* ICYMI:Illinois election officials to consider removing Trump from March primary ballot. WBEZ…

- The Illinois State Board of Elections is expected to consider the recommendation Tuesday.

- The effort in Illinois to keep Trump off the March ballot is similar to those filed in several other states.

- The objection to Trump’s candidacy was brought by five Illinois voters, a national voting-rights organization involved in trying to keep Trump off the ballot and two Chicago law firms.

* Related stories…

∙ Tribune: Debate from 1866 over 14th Amendment raging anew with challenges to Trump’s place on ballot
∙ AP: Illinois election officials to weigh recommendation to remove Trump’s name from March primary ballot
∙ NYT: Illinois Hearing Officer, Ex-G.O.P. Judge, Says Trump Engaged in Insurrection

* Isabel’s top picks…

* Tribune | Despite state law to address controversy, Wheeling Township blocks taxes for new mental health program approved in referendum: “It’s just frustrating,” mental health advocate Lorri Grainawi said. “The effect is that people with mental health issues, developmental disabilities, and substance abuse are not getting the funding they need.” To honor the will of the voters, she said, the township should proceed with the new tax, or use money from its reserves to fund increased mental health services until the issue is resolved.

* NYT | As Buses of Migrants Arrive in Chicago Suburbs, Residents Debate the Role of Their Towns: In Wilmette, a town of 27,000 people where the median household income is about $183,000, dozens of residents have mobilized to help the migrants with clothing and other needs before they board trains for the so-called landing zone in downtown Chicago, where they are then routed to shelters around the city. Jessica Leving Siegel, a nonprofit marketing consultant, lugged trash bags around the Metra station one evening last week and directed fellow volunteers. Ms. Leving Siegel, who wore a messy bun and a maroon T-shirt printed with the words “We are all refugees,” has organized clothing drives and helped migrants make money by shoveling snowy sidewalks in Wilmette.

* Tribune | No help: The federal immigration deal won’t fix the migrant crisis in Chicago — and it’s unlikely to pass Congress anyway: While details of the bipartisan bill have not been made public, proposals from Republican senators center around raising the bar for migrants to claim asylum and curbing the president’s ability to grant parole — or permission to enter the United States on a temporary basis while asylum claims are reviewed by the courts. These efforts may deter the flow of migrants across borders, but there are larger factors that could keep driving immigrants to Chicago.

At 10 am Governor Pritzker will be at Google’s Chicago offices to announce next steps for Children’s Behavioral Health Transformation Initiative. Click here to watch.

* Here’s the rest of your morning roundup…

* WBEZ | The DNC is launching a neighborhood ambassadors program to recruit volunteers: The main responsibility of an ambassador will be to help recruit some of the roughly 12,000 volunteers needed for the convention. Ambassadors are expected to recruit at least 50 volunteers from their respective neighborhoods. Volunteers will be responsible for everything from assisting with media or security logistics, to meeting people at O’Hare and Midway airports to help direct them to the city.

* SJ-R | Flood stages on Sangamon River subside; rise on Illinois River still expected: “There may still be some ice on the Sangamon,” [NWS meteorologist Nicole Albano] added, “so we do need to stay vigilant for maybe some ice jam or ice activity, but with temperatures continuing to stay mild and even increasing this week, we should start to see a decrease in ice activity, at least along the Sangamon.”

* Sun-Times | Illinois home-based child care providers often make minimum wage — or less: Represented by SEIU Healthcare Illinois, the providers are currently in contract negotiations with the state over retirement benefits, training and, most importantly, pay — in the form of the state’s rates per child, which range from around $22 to $48 a day per child, depending on license status, geographic location and the child’s age.

* Chicago Reader | (Don’t) be deceived: In a shocking about-face, Illinois attorney general Kwame Raoul’s office announced an agreement last month with anti-abortion advocates that the state will not enforce legislation that would have cracked down on deceptive practices by these fake abortion clinics. It was a surprising move for the attorney general, who’d helped introduce such legislation himself earlier in 2023. As a result, many Illinois abortion rights advocates say they’ll need to work even harder to protect residents seeking reproductive health care.

* Shaw Local | Election 2024: Meet the 5 who want Lance Yednock’s seat in Illinois House: At a candidates forum Wednesday at Illinois Valley Community College, some expressed divergent views on how to alleviate the tax burden on Illinois residents. Crystal Loughran and Liz Bishop are vying for the Republican nomination, and both are political newcomers who trumpet their allegiances to constituents rather than special interests.

* Daily Herald | How much property taxes per person does it cost to run your town?: Property taxes used to fund daily operations of suburban municipalities have climbed an average of $44 per resident from 10 years ago. In at least nine suburbs, the amount of property taxes charged per resident has climbed more than $100 from a decade ago.

* Tribune | Illinois appeals courts see ‘dramatic increase’ in cases following elimination of cash bail: From Sept. 18, when the law took effect, through the end of the year, more than 1,300 pretrial appeals of detention decisions were filed in the state’s five appellate districts, an increase that comes on top of the normal caseload. In all of 2022, there were 1,981 criminal appeals filed across all five districts, according to data from the court.

* Intelligencer | ‘Enough is enough’: Feds argue against further delays in former senator McCann’s trial: McCann, a one-time gubernatorial candidate, is accused of using some of about $5 million in campaign money he oversaw for personal purchases and concealing it from donors, the state and law enforcement authorities. He originally was scheduled for trial in April 2021, two months after being indicted by a federal grand jury. Since then, scheduled trial dates have come and gone after changes in defense attorneys or because of the contention that volumes of documents and files — nearly 70,000 pages — prosecutors compiled in the case required more time to review.

* Tribune | Illinois farmers struggle to balance livelihoods with reducing agricultural runoff, a major contributor to Gulf dead zone: Nitrogen and phosphorus are flowing from the Mississippi River Basin into the Gulf of Mexico, creating an oxygen-void area along southern Louisiana and eastern Texas over 18 times larger than Chicago. Fish, shrimp and other commercial species swim farther from the coast to escape, and those that can’t move fast enough die. Fishermen must follow, spending more time and money to sail away from this “dead zone” with dicier odds of a good catch.

* Sun-Times | Chicago restaurants struggled with labor shortages last year. Relief is coming slowly: A new report says city eateries had trouble finding workers last summer, with 82% of them short at least one kitchen staffer. Local owners say things have started to improve, but food and labor costs are still a concern.

* Tribune | Man who conspired with sister in infamous 1993 ‘black widow’ murder case released from prison: Suh had been serving an 80-year sentence for the Sept. 25, 1993, murder of his sister’s boyfriend, Robert O’Dubaine, in Chicago’s Bucktown neighborhood. Suh has long admitted he pulled the trigger in the premeditated, ambush-style killing. But, in repeated clemency requests, he argued his remorse and efforts to better himself have earned him a measure of mercy.

* Pantagraph | One year in, Budzinski remains ‘optimist’ while touting wins for 13th District: The freshman lawmaker introduced 15 bills and co-sponsored nearly 300 more during her first year. She touts the closing of more than 700 constituent cases, which often include helping people navigate federal agencies and resolve issues with benefits like Social Security, among other tasks. She has also been bringing home the bacon, claiming more than $320 million in federal dollars for projects in the district. An analysis from Roll Call last year found Budzinski to be the top Democrat in securing earmarks, which are funds directed by members of Congress towards specific projects.