* Julia Rosier…

* Press release…

State Senator Win Stoller (R, Germantown Hills) and State Representative Amy Elik (R, Alton) introduced legislation to encourage small businesses to reinvest earnings in their communities.

The legislation—HB 4669 in the House and SB 3152 in the Senate—would create small-business savings accounts, allowing businesses to put aside up to $50,000 per year for future business investments.

If passed, funds contributed to these small-business savings accounts would be eligible for an income tax deduction in the year the small business contributed them. The business could then reinvest them later—as operational needs dictate—to build out its operations. […]

“This legislation will free small-business owners’ reinvestment decisions from an arbitrary tax calendar,” said Noah Finley, NFIB Illinois State Director. “Instead of having to make investments based upon the tax year, business owners will be able to choose the optimal time to reinvest in their businesses.” […]

The legislation is supported by the Illinois Chamber of Commerce, the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB), the Illinois Manufacturers’ Association, the Associated Builders and Contractors, the Technology and Manufacturing Association, the Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce, and the Illinois Trucking Association.

* Another endorsement for Congressman Bost…

* WGN…

Tiffany Henyard is the mayor of Dolton and supervisor of Thornton Township. The elected positions pay her more than $280,000 annually, according to interviews and records.

After the story aired, WGN Investigates sent a public records request to Dolton asking for, among other things, copies of additional credit card statements to check if the spending spree continued.

The village did not turn over the records, as required under state law. The records request, sent via email on Nov. 29, also asked for copies of documents showing any payments to Henyard.

WGN Investigates filed an appeal with the Illinois Attorney General. […]

“In the opinion, the Village of Dolton is directed to respond as soon as possible to the request,” a spokeswoman for Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul said in an email. “The village has 35 days after the issuance of the opinion to either comply or contest the opinion in court.”

* Here’s the rest…

* Center Square | Task force to explore ranked choice voting in Illinois criticized for partisanship: State Sen. Laura Murphy, D-Des Plaines, and West were elected as co-chairs of the task force during the first meeting Tuesday. The law that created the task force said co-chairs would be elected from members appointed by the Senate president and the speaker of the House, both Democrats. That didn’t sit well with state Rep. Ryan Spain, R-Peoria.

* River Bender | Gov. Pritzker Announces Lifelong Advocate For Seniors, Mary Killough, As New Director Of Illinois Department On Aging: Prior to her time at AccentCare, Killough was Chief Development Officer for Gareda Homecare in Calumet City. Killough also served as Deputy Director and as Division Manager for Home and Community Services at IDoA, and as Assistant State’s Attorney for Cook County. Killough also serves on the board of Senior Services of Will County. She earned a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Michigan and a Juris Doctorate from the University of Notre Dame.

* Naperville Sun | OSHA fines construction contractor $264,000 for exposing workers to deadly fall hazards at Naperville job site: The federal agency issued the citation and accompanying penalties to United Custom Homes on Feb. 8. It’s the eighth time United Custom Homes’ has been cited for an OSHA infraction since 2015. In addition to penalties issued this month, United Custom Homes also currently owes $238,572 in unpaid OSHA penalties for previous violations.

* Crain’s | Some communications restored at Lurie: The children’s hospital is still using a call center to communicate with patients and their families while the restoration of its communications progresses, Julianne Bardele, director of public affairs and communications at Lurie, said in a text message to Crain’s. The primary mode of communication between families and their health care providers, the electronic portal MyChart, is still down, she said. Electronic health records are also still unavailable, she said via text.

* Tribune | Cyberattacks on hospitals are likely to increase, putting lives at risk, experts warn: Hospitals in recent years have shifted their use of online technology to support everything from telehealth to medical devices to patient records. Today, they are a favorite target for internet thieves who hold systems’ data and networks hostage for hefty ransoms, said John Riggi, the American Hospital Association’s cybersecurity adviser. “Unfortunately, the unintended consequence of the use of all this network and internet connected technology is it expanded our digital attack surface,” Riggi said. “So, many more opportunities for bad guys to penetrate our networks.”

* WGN | Illinois now 9th state to sanction girls flag football: Girls flag football is now a sanctioned sport for high schools across Illinois. That announcement was made Wednesday morning by the Illinois High School Association. The Chicago Bears have been instrumental in pushing forward and advocating for young women.

* Tribune | Uber and Lyft drivers in Chicago plan airport strikes on Valentine’s Day: The Justice for App Workers coalition, which represents over 30,000 ride-share and delivery drivers across Illinois, is leading the local effort by calling for Chicago Uber and Lyft drivers to rally at O’Hare International Airport Wednesday at 11 a.m., according to a news release from the coalition. The one-day strike means drivers would refuse rides to and from O’Hare. The strike is not planned to affect Midway Airport.

* Tribune | Museum of Contemporary Art workers become latest museum staff to launch union drive: In an open letter signed by 32 staff members —about a third of union-eligible workers at the museum — employees said they were seeking wages that kept pace with inflation and Chicago’s cost of living, guarantees that benefits including sick leave and paid time off will not be decreased and will be expanded when possible, protections from layoffs and transparency around compensation.

* Block Club | CTA Could Widen Addison Red Line Platform To Handle Overcrowding After Cubs Games, Concerts: At a public meeting earlier this month, CTA officials outlined preliminary plans to widen the platform at the Red Line’s Addison stop near Wrigley Field. The CTA is also looking to add more accessible entrances and exits at the station as well as lengthen the platform to accommodate 10-car trains, according to a slideshow from the meeting.

* Sun-Times | Jack Higgins, Pulitzer Prize-winning Sun-Times editorial cartoonist, dies at 69: “Political cartoons are meant to take the mighty and the pompous and cut them down to a more manageable size. Afflict the comfortable and comfort the afflicted,” he once wrote about his job. He skewered local and national politicians alike, satirized scandals and offered poignant and absurd takes on city life and ills, especially gun violence.

* Bloomberg | In Florida snowbird country, insurance rates are driving away would-be buyers: “You’ve got people that went through the storm and just want to move on, and don’t really think the affordability is here anymore because of insurance,” said Marlissa Gervasoni, president of the Royal Palm Coast Realtor Association. “From what I’m seeing, I believe they are looking for areas that might be less costly.”

* Daily Herald | Crystal Lake artist creates sculpture of Chicago settler DuSable: DuSable was a trader of African descent who arrived in what became Chicago in the late 18th century. He’s regarded as the first non-native person to settle in Chicago, whose famous Lake Shore Drive now bears his name. larger-than-life DuSable sculpture weighs over a ton and stands 8½ feet tall. It will be in Evanston until the fall of next year.

* South Side Weekly | Gassing Up Black Chicago: Englewood-born-and-bred journalist Arionne Nettles, a journalism lecturer at Northwestern University, has the receipts when it comes to what Black folks, particularly Black folks with Chicago roots, continue to offer the larger culture via her book, We Are The Culture: Black Chicago’s Influence on Everything (Lawrence Hill Books, April 2024).

* SJ-R | Celebrate Black History Month with these 4 events in Springfield: Members of the Illinois Department of Natural Resources and the Abraham Lincoln National Heritage Area will be hosting the Lunch and Learn session for The Underground Railroad in Springfield on Feb. 15. Guest speakers will be discussing research on local hearings in the Illinois Supreme Court related to the Underground Railroad. They will also be discussing podcast resources and their plans for future programs.