering women, plight of refugees at Judson forum," by The Courier News' Gloria Casas: "Children often expect Her Majesty Queen Noor of Jordan to wear a tiara and be like the fairy tale characters they read about, but the Arab-American queen is down-to-earth and focused on empowering women. Queen Noor brought her message to Judson University's World Leaders Forum Monday at the University's Elgin campus ... 'This is the only path to security, prosperity and peace, but it requires us all to work and serve together,' Queen Noor said." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=2e5582d73a6d7d8abebe5a503a176342713e6dce6c837cca8684974163800421 

FALL OF ANOTHER QUEEN -- "The fall of vegan queen Karyn Calabrese," by Crain's Meribah Knight: "For more than three decades, Calabrese has espoused the benefits of vegan and raw-food diets, colonics and juice detoxes. She has built a local health-food empire that includes two books, restaurants, catering, classes and a day spa offering such services as oxygen therapy ($100 an hour), infrared sauna ($25 for 30 minutes) and ear coning ($30). Her devotees include Stevie Wonder, Beyonce, Lady Gaga, music producer Jermaine Dupri and Common, among others. By her own account, Calabrese has been 'making vegan sexy since 1983.' At 69 years old, 102 pounds and 5 foot 6, she is living proof that
 something is working. Calabrese says she has not been sick in 40 years and her taut face-today notwithstanding-is unmarred by Botox or plastic surgery. But lately life has been giving her lemons-and not the cleansing kind." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=2e5582d73a6d7d8a1de056f30db78aa34bce4b9936eeccdd2e1376714def052f 

CALLING IT WHAT IT WAS -- "Kirk calls on Administration to recognize Armenian Massacres as Genocide," by Public Radio of Armenia: "U.S. Senator Mark Kirk (R-Ill.) today issued the following statement after the Administration failed to call the massacres of Armenians by the Ottoman Turkish government a genocide: 'As we mark the 101st anniversary of the Armenian Genocide on April 24, I call on the Administration to recognize the murder of 1.5 million Armenians from 1915-1923 by Ottoman Turkey for what it was: genocide. Recognition of past genocides is crucial for preventing future genocides, so it is long past due to speak honestly about what happened to the Armenians.'" 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=2e5582d73a6d7d8a3817c30b25e50c728ea073f6bb1ca6878698e45988a4cd22 

PRINCE'S BULLS OBSESSION -- "Prince used to obsessively watch the 90s Chicago Bulls-even while performing onstage," by The Reader's Jake Malooley: "He was a common sight at Timberwolves, Twins, and Vikings games, and he even wrote a song, 'Purple and Gold,' about his favorite NFL squad. And as anyone who watched Chappelle's Show knows, the dude could ball; he'd take on all comers on a basketball hoop installed at his Paisley Park rehearsal space. But according to a Notorious magazine profile that's been making the rounds, Prince also was so fanatical about watching Michael Jordan's Bulls that he didn't let concerts get in the way of TV time: Once during a concert in Montreal, the Chicago
 Bulls were in game three of the playoffs and he was watching the game from a TV at the side of the stage while he played guitar solos. He had his wardrobe girl draw up big cards and flash the score at him." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=2e5582d73a6d7d8ae6484bb21ed743a0bf31b57b089b5fd4f1220ef395f8cbd5 

EVENTS Courtesty of IntelligentEvent @Chi_Intellevent  
 
TODAY - Cold War Curvature: Measuring and Modeling Gravity in Postwar American Physics - Northwestern U - This lecture will examine some of the ways in which research on Einstein's theory was embedded in, and at times engulfed by, the tumult of world politics. 

 -- Chicago Style with Obama Foundation Board Chair Martin Nesbitt - Institute of Politics - Marty Nesbitt, a long time friend of President Obama and successful Chicago businessman is chairman of the Barack Obama Foundation's board and played a massive role in bringing the Center to Chicago. He will explain the Center, its journey so far, and the future it has in Chicago. He will discuss his own decades of private and public service, his work with the Obama Foundation, and the impact the Obama Center will have on the South Side of Chicago. 

WHERE's RAHM? Announcing trade school developments with Bobby Rush 

WHERE's RAUNER? No public events 

** A Message from Nuclear Matters: Some of America's existing nuclear energy plants face early closure due to current economic and policy conditions. Providing more than 62% of America's carbon-free electricity, existing, state-of-the-art nuclear energy plants play a vital role in achieving our clean-energy and carbon-reduction goals.

In Illinois, nuclear energy plants provide 48 percent of the state's electricity and 90 percent of our carbon-free electricity. The existing nuclear energy plants in Illinois also support approximately 28,000 direct and indirect jobs and contribute $9 billion to the state's economy.

If we want to keep Illinois working, we need policies that will keep Illinois' state-of-the-art nuclear energy plants working for all of us. Join us at NuclearMatters.com. ** 

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