* Kristen Schorsch…

Story is here.

* Congressman Mike Bost…

U.S. Representative Mike Bost (IL-12) today announced that his 2024 re-election campaign has been endorsed by the National Rifle Association’s Political Victory Fund (NRA-PVF). Bost has now been endorsed by the largest gun rights and pro-life advocacy groups in America, along with the top organizations representing Illinois’ farmers, law enforcement, and firefighters.

“As Chairman of the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee, you are leading the effort to protect veterans from being deprived of their Second Amendment rights without due process of law. We thank you for your continued opposition to the Hakeem Jeffries and Joe Biden gun control agenda of banning lawfully-owned firearms, ammunition, and magazines,” said Randy Kozuch, Chairman of the NRA-PFV. “Thank you for defending NRA members and law-abiding gun owners in Illinois and throughout the country. Congratulations on your endorsement and thank you for your support of the Second Amendment.”

* Sen. Julie Morrison…

State Senator Julie Morrison is leading a measure that would require insurance to cover preventative cancer screenings and genetic testing for individuals with a family history of cancer.

“Early diagnosis is the best way to tackle the deadly effects of cancer,” said Morrison (D-Lake Forest). “Sadly, due to the lack of preventable screenings, many people aren’t diagnosed until it’s too late.”

Morrison’s measure would provide coverage for evidence-based cancer imaging for patients with an increased risk of cancer. Additionally, insurance would be required to cover genetic testing for an inherited gene mutation for individuals with a family history of cancer.

Currently cancer screening for certain types of cancer are covered as long as the patient meets the age requirement. Senate Bill 2697 would expand that coverage to include prevention and susceptibility cancer screenings for all types of cancer for people who have a family member affected by the deadly disease.

* Injustice Watch…

The March primary election will be another record-breakingly uncompetitive one for seats on the Cook County Circuit Court, with 62 candidates running for 40 vacant seats on the court — more than a third unopposed in countywide and subcircuit races.

Observers had flagged the previous primary in 2022 as a historically uncompetitive one, blaming a shifted election schedule in which candidates were forced outside to collect nominating petition signatures in the cold of winter while the Covid-19 pendermic was still in full swing.

But in that June 2022 primary, 64 candidates were vying for 25 open seats, a ratio of 2.5 candidates per seat. This year’s primary ballot shakes out to 1.5 candidates per seat. […]

[Election lawyers, campaign workers, consultants, candidates, and politicians] cited overlapping factors, including the rising costs of running campaigns, political fatigue, an Illinois Supreme Court that this year was unusually slow to formalize vacancies, a redrawing of the map of judicial subcircuits, and a Cook County Democratic Party that says it is focused more on endorsing candidates with hard-to-beat credentials.

* Speaking of judicial candidates, any thoughts on this campaign video for Liam Kelly?…

Yes, it’s real. There’s more to be found on his website and Facebook page.

* Here’s the rest…

* PJ Star | Campaign donations, quest for new power generation fueled new Illinois nuclear power law: Both Republicans and Democrats backed the new law, which was originally vetoed by the governor. Energy companies lobbied for the bill and donated tens of thousands of dollars to House and Senate leadership and politicians on both sides of the aisle during the bill’s lifespan in Springfield, according to campaign finance reports and witness slips signed by proponents.

* Naperville Sun | Naperville residents lambast McBroom for his migrant sign-up sheet proposal, calling it politically motivated and ‘self-serving’: More than half of the public comment portion of Tuesday’s City Council meeting was taken up by people who wanted to chastise McBroom for his suggestion that the city create a registry for Naperville people who want to house migrants — an idea he has acknowledged was intentionally “provactive.” City Manager Doug Krieger ultimately directed staff to abandon research on the idea after it was learned other agencies were doing similar work, but not before the idea sparked national attention. In addition to social media posts that incited hundreds of comments, McBroom was interviewed by several news media outlets, including The New York Times and Fox News.

* Patch | Romeo Nance’s Girlfriend Hides Her Face Leaving Courthouse: The mass murders of eight people in Joliet were carried out on Jan. 21 by her 23-year-old boyfriend, Romeo Nance, according to Joliet police. Not only did Cleveland attend at least two of the murders, according to sources, but Will County prosecutors say Cleveland withheld information about Nance’s whereabouts, and she lied to the Joliet police detectives as they were trying to find Nance after he fled Joliet.

* WGN | Cook County offering up to $400 for poll workers: The clerk’s office is encouraging high school and college students to apply. A 3.0 GPA is required if you’re a student applying. Election judges will greet voters, sign them in and work together to ensure the polling place is running smoothly. Polling place technicians work with the election judges to check supplies and equipment.

* NBC Chicago | Northern Illinois University dramatically expands no-tuition program for incoming students: The “AIM HIGH Program” has helped nearly 3,500 students, according to university officials, and now NIU is going to step up the availability of the funding for new students. […] According to a press release, students who have an overall GPA of 3.0 or above, and whose families have an adjusted gross income of $100,000 or less qualify for the program. Previously, the income cutoff was $75,000, according to the press release.

* Tribune | Amid controversy, Cook County prosecutors drop charges against students accused of distributing fake Daily Northwestern page: Cook County prosecutors on Wednesday dropped charges against two Northwestern students amid controversy over the decision to pursue a criminal case against them for allegedly circulating a fake page of the student newspaper to protest the school stance on the crisis in Gaza and Israel. The charging decision, as well as the newspaper’s parent company’s pursuit of a complaint, attracted harsh criticism from students, professors and community members, who blasted the move as an example of over-policing of Black students and an effort to silence pro-Palestinian voices that disproportionately affect people of color.

* The Hill | FAFSA problems pile up, leaving students and parents scrambling: The forms already got a late start — launched in late December and not October. When they were finally released online, there were complications that led to the forms getting taken down multiple times and families being unable to fix mistakes they put in them. Now, officials say information from the FAFSA forms won’t actually be given to schools until March, leading families to tell The Hill they are riddled with concerns over missing scholarship deadlines and if they will get final offers from schools before their student has to decide if they want to attend.

* Block Club | Dollar Stores Fined Thousands Of Times For Expired Formula, Labor Violations, Filthy Stores. Will The City Regulate Them?: Dollar stores across the city have repeatedly violated city health and building codes by selling expired infant formula and other medicine, overcharging customers, selling tobacco to underage people and interfering with inspections, a Block Club Chicago analysis has found. The stores have racked up nearly $610,000 in fines since 2017.

* Crain’s | Winnetka passes lakefront ordinance despite threat of lawsuits: Winnetka’s village council approved an ordinance limiting what lakefront homeowners can build on their table land and bluffs, despite warnings that passing it would trigger at least two lawsuits from residents. The motion to adopt the ordinance passed Feb. 6 after Village President Chris Rintz urged the council to first work with the 30 residents whose attorneys at Baker McKenzie had informed village officials that they would “vigorously pursue all legal rights and remedies” if it was approved.

* Shaw Local | McHenry open-container entertainment district for downtown rejected by City Council: First proposed in October, the entertainment district plan called for allowing open alcohol from noon to 9 p.m. seven days a week from May 1 through Nov. 1. The ordinance would allow people to walk – with branded cups – on designated sidewalks and the riverwalk, as well as Main Street from Route 31 to the railroad tracks.

* WREX | Rockford native Emily Bear co-composes soundtrack for Disney’s ‘Moana 2′: Emily Bear, a Rockford native and Grammy award-winning musician, announced via social media that she and another fellow Grammy winner have written all the songs for an upcoming Disney movie.

* Chicago Mag | The Illinois-Indiana Border Separates Two Worlds: The straight line that demarcates Indiana and Illinois runs 159.359, from Lake Michigan to the Wabash River, which forms the border the rest of the way. I set out to follow the first few miles, specifically, Chicago’s border with Indiana. It’s not easy to follow. In fact, in most places, it’s impossible. Directly south of the marker, it runs through a field of reeds, then across the South Shore Line tracks, which lie between fences topped with barbed wire. I rented a Divvy in Cal Park, and pedaled it to 106th Street, which meets State Line Road just past the Crow Bar, the ironworkers tavern that once sued the disco Crobar for stealing its name. Staring at me was a sign reading “More Discover. Indiana (™). Est. 1816.” Two years before Illinois, if you’re counting.

* Sun-Times | Keith Urban, The Black Keys among headliners for NASCAR Chicago Weekend 2024: The Black Keys — aka singer-guitarist Dan Auerbach and drummer Patrick Carney — will kick things off on July 6 following the conclusion of the NASCAR Xfinity Series Loop 110. Closing out the day’s events will be The Chainsmokers, making a return to the fest after stormy weather forced the cancellation of their set at the racing extravaganza last year as well as wiping out concerts by Miranda Lambert and Charlie Crockett at the 2023 fest.

* Chicago Reader | Veteran sound scrutinizer Kevin Drumm plays his first local show in five years: Kevin Drumm’s work over the past quarter century has variously aligned with noise, experimental, ambient, and improvised music, but it remains very much a realm unto itself. He begins with sounds sourced from analog and digital electronics, field recordings, and tabletop guitar, then distills them to obtain extremes of gaseous insubstantiality, pulverizing harshness, and textural variety. His pieces are often long and slow-moving, but if you match the pace of your listening to the pace of their progress, the superficially static tones prove to be teeming with mesmerizing activity.

* WTTW | ‘Illinoise,’ a Unique and Brilliantly Realized Interpretation of Music by Sufjan Stevens: The show is an absolute stunner in which the song lyrics have inspired a multifaceted storyline devised by director/choreographer Justin Peck (resident choreographer of the New York City Ballet) and playwright Jackie Sibblies Drury. Aside from Stevens’ lyrics there is no dialogue, so the strongest “language” that vividly drives the show is dance. And the various stories that unfold over the course of the show’s 90 compelling minutes are stunningly enacted by a remarkably expressive ensemble of 12 dancers who ideally capture a slew of different personalities and sexual relationships as they travel through various parts of Illinois, and, at some moments, New York.

* WGN | Friends, amateur hikers aim to hit every Illinois State Park: It’s been three years since two Chicago gals set out to hit every park in the state. The duo and their “Fresh Air Friendship” have a goal of doing a trailhead at every state park in Illinois. It doesn’t sound too menacing until you realize there’s a whopping 132 of them in the state.