Chicago’s immigration court has lost nearly half the judges who worked there roughly a year ago. Of the 21 judges who worked at the city’s immigration court in January 2025, nine judges have resigned, taken buyouts or been terminated, a Tribune review found. Currently, the court has 14 permanent and two temporary judges to handle more backlogged cases than the court has seen at nearly any time in its history. […]
Some who left of their own accord said they wanted to depart on their own terms after watching their national supervisor be fired only hours into the new administration and receiving a series of ominous, “belittling” messages about their work as federal employees. Others said they wanted to avoid participating in a remake of the system that they saw being reshaped in line with Trump’s hardline immigration priorities. The Executive Office for Immigration Review, which supervises the court, didn’t return a request for comment by press time.
Besides the logistical and workload issues that result from so many departures, the former judges say they are concerned about what the administration’s new policies mean for their remaining colleagues’ ability to ensure that immigration laws are administered fairly. […]
The judges and everyone else who works at the court have their jobs cut out for them. According to the immigration data clearinghouse TRAC, Chicago’s immigration court has a backlog of roughly 220,000 cases. That’s down from a peak of more than 260,000 in 2024, but still 10 times higher than it was a decade before. As judges leave the court, their dockets get distributed among their remaining colleagues.
*** Statehouse News ***
* Press release | Gov. Pritzker Announces Illinois Ranked #2 for Corporate Expansion for Fourth Consecutive Year, Chicago Named #1 Metro for 13th Straight Year: Today, Governor JB Pritzker, the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO), and the Illinois Economic Development Corporation (Illinois EDC) announced that Site Selection Magazine has named Illinois #2 for corporate expansion and relocations for the fourth year in a row, and Chicago was named the #1 metro for the 13th consecutive year. Additionally, the state maintained its #2 placement for projects per capita for the third straight year. Corporate real estate analysts regard Site Selection’s yearly analyses as “the industry scoreboard.” Qualifying projects must meet one or more of the following criteria: investment of $1 million or more, creation of 20 or more new jobs, or 20,000 square feet or more of new space.
* Press release | State Rep. Margaret Croke Earns Endorsement of the UFCW Local 881 in Campaign for Comptroller: Today, State Representative Margaret Croke announced the endorsement of United Food and Commercial Workers Local 881 (UFCW Local 881) in her campaign for Illinois State Comptroller. The endorsement reflects Croke’s strong record of supporting working families, protecting collective bargaining rights and advocating for policies that ensure economic stability for essential workers across Illinois. “Margaret Croke understands the challenges facing working families and the importance of protecting good union jobs,” said Steve Powell, UFCW Local 881 President. “Margaret has consistently stood with workers in the General Assembly and supports policies that strengthen labor protections, ensure fair wages and promote financial accountability. We are proud to endorse her for Comptroller.”
* Crain’s | Illinois cannabis shops warn of existential threat from vague rule change: A small but growing number of licensed marijuana shop owners in Illinois are calling on the state to change course on an unclear rule change published in December, warning that allowing more dispensaries to open shop closer together could be their death knell. At issue is an anti-saturation clause in the 2019 state law that legalized adult-use marijuana in Illinois, which established a mandatory 1,500-foot distance between all legal cannabis stores, in part to prevent market saturation and give small business owners a chance to establish themselves. In December, the state Department of Financial & Professional Regulation published an update in the state register, and stated it was “engaging in interpretive rulemaking” regarding the 1,500-foot provision.
*** Chicago ***
* Sun-Times | Pritzker Traubert Foundation awards $5 million for City Colleges of Chicago, Cook County Health partnership: The Pritzker Traubert Foundation is awarding $5 million to City Colleges of Chicago and Cook County Health to form a partnership aimed at accelerating job placement to meet a high demand of health care jobs. The investment is a result of the Pritzker Traubert Foundation’s inaugural Chicago Talent Challenge, which launched last year as an open call to organizations across Chicago for ideas to advance economic opportunities through workforce development. More than 50 applicant teams from more than 200 organizations submitted proposals for the challenge.
* Sun-Times | DePaul faculty, students call on university to reverse decision to close campus art museum: Six faculty members organized the letter published online on Saturday. As of press time, more than 1,500 students, faculty, staff and alumni have added their names to the letter. The museum is considered an important local venue for underrepresented artists. Its collection of more than 4,000 objects includes photography by artists including Andy Warhol and Chicagoans Dawoud Bey and Paul D’Amato. The museum also has a considerable holding of West African objects and Latino art.
* Tribune | ‘Anne Frank The Exhibition’ at the MSI will let visitors step inside the space she hid: The Griffin Museum of Science and Industry is hosting “Anne Frank The Exhibition,” opening May 1, giving visitors the chance to step into a full-scale, fully furnished recreation of the Secret Annex in Amsterdam, where Frank, her family, and four other Jewish refugees hid from the Nazis during World War II. “We’re very excited about bringing the Anne Frank exhibition to Chicago,” said Chevy Humphrey, president and CEO of the Griffin MSI. “When we look for traveling exhibits, we look for things that can inspire our community but can also connect us.”
* Tribune | North Side synagogue asks Edgewater neighbors to support new Sheridan Road apartment complex: A North Side synagogue is asking Edgewater residents to support a plan that would transform its lakefront site into a 12-story apartment complex with hundreds of units and a new, smaller synagogue. Emanuel Congregation co-President Andrew Degenholtz told several hundred neighborhood residents Thursday night that the synagogue has about 250 member families, not enough to afford its 34,000 square-foot structure at 5959 N. Sheridan Road, completed in 1955 when Emanuel had 1,000 families. “The challenge that we have is our building is too expensive to maintain and operate,” he said. “We’ve turned over every stone that we could, but the opportunity we have here is the one we can use to protect our future for the next 75 years.”
* Sun-Times | A network is racing to save the Midwest’s native seeds: In 2024, the Chicago Botanic Garden, a 385-acre public garden and home to one of the nation’s leading plant conservation programs, launched the Midwest Native Seed Network, a first step in improving the region’s fragile seed supply. The coalition now includes roughly 300 restoration ecologists, land managers, and seed growers across 150 institutions in 11 states. Together, they are researching which species are most in demand, where they are likely to thrive, and what it will take to produce them at scale and get them in the ground. The collaborative is compiling information on seed collection, processing, germination, and propagation while identifying regional research gaps and planning collaborative projects to close them. For example, the network is currently collecting research on submerged aquatic plants such as pondweeds, and other species that are challenging to germinate, like the bastard toadflax, a partially parasitic perennial herb.
*** Cook County and Suburbs ***
* Crain’s | Troubled Harvey makes way for most new houses in decades: In financially troubled Harvey, officials say a plan to develop 16 new homes on city-owned lots is a step toward rejuvenation not only of the housing stock but of the city’s money woes. “We’re excited to get some nice homes built on that block” of at 151st and Turlington Avenue, about 23 miles south of the Loop, said Corean Davis, Harvey’s city administrator, “and get neighbors back on that block.” Global Real Estate Development’s plan to build 16 new houses on Turlington Avenue would deliver the most new for-sale housing “in decades,” Davis said, though she was not able to provide figures indicating precisely how long it’s been. Rental housing that has been built includes the 51-unit Harvey Lofts development of affordable housing that opened in early 2025.
* Pat Hynes| As Property Tax Bills Hit Mailboxes, Taxpayers and Small Business Owners Speak Out on Tens of Thousands of Dollars They’re Owed by Fritz Kaegi’s Broken Assessor’s Office : One tool used by the Cook County Assessor’s office to correct mistakes in a property’s assessed value or missing exemptions is called a Certificate of Error (COE). COEs can be applied up to three years after a tax bill has been finalized allowing homeowners to receive refunds for overpaid taxes caused by errors like incorrect square footage, improper classification, or missed exemptions. Every individual standing up today has applied for this, but either has yet to receive it or it was lost altogether by Kaegi’s office. “Mistakes made by Fritz Kaegi and his office have taken nearly $5,000 out of my family’s savings after falsely taxing my home for being twice the size than it actually is,” said Omero Morales, a homeowner in Bridgeview whose home was assessed at 2,141 SF when it’s actually 1,273 SF. “I followed the rules. Fritz Kaegi didn’t. I’m standing here today not only because I want the money that’s owed to me and my family, but because I’m ready for change. I trust Pat Hynes to make sure that no one else goes through what I did and continue to experience today.”
* Daily Herald | Feud with county board a key issue in DuPage County clerk primary race: Incumbent Jean Kaczmarek is seeking her third term and is being challenged by Paula Deacon Garcia, a DuPage County Board member. Deacon Garcia, who also heads the county board’s finance committee, says her front row seat to the ongoing legal battle between Kaczmarek and the county board prompted her to enter the race for county clerk. “The stakes in the county clerk election are too high to sit back,” the 65-year-old Lisle Democrat said. “She (Kaczmarek) lost a lawsuit against the county and rather than move her office into compliance with the judge’s ruling, she doubled down.”
* Elgin Courier-News | Elgin council considering city ID, defense fund to help immigrant residents: One goal behind the ordinance is “to clarify what specific conduct by city employees is prohibited because such conduct significantly harms the city’s relationship with immigration communities,” according to city documents. “There is nothing in this ordinance that’s going to stop ICE. Nothing,” Dixon said. But the idea is not “about stopping ICE,” he said. “It’s about supporting our community members, our neighbors, and doing everything we can in our power to give that support to let the community know we hear you, we don’t like what’s happening.”
* Crain’s | Logistics firm RJW adds to spree of suburban warehouse leasing deals: The deal shows companies still have a strong appetite for new industrial space to store and distribute goods bought online, a trend that has kept the local warehouse vacancy rate hovering near an all-time low. After tariff and economic concerns last year caused a big pullback in demand, RJW is leading a recent uptick in local industrial property leasing. The fourth quarter was the busiest for new deals since the first quarter of 2023, according to data from real estate brokerage Colliers.
*** Downstate ***
* WGLT | Couple acquitted of theft charges sues the City of Bloomington: The federal lawsuit, filed Feb. 25 in Peoria, alleges a Bloomington Police sergeant, Timmothy “Ty” Carlton, initiated the investigation while in a romantic relationship with Blueze’s CEO. According to legal filings, Blueze’s leadership team “contacted Carlton directly on his personal cell phone in an effort to convince him to initiate criminal proceedings against [the Laceys] over the parties’ business dispute.”
* WTVO | Monarch Energy finalizing $12 billion investment into Rockford data center: Monarch Energy is finalizing a deal to invest $12 billion in a new data center across 1,100 acres of land in Rockford near Chicago-Rockford International Airport. The project, which has been in development for several years, is expected to create 200 high-tech jobs and generate record-level tax revenue for Winnebago County. The San Diego-based energy company is closing in on the agreement following collaboration between local, state and federal officials. Supporters of the plan believe the multi-billion dollar investment will provide long-term benefits for schools, public safety and infrastructure throughout the region.
* Tribune | Volunteer firefighter accused of arson in wildfire that burned 700 acres in northwest Illinois nature preserve: A young volunteer firefighter was arrested Friday in connection with a wildfire that destroyed around 700 acres of a 2,600-acre nature preserve in northwest Illinois. He has been charged with one count of arson. On Friday morning, the Lee County sheriff’s office was notified of a large fire in the Green River State Wildlife Area after witnesses saw a person coming out of a vehicle and setting some patches of grass ablaze. The bystanders stopped the man and detained him until county deputies arrived, according to officials.
* NPR Illinois | New lab brings Wall Street to UIS: For example, it shows in-depth data, charts, statistics and current news reports. Users can see details including supply chain, customers and global markets. The technology will be available for use during and outside of class. The lab will also support the university’s Student Managed Investment Fund, which manages more than $50,000, by strengthening students’ ability to analyze markets, evaluate securities and make informed investment decisions.
*** National ***
* Chicago Mag | How Portillo’s Choked on Its Expansion: A flash point came last November when Portillo’s reported its third-quarter financials. Revenues were up a mere 1.8 percent from the same period the previous year, much less than expected, and net income had dropped from $8.8 million to less than $1 million, primarily because of expansion overruns and snafus. “Too many locations, too quickly and too close together over the past 24 months, particularly in Texas,” Michael Miles Jr., Portillo’s chair and interim CEO, explained to stock analysts.
* Tribune | South Carolina honors native son Rev. Jesse Jackson: Though he spent the vast majority of his adult life in Chicago, Jackson was born in Greenville, S.C., during the height of segregation. Walking around his native hometown on “church Sunday,” one can see how his love of community coalesced among the hills and valleys that surrounded his childhood home at 20 Haynie Street. While the home looks untouched through the years, the street now bears his name. […] Rev. Jackson was forged in Greenville. Born Jesse Louis Burns on Oct. 8, 1941, to Helen Burns, a beautician, and Noah Robinson, a worker whose job entailed grading the quality of cotton. Jackson’s mother would marry civil worker Charles Henry Jackson, the man whose surname Rev. Jackson took upon adoption in his teens.
* NYT | Scientists Decry ‘Political Attack’ on Reference Manual for Judges: More than two dozen contributors to a widely used reference manual for judges are raising alarm bells about political interference after the deletion of a chapter on climate science. The uproar is over the latest edition of the Reference Manual on Scientific Evidence, which has been published since 1994 by the Federal Judicial Center, an agency that provides resources to judges. A group of Republican state attorneys general sent a letter to the center on Jan. 29, claiming that the climate chapter was biased and demanding its retraction. About a week later, the center deleted the chapter from its online edition of the nearly 1,700-page manual.
Today, Laura Fine released her closing ad, “All,” which will run on broadcast television and digital for the remainder of the campaign.
TRANSCRIPT:
My opponents think false attacks can make me back down—they don’t know me at all.
My husband almost died in a car accident. He went through ten surgeries.
And while I held our young family together, the insurance company tried to drop us.
I took ‘em on and won.
Then, I ran for office, passing laws to protect all families.
I’m Laura Fine. I approve this message.
When it comes to stopping Trump, and passing Medicare for All, I’ll never back down.
Chicagoland Progressive Congressional Candidates Demand AIPAC-Backed Challengers Come Clean on Iran War
CHICAGO – Last week, the Chicago Sun-Times/WBEZ published an investigation into millions of dollars flowing from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) into the campaigns and allied super PACs of four Illinois congressional candidates: Donna Miller (IL-2), Melissa Conyears-Ervin (IL-7), Melissa Bean (IL-8), and Laura Fine (IL-9). Then, on Saturday, the United States and Israel went to war with Iran, with AIPAC’s full-throated support.
Since the war began, all four AIPAC-backed candidates have issued vague statements of general disapproval, but none have answered the simple question: given AIPAC’s relentless Iran warmongering, do you disavow its support of your campaign?
Congressional Progressive Caucus PAC-endorsed candidates Robert Peters (IL-2), Anthony Driver Jr. (IL-7), Junaid Ahmed (IL-8), and Daniel Biss (IL-9) responded with a joint statement:
“Donald Trump has dragged us into an unnecessary and illegal regime change war fully backed by AIPAC. Here in Chicagoland, four AIPAC-funded candidates are trying to hide that support while dodging straightforward questions. In a time of war, clarity is not optional. Will these candidates finally and unequivocally reject AIPAC’s pro-war agenda?”
Housing affordability tops crime on Chicago voters’ lists of concerns, results of a poll conducted for Illinois Realtors show.
When asked which on a list of issues is most important for the mayor and City Council to work on, the No. 1 and 3 responses were property taxes (from 23% of the people polled) and the cost of housing (18%).
That is, a combined 41% of people registered and planning to vote put housing affordability at the top of their list of worries, according to the poll results, which the Realtors group is releasing today.
Crime and gun violence was the No. 2 answer, with 23% saying it should be city leaders’ top concern.
Now, I am going to read you a list of concerns that many people have. Please tell me which ONE of these concerns you think is most important for the Chicago Mayor and City Council to focus on.
Property taxes 23
Crime and gun violence 22
Cost of housing 18
Education and schools 12
Immigration enforcement 6
Jobs and wages 5
Homelessness 4
Energy costs like gas and home heating 4
Parking, potholes, and snow removal 1
(Don’t know/refused) 3
* “We conducted a similar poll back in 2022 and the results were almost the exact opposite,” said a spokesperson for the Illinois Realtors, adding, “But that was before the housing inventory slump and rising interest rates.” From the older, 2022 poll…
Crime and gun violence 49
Education and schools 11
Good government and ethics 10
Property taxes 7
Homelessness 7
Cost of housing 6
Jobs and wages 3
Climate change 3
Parking, potholes, and snow removal 3
(Other) 1
(Don’t know/refused) 1
Allowing more accessory dwelling units. Accessory dwelling units are things like basement apartments, garage apartments, in-law suites or backyard tiny houses.
Favor 71
Oppose 24
Don’t know 5
Charging very high fees to families or developers who want to convert a small apartment building with two to four units into a single-family home.
Favor 37
Oppose 55
Don’t know 8
Streamlining the regulatory process to make it easier to convert empty schools, churches, and office buildings into housing.
Favor 82
Oppose 15
Don’t know 4
Reduce housing costs by allowing for more modern building materials, instead of outdated, more expensive materials generally preferred by labor unions.
Favor 61
Oppose 27
Don’t know 11
Reducing housing costs by allowing homes that are mostly constructed off-site and then assembled on the lot. These are called “factory-built homes” and are NOT the same thing as “mobile homes.”
Favor 69
Oppose 23
Don’t know 8
Creating a database of pre-approved housing plans to bypass the local permitting process and make it easier and faster to build housing that is affordable for working families.
As you may know, Alderpersons in Chicago can stop any new housing development in their ward. This is often referred to as aldermanic prerogative and can be invoked for any reason the alderman desires. Do you favor or oppose this rule?
Favor 30
Oppose 62
Don’t know 8
Mayor Brandon Johnson is considering a proposal to increase the real estate transfer tax on homes and buildings that sell for more than one million dollars, even though voters rejected this property transfer tax increase in 2024. The real estate transfer tax is paid when a property changes owners. This proposed tax increase would nearly triple the current tax. For example, if a property sells for one million dollars, under this proposal, the transfer tax would increase from twelve thousand dollars to thirty-one thousand dollars. Do you favor or oppose this proposal to increase the city’s real estate transfer tax?
The reason I mention this is because some questions and follow-up questions were apparently only asked by phone. It’s why I only included Favor and Oppose but not “strongly” either way. But go read the whole thing for yourself.
…Adding… From Rich: Laura Fine has updated her red box page…
Voters who have strong opinions on foreign affairs looking for a progressive vision need to know that they cannot trust Daniel Biss. There are multiple candidates in the race who have been consistent and clear on these issues, like Mike Simmons and Laura Fine.
Looks like that could be an invitation to the outside groups to start boosting Simmons and therefore eat into Biss’ numbers with progressives.
…Adding… Sen. Mike Simmons…
“Laura Fine may be okay having MAGA money try and buy her seat in Congress, but I want nothing to do with it. I’ve said from the beginning that all of this outside money helping Laura and other candidates is just undermining the voices in our community. Anyone benefiting using our broken campaign finance system to get to Congress isn’t going to fix it.”
AIPAC-backed Chicago Progressive Partnership is already running anti-Abughazaleh ads…
The AIPAC network, learning from NJ blunder, hitting the other progressive in IL08. (They want Dan Biss to lose but if half of his voters moved to Kat she'd win) https://t.co/UUC2jN9vvu
In a new ad, congressional candidate Kat Abughazaleh says her campaign is backed by “no billionaires, no corporate PACs,” but federal disclosures show she has accepted campaign contributions from two scions of some of America’s wealthiest families.
In late October, Abughazaleh accepted the maximum individual contribution of $7,000 from James Cox Chambers, the billionaire grandson of the founder of Cox Enterprises and former Governor of Ohio, James Cox.
Chambers’ net worth is estimated to be $6.8 billion, according to Forbes, landing him in the middle of Forbes’ lists of America’s 400 wealthiest people.
After Evanston Now reached out for comment about the donation and the ad, Abughazaleh’s campaign said they had missed the donation and planned to donate it to the Niles Township Food Pantry, pointing to a campaign promise made in July where she said, “if a billionaire donates, we will refund [or donate] their money.”
So far, two rival umbrella organizations have dominated the AI spending in congressional races. Leading the Future — which has received significant funding from OpenAI co-founder Greg Brockman and his wife, Anna Brockman, as well as venture capitalists Marc Andreessen and Benjamin Horowitz — is one major super PAC pushing a national framework for AI and criticizing the prospect of different state regulations governing the industry. […]
Leading the Future had $39 million banked away at the end of last year and is wading into races via a pair of connected groups, one associated with each party: Think Big, which backs Democrats, and American Mission, which supports Republicans. […]
Think Big is also spending more than a million dollars each in support of two former Illinois members of Congress, Jesse Jackson Jr. and Melissa Bean, in their comeback bids. Ads in both those races tout Jackson and Bean’s accomplishments in Congress, including voting for the Affordable Care Act — long before the AI debate entered the halls of Congress. Both Illinois Democrats are scrapping in competitive primaries for open, deep blue, Chicagoland seats where the March primary will serve as the de-facto general election.
* If you don’t buy up all your possible domain names, you’re basically inviting shenanigans. 2nd CD candidate Robert Peters…
Donna Miller hasn't been honest with voters about who is bankrolling her campaign.
Chris Getty, elected the youngest mayor in Illinois at age 26, announced Thursday that he is a candidate for Congress in Illinois’ 4th District, following U.S. Rep. Jesús “Chuy” García’s decision not to seek re-election.
Getty criticized the manner in which García announced his retirement, stating that waiting until the last minute to name his chief of staff as a successor “denies voters a true election and the public accountability taxpayers in this district deserve.”
The supposed path here is a white guy against three Latinos. But only one of those candidates will have “Democrat” next to their name: Patty Garcia.
This can therefore be seen as an interesting development…
I asked the Raja campaign if this meant the US Senate candidate was endorsing Getty. I didn’t hear back.
With just over two weeks until election day, U.S. Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-Evanston) is endorsing Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton in her bid for the United States Senate to succeed Sen. Dick Durbin.
In endorsing Stratton, Schakowsky passes over two of her current colleagues in Congress, Reps. Raja Krishnamoorthi and Robin Kelly, making Schakowsky the fifth member of Congress to endorse Illinois’ current lieutenant governor.
— In IL-09: Democrat Phil Andrew has been endorsed by former Evanston Mayor Steve Hagerty, also a Democrat, who led the city during the pandemic. Andrew has also been endorsed by Steve Kerr, the Golden State Warriors coach and prominent advocate for stricter gun control laws. That’s how he and Andrew got to know each other. . Watch here.
— In IL-09: Democrat Bushra Amiwala has been endorsed by Courage for Democracy PAC and its grassroots advocacy group Citizens’ Impeachment in her bid for Congress. […]
— In IL-08: Republican Jennifer Davis has been endorsed by Kane County GOP Chair Andro Lerario and Barrington Hills Village Trustee Marsha McClary in her bid for Congress.
* More…
*Evanston Roundtable | On the issues: Where the 9th Congressional District front-runners align and diverge: One area with divergence appears to be congressional ethics around stock trading: Biss and Abughazaleh both committed to a pledge from the “Political Integrity Project” that includes not holding individual stocks and supporting a ban on stock trading by members of Congress, while Fine apparently has not. Fine holds multiple individual stocks according to her personal disclosure form, including shares in Eli Lilly, Live Nation, Microsoft and Nvidia.
* Press release | Mike Simmons for Congress Announces Support from National Slate of LGBTQ+ Elected Officials: State Senator Mike Simmons’ campaign for Congress in Illinois’ 9th District has been endorsed by former Governor Kate Brown (D-OR), State Senator Keturah Herron (D-KY), State Representative Brianna Titone (D-CO), and State Representative Ian Mackey (D-MO). Simmons is the first openly LGBTQ+ person to serve in the Illinois State Senate and would be the first openly LGBTQ+ person to represent any of Chicago in Congress.
* Press release | Moms Demand Action Awards the Gun Sense Candidate Distinction to Bushra Amiwala: Congressional candidate Bushra Amiwala has earned the Gun Sense Candidate Distinction of Moms Demand Action (MDA), the foremost national organization combatting gun violence. The distinction is a signal to supporters, volunteers and voters across the country that Amiwala fervently advocates for gun violence prevention and will govern with gun safety in mind. “My generation is intimately familiar with the threat of gun violence,” said Bushra Amiwala, an elected member of the Skokie District 73.5 School Board. “We grew up hiding in place, sheltering under desks and locking classroom doors to prepare for the event of a school shooting.”
Illinois electric vehicle owners could be reckoning with a new $320 fee or a tax on miles traveled if legislation filed in the state Senate gains traction. […]
Senate Bill 3566 comes as revenues from gas taxes used to fix roads are dwindling with more fuel-efficient cars and electrics. If it passes, EV owners would have two options:
• Pay a $320 annual surcharge on top of existing fees starting July 1, 2027. That registration surcharge will go up annually by the Consumer Price Index starting July 1, 2028.
• Or, join a new road usage charge program that involves reporting mileage driven and paying 1.5 cents a mile effective July 1, 2027. The fee would be capped at $320 a year and annually adjusted by the CPI.
For someone who drives the U.S. average of 13,476 miles a year, the total would be about $202, according to 2022 federal data.
Sen. Villivalam’s bill has been sitting in assignments for almost a month and has no co-sponsors.
* Director of water policy at Prairie Rivers Network Robert Hirschfeld in the Sun-Times…
Illinois is dangerously dry. Decades of policy negligence have left the state unprepared, and the crisis is only beginning.
Last week, the U.S. Drought Monitor showed parts of 19 Central Illinois counties are suffering from “extreme drought.” That means we’re looking at “major crop/pasture losses, extreme fire danger, widespread water shortages or restrictions,” according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. All of Champaign County, where I live, is in an extreme drought. […]
Historically, Illinois has been water-rich. If anything, our problem has been too much water, evidenced by flooded fields, roads and basements. That abundance bred complacency. The state never updated its water use laws, which remain rooted in English common law from centuries ago. The “reasonable use” rules we still rely on today were literally made for another place and another time, and are not equipped to address the water consumption of a highly industrialized society. […]
The proliferation of data centers has led advocates to draft and introduce the Protecting Our Water, Energy and Ratepayers, or POWER, Act, which would require data centers to disclose their water use and its impact on other users, while also ensuring they pay the true cost of their energy consumption rather than shifting it onto communities. The bill is necessary and urgent. But data centers are just one class of high-capacity users. Even if it passes, every other large withdrawer remains ungoverned. […]
This drought should be ringing alarm bells in Springfield. The emergency is here. And even if rain comes this spring and the drought temporarily eases, the future of water in Illinois looks very different than the past. We’ve had decades of policy negligence. We have to start managing this most essential of resources, and we have to start now.
Youth advocates against substance abuse swarmed the Capitol this week, navigating their way into lawmakers’ offices, sharing their experiences in school and addressing what they viewed as gaps in Illinois’ drug and alcohol regulations.
Brought together by the Illinois Prevention Network – a coalition of organizations working to create safe, healthy and drug-free communities in Illinois – high schoolers canvassed the Capitol on Wednesday in support of bills aimed at reducing and regulating substance use throughout Illinois. […]
Kratom is a plant that’s used as a stimulant and opioid substitute. Currently, it is only regulated by the 2014 Kratom Control Act, which makes it illegal for anyone under the age of 18 to purchase the substance. Five bills currently in House committees seek to amend or replace the act. […]
House Bill 1303 and House Bill 3127 seek to raise the age restriction to 21 and prohibit child-attractive products while imposing a 5% retail tax. House Bill 3215 would create a registration and labeling system for kratom products.
House Bill 3129 would add kratom’s active compounds as Schedule III controlled substances and repeal the existing Kratom Control Act. It would essentially ban the substance in Illinois with the exception of some medical uses. Another bill, House Bill 4930, would take the hardest line, prohibiting the distribution, manufacture and sale of kratom entirely unless they have been approved by the FDA. All five were referred to the House Rules Committee in March, 2025, meaning they all have a long way to go legislatively.
Senate Bill 1570, which is also awaiting a committee assignment, would effectively ban kratom for all individuals, regardless of age. […]
The group also pushed for House Bill 4333, which aims to lower the legal blood-alcohol content limit from 0.08 to 0.05 for DUIs. The bill is awaiting a hearing in the House Judiciary Committee.
* Press release…
Patients, health care providers, community leaders, and lawmakers from across Illinois gathered today for a powerful 340B ACTION Day at Chicago State University, 9501 South King Drive in Chicago, uniting to celebrate the life-saving impact of the federal 340B Drug Pricing Program and to urge lawmakers to protect and strengthen this vital patient lifeline.
Hosted by health care and community leaders from the south side of Chicago, the event highlighted how 340B helps community health centers and safety-net hospitals provide affordable medications and essential services to people who otherwise would go without care. From cancer treatment and chronic disease management to behavioral health, maternal care, and “meds-to-beds” programs that ensure patients leave the hospital with prescriptions in hand, 340B is a cornerstone of Illinois’ health care safety net. […]
“340B affords me the ability to get life sustaining medications, to have a better quality of life and a healthy life overall,” said Perla Herrera, a patient speaker.
Dr. James Brooks, CEO at Lawndale Christian Health Center said that community health centers and safety-net hospitals “all stand together and want to protect 340B.” He then went on to ask House leadership to “call the bill.”
Illinois providers warn that recent actions by pharmaceutical manufacturers are undermining the program by restricting how and where discounted medications can be dispensed. These unilateral limits have already reduced savings for many hospitals and clinics, forcing difficult choices and threatening access for patients in rural, urban, and suburban communities alike.
Advocates praised the Illinois Senate for taking a critical step last spring by advancing SB 2371, legislation designed to protect patient access to 340B medications by preventing manufacturers from interfering with hospitals’ and clinics’ pharmacy partnerships. The bill restores the long-standing structure of the program and ensures that patients can fill prescriptions in their own communities.
* Sen. Darby Hills…
The Senate Child Welfare Committee will hear Senate Bill 2895, filed by Illinois Senator Darby Hills (R-Barrington Hills). The bill creates the Healing Through History Act, which requires the Department of Healthcare and Family Services to provide prospective adoptive families with a complete, unredacted copy of a child’s full case record at least 30 days before adoption finalization.
WHO:
Illinois State Senator Darby Hills, Representing the 26th Senate District and Minority Spokesperson for the Child Welfare Committee.
Melissa Khamkhounnavong, Foster Care Advocate and Parent, whose family’s experience inspired the Healing Through History Act.
WHEN: Tuesday, March 3, 2026 at 5:00 p.m.
WHERE: Illinois State Capitol, Room 409
Sen. Mary Edly-Allen (D-Grayslake), a sponsor of the bill, serves as vice chair of the Senate Child Welfare Committee.
…Adding… Press release…
State Representative Abdelnasser Rashid, State Senator Graciela Guzman, State Representative Anne Stava, fellow lawmakers and sexual abuse survivor advocates today announced legislation to establish the Illinois Epstein Files Investigation Commission (HB5723), an independent, bipartisan investigatory body charged with examining crimes connected to Jeffrey Epstein’s network that occurred in Illinois, targeted Illinois victims, or involved individuals subject to Illinois law.
The Commission would have subpoena authority enforceable in court and the power to refer evidence of criminal violations — including trafficking, racketeering activity, public corruption, and obstruction of justice — to the Illinois Attorney General. The legislation grants the Attorney General concurrent jurisdiction and the authority to seek a Statewide Grand Jury — even if local prosecutors decline to participate — ensuring accountability is not blocked at the local level.
“Illinois cannot afford to sit around while the Trump administration obstructs justice,” said Rep. Abdelnasser Rashid. “The Epstein class didn’t just commit crimes — they corrupted the institutions that were supposed to hold them accountable: the courts, the banks, law enforcement, even our universities. For too many powerful people, tolerating violent sex crimes was simply the price of admission to financial networks and sweetheart deals. The Epstein Class have their tentacles in Illinois, and the people of our state have a right to know how far the rot spreads.”
“This isn’t about politics or about any one name,” said Sen. Graciela Guzman. “This is about accountability and due process. We are not going to wait for a Justice Department that is covering up the relationship between Epstein and Trump. Illinois has jurisdiction, Illinois has the will, and as of today, Illinois has a bill to do just that.”
“Imagine what the Epstein survivors have been through,” said Lauren Lehman Carter, an advocate for Epstein survivors and sexual abuse survivors, and a survivor herself. “People have been screaming about wanting justice for children who have been trafficked, but once it turns out that the person who was doing the trafficking and the raping, is not a convenient person to go after, all of sudden they are defending that abuser. They are inflicting greater trauma, not only on the Epstein victims, but on other sexual abuse survivors. We’re not going to shut up. We’re going to hold you accountable.”
“When the federal government stands silent, the states must lead the way; and that’s exactly what Illinois is doing,” said Jane Ruby of the League of Women Voters of Chicago. “These survivors have paid an enormous price to come forward, only to watch those who harmed them walk free. We need more states to follow Illinois’s example: investigate every crime tied to Jeffrey Epstein and his associates, rebuild trust in our institutions, and stand up for the rule of law.”
“The rule of law means nothing if it only applies to people without money or connections,” said Rep. Nabeela Syed. “This commission is a test of whether Illinois believes that. This is how a democracy investigates itself: transparently, fairly, and without giving the powerful a veto over the process.”
Key provisions of the Illinois Epstein Files Investigation Act (HB5723) include:
• Establishes an independent, bipartisan Commission with investigatory authority over crimes committed in Illinois, against Illinois residents, or by public officials or entities subject to Illinois law, including public corruption and potential cover-ups.
• Grants the Attorney General concurrent authority to investigate and prosecute violations of Illinois law arising from matters uncovered by the Commission, and authorizes the Attorney General, upon certification and judicial approval, to seek a Statewide Grand Jury when a statewide nexus exists or when good cause is shown, even if local prosecutors decline to participate.
• Expands eligibility for Statewide Grand Jury proceedings to include trafficking, sexual exploitation, racketeering activity, bribery, official misconduct, obstruction of justice, witness intimidation, and related offenses.
• Requires regular public hearings and transparent reporting, with appropriate safeguards to protect ongoing investigations and confidential information.
• Ensures survivor participation is voluntary, confidential where requested, and supported through trauma-informed services and whistleblower protections.
* More…
* WAND | IL bill could require 988 info in public buildings, suicide prevention curriculum in health courses: A plan moving in the Capitol could improve access to mental health resources and suicide prevention efforts in Illinois. Sponsors and advocates told reporters in Springfield that the state must do everything possible to save more lives. […] “Suicide prevention requires awareness, education and access to resources, all the things that this bill addresses,” said Sen. Christopher Belt (D-Swansea). Belt said 988 information should be visible in county shelter care homes, daycares, public libraries, colleges, hospitals, assisted living facilities and nursing homes. His plan also requires school boards to include age-appropriate suicide prevention curriculum in health courses for students in sixth through 12th grade.
* Rep. Joyce Mason | Mason Introduces Legislation to Build on Childcare Policies: House Bill 5204 establishes that members of the Illinois Early Learning Council appointed by the governor will be parents or caregivers of children who are 5 years of age or younger, ensuring the needs of young families are accurately represented when it comes to improving the lives of Illinois children. House Bill 5373 moves the licensing function to the new Illinois Department of Early Childhood and makes significant updates to create a comprehensive, equitable model for daycare licensing that is safer for families, easier for providers, and anchored in a continuum of quality. House Bill 5099 prioritizes the safety of children by updating the Department of Early Childhood Act, requiring all child care providers to be fingerprinted for criminal history by the Department of Early Childhood. Additionally, the bill allows multiple providers access to an individual’s background check, rather than having to complete a new report for each potential employment opportunity.
* WCIA | Illinois bill aims for better mental health resources for coroners, medical examiners: The law would classify coroners and medical examiners as first responders. This would allow them to utilize mental health counseling without having to pay themselves. It’s something experts in the field think is much needed. “First responders, including coroners and deputy coroners, are at an increased risk of burnout, PTSD, compassion fatigue,” said Grit and Grace owner Jessica McClellan. “We say that we want them to be cool, calm and collected, but if we’re not offering them a space to be cool, calm and collected, they won’t be.”
* Buried deep within a Tribune profile of former US Rep. Jesse Jackson, Jr., who is running to reclaim his former seat…
The former congressman, who was diagnosed with bipolar disorder in 2012 amid a monthslong leave of absence before his resignation, said his doctor told him years ago his condition had improved. He added that he now manages the condition well and in part credited broader acceptance of discussing mental health.
“I never stopped therapy while I was in Congress. It was no one’s business,” he said. “Now I’m saying I don’t have a problem talking about it.”
Lawyers for his ex-wife, former Ald. Sandi Jackson, said in 2017 that Jackson at that time received almost $138,000 a year in taxpayer-funded workers’ compensation and Social Security Disability Insurance payments tied to bipolar disorder and depression.
Jackson’s campaign manager, John Digles, said Tuesday the former congressman still receives about the same amount in workers’ compensation and Social Security Disability insurance payments and added that his eligibility is reviewed each year. Digles said Jackson would stop receiving the money if elected.
Altogether, if Jackson received the money each year in the last decade, it would exceed $1 million, most tax-free and a result of his having been a member of Congress and, therefore, a federal employee.
This sort of thing undermines public confidence in programs that have done extraordinarily good things for people with work-related disabilities.
Also, I would never recommend that a buddy of mine with devastating repetitive stress disorder return to work at the factory which caused his injury. I’d say the same for Jackson.
Also, too, Jackson didn’t report that income on his FEC financial disclosure form. Oops.
Jackson’s foreclosed-upon D.C. home, held in a trust controlled by him and his ex-wife, received a homestead exemption in 2023. Such exemptions lower property taxes but can only be taken at one primary residence.
Jackson also received a homestead exemption at his South Shore Chicago home. He pinned the two exemptions on the fact that he and she have lived separately for a decade and said he was unaware of the D.C. exemption, which records showed had not been recently taken before 2023. The exemption would have been made without his involvement, he said.
She arrived at X House resigned to delivering her baby while incarcerated.
Amy Hicks was 7 ½ months pregnant and convicted of an illegal drug offense that would keep her behind bars for months to come. Still, as Hicks waited inside that transitional cellblock of the Logan Correctional Center women’s prison, she thought she’d give birth to her daughter when she was ready to be born.
She quickly learned it wouldn’t go as she planned.
Other inmates warned Hicks that the prison would force her delivery through an induction of labor, a procedure typically reserved for medical necessities, none of which applied to her, she said. She heard the same from a correctional officer, who claimed the process was part of prison policy, and from a prison psychiatrist.
Depressed and worried, she filed grievances objecting to what she believed would be a forced medical intervention. But two weeks before her due date, in early 2024, Hicks underwent the induction.
Now two years later, she describes the experience as painful, physically violating and traumatic.
• The department only employs the equivalent of 16 full-time physicians across its 29 correctional facilities, which house more than 30,000 people.
• The department receives a budget for roughly 33 full-time physicians. Even though the monitor says staffing is “dangerously low” and advises IDOC to “increase budgeted physician staffing,” the department claims it’s in compliance with the consent decree’s staffing requirements without giving evidence as to how.
• High turnover also plagues IDOC. Over the last six years, 49 physicians have resigned, the monitor reported.
• About 60% of nursing staff positions are vacant, and about a quarter of the facilities don’t have a medical director to oversee care.
• The department has not implemented a policy for analyzing staff workload and tracking filled and vacant positions. IDOC has also not supplied the monitor with clinical performance reviews for physicians, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, dentists, dental hygienists and dental assistants. Nor have prison officials shared disciplinary records for those professionals.
• The vast majority of patient records are on paper and have not been digitized, which the monitor described as “inefficient, unreliable, and inadequate.” A lack of electronic medical records makes it difficult to ensure continuity of care or to track patient’s medical conditions, the monitor says.
And in a review of 15 deaths in custody since the last report in 2024, the monitor learned three people died from asthma, deaths the monitor said were preventable.
State lawmakers say physician assistants are leaving for Iowa because it takes so long to get licensed in Illinois.
Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation leaders discussed audit findings with members of the Legislative Audit Commission at the Illinois Capitol last week.
State Sen. Chapin Rose, R-Mahomet, said physician assistants recently told him they were going to Iowa to get licensed, because the process took six months in Illinois.
“That’s six months of lost wages to those individuals. It’s also six months of lost productivity to the state of Illinois. It’s six months of lost tax revenues to the state of Illinois. If they go to Iowa, we’ll never get them back. At the end of the day, it’s six months of less health care to the constituents that we all represent,” Rose said.
State Rep. Natalie Manley, D-Joliet, said she also met with the PAs.
“Is there anything we can do to think outside the box, like a temporary license or something that can be issued so we don’t lose this talent?” Manley asked. […]
IFPR Secretary Mario Treto Jr. said his agency is working to implement a new licensing system. […]
Treto said he hopes to have the agency’s new system for licensed professionals fully implemented by the end of the year.
The amount of damage done to workforce development in this state by a bottleneck at a tiny agency is incalculable. That bottleneck hurts the economy, it undermines state efforts to provide services, it needlessly frustrates good people who want to work. It causes us to lose valuable professionals to other states.
These endless implementation delays are inexcusable and the problem should be a much higher budget priority. A few mess-ups can be blamed on the agency. A years-long problem shifts the blame to the governor. That’s just the way it is.
Illinois Social Equity Dispensary Says State Agency Attempting to Rewrite Cannabis Equity Law Amid Active Litigation
Chicago, Illinois - Market 96, a state-licensed social equity cannabis dispensary, is challenging a proposed rule issued by the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR), stating that the agency is attempting to override clear statutory protections in the Illinois Cannabis Regulation and Tax Act (CRTA) - protections that are currently the subject of active litigation.
The CRTA prohibits dispensaries from operating within 1,500 feet of one another to prevent market saturation and to provide social equity licensees with a meaningful opportunity to compete. While the statute includes a narrow exception permitting such proximity to certain pre-existing operators (dispensaries licensed in the original non-social-equity rounds, predominantly MSOs), it does not permit two social equity dispensaries to operate within 1,500 feet of each other.
In September 2025, Market 96, located at 529 S. Wells Street in downtown Chicago filed suit after IDFPR declined to clarify whether it would license another dispensary less than 500 feet from its location - a scenario Market 96 contends would violate the CRTA. Market 96 has been operational at this location since July 2024.
The dispensary seeking to open within 500 feet is licensed as a social equity dispensary but is affiliated with multi-state operator Justice Cannabis Co. and is expected to operate under its BLOC dispensary brand. Justice Cannabis Co. operates dispensaries in multiple states under the BLOC brand.
In December 2025, three months after the suit was filed, and with the litigation still pending, IDFPR issued a proposed rule that would allow social equity dispensaries to locate within 1,500 feet of one another.
“This is not a technical clarification,’ said Sherri Blount, Principal of Blounts&Moore LLC, which operates Market 96. ‘”The proposed rule would fundamentally alter the competitive protections the legislature enacted; protections social equity operators relied on when we entered this market. Our litigation was filed to enforce the statute as written.”‘
Market 96 is not alone in its concerns. A growing coalition of dispensary operators across the state have already joined in a formal letter to legislators opposing the proposed rule, and additional licensees are expected to sign on. The coalition contends that reversing course through rulemaking - after busiesses have opened, hired staff, and committed capital - threatens the stability and credibility of the Illinois social equity cannabis program.
Coalition members also point to a prior attempt by IDFPR to adopt a similar interpretation. In 2022, the agency published guidance suggesting that social equity dispensaries could operate within 1,500 feet of one another. In September 2023, members of the Illinois General Assembly formally notified IDFPR that such an interpretation was inconsistent with legislative intent. The agency subsequently withdrew that guidance.
“The legislature already addressed this issue,” Blount said. “Lawmakers made clear that allowing social equity dispensaries to locate within 1,500 feet of each other contradicts the intent of the CRTA. The agency abandoned that interpretation once before.”
Governor JB Pritzker has repeatedly described Illinois’ cannabis framework as a national model for equity-focused legalization. Coalition members contend that weakening statutory protections designed to give social equity operators room to compete undermines that model.
‘’Independent social equity operators invested millions of dollars relying on the law as enacted by the General Assembly,” Blount said. ‘’If statutory protections can be rewritten after the fact, the reliability of the entire program is called into question.”
The coalition is urging lawmakers to reaffirm the 1,500-foot separation requirement as written in the CRTA and to ensure that administrative rulemaking does not override clear statutory language.
If the administration wants to change the distance requirement then a bill should be filed. Otherwise, it’s inexcusable to force these companies to file lawsuits to protect what the state promised them in the first place.
Governors own.
Also, please excuse any typos. I converted this from a pdf to a Word document and there could be minor errors I missed. The original is here.
State Rep. Margaret Croke, D-Chicago, who is running for Illinois comptroller, reported receiving the maximum campaign contribution of $72,800 from Gov. JB Pritzker on Feb. 19. Since then, Pritzker has appeared in some Croke campaign ads.
The day before the Pritzker contribution was reported, I spoke with incumbent Comptroller Susana Mendoza about the governor’s support of Croke — who once worked in Pritzker’s administration and has been a legislative ally — and the near certainty at the time that Pritzker would be contributing to Croke’s campaign.
Mendoza has prided herself on being independent of Pritzker, and noted that she has never accepted contributions from the governor because of that, even when he offered to contribute.
While stressing that she has worked with the governor in the past, and saying “Honestly, all of the people running are good people,” Mendoza said, “I’ve always been super clear that I work for the taxpayers and any appearance of not full independence coming from the controller’s office is, I think, unhealthy for Illinoisans,” adding, “I would not have accepted money from the governor.”
Mendoza defeated appointed Republican Leslie Munger, who then-Gov. Bruce Rauner once called his “wingman,” so she’s sensitive to this stuff.
Mendoza also admitted that she considers Democratic comptroller candidate Holly Kim a friend and “mentee,” who would make “a great comptroller.” Kim is the Lake County treasurer. Mendoza has not made an official endorsement as of this writing.
So I asked Croke for a response. She told me during an interview that the comptroller is an “independent office,” adding, “I’ve always been very vocal on where I stand on things. I mean, I’m the youngest of three. I’ve had to assert myself a long time. I think that the governor endorsing me is a reflection of the fact that I’ve worked incredibly hard on this campaign, and he knows that I’m going to do a good job.”
Croke said that Pritzker’s chief of staff Anne Caprara (who has, um, a quite persuasive style) is a “great example,” of how Pritzker “doesn’t surround himself with ‘yes people.’ And I am not a ‘yes person.’ I think that he appreciates independence. I think he appreciates strong leadership. But what frustrates me sometimes is that people conflate independence with being adversarial, and that’s just not my style. I’ve always been someone who is collaborative.”
“I would argue that Susana likes to make her position, especially when it is adversarial to any constitutional officer, like she wants to make sure everyone knows about it,” Croke continued. “I’m someone who I feel like we can get things done, that we can collaborate and everyone can know exactly where I stand at the same time.”
And Croke noted that other Democratic constitutional officers have received campaign contributions from Pritzker and nobody is questioning their independence. After she said that, I pointed out that Attorney General Kwame Raoul has received huge contributions from Pritzker (totaling almost $4 million), and Croke asked rhetorically, “And then do we question what cases Kwame decides to bring or not bring because of that?”
Good point.
I asked the other Democratic comptroller candidates to comment on Gov. Pritzker’s contribution and Croke’s independence. Here are some excerpts:
• State Rep. Stephanie Kifowit, D-Oswego, appeared to criticize Pritzker’s endorsement earlier in February, obliquely pointing to Rauner’s backing of Munger. “Accepting money and support from the Governor is not something that shows the public an independent Comptroller,” she said in a statement.
• Kim replied with a statement: “The Comptroller is supposed to be an independent watchdog, not an extension of the governor’s political operation. When Rep. Croke, or any candidate, is being bankrolled by the same Governor she may need to challenge, it’s safe to assume she’ll be paying for it with her loyalty later.” Kim then pointed to the Senate Democrats’ funding of state Sen. Karina Villa, D-West Chicago, and the support Villa and Kifowit both received from former House Speaker Michael Madigan. “None of my opponents have ever run independent campaigns — they’re political insiders who rely on insider relationships,” she said.
• Villa said Mendoza is “right to be concerned,” about the Pritzker support, but pointed to what she said were “tens of thousands” of dollars from “from right wing MAGA donors,” concluding, “If you want Democrats to trust you to be the last line of defense against Trump’s cuts, you probably shouldn’t be cozying up to his donors.”
In Illinois’ Metro East region near St. Louis, Olive Oil Marketplace invites food lovers to taste the difference. Since 2012, owners Tim and Julie Meeks have created a warm, hands-on shopping experience where guests can sample more than 85 premium olive oils and balsamics from around the world. From garlic-infused favorites to pastas, spices, coffees and teas, Olive Oil Marketplace in Alton is where healthy cooking meets top quality.
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 Tim and Julie from Alton who serve their communities with dedication and pride.
On the first day of Early Voting, the state’s highest vote getter, Illinois Comptroller Susana Mendoza, is endorsing Lake County Treasurer Holly Kim to succeed her as Comptroller, citing Kim’s extensive financial experience, accomplishments on the Comptroller’s Bank On Illinois Commission, and independence as a fiscal steward.
“Holly Kim is the most skilled and experienced financial professional running for Comptroller. That’s why I’m endorsing her,” Mendoza said. “Holly is a proven fiscal watchdog who has maintained a strong sense of independence throughout her career.”
“As a two-term treasurer of the third largest county in Illinois, Holly has saved taxpayers more than $6 million while boosting investments in schools and parks. Her valuable leadership on my Bank On Illinois Commission helped get 685,000 formally unbanked individuals banked. Holly Kim gets the job done,” Mendoza added.
“As comptroller for nearly a decade, I wrote the playbook on transparency and accountability. For Holly, transparency and accountability are non-negotiable.”
“The job of Comptroller requires proven skills,” Mendoza said. “This office manages billions in taxpayer dollars and the person in this role has a real impact on the state’s credit rating. We have worked hard to deliver ten credit upgrades for Illinois on my watch. Holly Kim is the candidate in this race I trust the most to build on that progress.”
“It’s imperative for voters to consider the comptroller candidate who has the best skills and the proven record of smart, independent fiscal oversight. That’s Holly Kim,” Mendoza said.
“There’s a lot of big money pouring into this race. The voters should not allow those with deep pockets to gain control of an office that manages billions in taxpayer dollars. Illinois is open for business, but it’s not for sale.”
“I’ve long looked up to Comptroller Mendoza as my work mentor,” Kim said. “Not only have I learned the ins and outs of the Comptroller’s office from her, but I’ve also been inspired by her leadership and her fierce independence on behalf of the taxpayers. Susana has accomplished tremendous things as Comptroller–she took over an office that was in shambles, rebuilt it and secured ten credit upgrades. It would be my honor to continue her great work as the chief fiscal watchdog of the state.”
But [Kim has] also had to answer to some critics of her office. In a 2023 memo from the then-Lake County administrator, he pointed to myriad issues that included lengthy delays in publishing statutorily required reports about Lake County’s investments, which jeopardize the accuracy of the county’s fiscal standing, to failing to ensure there was enough money in an account for an employee to cash a check.
Kim told county officials a few weeks later that the reports were up to date and that her office had been “researching solutions for enhancing transparency on the investments reporting” and that the insufficient funds for the check-cashing incident were “caused by an error in another department,” according to a memo she sent to the officials. Her campaign in a statement also blamed “unexpected challenges that arose” during the COVID-19 pandemic for some of the issues in the office.
She has also prided herself as one of the first Illinois politicians to accept cryptocurrency donations, a currency known for its high volatility. But last month, the Tribune reported she invested about $8,300 in crypto donations in a crypto coin she started called CHKN token — named after her flock of chickens —-only for that investment to be worth just a little over $34 by the end of 2025, according to the Illinois State Board of Elections.
While the comptroller’s office doesn’t handle investments, Croke’s campaign questioned Kim’s fiscal judgment over the poor crypto investment. In response, Kim chalked that up as a learning experience and noted it didn’t involve any taxpayer dollars.
* ICYMI: Ex-Illinois inmate’s lawsuit over forced labor induction tests Gov. JB Pritzker on reproductive rights. Tribune…
- Amy Hicks was 7 ½ months pregnant and convicted of an illegal drug offense that would keep her behind bars for months to come. Still, as Hicks waited inside that transitional cellblock of the Logan Correctional Center women’s prison, she thought she’d give birth to her daughter when she was ready to be born.
- Two weeks before her due date, in early 2024, Hicks underwent the induction. Now two years later, she describes the experience as painful, physically violating and traumatic.
- The suit alleges Logan’s staff violated her constitutional right to refuse a medical procedure and ran afoul of Illinois’ Reproductive Health Act.
340B hospitals charge big medicine markups. Illinois pays the price.
340B medicine markups are big business for hospitals. Under the federal 340B program, nonprofit hospitals can buy medicines for pennies, then charge huge markups – even on life-saving medicines. Big hospital systems pocket the program profits – passing the bill to Illinois patients, employers and taxpayers who are hit with higher medicine costs. The program’s lack of oversight has led to 340B becoming a profit engine for hospitals, PBMs, private equity firms and big chain pharmacies. It’s time for Congress to hold hospitals accountable and fix 340B. Read more.
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*** Isabel’s Top Picks ***
* Tribune | As Indiana extends coal and builds data centers, Illinois may be on the hook for neighbor’s AI boom: In December, the Indiana utility filed a petition with a DOE commission to spread the costs of keeping the Schahfer plant open to all ratepayers living in the area served by Midcontinent Independent System Operator, which runs the electricity grid in Indiana and 14 other states. Southern and central Illinois are in MISO territory. That request drew objections from Illinois regulators. In a filing last month, the Illinois Commerce Commission called the move “hasty” and argued that customers outside Indiana should not be required to subsidize the continued operation of the coal plant.
* Crain’s | FAA targets O’Hare flight growth as airline feud heats up: The massive expansion of flights planned for O’Hare International Airport has gotten the attention of the FAA, which says it’s planning to reduce summer flight schedules by 9%. […] The FAA says the current schedules planned by airlines for this summer would result in 3,080 peak daily operations, compared with 2,680 last year. “This proposed increase is significant and would stress the runway, terminal and air-traffic control systems at the airport,” the FAA said.
* BND | Judge tosses East St. Louis’ $2.7 billion PCB case against Monsanto: U.S. District Judge David W. Dugan of the Southern District of Illinois ruled the city’s 2021 complaint against Monsanto and its successor companies was filed too late. The statutes of limitations and repose had passed on contamination officials discovered decades ago, he said. East St. Louis was seeking damages for contamination from toxic chemicals known as polychlorinated biphenyls, or PCBs.
*** Statewide ***
* BND | A red ‘blood’ lunar eclipse will be visible over Illinois soon. When to look up: The full moon peaking Tuesday, March 3, will bring a “blood moon” or total lunar eclipse to Illinois stargazers. “Blood moon” is the popular term referring to a total lunar eclipse, and the name is used because the moon appears orangish or reddish during a total lunar eclipse, according to NASA.
*** Statehouse News ***
* Tribune | Some Indiana taxpayers not as thrilled by Chicago Bears stadium plan as lawmakers: [T]he measure to build a new Bears stadium in Hammond would involve a series of new taxes: a 1% food and beverage tax in Lake and Porter counties, a 5% tax increase on hotel rooms in Lake County, and a 12% admissions tax. The plan would also involve toll roads and creating a special taxing district to funnel new tax proceeds to the stadium project. The silence in opposition was also striking because northwest Indiana residents recently had literally taken to the streets to protest skyrocketing utility bills. Some said they had to choose between paying utility bills or grocery bills.
* NBC Chicago | Trump, Pritzker trade shots after governor accuses him of plan to ‘steal’ 2026 midterm election: “Governor Pritzker posted on social media that you’re planning to steal the 2026 midterm election,” the reporter said. “In fact, he says the plan is already underway. How do you respond to Governor Pritzker?” Pritzker’s post on social media read: “Donald Trump’s plan to steal the 2026 midterm elections is already underway.” Responding to the reporter, Trump said, “We’ll he’s got to focus on crime in his state. The crime in his state is doing very badly. If we, if we went and took care of it, what would we do, just like Washington, D.C., we have no crime. Memphis, it’s down 82%. Louisiana, you take a look at Louisiana. What he should really do is focus on crime in his state, because there’s too much of it.”
* Daily Herald | Despite encounter with resident, Simmons isn’t changing door-to-door campaigning tactics: Democratic congressional candidate Mike Simmons’ team won’t let an uncomfortable encounter with a potential voter change how it conducts door-to-door campaigning, a representative said this week. “When people have good reason to be afraid of government and law enforcement, it’s even more important to be good neighbors and have good neighbors,” campaign manager Milan Patel told the Daily Herald.
*** Chicago ***
* Sun-Times | ICE protesters keep beating Trump in Chicago court, but the battles take a toll — ‘It’s about intimidation’: Prosecutions for nonimmigration crimes tied to Operation Midway Blitz have disintegrated at an alarming rate at the Dirksen Federal Courthouse since October. Cases against 17 of 32 known defendants have already collapsed, including the ones against Collins and Robledo. But they still come at a cost. A federal prosecution is intimidating. It carries the threat of prison time. Damaging news stories spread online. Freedoms are often restricted, even in minor cases. Lawyers are needed, though federal defenders have saved people from big legal bills.
* CBS Chciago | Some volunteers raise concerns over Mayor Brandon Johnson’s pick to run Chicago Animal Care and Control: Some current and former volunteers at the city’s animal shelter said more needs to be done to improve the agency. “Seeing the conditions inside the shelter, watching things happen that are inhumane is just, it’s catastrophic,” volunteer Irene Jordan said. Current and former volunteers at Chicago Animal Care and Control said conditions at the agency are deeply concerning.
*** Cook County and Suburbs ***
* Daily Herald | Suburban leaders: Reduction in local share of state income taxes could affect services, force tax hikes: Local governments are crying foul in the wake of Gov. JB Pritzker’s proposed cut to their share of the state income taxes in 2027. That share, known as the Local Government Distributive Fund, is used by local governments to offset the costs of a number of services, including police, fire and public works. It also helps some cover public safety pension costs. Municipal officials say the cut could lead to reduced services or higher property taxes, sales taxes or fees.
* Lake County News-Sun | Lake County school superintendents mulling sales tax referendum: ‘Doing it would make schools less dependent on property taxes’: School superintendents across Lake County are discussing a possible referendum to establish a countywide 1% sales tax that would generate more than $122 million in revenue, with $14 million going to Waukegan Community Unit School District 60. Adding the tax would require the approval of a majority of Lake County voters after school districts representing 50% of the county’s public school students take the steps necessary to place it before the voters. District 60 Superintendent Theresa Plascencia said the superintendents around the county are having discussions about asking voters to approve a 1% sales tax to support education. The educators like the idea, she said.
* Naperville Sun | Naperville D203 board president says inaccurate info circulating about teacher cuts: Cush emailed community members this week to counter what he said was false information that’s been spread about “reduction in force,” or RIF, notices being given to employees. He also said there was no truth to a rumor that administrators would be protected from losing their jobs. The board is to be briefed Monday on staffing projections and on proposed reduction in force lists for certified staff on March 16. Classified staffing proposals and reduction in force lists will be evaluated April 20 before a tentative 2026-27 budget is released in May. The new budget year begins July 1.
* Crain’s | Hawthorne Race Course files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy: In a desperate shot at saving the famed Hawthorne Race Course and its employees’ jobs, the course’s parent company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy today, an attempt at reorganizing and attracting a new owner for the struggling business and its sister companies. The reorganization plan, according to a press release, will “prioritize paying accrued purses to the Illinois Horsemen,” along with payroll for the race course’s some 250 employees, while also restructuring the company’s debt load.
* Daily Herald | Brace for delays on I-80 as IDOT digs into bridges, key interchanges near Joliet: The final phase of a mega rebuild and widening of I-80 starts Monday. However, drivers in the Joliet area can’t exhale yet. Roughly 60% of the $1.3 million project between Minooka and New Lenox is complete, Illinois Department of Transportation engineers explained during a Thursday briefing. But this year, workers will embark on the most complex part involving key bridges and ramps.
* Daily Herald | ‘We didn’t want to leave anyone behind’: Midwest Shelter for Homeless Veterans plans new housing for those who served: The nonprofit’s original home on West Street, named in honor of Marine Lance Cpl. Nicholas Larson, a Wheaton teen killed in Iraq, provides transitional housing for male veterans of any era. In addition to that and other long-standing programs, Midwest Shelter plans to grow with a four-story apartment building in downtown Wheaton for veterans who are homeless or at risk of homelessness. Of the proposed 20 units of permanent supportive housing, five are two-bedroom apartments.
* CBS Chicago | Early voting begins at locations all across Chicago, suburban Cook County: The 55 suburban Cook County early voting locations, in village halls, courthouses, and other facilities throughout the suburbs, were all set to open at 9 a.m. Monday. Any suburban Cook County resident can vote at any one of the polling places. For instance, if a resident of north suburban Glencoe feels moved to head to south suburban Lynwood to vote, they are free to do so.
*** Downstate ***
* WCIA | Champaign Co. issues warning about lines due to lack of election judges: Champaign County Clerk Aaron Ammons said they’re still short dozens of election judges, but there are other options to avoid the wait. He said they have just under 150 judges eligible ready to work. But that’s less than he would like, leaving him with tough decisions to make. […] He said he needs at least three judges to run a polling place. Ammons wanted 66 locations across the county, requiring around 200 people. But this time around, he’s working with about 150.
* WGLT | Crucial water system upgrades are in Bloomington’s plans: The City of Bloomington doesn’t know what’s happening to up to 3 million gallons of water per day — and it could be more during the summer. An aging treatment and distribution system is a root cause. “Right now, we have a 30% loss rate from when water leaves the water plant to what we are actually billing for,” said City Manager Jeff Jurgens. “It’s a staggering number.” The city pumps an average of 10 to 10.5 million gallons per day, and up to 12 million gallons at some points in the summer.
* BND | State-funded program opens ‘barrier-free’ path to clean energy jobs in metro-east: Macedonia Development Corporation, with the help of other area organizations, brought the program to East St. Louis. All East St. Louis program participants received foundational environmental education and general industry training, and then could specialize and earn certifications in either weatherization — which refers to ways to make buildings more energy-efficient — or solar power. All of this is free of charge to the participants, thanks to state funding.
* BND | East St. Louis hopes to save one of the nation’s first Black public schools : In the decades following the American Civil War, John Robinson, a Civil War veteran and former slave, had a revolutionary idea: a school for Black children. At the time, most Black people had to attend schools hosted in a variety of settings, such as churches or home basements. Seeing the disparity, Robinson helped organize and lead a protest of Black mothers and students into the nearby, all-white Clay School to demand equitable education.
* WCIA | Illinois secures ten-seed for Big Ten Tournament with home loss to Minnesota: Illinois hosted No. 22 Minnesota for Senior Day in the last game of the year, coming back from as much as a 15-point deficit to tie the game with less than a minute to play. The Gophers pulled away at the charity stripe and handed Illinois a 78-73 loss. With the loss, Illinois finishes the season with a 19-10 record and 9-9 in Big Ten play to secure a ten-seed in the Big Ten Tournament. The Illini will play 15-seed Wisconsin on Wednesday, March 4 in Indianapolis.
*** National ***
* WaPo | An Ohio newspaper has a new star writer. It isn’t human: On social media, industry veterans recoiled at the sentiment. Former Financial Times editor Lionel Barber called it “beyond dumb.” Axios reporter Sam Allard defended the applicant for “wanting to be a journalist instead of an AI content farmer.” HuffPost editor Philip Lewis wrote, “An editor for a newspaper encouraging ‘removing writing from reporters’ workloads’ should just resign.” As once-robust metropolitan newspapers across the country lay off reporters, shutter bureaus and scale back ambitions, the 184-year-old Plain Dealer, known online as Cleveland.com, is at the forefront of an industry-wide push to reimagine journalism for the AI age.
* WIRED | X Is Drowning in Disinformation Following US and Israeli Attack on Iran: Elon Musk’s social media platform is a verifiable mess: In some cases, alleged video footage of the attack shared in posts on X are actually months or years old. In several posts, video footage of apparent attacks have been attributed to incorrect locations. A number of images shared on X appear to be altered or generated with AI. Other posts attempt to pass off video game footage as scenes from the conflict.
* Rich asked me to take over our daily early morning post during Women’s History Month.
I didn’t know much about Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings until late last year, when I was reading about Amy Winehouse. Jones’ Dap-Kings were obviously central to the sound and success of Winehouse’s “Back to Black.”
Jones recorded her first solo track at 40. Before that, she worked as a corrections officer at Rikers Island. She released her debut album in 2002, “Dap Dippin’ with Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings.”
Jones died in 2016 at 60. We were lucky to have her…
