* Ben Szalinski…

The state’s down payment on the Smart Start program to boost PreK enrollment and eliminate education deserts created 5,823 new PreK spots. The goal was 5,000 for the first year. #twill https://t.co/NISElSQkvr pic.twitter.com/QrZw5hNrQB

— Ben Szalinski (@BenSzalinski) January 18, 2024

* Press release…

In 2023, the Illinois State Police’s (ISP) modernization of the Divisions of Patrol, the creation of Special Operation Groups focused on criminal interdiction, and the continued implementation of a data-focused command structure led to a decrease in interstate shootings and fatal crashes. These same enforcement strategies also yielded more arrests, as well as increases in gun and vehicle recoveries.

“ISP saw a growing problem in Illinois, used data and first-hand expertise to efficiently address problems, and achieved results—the absolute model of what state government can and should do for its citizens,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “The decrease in fatal expressway shootings and crashes is an important step on the road to a safer Illinois, and I thank ISP for their innovation and dedication to advancing this work.”

“As an agency, we’ve become more nimble and focused on data, making decisions based on where the greatest threats to public safety emerge, rather than following the same old pattern or habits,” said ISP Director Brendan F. Kelly. “Over the past several years, we have really demanded more of ourselves, making the tough decisions, executing, and empowering the most effective law enforcement tool there is – the well-trained, professional, crime-fighting trooper. Challenges remain, but we are headed in a good direction.”

2023-2022 Patrol Enforcement Data:

Interstate/expressway shootings: In 2023, ISP saw a 32% decrease in reported interstate/expressway shootings from2022.
Fatal Crashes: In 2023, ISP responded to 7% fewer fatal crashes on interstates than in 2022.
Arrests: In 2023, ISP saw a 3% increase in patrol arrests from 2022 (6,543 arrests in 2023).
Guns Recovered: In 2023, ISP patrol reported a 12% increase in guns recovered from 2022.
Vehicles Recovered: In 2023, ISP patrol saw a 7% increase in vehicles recovered from 2022.

* From the Illinois Local Journalism Task Force’s report this week…

Five of Illinois’ 102 counties have no local source of news, and 33 rely on just a single source, according to The State of Local News 2023, a research project led by Northwestern’s Medill Local News Initiative. The report focused on “news deserts,” which Abernathy defines as “a community, either rural or urban, where residents have very limited access to credible and comprehensive news and information that feeds democracy at the grassroots level and nurtures community.”

The five no-local-news Illinois counties are Pulaski, Alexander, Perry, Hamilton, and Edwards.

Jeff Egbert at the Perry County Weekly-Press begs to differ. “I’ve published a newspaper in Perry County for the last 14 years,” he told Rich via email.

He also pointed out that the McLeansboro Gazette operates out of Hamilton County.

* Mariah Woelfel…

Former Mayor Lori Lightfoot is hosting a City Club roundtable on neighborhood investment (her first public event in Chicago since leaving office). Comes as she announces a new non-profit called Chicago Vibrant Neighborhoods Collective to help orgs in disinvested neighborhoods. pic.twitter.com/xJtbQRsF1G

— Mariah Woelfel (@MariahWoelfel) January 18, 2024

* Rockford Register Star…

Stellantis’ estimated $4.8 billion plan to build a new vehicle at the Belvidere Assembly Plant, construct a battery production facility and establish a parts distribution “mega hub” could require what officials say is a tremendous amount of additional water, power and sewer capacity. […]

But officials say utilities would have to be extended to an area along Irene Road west of the Belvidere Assembly Plant where Stellantis has told the United Auto Workers it intends to build a $3.2 billion “joint venture” battery production facility.

Four Rivers Sanitation Authority Executive Director Tim Hanson said his office is preparing an estimated $32 million plan talked about for three decades to extend sanitary sewer lines to the area from Cherry Valley to service the Stellantis facility and any suppliers that will be needed. […]

A Winnebago County-based agency that cleans 1.5 billion gallons of sewage a year, Four Rivers has the capacity needed for the project, Hanson said. It would require an agreement in which Boone County owns the pipeline and Four Rivers Sanitation manages it, Hanson said.

How the sanitary sewer pipeline — which would have a main trunk more than 3 miles long and a diameter of up to 42-inches — and an estimated $5 million lift station in Cherry Valley would be paid for remains a question.

* Here’s the rest…

* Daily-Journal | Job seekers seek Gotion during first recruiting event: “They have every right to oppose it. We have every right to work. I understand their side, but they have to understand the side of the people who have bills to pay.”

* PJ Star | Precision Planting has opened a massive new facility in Morton. Take a peek inside: The new plant, which opened in November, gives Precision Planting three times more space to work with and allowed it to consolidate operations from seven buildings into one. The complex is home to 240 workers.

* Sun-Times | Car insurance rates went up again for Illinois drivers last year, analysis shows: The price of car insurance for Illinois drivers surged by more than $1.25 billion last year — following a $1.1 billion increase in 2022, according to a consumer group’s analysis of rate filings. The report only looked at the 10 largest auto insurers, who represent 81% of Illinois’ auto insurance market, and suggested that rates could have risen even more last year

* SJ-R | Springfield-area candidates file quarterly campaign finance reports: What to know: Springfield-area candidates are beginning their campaign pushes in 2024, buttressing their campaign chests with the primaries just more than two months away. Quarterly reports were filed with the Illinois State Board of Elections this week, showing how much candidates have made and spent between October and December. It was the last full quarter before the primary election scheduled for March 19.

* The Telegraph | Ethics violation by Madison County’s Prenzler under investigation: No action was taken by the Madison County Executive Committee against county board Chairman Kurt Prenzler over a reported ethics violation relating to passing out campaign material on county property during business hours, but the panel could consider the issue next month.

* Tribune | Cook County records seventh weather-related death as cold snap eases: Two new cold weather deaths have brought the total number of confirmed or suspected Cook County weather deaths to seven since a snowstorm and frigid temperatures swept through the Midwest, officials said Wednesday.

* WTTW | Chicago Won’t Evict Migrants Until Feb. 1, Officials Announce: Initially, Johnson granted approximately 650 migrants a week-long reprieve, until Jan. 22, which is set to be the first day of above freezing temperatures in a week. As many as 1,800 migrants could be evicted from city shelters Feb. 1, according to city data. Another 1,600 people could be evicted Feb. 2. It is unclear how many of the 3,400 migrants set to be evicted will be able to find permanent housing in the next two weeks or obtain work permits.

* Daily-Journal | Manteno also passes migrant bus ordinance: “Due to the recent events with buses dropping off migrants at unannounced and random locations, the village is adopting this ordinance in an effort to prevent those random events,” said Trustee Todd Crockett. “The village has limited resources, and bus drivers who make these random drops are putting the lives of those at risk.”

* Tribune | Feds want a year in prison for Chicago cop who entered Capitol on Jan. 6 and texted friend: ‘It was epic’: Next week, Chicago police Officer Karol Chwiesiuk will face sentencing along with his sister on misdemeanor charges of breaching the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, and walking around the building while the mob trashed the Senate chambers and fought with Capitol police.

* WCIA | Kyle Patterson named new Champaign Township Supervisor: Patterson is a Champaign County board member and serves as an Urbana Cunningham Township case manager. Council members said the position is an opportunity to show how the new supervisor handles the position under pressure and during the upcoming election.

* Sun-Times | Pitchfork hit by layoffs, downgrade, but music festival will continue: Pitchfork’s owner, media empire Condé Nast, said Wednesday it has folded the brand into GQ, another title at the company. “This decision was made after a careful evaluation of Pitchfork’s performance and what we believe is the best path forward for the brand so that our coverage of music can continue to thrive within the company,” Condé Nast chief content officer Anna Wintour wrote in a memo to staff.

* Farm Progress | 8 questions with Illinois Pork Producers: Jennifer Tirey, Illinois Pork Producers Association executive director, has a lot of good reasons for folks to come to this year’s expo. “We’re a small but mighty group, and we need their voice. Lawmakers take my calls, but they really want to hear from actual producers,” Tirey says. “I can’t stress enough how showing up for your industry will help everyone in the long run.”

* Sun-Times | Nearly 100 cats and dogs saved from PAWS Tinley Park fire: Fire crews rescued 55 dogs and 42 cats from the building and brought them to Midwest Animal Hospital, where they were treated into the night, according to the Tinley Park public safety department. No injuries were reported, but 14 cats and two dogs showed signs of respiratory distress from smoke inhalation.

* WCIA | Springfield Horseshoe Sandwich Trail offers rewarding way to eat local: The City of Springfield has launched the Springfield Horseshoe Sandwich Trail, a free program that aims to highlight local eateries through a mobile passport.

* CNN | Uvalde school massacre could have been stopped sooner, DOJ report finds: Critical failures in leadership among specific law enforcement officers who rushed to Robb Elementary are blamed by the Justice Department, whose 575-page report nearly 20 months after the massacre is the fullest official accounting of what happened, though much already was known largely through CNN investigation.