Jim Dey | Illinois policies at least partly responsible for exodus | Columns

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It’s time again to dive into another round of quick shots of the people, places, and events we’ve been talking about over the past week:

Exit Stage Left

Governor JB Pritzker likes to characterize Illinois as a prosperous and prosperous state where its citizens should be proud to live.

But recent demographic data collected by the US Census Bureau shows that not everyone shares his sunny view.

Census Bureau figures for 2022 reveal that Illinois’ population fell by 104,000 between 2021 and 2022. Only New York and California saw worse declines.

At the same time, all states surrounding Illinois, except Michigan, experienced an increase in population.

Florida and Texas, two common destinations for people on the move, saw population increases of more than 400,000 people.

Illinois experienced a natural population increase of nearly 5,000 people and an immigration of another 31,000. But about 140,000 more people left the state than inside.

Previous surveys show that people leave Illinois for a variety of reasons, including a desire for more moderate weather. But the main reasons for leaving, according to surveys, are a desire for better job opportunities and lower taxes.

The population of Illinois is approximately 12.5 million.

It’s not over until…

Although it appears Republican State Rep. Deanna Mazzochi of Elmhurst was ousted from her seat in the Illinois House, she refused to concede defeat.

The DuPage County Clerk’s Office began a partial recount of select precincts in the new House 45 district this week, and it’s unclear when that will be done.

The clerk’s office began the recount on Tuesday but suspended it on Thursday due to weather concerns. The office will be closed until December 28.

Mazzochi said the count is not even close to being completed as she requested election information relevant to the count which was not provided.

Mazzochi has been the subject of several News-Gazette columns about how a Gerrymander target reacts to being cast for political extinction. She lost her re-election bid by 365 out of more than 40,000 votes.

Now Mazzochi is pursuing a partial recount of 29 selected precincts to help him decide whether to pursue a full recount. It would be a convoluted, lengthy and lengthy legal process that would take up much of the two-year term won by certified winner, Democrat Jenn Douglass of Elmhurst.

The cost of a partial recount is nominal $10 per constituency. Initially, county officials said the partial recount would be completed on Wednesday.

Democrats augmented their preexisting supermajority in the Illinois House by carefully redrawing several districts to disadvantage GOP opposition.

Constitutional, constitutional

Rival attorneys battled in a Kankakee County courtroom on Tuesday over the controversial constitutionality of the SAFE-T laws.

Pro-SAFE-T’s lawyers came out blazing. They argued that the prosecutors who filed the lawsuit lack standing to challenge the legal viability of the waiver of obligations that will take effect on Jan. 1.

Assistant Attorney General Darren Kinkead argued that the legal right belongs only to the defendants.

Kinkead called prosecutors’ objections policies, not laws.

Kankakee County States Attorney James Rowe countered that the more than 700-page law passed in January 2021 is rife with fatal flaws. He accused him of infringing on the authority of the judiciary, violating the single subject rule of the Illinois Constitution, and opening the door to freedom for violent criminals.

The arguments were nothing followers of this political controversy had ever heard before.

The court can strike down the law or parts of it. Judge Thomas Cunnington has promised a decision by Dec. 28, and an appeal to the Illinois Supreme Court looks certain to follow.

Prior to the closing arguments, the attorneys submitted lengthy written arguments for the court to consider.

Under the law, the bail system in Illinois is abolished, meaning defendants will either be released upon arrest or held until trial.

Critics have accused the law of opening the door to rampant lawlessness as too many people charged with serious crimes will be set free. Governor Pritzker recently signed an amendment to the law expanding the category of crimes for which a defendant can be detained. But prosecutors remain unhappy with the law and fear its impact if they are allowed to run.

Misery loves company

Recently released data from the Illinois State Board of Education revealed dire attendance issues in Champaign-Urbana schools.

But there is good news. Illinois schools also have terrible attendance issues.

Statistics show that chronic absenteeism statewide rose to nearly 30% last year, from 21.1% in 2021.

Chronic absenteeism, not to be confused with school absenteeism, is defined as the absence of more than 10% of the school year, with or without a valid excuse. The school year lasts a minimum of 185 days.

Online publication Chalkbeat said state data shows that 228 of the state’s 852 schools have chronic absenteeism rates higher than the state average. Some schools have rates as high as 80 percent.

Schools with the highest absenteeism rates primarily have low-income and/or minority student populations.

In a blinding snapshot of the evidence, one educator noted that attendance is the number one predictor linked to a student’s academic success. It also exacerbates the often-talked-about student achievement gap.

On your marks, get set, go hiking

It’s the season of football recruiting, bowling games and the massive movement of assistant coaches.

Former University of Illinois quarterback Nathan Scheelhaase just hit a milestone. He’s the new offensive coordinator for Iowa State.

Head Coach Matt Campbell called Scheelhaase one of the rising stars in college football coaching circles and an exceptional recruiter who makes a difference in the lives of our student-athletes every day.

A 2012 UI graduate and four-year starter, Scheelhaase ended his career here as Fighting Illinis’ all-time leader in total offense (10,634 yards). That number ranks seventh in Big Ten history, Iowa state officials said.

Scheelhaase was a member of the UI football team from 2015 to 2017 before joining Campbell at Ames as an attacking assistant.

Alex Golesh is another former Illini assistant coach who moved to Ames with Scheelhaase.

Offensive coordinator at the University of Tennessee last season, Golesh was recently named head coach at the University of South Florida.

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