* ICYMI: Cook County judge hears arguments in homelessness referendum lawsuit. Crain’s…

- Judge Kathleen Burke heard oral arguments over a lawsuit filed Jan. 5 by the Building Owners & Managers Association.
-The referendum question asks voters to change the tax rate on one-time property sales.
-Burke is expected to issue a decision on the city’s petition later this week. The ongoing litigation has not delayed the vote scheduled for March 19.

* Related stories…

∙ Crain’s: Supporters of transfer tax measure reveal their own mailers
∙ Tribune: Judge hears arguments in Johnson homelessness referendum lawsuit
∙ WBEZ: Cook County judge weighs challenge to referendum appearing on the March ballot

* Isabel’s top picks…

* Tribune | State’s attorney Democratic candidates spar over Foxx at Tribune Editorial Board meeting: Foxx has not endorsed either candidate — retired Justice Eileen O’Neill Burke or Clayton Harris III— but Harris has been endorsed by the Cook County Democratic Party and Foxx’s political mentor, County Board President Toni Preckwinkle. Asked whether the narrative that Foxx was “soft on crime” and more concerned with the rights of the accused than victims was fair, Harris said, “The narrative is real whether it’s fair or unfair.” The next state’s attorney, he said, had to change the perception of how aggressively the office has and will prosecute cases.

* Sun-Times | In Illinois Democratic congressional primary, CTU endorses Conyears-Ervin over Rep. Davis, Kina Collins: That the progressive CTU is taking sides in this race — where Davis and Collins are staunch progressives — will have important impact only if it translates into raising money for Conyears-Ervin, the Chicago city treasurer, and boosting turnout for her in the March19 primary.

* WGN | Has the move to cashless bond impacted safety?: “The important thing to recognize is that happens regardless of what decision was made,” said David Olsen, of the Loyola Center for Criminal Justice. He is in the early stages of studying the impact of pre-trial release throughout the state. “When we send people to prison for lengthy periods of time, there are some who when released will continue to commit criminal activity,” he said. “So we can’t just look at one brief time of pre-trial release and assume that’s the only time we should be concerned about.”

* Here’s the rest of your morning roundup…

* ABC Chicago | Chicago ShotSpotter use could end early after company rejects brief extension, aldermen say: On Wednesday, multiple City Council members said they have spoken with representatives from ShotSpotter who have told them the company is rejecting the city’s offer to extend the contract for another six months. If that decision holds, ShotSpotter technology will be ineffective across the city as of 11:59 p.m. Friday night.

* Tribune | County property tax official running for sixth term rakes in cash from appeals industry: The $135,000 Rogers has collected in the last year from professionals involved in the business of appealing property taxes has become a flashpoint in the proxy fight between him and Cook County Assessor Fritz Kaegi, who’s backing Rogers’ opponent in the March 19 Democratic primary.

* WAND | Advocates push for Illinois to require board-certified pathologists conduct autopsies: Years later, Coroner Jim Allmon re-opened the case and two of his pathologists changed his cause of death to a homicide. Richard said he is so glad Sen. Doris Turner (D-Springfield) is trying to change state law to require board-certified pathologists to conduct autopsies. “It seems like it’s a commonsense thing to do,” Burns said. “It starts with making sure that the truth of what happened is reported accurately by having a person who is qualified to do an autopsy to piece it together.”

* WICS | State senator proposes gender-neutral terminology in Illinois property law sections: “LGBTQIA+ people deserve to feel seen and represented in all spaces, including in our state laws,” said Toro (D-Chicago). “With this simple language change, more Illinoisans will not have to worry about restrictions to accessing their property should they change their gender identity or if they are in a same-sex marriage. This is a long time coming to make Illinois a more inclusive state.”

* Daily Herald | DuPage forest preserve district likely to keep Springfield lobbyist: Forest preserve officials have recommended approving another one-year, $60,000 contract to retain Government Navigation Group. The firm would continue to be paid in $5,000 monthly installments.

* Crain’s | Chicago restaurants jockeying for business from the DNC: Operators throughout the city are jockeying for the business. The Chicago committee launched a vendor directory on Feb. 15 that includes more than 1,700 venues and restaurants that have said they’re willing to host tangential events. Some restaurants have bolstered their own event teams and already are courting various delegations.

* Sun-Times | What Mayor Johnson’s decision on ending ShotSpotter says about his leadership: If Johnson was so determined to honor his campaign promise to get rid of the controversial gunshot detection system, why did he wait until the last minute to timidly announce the decision?

* Tribune | After cyberattack, Lurie says some of its electronic communications have been restored but call center is still the best way to access providers: The hospital said email to external addresses and “a majority of” its phone lines were back up and running. But the patient family portal MyChart remained offline and a hospital call center “continues to be the best way for patient-families to reach providers and service lines,” according to a hospital statement. “Due to high call volumes, if you receive a busy signal, please try calling us back,” the statement said.

* Tribune | Wilmette Village Board approves agreement with Evanston over Ryan Field: The agreement states that all traffic related to the field — including demolition, construction, concert activity and concert attendees — are not permitted to go in or through the village. The village is working on expanded parking restrictions in nearby neighborhoods during basketball games and could use this as a template for restrictions during concerts and other events, according to Wilmette Village Manager Michael Braiman. Restrictions already exist for football games. He also said the village could block off residential streets or increase violation fines if needed.

* Chicago Mag | La Salle Street Blues: On top of bringing along thousands of well-paid employees, Google is sparking hopes of a turnaround of economically distressed — some would say depressed — La Salle Street, which runs along the Thompson Center’s west edge. Once among the most robust business corridors in the country, it is reeling from corporate restructurings, employee downsizing, and disruptions spawned by the pandemic and the remote-work era. The result: a historic office building vacancy rate of more than 25 percent and climbing.

* Beacon-News | Memories, pain remain fresh five years after Pratt mass shooting in Aurora: Although five years have passed since the day his son was gunned down in a termination meeting by the Henry Pratt employee he had been trying to help, Ted Beyer insists little has changed. Certainly the anger and bitterness he harbored from the moment he heard his son was among the dead is still there.

* Crain’s | Rivian hires marketing chief from Meta after signing execs from Apple, Porsche and Stellantis: Prior to her three-year stint at Meta, Prenner was Amazon’s global head of marketing, growth and customer engagement for the company’s Fire TV business, Rivian said in a post on LinkedIn. “Rivian’s mission is one that I’m proud to contribute to and I look forward to making the world more eco-friendly, and adventurous, one amazing vehicle at a time,” said Prenner, who also holds the title of vice president.

* WREX | Illinois Manufacturers’ Association launches ‘Makers Madness’ competition: The bracket-style tournament aims to identify the most popular manufactured product, or “The Coolest Thing Made In Illinois,” through public voting. The Illinois Manufacturers’ Association’s “Makers Madness” competition is accepting nominations for The Coolest Thing Made in Illinois until March 3 at 11:59 PM.

* ABC Chicago | Thornwood High School students say bedbug infestation persists, some parents pull kids out of school: Cell phone video shows the uproar brewing in the halls as students marched Wednesday morning, demanding answers. “We just started chanting free us, we don’t deserve to be in this school,” said junior Carl Boyd. Two weeks after administrators at the South Holland school said they had taken action to eliminate the infestation in parts of the sprawling campus, students are still seeing bedbugs inside the facility.

* Block Club | Art, Science And Black Culture Collide In Adler Planetarium’s New Sky Show: “Niyah and the Multiverse,” written by Chatham native Ytasha L. Womack, follows a young Black protagonist on her journey through theoretical other worlds. The animated short opens Saturday.