* ICYMI: Federal judge rules Cook County tax sale system unconstitutional. Tribune…

- Judge Matthew F. Kennelly found in a Monday ruling that the system violated both the 5th and 8th amendments of the Constitution related to unfair “takings” and excessive fines.
- Still to be decided is whether Cook County government is on the hook to pay thousands of plaintiffs for the equity they lost.
- “It’s a clear ruling that the current system, insofar as it takes people’s home equity when they lose their house because of not paying taxes, that it violates the Constitution,” said the plaintiffs’ attorney, John Bouman. “The part that’s still a bit fuzzy is whether the county and Treasurer (Maria) Pappas can be held liable for that on the grounds that what they didn’t know what they were doing violates the Constitution.”

* Related stories…

• Sun-Times: Property tax foreclosures illegally stripped Cook County homeowners of their equity, federal judge rules
• Injustice Watch: Illinois is the last state to unlawfully strip wealth from homeowners caught in tax foreclosure
• Crain’s: Judge rules Cook County’s tax sale system unconstitutional: report

*** Isabel’s Top Picks ***

* Tribune | Illinois AFL-CIO withholds primary endorsements for Senate, comptroller and most open-seat races for Congress: Tim Drea, the AFL-CIO president, said candidates were required to achieve two-thirds support of the union’s delegates — a high bar to meet in high-profile contests where labor, a significant part of the Democratic political apparatus, has many allies and doesn’t want to offend friends. “We have a lot of friends with strong labor voting records in many of the districts. Others said they had worked with us in different capacities through the years. It’s kind of hard to choose a favorite when the fields are that strong,” Drea said after the voting of delegates in Countryside. “We will be there for these (nominees) next fall, but for the primary, you know, we just had too many friends.”

* Sun-Times | Former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan asks Trump to pardon him after bribery conviction: A clemency case for Madigan has been opened by the Department of Justice and is pending, meaning the petition is under review. […] Though it’s unclear whether Trump would pardon Madigan, in the first part of his second term, he has issued a flurry of pardons, including for former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich, who was convicted on political corruption charges in 2011 and sentenced to 14 years in prison. Trump commuted Blagojevich’s sentence in 2020 before pardoning him earlier this year.

* Kane County Connects | Bison make a return to Kane County prairie, after 200+ years: The move follows a three-way partnership between the Forest Preserve District of Kane County as land owner, the American Indian Center of Chicago (AIC) as owner of the animals, and Ruhter Bison as the herd manager. It was an agreement the Forest Preserve District had worked to bring to completion for years, and something promised to residents as part of the 2024 Land Acquisition & Preserve Improvement Referendum.

*** Statewide ***

* Sun-Times | Ignored, misdiagnosed, left to die: Illinois’ new prison health care provider has a history of poor care, records show: A Sun-Times review of more than 100 lawsuits against Centurion Health shows a recurring pattern: People in prison repeatedly complain about a health issue, are ignored by correctional and medical staff and their condition worsens to the point of dangerous complications or death.

*** Statehouse News ***

* Block Club | Gov. Pritzker Signs Laws To Better Protect Immigrants, Sue Federal Agents After Midway Blitz: Pritzker signed the bills Tuesday morning in Little Village, a Chicago neighborhood that’s famed for its immigrant community but which has been hit hard under Midway Blitz. During the operation, federal immigration agents have arrested at least 3,000 people, tear-gassed Chicago neighborhoods and suburbs and detained U.S. citizens, among other things. “Over the past few months, the Chicago region has been subjected to a relentless campaign of cruelty and intimidation and abuse at the hands of ICE and Border Patrol agents under the command of President Trump and condoned by the Republican Congress,” Pritzker said. “Our people have been forced to live in fear.”

* Rockford Register Star | Rockford area legislator suggests deportation to solve housing crisis: State Sen. Andrew Chesney stunned a legislative luncheon audience Dec. 9 when he said that his solution to a housing crisis would be the deportation of all undocumented immigrants. The Freeport Republican said deporting immigrants would leave behind vacant housing that could reduce demand and boost supply, potentially lowering costs and reducing pressure on the housing market. Chesney said there is little firm data available, but bases his idea on there being an estimated 20 million undocumented immigrants living in the United States.

* Sun-Times | As Indiana Republicans move toward redistricting, Pritzker warns Illinois ‘won’t stand idly by’: Indiana’s House of Representatives approved a bill last week to draw a map expanding the GOP edge in the Hoosier congressional delegation from 7-2 to 9-0. Indiana Senate Republicans have expressed skepticism over the mid-decade redistricting measure, but it passed a committee vote Monday, teeing it up for potential passage this week.

*** Chicago ***

* ABC Chicago | Mayor makes major change to head tax proposal as alderpersons prepare to present alternative budget: The mayor’s new proposal would tax Chicago companies with more than 500 employees at $33 per employee per month. The original plan impacted companies with more than 100 employees, charging $21 per employee per month.

* WBEZ | A museum, a mayor and a road: How Lake Shore Drive became a runway: On July 14, 1983, four vintage airplanes landed on Lake Shore Drive on a (slightly curvy) straightaway near Jackson Park between 59th and 63rd streets. The pilots received a police escort as they taxied to their destination. And that wasn’t even the only time this happened. For a professional pilot, landing on a strip of concrete is no big deal. But for a city to turn a popular thoroughfare into a runway? That would require a big ask from a local institution and an assist from the mayor, making this story about as Chicago as they come.

* Tribune | Couple donates $11 million to Lurie Children’s Hospital to support work in genetics, rare diseases: A couple with deep ties to the Chicago area is donating $11 million to Lurie Children’s Hospital in hopes of speeding research, treatment and diagnosis for children with rare and genetic disorders Don and Anne Edwards’ gift will support the Edwards Family Division of Genetics and Rare Diseases. Don Edwards is the founder and executive chairman of Flexpoint Ford, a private equity investment firm focused on financial services.

* WGN | White Sox win MLB Draft Lottery, will pick No. 1 in 2026: The South Siders will select first overall in the 2026 MLB Draft scheduled for July 11-12 in Philadelphia as part of MLB All-Star Week festivities. The White Sox entered the day with the best odds of receiving the first overall selection with 27.73%. “Without question, this is an exciting time for the White Sox organization,” White Sox Executive Vice President and General Manager Chris Getz said. “We’ve created momentum and excitement over the past year, and this certainly is another positive development as we continue toward our ultimate goal.”

* Tribune | President Barack Obama visits Chicago to check on progress of center, greets students: On Tuesday, a group of 24 students from Washington Park’s Burke Elementary School on a field trip to the Bessie Coleman branch of the Chicago Public Library in the Woodlawn neighborhood were welcomed by the former president, who entered a community room wearing a red Santa hat and a smile, according to a pool report of the visit. “Everybody seems to be working hard,” Obama greeted the students, who were participating in a story time and coloring activity as he walked in. “I thought we were gonna have a little Christmas party, and everybody’s doing their homework. What’s happening?”

*** Cook County and Suburbs ***

* Daily Herald | Lawsuit claims Arlington Heights altered police promotion rules to block unionization: The complaint, filed Tuesday morning in Cook County circuit court, seeks a judgment declaring an ordinance approved on the village board’s Nov. 17 consent agenda as invalid and unconstitutional. Effective Jan. 1, the measure transfers the authority of police department promotions — for patrol officers to become sergeants — from the Arlington Heights Board of Fire and Police Commissioners to Village Manager Randy Recklaus. That ensures sergeants are “per se” supervisors and unable to organize, according to the suit.

* Daily Southtown | Calumet City aldermen continue to question Mayor Thaddeus Jones’ expenses, call for change: Second Ward Ald. Monet Wilson pointed out a pattern of payments via Jones’ credit card to Cafe Borgia over the past year for which she said the mayor should reimburse the city. She said the $545 payment to Bill’s Grill was made the same day as the breast cancer awareness event as well as the restaurant’s grand opening, which were both offered as explanations for spending there. Wilson has announced plans to run as an independent candidate for state representative against Jones in his other capacity as state representative in the 29th District.

* Daily Herald | Not everybody on board as Buffalo Grove moves toward closing on new village hall, police station: But two trustees came out strongly against the purchase, which would be funded through existing reserves. The village is still months away from closing on the property. The agreement calls for a 90-day due diligence period to evaluate the site’s physical, structural, environmental, and operational suitability, after which the village board will decide on whether to close. In addition, the village board voted to spend more than $140,000 on consultants during the due diligence period.

* Naperville Sun | After feds pull plug on approved grant, Naperville left to cover full cost of $2.25M electric project: Even with the loss of funding, the city still “has the financial means to complete this project without the grant,” Naperville Finance Director Ray Munch said. “Grants typically serve as a supplemental funding source and are not the sole determining factor in whether a project is financially feasible,” Munch said, noting that the city assesses those risks “at the outset of any grant funding project to determine if it is financially feasible with or without supplemental funding.”

*** Downstate ***

* Bolts | A Police Killing Drew National Protests. At Home, a Commission Struggles with How to Make a Difference. : Over the 12 months that followed, from September through this fall, a group of volunteers—activists, former law enforcement officials, Massey relatives, clergy, and other interested locals—met regularly as members of the commission. Together, they researched and debated policy changes, working toward a final report with calls to action: a long list of demands they hoped would help transform mental health services and policing in Sangamon County to ensure that no one else would suffer the same fate as Sonya Massey. The county had committed to funding the commission for one year—no longer. Over the course of that year, they passionately argued over what reforms might constitute real change and what were merely tweaks to the flawed systems in place. They saw some of their ideas become reality, even inspiring a statewide law. They encountered resistance and suspicion. At one point, they even feared that the commission might collapse entirely.

* WTTW | Advocates Ask Pritzker, IDOC to Endorse Transfer Plan for Women at Logan Prison: On Tuesday, members of the No New Prisons IL campaign gathered at Daley Plaza to call on Gov. JB Pritzker and the Illinois Department of Corrections to endorse the Logan Transfer Rapid Response Plan, which the campaign hopes will mitigate the harm of prison transfers once Logan closes. The campaign said they shared the plan with the governor’s office and IDOC last month and have received only “general acknowledgements” of the request.

* WGLT | McLean County Board members slam health inspectors over confusion with CBD/THC drinks: Patrick Whitacre, co-owner of the Shake It Up cocktail lounge and restaurant in Downtown Bloomington, said there was never really any discussion there might be a problem before inspectors said the drinks couldn’t be sold any more. And a follow-up message reversing the ban lacked clarity. “In the email we got it was very loose. It was basically, we can have them, we can sell them, but they can be taken out at any point. And those are expensive,” said Whitacre. At Monday’s County Board Executive Committee meeting, Whitacre wondered whether businesses would get adequate notice if the drinks are pulled again.

* News-Gazette | Champaign County associate judge to resign in new year: “I’m grateful for the support I’ve had from my family and from my colleagues here and ultimately from the community, as I’ve been a judge for eight years, and the positive reviews I’ve received and the kind words everyone has expressed,” said Anna Benjamin, associate judge in the Sixth Judicial Circuit. “I’ll miss everyone greatly, my colleagues, but I’ll hopefully be seeing them back in court as well.” Benjamin told The News-Gazette that she plans to resign on Jan. 30 because she is looking to take “the next step” in her professional career in private practice.

* WGLT | ‘One of the best moments’: ISU football has little time to reflect on upset win: ISU dethroned the top-ranked and defending FCS [Football Championship Subdivision] champion North Dakota State in a come-from-behind 29-28 win to advance to the FCS quarterfinals. “I’m sure they wanted to hear that was the best [win]. I didn’t want to give them that satisfaction,” Spack joked, referring to questions from Fargo-area media immediately after the game.

*** National ***

* Reuters | Tax prosecutions plunge as Trump shifts crime-fighting efforts: Federal tax prosecutions fell to their lowest level in decades this year, declining more than 27% from the year before as the Trump administration cut the ranks of attorneys and agents who pursue those cases, a Reuters examination has found President Donald Trump’s administration has carried out a sweeping overhaul of U.S. law enforcement this year, forcing out scores of attorneys and focusing large sections of the Justice Department on tracking down immigrants. Its retreat from tax enforcement illustrates the toll that shift has taken on other crime-fighting efforts.

* NYT | Same Product, Same Store, but on Instacart, Prices Might Differ: The shoppers were volunteers, participating in a study published on Tuesday and organized by the Groundwork Collaborative, a progressive policy group, and Consumer Reports, a nonprofit consumer publication. In tests in four cities across the country, nearly 200 volunteers checked prices on 20 grocery items on Instacart. On item after item, they found significant differences. In a Target in North Canton, Ohio, some shoppers were charged $3.59 for a jar of Skippy peanut butter that others could get for $2.99. At a Safeway in Seattle, some people paid $3.99 for a box of Wheat Thins while others paid $4.89. And at a Target in St. Paul, Minn., some people were charged $4.59 for a box of Cheerios that others could get for $3.99.