* Thank you to all who have donated! We’ve raised just under $26,000, that’s around 1,032 presents for children in foster care. But LSSI serves 2,530 children in Illinois. We have a long way to go. So please, donate today.

* Crain’s…

Toni Preckwinkle is tired of the bickering over how Cook County values commercial properties for tax purposes. She’s hoping a new set of recommendations will fix the problem.

The Cook County Board president last week issued a series of practices she expects Cook County Assessor Fritz Kaegi and the county’s Board of Review to adopt to improve an assessment process she says has been flawed for decades and needs substantial reform to be fair to taxpayers.

At the heart of the recommendations: The assessor’s office and the appeals board need to start sharing more data, consulting with each other about it and using a more uniform approach to deciding how much commercial buildings countywide are worth.

* Attorney General Kwame Raoul…

Attorney General Kwame Raoul today joined the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA) in announcing significant action to address chronic failures of the sanitary sewer systems in Cahokia Heights and East St. Louis. […]

Raoul and the DOJ filed the lawsuit and consent decree to resolve allegations the city of Cahokia Heights violated federal and state environmental protection laws that stem from the city’s failure to address sanitary sewer overflows. Aging infrastructure and years of poor maintenance and neglect have led to more than 300 occasions of sanitary sewage being discharged to nearby waterways in violation of the Clean Water Act since November 2019.

The consent decree requires Cahokia Heights to pay a $30,000 civil penalty and invest approximately $30 million in extensive sewer improvement projects, conduct system-wide repairs and ensure the community is updated with its progress on upgrades.

Raoul and the DOJ filed a separate lawsuit against the city of East St. Louis over its alleged failure to develop a long-term control plan to properly clean and maintain its combined sewer system. The lawsuit alleges the city regularly releases sewage into the Mississippi River and Whispering Willow Lake during periods of heavy rain. Whispering Willow Lake is located within Frank Holten State Park where fishing, boating and other public activities take place.

Raoul’s lawsuit seeks to require the city of East St. Louis to cease further violations of the Clean Water Act and the Illinois Environmental Protection Act and implement actions to ensure compliance with state and federal environmental laws. […]

Cahokia Heights and East St. Louis are both located in a floodplain with a high groundwater table, requiring sewer operators to be vigilant in maintaining pipes to prevent water infiltration and inflow into the system.

* Capital B News published a great write up of the ‘sewage crisis’ in Cahokia Heights…

Each time it rains, even if it’s just a light rainfall, the streets of Cahokia Heights, Illinois, flood. But that’s not all. Those floodwaters bring in a nightmarish brown tide, a disgusting slurry that engulfs the area, dragging with it the stench of human excrement and decay.

With such constant and high floodwaters, people have resorted to using boats to navigate the coffee-stained water that inundates their neighborhoods, while homes suffer the long-term damage of mold and residents reel from bacteria exposure. It’s a story that has become far too common in rural Black communities. With aging infrastructure and dwindling local budgets, drinking water and sewage crises have propped up nationwide in Black communities.

Despite years of warnings, pleas for help, and several lawsuits, state and local officials have failed to address Cahokia Heights’ crisis even after receiving tens of millions of dollars of state and federal support since the late 1980s. The stench of neglect has been inescapable there in the 75% Black city— formed by the merger of the three towns of Centreville, Alorton, and Cahokia — that was deemed the poorest place in America in 2018.

Yet, the U.S. Department of Justice, the Environmental Protection Agency, and Illinois just put forth a move that they claim will usher in a new reality for residents. On Tuesday, the agencies announced that they were putting the city under a consent decree. On average, less than four municipalities are put under such agreements every year, and rarely are they ever implemented in a town so small. (Cahokia Heights has fewer than 18,000 residents.)

* Sun-Times…

Gov. JB Pritzker on Thursday announced that IBM will partner with the state to create a new national quantum algorithm center in Chicago — marking the first Fortune 500 company to join the soon-to-be-constructed Illinois Quantum and Microelectronics Park on the Far South Side.

It’s a huge win for Pritzker, who has for years sought to make Illinois a global leader in quantum computing and innovation. The announcement comes a day after the City Council gave the multibillion-dollar quantum computing campus final zoning approval.

The newly announced National Quantum Algorithm Center will be anchored by IBM’s modular quantum computer, called IBM Quantum System Two, which will try to advance quantum supercomputing across industries.

“We’re making Illinois the global quantum capital and the center for job growth in the quantum industry — a true center of innovation with the power to solve the world’s most pressing and complex challenges,” Pritzker said in a statement.

* Tribune…

President Joe Biden on Thursday commuted the sentences of two of the Chicago area’s most notorious fraudsters: former Dixon Comptroller Rita Crundwell, who embezzled nearly $54 million from the tiny town to fund a lavish lifestyle, and Eric Bloom, the onetime leader of a Northbrook management firm who defrauded investors of more than $665 million.

The decisions in the clemency petitions for Crundwell and Bloom were announced by the White House as part of a massive list of some 39 pardons and 1,499 commutations. Biden’s orders do not wipe out their felony convictions, but end their sentences immediately.

Crundwell, 71, pleaded guilty in 2012 to what authorities then called the largest municipal fraud in the country’s history, admitting she stole $53.7 million from the city over more than a decade and used the money to finance her quarter horse business and lavish lifestyle.

She was sentenced in 2013 to nearly 20 years in federal prison. In April 2020, Crundwell had petitioned a federal judge for early compassionate release based on her poor health and the COVID-19 pandemic.

* Illini News Bureau | Illinois historian says Midwest played a crucial role in Black freedom movements worldwide: The Midwest played a central role in the growth of Black freedom movements in the 20th century. It was a key site for incubating and expanding the ideas of political activist Marcus Garvey, not only in the U.S., but globally, said University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign professor of African American studies and history Erik S. McDuffie. McDuffie examined the influence of Garvey and the importance of the Midwest in the growth of Black internationalism and radicalism in his new book, “The Second Battle for Africa: Garveyism, the U.S. Heartland and Global Black Freedom.”

* Tribune | What to know about tonight’s Chicago Board of Education meeting: CTU to rally before contract discussion: An hour before the meeting begins, the Chicago Teachers Union will demonstrate outside the district’s administrative offices in Greater Grand Crossing demanding their four-year contract be settled before the Trump administration is sworn in. They are tying their contract demands to fears of changes on the federal level due to Project 2025. Once the board is seated, among the most salient topics is a discussion on the district’s response to the planned closure of seven schools operated by the Acero charter network at the end of the school year. The district will present options for the families of the approximately 2,000 predominantly Latino students impacted, according to the meeting agenda. Whether ongoing political tension over the Chicago Teachers Union contract negotiations will come to a head remains to be seen.

* WBEZ | ‘Shame on you!’ Acero Charter community tells charter leaders: During the board meeting, which was held inside the school’s gymnasium, Acero officials ceded their speaking time to allow more time for public comment. It was the first time since the closures were announced that families had a chance to face the board, CTU leaders said. More than 200 people packed the gym. Speakers, including several young children, had harsh words for Acero leaders.

* WTTW | Jury Awards Nearly $80M to Family of Girl Killed During 2020 Chicago Police Chase: A spokesperson for the city’s Department of Law said officials are “reviewing the verdict.” If the verdict is upheld, it would nearly equal city’s annual $82 million budget to cover the cost of police misconduct lawsuits. In all, Chicago taxpayers have spent more than $73 million from January 2019 to August 2024 to resolve two dozen lawsuits filed by Chicagoans injured during police pursuits, according to an analysis of city data by WTTW News.

* Sun-Times | Bitter cold cracks CTA Brown Line rail, service fully resumed: “The cracked rail was likely caused by the cold,” said Gonzalez. “They did make the repair.” Shuttle buses were made available between Kimball and Southport to provide connecting service through the affected area, the CTA said.

* Chicago Mag | Why Does the City’s Border Extend North of Howard Street in Rogers Park?: When Rogers Park was annexed to Chicago, in 1893, Howard Street became the city’s boundary with Evanston. The little 80-acre neighborhood just north of Howard along the lake was known as Germania, after the German immigrants who had settled there. But Germania had a problem. It was cut off from the rest of Evanston by Calvary Catholic Cemetery to the north and later by the L tracks to the west. That made it impossible for the suburb to extend electrical or sewer lines to its southeasternmost district. “The territory received almost no services from Evanston,” the Tribune reported at the time. As a result, Germania picked up a new nickname: No Man’s Land.

* Daily Herald | Elgin Salvation Army ‘very afraid’ of not having enough toys for area kids at Christmas: More than 1,700 children from 540 families are signed up to receive what could be their only Christmas gifts this year. “Many families are debating between buying Christmas presents or buying food,” Viquez said. “A lot of people rely on us. They really need it, and we need support from the community.”

* Naperville Sun | Naperville Riverwalk expansion, renovation plans for 2031 anniversary making progress: There are a total of 12 projects the city wants to tackle over the next seven years to help ring in the Riverwalk’s 50th birthday. Work is laid out in the 2031 Riverwalk Master Plan, which was endorsed in fall 2020 to guide future development. Aspirations are big and small, ranging from building out new sections of the Riverwalk to ecological restoration along its riverbank. The multistep, multimillion-dollar initiative is split between capital and enhancement projects. There are six of each, according to the city’s master plan.

* WSIL | New inmate work detail program announced in Williamson County: The new program at the jail went into effect on December 12, and will take non-violent offenders, with low-level offenses, and they will help as volunteers to pick up trash and clean up the area. While out on the site, the sheriff’s office will alert citizens of their presence in the area to let them know they are working.

* Smile Politely | A loving tribute to the valiant guardians of Illinois Terminal: Try as I might, I could not find any information about this massive frieze and these two sculptures. There’s no plaque or anything nearby giving artist information, and the internet yielded nothing. I must assume that these powerful artifacts have always been here, and the Illinois Terminal was simply built around them.

* WCIA | Kofusion under investigation after employees allege owners pocket percentage of tips: Kofusion, an Asian restaurant located on Main Street, is under investigation by the Illinois Department of Labor for wage-related violations, a spokesperson with the agency confirmed. WCIA obtained documents from several investigations through a Freedom of Information Act request. The claims are related to the amount tipped employees, both current and former, are paid. Receipts submitted by employees to the IDOL show that employees have to tip out between 5-8% of their earnings if they reach a certain total in sales each shift.

* WSIL | Rend Lake College welders partner with Cedarhurst for holiday display creation: Rend Lake College’s welding program, along with their instructor Mike Meinert, created a partnership with Cedarhurst Center for the Arts to help with a decoration at the Lights at Cedarhurst. “We have partnered with Cedarhurst for the last two years, helping them with their Christmas decoration display,” says Meinert. “Asking us to partner with them has been great for both the students in welding as well as the college being able to display the program’s potential in creative design.”