* Shaw Local News Network…

The owner-operator of the nuclear generating stations at Byron and Braidwood said Tuesday that it will invest $800 million in new equipment to increase the combined output of the plants by approximately 135 megawatts.

Constellation, which made the announcement, said the increase is enough to power the equivalent of 100,000 average homes 24-7 for a year. […]

It’s the carbon-footprint equivalent of removing 171,000 gas-powered vehicles from the road per year, or the equivalent of adding 216 intermittent wind turbines to the grid, according to Environmental Protection Agency data. […]

The company said the state legislature’s Climate and Equitable Jobs Act in 2021 and the congressional Inflation Reduction Act in 2022 paved the way for this investment.

* Hilarious…

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis continued his crusade against the proverbial wokeness infiltrating local governments across the country by taking aim at Illinois and Chicago during his visit to Elmhurst on Monday.

During the invite-only event at the Knights of Columbus hall, DeSantis said Chicago and the state was faced with a crime problem because of “woke” policies and an active effort to “defund the police.”

“I know they slashed police spending for a while here in Illinois and in Chicago,” DeSantis said to the crowd. “We said that that’s totally unacceptable in Florida and yes, we were not going to do that at the state level, of course.”

But a look at police budgets in Illinois, Chicago and two other large cities in the state show funding for police has only grown since 2020. During the last three years, state police funding is up 15%; Chicago police funding is up 11%; Aurora police funding is up 17% and Joliet police funding is up 2%.

Some people just love looking for ways to be angry.

Chart…

Gov. @RonDeSantisFL said in Elmhurst the other day that Illinois and Chicago "slashed police spending."
Nope. Not even a little.@_ManuelRamos_ with the fact check:https://t.co/ZVFpa8y6VX pic.twitter.com/Z2rxVJZ42L

— Alex Nitkin (@AlexNitkin) February 23, 2023

* Tina Sfondeles…

In the adjacent 23rd Ward, former Madigan ally Ald. Silvana Tabares faces Eddie Guillen. A West Lawn resident, Guillen is a community organizer, small business owner and former chief of staff for state Rep. Angie Guerrero-Cuellar — who was appointed by Madigan to replace him after his resignation in 2021.

Tabares was initially appointed to her City Council seat by former Mayor Rahm Emanuel when Ald. Mike Zalewski retired in 2018. A state representative at the time, Tabares was a close Madigan ally.

But when Madigan relinquished his Illinois House seat, Tabares called for a “transparent” process in appointing his successor — and she didn’t vote for Madigan’s initial choice for the post.

Asked if she believes Madigan put Guillen up to run against her, Tabares said, “the facts speak for themselves.”

“He was on the payroll, and he has been receiving money from labor groups that are closely aligned with Madigan,” Tabares said.

The whole thing is definitely worth a read.

* Isabel’s roundup…

* Tribune | Chicago boosters for 2024 Democratic Convention using Georgia gun laws to try to edge out Atlanta: With a decision possibly weeks away, officials involved agree that Atlanta and Chicago appear to lead New York, the third of the finalists still under consideration. Union officials have for weeks pressed President Joe Biden and the Democratic National Committee to pick the more union-friendly city; Chicago has 45 unionized hotels, while Atlanta has just two, they say.

* WTWO | U of I wants bigger budget from the state but calls Pritzker’s proposal ‘strong commitment’: “Is this enough? You know, we’re asking for more,” he said. “Our budget request is for 10%. Seven percent is a very strong number. It’s a strong commitment. And we’re delighted to see that and very supportive of Governor Pritzker has value-laden budget.”

* Crain’s | State officials eye Akorn Pharma for laying off 400 amid bankruptcy: Akorn Pharmaceuticals, a Gurnee-based maker of generic drugs, is under investigation by the Illinois Department of Labor after the company filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy this week and abruptly notified about 400 workers that they’re out of a job.

* WGIL | Knox County a “sanctuary county’ for firearms owners. Board debates assault weapons ban: Board members in a 9-5 split vote on Wednesday night approved the resolution that opposes Public Act 102-1116 – also known as HB5471 or the Protect Illinois Communities Act.

* Sun-Times | Police urge Jewish, other religious communities to be vigilant this weekend as neo-Nazi group declares ‘day of hate’: “At this time, there is no actionable intelligence,” according to the Chicago Police Department. “We continue to actively monitor the situation.”

* Daily Herald | Ice storm leaves nearly 100,000 without power, closes schools: In a statement on the company’s outage map site, ComEd officials said “we expect 80% of outages in your region to be restored by Thursday evening and the majority of our remaining outages restored by Saturday evening.”

* Reuters | U.S. groups suing to ban abortion pill lose bid for early trial: A Texas federal judge on Tuesday refused to set an accelerated trial schedule for a lawsuit by anti-abortion groups seeking to end U.S. sales of the abortion pill mifepristone, in a case that could severely disrupt access to medication abortion nationwide.

* Crain’s | Railroads fought to crush rules that Biden aims to revive after Ohio derailment: Our experience is that “the rail industry pushes back hard on both safety and public disclosure rules — and keeps that opposition up long after the public scrutiny of tragic accidents abates,” said Kristen Boyles, managing attorney for the environmental group Earthjustice. “There should be a renewed push for safer trains and safer rail cars following the disaster in Ohio, and that pressure will need to be applied for as long as it takes to get new safety requirements and regulations in place.”

* NPR | NPR announces layoffs as tough financial outlook impacts media industry: Here & Now‘s Scott Tong speaks with NPR media correspondent David Folkenflik about NPR’s plan to cut 10% of the workforce and recent layoffs at other media companies.

* Press release | Illinois churches forgive almost $6 million in medical debt statewide: Thirty three churches and 36 individuals funded the Conference’s primary buy of $41,707 — which wiped out almost $6 million in debt for households in 78 of Illinois’ 102 counties. The donations were sent through the National Setting to UCC partner, RIP Medical Debt, a non-profit which buys up debt on the secondary market for pennies on the dollar.

* Sun-Times | Nearing 100, Artist Laureate of Illinois Kay Smith says her passion for painting keeps her going: Smith was named a laureate along with five other recipients in 1994 by the Lincoln Academy of Illinois, for “contributions to the betterment of humanity that have been accomplished in or on behalf of the State of Illinois.”