Capitol Fax.com - Your Illinois News Radar

Tuesday, Oct 13, 2026 - Posted by Isabel Miller

Evanston officials have improperly distributed millions of dollars in road contracts for more than a decade, skirting an Illinois law that requires municipalities to seek authorization from the state and advertise in a weekly bulletin, records show. Now the city could be on the hook to pay back that money to its motor fuel tax fund.

Emails, memos and other internal documents show the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) has repeatedly identified deficiencies and recommended Evanston take corrective actions to resolve “noncompliant activity” and “unauthorized” expenditures, according to public records reviewed by the Illinois Answers Project.

And, while the city has approved use of motor fuel tax funds for dozens of projects since mid-2020, only a handful have been advertised in IDOT’s weekly bulletin, according to documents reviewed by Illinois Answers. A street resurfacing project approved earlier this year draws on over $1.4 million of the city’s motor fuel tax funds, but wasn’t advertised in the bulletin. […]

[Ald. Clare Kelly] began drawing attention to the issue earlier this year, when she identified a $20-million discrepancy between the balances IDOT and Evanston reported for the city’s motor fuel tax fund. She started asking the city and IDOT about the discrepancy, and IDOT initiated another review. The city is now scrambling to reimburse the money, and has reclassified older expenditures to cover the gap, emails reveal.

*** Statehouse News ***

* Center Square | Acting legislative watchdog calls for more staff, changes; some not convinced: Michael Martin, a former Speaker’s office staffer and was a Legislative Coordinator for multiple lawmakers, filed a complaint listing multiple lawmakers for varying degrees of mistreatment and over the termination of his employment in 2025. Martin, who subsequently met with Risley and an investigator from the LIG’s office after meeting with McCuskey to review his complaint – which he characterized as unprofessional – said he plans to re-file his complaint now that McCuskey is gone.

*** Chicago ***

* Crain’s | Vote on Johnson’s pick for top attorney stalled: The City Council’s Budget and Government Operations Committee was originally scheduled to vote today on the nomination of law professor Renee Hatcher to replace the retired Mary Richardson-Lowry as the city’s corporation counsel, but the action item was pulled from the agenda.

* Fox Chicago | Feds reject parts of plan aimed at protecting Chicago electricity customers: Starting Monday, Oct. 12, PJM Interconnection — the regional grid operator serving Chicago and much of the Midwest and East Coast — will launch a new “Large Load Registry”, according to Utility Dive. The registry is a database where utilities must report customers using large amounts of electricity at a single site, such as a data center or factory. The idea is to help PJM keep tabs on where these big power users are popping up so it can plan ahead and avoid surprises that could strain the grid.

* Daily Herald | Share opinions, offer ideas on transit at first NITA open house at Union Station: You can wonk out or get answers to basic questions at the Northern Illinois Transportation Authority’s first open house from 3 to 6 p.m. Wednesday at Union Station. “The event is designed for you to explore at your own pace, walk through the rider journey on the regional transit system, discuss pain points and future improvements, and learn more about what the NITA, CTA, Metra, and Pace have planned for regional transit in 2027 and beyond,” officials said in a statement.

* Sun-Times | We asked for your dream transit project. Here’s what you told us: The Northern Illinois Transit Authority is planning next year’s budget for CTA, Metra and Pace. Many of you asked for a dedicated north-south corridor, outside Downtown, to connect L lines. Other ideas were more creative.

* WBEZ | Long a foregone conclusion, property tax hikes will no longer be a given under elected CPS board: Chicago’s school board has long relied on increasing property taxes annually — the only avenue the school district has available to raise revenue on its own. Those increases have generated more than $100 million every year and helped balance the underfunded school district’s budget. But with the Chicago Public Schools board moving from mayoral control to the entire school board being elected for the first time on Nov. 3, new political considerations mean tax hikes might no longer be a foregone conclusion.

* Sun-Times | Group cheered as woman was sexually assaulted at University of Chicago frat house: police report: On Tuesday afternoon, University of Chicago issued an alert saying that “a person of interest has been identified.” No arrests have been reported. The woman’s friends said that a group of men had tried to block them from entering the bathroom after the men were seen “cheering and appearing to encourage the activity inside,” according to the report.

* Crain’s | Loretto fraud defendants partied in Dubai with Texas AG Ken Paxton: report: Ahmed gave $190,000 to Paxton’s campaign, including $25,000 days after he was indicted, according to campaign-finance records cited by the Journal. Paxton is in a hotly contested Senate race against Democratic state Rep. James Talarico. Paxton won the Republican primary with an endorsement from President Donald Trump and is widely viewed as a linchpin for the GOP strategy to keep control of the Senate. “Like President Trump, Ken Paxton has been politically persecuted for years, and every time, voters have seen through it and sent him back to office because they know he has always fought for Texas,” Paxton’s senior adviser, Nick Maddux, said in a statement to the Journal that did not address the Dubai trip.

* Block Club | A Billionaire’s Squirrel-Feeding Operation Is Driving Lincoln Park Neighbors Nuts: Over the past few months, the Seid-family feeding has ramped up, forcing Ald. Knudsen to levy civil fines for causing damage to the park. The problem with ticketing a billionaire tens of thousands of dollars? They can pay it. “I always say ticketing usually leads to better behavior. It’s how we resolve things in our office all the time,” Knudsen told Block Club. “But sometimes you run across somebody who sees a ticket as a cost of continuing their bad behavior. This is a family that didn’t take that cost and really bat an eye.”

*** Cook County and Suburbs ***

* Daily Herald | Why Schaumburg is looking at ending developer impact fees for additional road capacity: Transportation Director Sidney Kenyon recommends the remaining $3.1 million in the fund go toward the planned realignment of Thoreau Drive north of the Renaissance Schaumburg Convention Center Hotel to better accommodate a new entertainment district. During the heyday of the village’s growth, the impact fee was imposed on developers for projects requiring new or wider roads and expanded intersections. But the last comprehensive road improvement plan (CRIP) for which it was eligible was approved in May 2019.

* Tribune | Wilmette aims to modernize fire stations, attract women firefighters: Wilmette does not have any women among the department’s 45 firefighters and the fire station redesign is seen as one way to help change that. “We have long had difficulty attracting women to our fire service and this step is long overdue,” Village President Senta Plunkett said at the Sept. 8 meeting. The meeting was attended by Illinois House Majority Leader Robyn Gabel, who secured a $350,000 Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity grant for the renovations.

* Tribune | Years later, migrants bused into Oak Park area still living in limbo: Brito is a longtime immigrant advocate and activist, and a newly-minted PhD of urban planning, who has been working with Oak Park-based aid groups since 2022. She’s also one of the first people Suarez met when he landed in Chicago. Brito is a friend and advocate to many migrants, and she’s seen the same storyline over and over. “They know (their status) is not guaranteed,” she said. “It’s not something they can depend on. They think, ‘Let me work, work, work and do as much as I can because something might happen to me.”

*** Downstate ***

* WCBU | First phase of jail improvements included in Peoria County’s proposed $183M annual budget: Peoria County’s tentative budget for the 2027 fiscal year maintains the current property tax rate, fully funds pension obligations and covers costs for new laundry and kitchen facilities at the Peoria County jail. County administrator Scott Sorrel said the proposed $183 million spending outline emphasizes service efficiency and maintaining infrastructure. “This year’s recommended budget really reflects the priorities of the county board, and that is continuing to be the best value for Peoria County taxpayers,” said Sorrel.

* Illinois Times | Erin Conley not seeking reelection to city council: Ward 8 Ald. Erin Conley announced Sunday she won’t be seeking a third term on the Springfield City Council, leaving only one declared candidate in the Ward 8 race. Candidates have from Oct. 19-23 to file their petitions for the Consolidated Primary Election, scheduled for Feb. 23. A candidate running for Ward 8 needs a minimum of 265 valid signatures on their nominating petitions, according to the city clerk’s office. Petition requirements are based on 1% of the total votes cast in the last preceding mayoral election.

* WCIA | Paris field fire burns 55 acres of crop stubble, unharvested corn: More than 50 acres of land near Paris were burned on Monday after a combine caught fire and the flames spread to crop stubble. The fire happened northeast of Paris near Edgar County 1900th Street and Clinton Road. Fire Chief Zack Janis said both the Paris Fire Department and Paris Community Fire Protection District were dispatched at 1:33 p.m. for a reported combine fire that was spreading into standing corn that was being harvested.

* WAND | Grant program could bring fresh food options to Downtown Springfield: The grant operates under the Illinois Grocery Initiative through the New Stores in Food Deserts program. It supports new grocery stores in food deserts. Jay Shanle is the executive director of Downtown Springfield Inc. (DSI). When DSI shared information on the grant and pitched the idea to open a grocery store downtown through its Facebook page, more than 250 people liked the post, and dozens commented in support. “A lot of people, when we think of grocery stores, we think about what we typically interact with, which are the big box stores,” Shanle said. “This doesn’t have to be a big box store … it’s okay to start small and scale to the demand of the community and grow later.”

*** National ***

* USA Today | Can you sue over targeted ads? ‘Blockbuster’ Supreme Court case to decide: The law at issue, the Video Privacy Protection Act, was enacted in response to the decision by the Washington City Paper to release a list of 146 movies rented from a local video store by Robert Bork, who had been nominated by President Ronald Reagan to serve on the Supreme Court. The outrage surrounding disclosure prompted Congress to create stiff penalties for any video tape service provider who discloses personally identifying information about a customer.

* Media Matters | What is Joe Rogan saying about elections ahead of the midterms?: Heading into the midterm elections, podcaster Joe Rogan has used his podcast to peddle misinformation, baseless claims, and conspiracy theories about elections, claiming Democrats “want to cheat,” that it is “common” for them to steal elections, and that the reason they are not advocating for voter ID requirements is so that noncitizens can vote. Media Matters reviewed Rogan’s show from July 1, 2026, through September 14, 2026, and found that recent episodes espousing such election misinformation earned over 10.8 million views on YouTube — 41% higher viewership on average than his other episodes.

* AP | Mariano’s owner Kroger to lay off 3,000 corporate employees over 3 years as it leans into AI: Kroger last month outlined its AI strategy, meant “to improve the customer experience, make work easier for associates and produce better business outcomes.” Cincinnati-based Kroger is the largest standalone U.S. supermarket chain with 409,000 employees and more than 2,700 stores operating under various brands, including Ralphs, King Soopers, Smith’s and Fred Meyer.

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MLB playoff open thread

Tuesday, Oct 13, 2026 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Sigh…

People are gonna complain but this has been the most entertaining season since 2005. I will always cherish it

— Capitol Fax (@capitolfax) October 11, 2026

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Confrontation doesn’t always have to be the default response

Tuesday, Oct 13, 2026 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Wait. They all worked together to solve a school district funding problem? Odd…

Last year, Round Lake Area Schools District 116 was one of two districts facing public backlash after discovering multi-million-dollar budget deficits.

Now D116 says it has plugged the $11 million hole and implemented new processes to prevent it from happening again, although questions remain about the district’s former chief financial officer, who was blamed for the budgeting error.

As Superintendent Donn Mendoza explained it last year, the initial error occurred during the previous year’s budgeting process, with two areas — staff salaries and special education costs — being underbudgeted. He had emphasized that “money is not missing; fraud has not occurred,” but rather that the district had been using money from its savings account to operate.

The “ripple effects” of the error on the 2025-26 and 2026-27 fiscal years totaled $10.9 million. Additionally, the district had learned its state funding was slashed in half, the district said at the time.

To help fill the hole, the Education Association of Round Lake, the district’s teachers’ union, overwhelmingly voted to cut salary increases. Salary increases for administrators were also reduced, and the superintendent took a voluntary reduction in his salary for the following school year.

This summer, D116 adopted an amended 2026 budget and approved its 2027 budget. The new school year came with some positive news for teachers who gave up salary increases.

Those included union staff agreeing to stunted salary increases — about 3% lower than the increases originally bargained for two consecutive years. However, since then, as the district’s financial position improved, they’ve been able to provide employees with the additional 3% from the 2026-27 school year, Bennett said.

Imagine that.

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Campaign stuff

Tuesday, Oct 13, 2026 - Posted by Isabel Miller

* JB for Governor…

Ahead of the WTTW gubernatorial debate, JB for Governor launched a new ad today called “Reality Check,” highlighting Donald Trump’s failed policies that continue to hurt Illinois families, and Governor JB Pritzker’s fight to lower costs for Illinoisans.

Trump has stolen $3,325 out of Illinois families’ pockets with his illegal tariffs, and he skyrocketed gas prices with his war in Iran, forcing Illinois residents to pay $2.56 billion more. Meanwhile, Gov. Pritzker has fought to lower costs for Illinoisans by eliminating the state tax on groceries, capping the cost of insulin, and creating and doubling the child tax credit.

As Trump continues to hurt Illinoisans with failed economic policies, Darren Bailey continues to stand proudly behind him. Illinois deserves a governor that has a record of being a fighter, not a Trump lapdog that calls his failed leadership “short-term pain for a long-term gain.”

The ad will air statewide, on broadcast and digital platforms.

* The spot…

* Politico…

“I took him all the way to the Supreme Court, and won,” says Democratic Attorney General Kwame Raoul in an ad that’s coming out today and referencing President Donald Trump. Watch here.

* Democratic US Senate nominee Juliana Stratton is up with her first TV ad of the general election…

* Subscribers know more. The Tribune…

After [Rep. Harry Benton] resigned in July and dropped his reelection bid, Democratic Party officials appointed Jessica Dixon Heitman to finish his term representing the 97th House District, which encompasses a swath of Chicago’s far southwest suburbs, and to take his spot on the ballot.

Heitman now faces Republican Gabby Shanahan, whom Benton defeated in the 2024 election by fewer than 2,400 votes out of more than 52,700 ballots cast. […]

[Heitman] also worked briefly as a contract employee in Benton’s Plainfield office in early 2023, overlapping with the ex-staffer who accused him of sexual harassment. Working in Benton’s office “was not a great fit,” Heitman told the Tribune in a July interview, adding, “It’s a hard thing” to discuss.

Shanahan and other Republicans have criticized Heitman for not coming forward about the former Benton staffer’s allegations. In an interview last month, Shanahan said that when bad things happen to young women in politics and government, “we need good advocates to encourage these people to come forward.” […]

“What happened to her never should have happened,” Heitman told the Tribune last week. “And it’s so disturbingly troubling to me to see her experience being turned into a political weapon because that is exactly what has happened here. … She deserves better than what she went through, being used to score campaign points.”

Discuss.

* More…

ABC Chicago | Illinois Senate candidates outline priorities on affordability, immigration:

* WGN | Race for Governor hits the home stretch: Pearson says he expects Bailey to come out firing when the two meet for a televised forum on Tuesday, ” I would expect that it’s going to be an angry Darren Bailey, and that it’s going to be attack, attack, attack, attack, attack, and basically try to keep Pritzker from answering or saying anything.”

* Sun-Times | Gubernatorial grudge match pits Gov. JB Pritzker against Darren Bailey: The Hyatt hotel heir with an estimated net worth of $4.2 billion dropped $65 million into his gubernatorial campaign this summer, pushing his personal tab over three campaigns past $400 million. That’s not counting millions more that Pritzker has directed to fellow Democrats and left-leaning causes across the nation and at home, including $58 million he pumped into his most notable state-level loss: the failed 2020 effort to amend Illinois’ constitution allowing for a graduated state income tax.

* Press release | Illinois Farm Bureau Names State Rep. Adam Niemerg ‘Friend of Agriculture’: Based on his record of support for Illinois farmers and the agriculture industry in the state, the Illinois Farm Bureau has named State Representative Adam Niemerg (R-Dieterich) a 2026 “Friend of Agriculture.” “Agriculture is the lifeblood of the Illinois economy,” Niemerg said. “Illinois is a leading ag producing state. We feed the nation and the world here in Illinois. I am committed to preserving the rich history of family farming in our great state. It is an honor to receive this award.”

* Tribune | Illinois Senate race: Juliana Stratton, F-bomb ads behind her, leans on primary performance versus Don Tracy: Her Republican opponent, Don Tracy, has used the emergence of progressive candidates like El-Sayed to try to paint Stratton as a supporter of socialism. Stratton, though she backs progressive policies, does not identify as a democratic socialist. “I am not as much into the categorization as I am in — what kind of lives do I want people to live?” Stratton said. “It’s not like having access to healthcare or making a livable wage is a Democrat or Republican issue. It’s not a progressive issue versus a moderate (one).”

* Lake County News-Sun | Political newcomers vying for 51st District state House seat: Both Smith, a Republican, and Democrat Levin have devoted their careers to helping people. When it comes to raising the income limit for child assistance in Illinois, they share a belief that aid should be available to more families. “Parents sit across from me crying because their children need help and (they) can’t afford the cost of daycare,” Smith said. “It’s a huge cost. I would support raising the income limit for childhood support for parents.” Seeing benefits beyond the families themselves, Levin said she would “love to see that money increase.” She also understands the state’s revenue sources are limited by its current tax structure, which also needs changes.

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Welch says he may hold up IDOT, ICC budgets over rail project

Tuesday, Oct 13, 2026 - Posted by Rich Miller

* My weekly syndicated newspaper column…

Illinois House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch raised some eyebrows after he attended a meeting in suburban River Forest to talk about the proposed O’Hare Flyer project, which would run express commuter trains back and forth from Downtown Chicago to O’Hare Airport.

Welch told attendees he could prevent two state agency budgets from moving forward if he didn’t get what he wanted out of the project for towns in and around his district.

Some residents of suburban towns along the route have expressed concern about the project, particularly about noise, and one person asked Welch at the meeting how opponents could stop the project or at least make it more difficult to complete.

“I can make it a little difficult,” Welch replied. According to the Oak Park Wednesday Journal, Welch pointed to the Illinois Department of Transportation and the Illinois Commerce Commission and said he could “let ‘em know that your budgets can be held up at budget time if you do things to negatively impact the communities that I represent.”

It seems kinda doubtful that the other Democratic leaders would agree to hold up IDOT’s huge budget over this, particularly since state money will play almost no role in building the project. The ICC’s main role in this project would be to approve railroad crossings. And railroads have an extraordinary amount of powers under federal law. If they want to build this with federal government help, it’s tough to stop them.

In other words, it was a lot like the playbook Welch used this year when he told the Chicago Teachers Union that he would take the lead on Chicago school funding during the veto session, and then later said he wanted a solution for all schools and then seemed to quietly drop the whole topic.

Welch signaled as much when he said, “I want to hear the good. I want to hear the bad,” according to the Oak Park paper. “I’m hearing from people in other communities that are in opposition. But I’m also hearing from people that are in support of this.”

So perhaps the usual political bluster. But publicly threatening to hold up entire agency budgets over nonbudget disagreements is not a common occurrence for a House speaker. That’s saying the quiet part out loud, and it rarely works well.

Since I mentioned the CTU earlier in this column, let’s get back to them.

As I’ve told you before, the CTU has been claiming that the state has more money for schools than it’s letting on. And as part of that argument, the union is demanding at least a billion dollars from the state during November’s veto session. That’s what Welch was responding to when he agreed to lead the charge for state funding next month.

And the CTU did so again after the release of a quarterly revenue report issued by the Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability.

The commission reported robust quarterly growth in corporate income taxes and some other revenue sources totaling about $1 billion. But the commission’s report also warned: “While the first quarter produced strong revenue gains, several factors are expected to place downward pressure on revenues during the remainder of FY 2027 and could offset a significant portion of the gains realized thus far.”

For example, the Income Tax Refund Fund will be “$649 million lower” than last fiscal year, with the largest reductions coming in October and November. And another $349 million will be lost to the “annual reconciliation of business-related income tax receipt” which are known as “true-ups.” Another $265 million could be at least temporarily lost because of lawsuits filed against several new online-related taxes that were put into the budget.

The commission is also not convinced that the unexpected growth in corporate income taxes and sales taxes will continue, so “additional time and data are needed before the Commission updates its FY 2027 revenue outlook.”

The bottom line is that it could be quite dangerous to the budget to add a billion dollars in new spending before legislators even know how much money will actually flow into state coffers by late spring.

Welch’s upcoming reelection as House speaker is still in doubt, so numerous media outlets have claimed his nod to the CTU was an effort to bolster his position. But the O’Hare express train has support from several powerful statehouse groups, especially trade unions, which is a big reason it’s doubtful that those agency budgets will be stalled next spring.

So Welch’s bluster might help him a bit back in his district, but likely not under the dome when he fights to retain the speaker’s gavel in January.

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Showcasing The Retailers Who Make Illinois Work

Tuesday, Oct 13, 2026 - Posted by Advertising Department

[The following is a paid advertisement.]

For more than 14 years, Vanessa Rodriguez, owner of BabyDolls Boutique in Chicago, has built her business around making customers feel celebrated. From handmade, one-of-a-kind baby and mommy pieces to Vanessa’s own exclusive designs, BabyDolls Boutique is the place to buy a gift or treat yourself in Lakeview.

Retail provides one out of every five Illinois jobs, generates the second largest amount of tax revenue for the state, and is the largest source of revenue for local governments. But retail is also so much more, with retailers serving as the trusted contributors to life’s moments, big and small.

We Are Retail and IRMA are dedicated to sharing the stories of retailers like Vanessa in Lakeview who serve their communities with dedication and pride. Please visit https://WeAreRetail.IRMA.org/.

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Isabel’s morning briefing

Tuesday, Oct 13, 2026 - Posted by Isabel Miller

* ICYMI: Who knew about Amtrak’s Bridgeport plans, and when did they know? Tribune…

* Gov. JB Pritzker and GOP nominee Darren Bailey will take questions tonight during WTTW News’ live gubernatorial forum from 8-9 pm. Click here for more information.

*** Isabel’s Top Picks ***

* Tribune | Illinois Democrats on defense over scandals in races for state legislature: Republicans have seized on House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch’s handling of sexual harassment allegations against former Democratic state Rep. Harry Benton of Plainfield, who resigned this summer. A Tribune investigation in July revealed Welch, a Hillside Democrat, knew of Benton’s reported misbehavior toward a former staffer three years ago but did not discipline him at the time. Also in July, another House Democrat, six-term Rep. Carol Ammons of Urbana, was indicted on federal charges alleging she orchestrated a scheme to enrich herself using taxpayer and campaign funds. Ammons has pleaded not guilty and is running unopposed for a seventh term.

* Sun-Times | Gubernatorial grudge match pits Gov. JB Pritzker against Darren Bailey: This time around, Pritzker’s team is blanketing airwaves and the internet with ads reminding voters of Bailey’s strong support for Trump, his staunch opposition to abortion rights and his rejection of science that shows dinosaurs never coexisted with humans, as taught in curriculum at a Bailey-founded school.

*** Statehouse News ***

* Click here to watch the committee hearing at 10 am…

* Center Square | Pritzker backs candidates in predominantly red state congressional races: Pritzker’s political action committee, the Ready for the Fight PAC, is targeting districts that either lean Republican or are competitive to expand the Democratic Party’s map – especially in the House of Representatives. Pritzker, who also serves as chair of the PAC, seeded the committee with at least $20 million for the 2026 midterm election. The billionaire governor, who is running for a third term, denied questions of him launching the PAC to raise his national profile ahead of a long-rumored 2028 presidential run.

* Daily Southtown | Republican Adam Beaty challenges Rep. Anthony DeLuca for 80th state House: DeLuca was appointed to represent District 80 in 2009, after six years as mayor of Chicago Heights. Beaty ran against DeLuca in 2024, garnering just 40.8% of the vote. He said he wanted to run in part because the seat has sometimes been unopposed. “I thought it was very important for people to have a choice in a race,” Beaty said. “If not me, then who else?”

* Daily Southtown | Attorney and former Robbins police chief compete to represent 36th District in Illinois House: Ryan, of Evergreen Park, was elected two years ago, after gaining the endorsement of longtime Rep. Kelly Burke, who is also mayor of Evergreen Park. Ryan says he’s worked with other moderate Democrats to block tax hikes. “There’s about four or five tax proposals that looked like they were going to go through,” Ryan said about the most recent budget. “We banded together to say that we’re just not going to vote for it, and they then reshaped the budget to (prevent) those from coming down to the consumers.”

* Sun-Times | Barack Obama endorses Juliana Stratton for Senate in slew of midterm picks: Obama has taped at least two dozen ads for Democratic candidates for governor and Senate; those ads are expected to be released in the coming days and weeks. Obama also plans to make campaign stops in battleground states.

* WAND | Indigenous Peoples’ Day: Illinois laws lifting up Native Americans: Thousands of Native American remains and artifacts sit in museums across the country after the Department of Transportation dug them up to build highways years ago. However, a 2023 law called on the Illinois State Museum and federally recognized tribes to return the Native remains and artifacts for proper burial. The law also created a cemetery for unidentifiable remains. […] Illinois public schools have also been required to allow students to celebrate their cultural, ethnic, or religious identity during graduation ceremonies. Sponsors and advocates said Native American students are often given eagle feathers and other tribal regalia to show pride and gratitude for their academic achievement.

*** Chicago ***

* Sun-Times | Mayor Johnson uses 4th veto to kill debt threshold measure, setting stage for override vote [this] week: The veto has been expected ever since the 32 to 15 vote on Sept. 29 that Johnson has insinuated had racial motives — by branding the reform championed by retiring Ald. Marty Quinn (13th) a “three-fifths compromise.” The same term is used to describe language in the Constitution that originally counted Black slaves as three-fifths of a person. Several Black Council members, including Finance Committee Chair Pat Dowell, voted for Quinn’s measure.

* Sun-Times | Reopened probe into CPS Board president candidate’s alleged inappropriate contact with teen could end soon: The Chicago Public Schools’ inspector general could soon issue findings in its recently reopened investigation into whether Hilario Dominguez, a candidate for Chicago School Board president, acted inappropriately with a 17-year-old in 2017. Investigators interviewed the woman, who is now 26, in late September and reinterviewed Dominguez on Tuesday.

* Bloomberg | Old Downtown Chicago Trading Hub Is Reborn as an AI Data Center: Real estate developer Legacy Investing and GI Partners is turning the former trading complex at 400 S. LaSalle St. into a data center with 33 megawatts of capacity, roughly equivalent to the average electricity needs of 28,000 homes in the US. The retrofit is expected to cost $300 million to $400 million, and Legacy anticipates it will command rents as much as four times higher than the average downtown Chicago office. While projects like the Cboe building can’t rival the gigawatt megaplexes popping up in the suburbs and beyond, the artificial intelligence boom has tech firms looking for computing power and space wherever it’s available. Smaller data centers may turn out to be more expedient — and politically palatable — than big rural developments.

* Bloomberg | Jewel-Osco parent seeks more than $9 billion over busted Kroger deal: Albertsons Cos. is demanding that Kroger Co. pay more than $9 billion for the collapse of what would have been the largest US grocery chain merger in history that would have joined the parent companies of Chicago’s Jewel-Osco and Mariano’s. Lawyers for Albertsons made the demand Monday in Delaware Chancery Court, where a two-week trial is slated later this month in a legal fight over who is to blame for the failure of the $24.6 billion deal. The plan to combine the two largest US grocery chains was blocked by a federal court in December 2024.

* Sun-Times | Block 37 owner is new, but is the curse still the same?: In the long history of urban development failure, there is really only one city block in the country that can be described as truly infamous: the block immediately east of Daley Plaza. Otherwise prime downtown property that has been known since before the city’s founding as Block 37, it has also been called not only “cursed” but a “fiasco” and “a boondoggle.” In 1996, a book was published chronicling earlier doomed efforts to make something take hold there. Ross Miller’s “Here’s the Deal,” cataloging years of lawsuits and protests over what he called a “gold-plated hole in the ground.” Since then, a chain of false starts, bankruptcies, failures and foreclosures. Along with, to be fair, several modest successes: the studios of a once-respected television network, CBS on the southern half of the block. A popular restaurant, The Dearborn, on its northwest corner. Some offices and apartments.

*** Cook County and Suburbs ***

* Daily Herald | Kane County company plans to build largest battery energy storage system on ComEd’s grid: The facility, which will have containers with battery energy storage systems, or BESSes, will be built at the rear of Richardson’s headquarters in La Fox. It is intended to serve as a model for potential customers. The facility would be capable of storing up to 5 megawatt-hours of power. “We have learned that standing still is not an option,” said Edward Richardson, chief executive officer and president of Richardson Electronics. His father founded the company in 1947, selling military-surplus electronic supplies such as walkie-talkie batteries.

* Daily Herald | ‘We have to move forward’: Krishnamoorthi on Senate loss, Beltway drama, insurrection and next steps: “I’m not sure yet what I’m going to do,” Krishnamoorthi said of leaving The Beltway. “The prospect of winding up my time here is really consuming the majority of my brain share.” There’s no shortage of advice from extended family and friends with suggestions like “’you should really look into video gaming,’” and from others such as an Uber driver who encouraged him to consider a rideshare career. As for running for public office again, “I don’t know. I’m not making any announcements right now,” said Krishnamoorthi, laughing.

* Daily Southtown | Will County sheriff candidates discuss Flock cameras, SAFE-T Act: Jones said he wants to expand mental health resources for police officers and training for officers to help people who are going through mental health issues. One of his priorities includes reducing recidivism by increasing training programs in the jail where inmates could learn a trade such as welding or small engine repair, Jones said. DuPage and Cook counties have similar programs, he said. […] Reilly said he wants to improve relationships between the sheriff’s and state’s attorney’s offices so they get the information they need to charge and prosecute offenders. Reilly agreed offering mental health programs to its officers as well as training officers to deal with individuals experiencing a mental health emergency is important.

* Daily Southtown | Will County District 5 candidates talk solar farms, Des Plaines River bridge: Williams, 69, a County Board member since 2022, has been the Democratic leader for the last two years. She is retired from the Will County sheriff’s office where she was a dispatcher and a classification specialist at the Will County Jail. With a background in psychology and a former union president, Williams said she understands how to communicate with her fellow board members and was instrumental in getting the board to pass a strategic plan to outline ways it can function with more purpose and direction. “I’m not afraid to reach across the aisle,” Williams said. “I’m not afraid to do things differently than my caucus. I have to support my constituents.”

*** Downstate ***

* Illinois Times | Former Norb Andy’s under contract: The mansion built by Virgil Hickox in 1839 at 518 E. Capitol Ave. has been vacant since Anchors Away, the most recent restaurant to occupy the space, closed in 2023, but it is now under contract to a buyer who wants to renovate the historic building. It once housed the Sangamo Club, as well as the famous legislators’ hangout, Norb Andy’s Tabarin, known for its horseshoes, and later Anchors Away restaurant.

* WCBU | Tazewell County data center moratorium approval nears the finish line: The county’s Zoning Board of Appeals [ZBA], with no discussion, voted last week to approve the moratorium and return it to the committee. While the moratorium is in place, county officials plan to continue their work on a data center ordinance. So far, the only regulation in a draft of the ordinance is a requirement for a data center to be built only in an area zoned industrial.

* BND | Belleville developers unveil plans for second half of sports, business complex: Developers have unveiled plans for the second half of a 62-acre sports and business complex along Frank Scott Parkway West, across from Belleville West High School. Last spring, they announced they had bought about 30 acres of farmland to build an indoor sports facility and “flex buildings” with flexible tenant space for office, retail, warehouse or light industry. Now they’re buying about 32 more acres to the north for outdoor soccer and baseball and softball fields, more flex buildings and other businesses, developer Matt Froese said.

*** National ***

* AP | AI data centers are coming for federal land. They’re roiling the Nevada governor’s race: Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo, one of his party’s most vulnerable incumbents, doesn’t outright oppose building data centers on public lands, as long as they have community support. He recently signed an agreement with Trump’s Republican administration to streamline infrastructure projects, which could include data centers on federal lands.

* Reuters | Musk has spent $276 million on midterms to help Republicans retain control of Congress: Elon Musk has spent roughly $366 million in the 2026 US midterm election cycle so far, $276 million of it since July to help Republicans retain control ‌of Congress, even as Democrats’ chances of retaking the US House and Senate have improved. Musk’s largess, ‌which was reported earlier by the New York Times, makes the world’s richest person likely the single-biggest political donor in this year’s races, according to campaign finance records.

* Economist Jay Parsons…

Isn’t it frustrating when the data gets in the way of a good narrative?

— Jay Parsons (@jayparsons) October 9, 2026

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Good morning!

Tuesday, Oct 13, 2026 - Posted by Isabel Miller

* Billy Preston…

* What’s going on?

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Tuesday, Oct 13, 2026 - Posted by Isabel Miller

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