* Good news for the Gilman area…

Today, Governor JB Pritzker joined state and local leaders along with the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO) to celebrate the groundbreaking of Incobrasa Industries LTD’s expanded manufacturing facility. The expansion represents more than $250 million capital investment and will create 40 new full-time jobs while retaining 200 jobs - generating economic benefit for the region and state.

“With Incobrasa’s announced expansion today, the company will more than double its production capacity by 2030. That’s a win for Gilman, for Illinois, and for the nation,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “In addition to sustaining and creating new, permanent, good-paying careers, this new $250 million expansion will mean dozens of construction and installation jobs for workers here in Iroquois County and across the region. We’re making it easier for companies to do business in Illinois. We’re investing in our skilled workforce. And we’re modernizing our transportation systems, roads, ports and airports. Illinois is on the rise and open for business.”

Incobrasa is an industry leader in soybean processing that has had a manufacturing presence in Illinois since 1997. The company’s capital investment will construct a new soybean crushing facility – adding 170,000 square feet of new state-of-the-art production facilities. The company will also be constructing a 50-acre solar array to help fuel the facilities.

The Gilman plant processes soybeans to produce animal feed, packaged vegetable oil, and biodiesel. This expansion will enable the company to make use of the vast supply of soybeans that are available in Illinois, which is the largest soybean producer in the United States. […]

As part of the expansion, the company received an Economic Development for a Growing Economy (EDGE) tax credit, which specifies a minimum capital investment of $155.8 million. A link to the full agreement can be found here.

It’s really a nice little town.

* Crain’s…

Northwestern University today announced the opening of the Ryan Institute on Complexity as part of a $480 million donation from the Ryan family — the same donation that went in part toward updating Ryan Field.

The new institute will focus on conducting research on how interconnected systems impact business using big data and artificial intelligence. The institute will be led by three professors at the Kellogg School of Management. Research from the institute will “drive the creation of unique curriculum at Kellogg, including the first PhD training program in a business school helping to train future thought leaders in complexity,” according to a press release.

* Rep. Miller (R-No Relation)…

Congresswoman Mary Miller (R-IL) released the following statement posing a question from parents for Governor Pritzker and President Biden’s Secretary of Education as they visit a school in Illinois today.

“Governor Pritzker and Secretary Cardona oppose parental rights and believe young children should be indoctrinated with radical “gender ideology” politics in the classroom behind their parents’ backs,” Miller said.

“JB Pritzker signed the most radical sexual education curriculum in the country. Pritzker and Cardona have led the effort to violate Title IX by forcing our daughters to compete against men in sports, and they want to force schools to allow men into girls’ locker rooms and bathrooms.

“Parents should be in charge of their child’s education, not radical politicians like Pritzker and Cardona who believe teachers should be discussing chemical castration and gender reassignment with your child.

“After the country watched Joe Biden put a mask back on yesterday, the big question parents want the “press” to ask Gov. Pritzker and Sec. Cardona right now is: Are you going to ignore parents by once again forcing your illegal COVID mask mandates on our students?”

We have vaccines and treatments now. That’s why the hospitals aren’t full. This mask fear on the far right is ridic.

* To the campaign trail…

After losing the Illinois gubernatorial race in 2022 to incumbent JB Pritzker, Darren Bailey said he initially wanted to return full-time to his farm in Clay County, Illinois, and not return to politics.

When asked by mywabashvalley.com why he decided to run in another political race, this time for Illinois’ 12th Congressional District, he pointed to his supporters.

“My wife and family and friends, we prayed and we fasted for 10 days,” Bailey recalled. “And we feel like this is a mission field, this mission field of government, and for such a time as this, that we belong here as the people, the grassroots movement all across the state that fought so hard, for two years in the race for governor. And we believe that by going to DC, having a larger platform, a larger voice, that we’ll be able to shine that light back on the woes and the failings of Illinois and eventually reverse the tide.” […]

When asked about reaching across the aisle to achieve bipartisan legislation, Bailey referenced his work in Springfield.

“On several occasion, the other side of the aisle literally came to me as probably one of the most conservative voices in Springfield because they knew my interest,” Bailey said. “Whether it was education, whether it was the pharmaceutical benefit managers, getting them out of the way to make pharmaceuticals cheaper.”

* Politico…

Tom Demmer, the former Republican state representative, says he won’t run for the state Senate seat now held by Sen. Win Stoller, who announced last week he wouldn’t seek re-election.

“I’ve decided not to run,” he told Playbook. “I like what I’m doing now. It’s great to be in town and home with my family. So, I’ve decided to pass on this year’s race,” he said, leaving a glimmer of an opening that he might run for public office down the road. Demmer is the executive director of the Lee County Industrial Development Association, a position he took after making an unsuccessful run for state Treasurer last year.

— Tosi Ufodike, an Ela Township trustee, has created a committee to run as a Republican against Democratic state Rep. Nabeela Syed in Illinois House District 51, according to a Board of Elections filing. […]

— Republican Desi Anderson announces run against Democratic state Rep. Sharon Chung, by WGLT’s Ryan Denham

* Isabel’s roundup…

* Sun-Times | Madigan won’t run for committeeperson, marking full stop end to his political career: Ald. Marty Quinn (13th) is circulating petitions for the 13th Ward spot after Madigan, 81, opted not to run. Madigan’s racketeering trial is set for April 1 — 13 days after the March 19 Illinois primary. … Madigan’s decision not to run for committeeperson was first reported by CapitolFax.com.

* Crain’s | Illinois delays copay requirement for noncitizens: In June, HFS announced it would roll back several health care provisions for noncitizens between the ages of 42 and 64 covered by the HBIA program as well as those over 65 who are covered by the HBIS program. Among those concessions, HFS would require copays from enrollees who were not eligible for a federal match. That would mean inpatient visits could cost $250 and an emergency visit could impose a $100 copay.

* Center Square | FEMA surveying damage from summer flooding in Illinois: “When it comes to the basement, peoples’ furnaces and things like that have been damaged so FEMA is not about making you 100 percent whole, we want to get you back to your living conditions,” said Larissa Hale, Media Relations Specialist with FEMA.

* WBEZ | Advocates hope cycling safety is prioritized in upcoming city budget: Year after year, Chicago has consistently ranked among the worst big cities in the world for bike safety. In March, the Chicago Department of Transportation released the Chicago Cycling Strategy, a report outlining the city’s plan to improve its cycling infrastructure.

* Crain’s | Johnson has few wells to tap for his lofty spending goals as first budget looms: Johnson is tentatively scheduled to release his first budget proposal on Oct. 11 and has given no indication he’ll flip-flop on raising property taxes. But absent other sources of revenue that are unlikely to materialize this year, his first spending plan will be measured on the down payments it lays down, rather than “transformative investments,” according to his allies in the City Council.

* SJ-R | U.S. Secretary of Education Cardona to visit Springfield’s Fairview Elementary Wednesday: Cardona will visit Fairview Elementary School alongside Gov. JB Pritzker, Illinois State Superintendent of Education Tony Sanders and District 186 Superintendent Jennifer Gill. Fairview’s after-school program is part of the district’s academic recovery efforts following the pandemic.

* Crain’s | United CFO shoots down worries over an HQ move: United Airlines doesn’t plan to move its headquarters to Denver, where it recently purchased 113 acres of land. “There are no imminent plans for that,” Gerald Laderman, the airline’s chief financial officer, said this morning at the TD Cowen Global Transportation Conference in Boston. “We have a long-term lease at Willis Tower. We’ve been there for decades in Chicago. Denver is like Houston. We have lots of facilities in Houston.”

* Sun-Times | Officer uses Narcan to help 2 migrants outside West Side police station: A Chicago police officer used Narcan to aid two migrants experiencing potential overdoses outside the Harrison District police station. On Friday night, officers were alerted to two men unresponsive outside the station at 3151 W. Harrison St., according to a police report.

* WGN | Highland Park hosting ‘poverty simulation’ event: “Participants in this immersive experience will begin to experience what a “month” in poverty feels like. Participants are put into situations in which they do not have enough resources and are forced to make difficult choices that can negatively impact them and their families. The outcome is increased awareness of the need for resources to support those living in poverty to create a more resilient health, human, and education sector in our local area,” a description for the event reads.

* Tribune | Women in motorcycle groups travel far and wide to find fellowship and adventure outside the flatlands of the Chicago area: “I live in the city of Chicago, so it’s 50 miles to start getting into something that’s interesting, road-wise,” said M.J. Candido, president of the Furies Motorcycle Club and the organizer of this particular trip. “We like to ride out in the country and get some great scenery. We like to get out of the cities, stopping at local restaurants and businesses along the way.”

* NYT | America’s Fire Spotters Aren’t Ready to Fade Away Just Yet: Mr. Haugen has worked for more than half of his 52 years as a fire lookout, scanning the larch and pine wilderness from a one-room mountaintop cabin. Alone most of the time but for his thoughts, his mutt, Ollie, and the occasional crackle of voices on the radio, he is part of a nationwide band of professional watchers who, like lighthouse keepers, stand on solitary guard between civilization and nature’s uncaring whims.

* SJ-R | Springfield City Council’s move on new business district boosts sports complex: Tuesday’s generally supportive mood by the council members was a departure from last week’s committee of the whole meeting when frustration boiled over about the lack of progress on the $67 million 95-acre complex designed to attract traveling athletic teams for weekend tournaments.