* ICYMI: Flawed state oversight lets doctors accused of abuse continue to see patients. Tribune…

- Though Illinois law requires hospital officials who learn of abuse allegations to take action to protect patients, the Tribune found that some medical providers who work outside those settings were left to operate largely unchecked until they were charged with a crime.
- In some cases, the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation took years to discipline medical providers accused of sexual misconduct.
- Illinois law does not require medical providers to tell patients they are under police investigation.

* Isabel’s top picks…

* AP | Illinois judge who reversed rape conviction removed from bench after panel finds he circumvented law: The commission could have issued a reprimand, censure or suspension without pay, but its decision said it had “ample grounds” for immediately removing Adrian from the bench in western Illinois’ Adams County. […] The complaint said Adrian had acknowledged he was supposed to impose the mandatory four-year sentence against Clinton, but that he would not send him to prison. “That is not just,” Adrian said at the sentencing hearing, according to court transcripts. “I will not do that.”

* Daily Southtown | Dolton trustees call for outside probe of Mayor Tiffany Henyard, accuse her of misusing village funds: They are asking agencies such as the FBI, U.S. attorney, Cook County sheriff and Cook County state’s attorney to step in and investigate Henyard. Four trustees who are at odds with Henyard — Kiana Belcher, Tammie Brown, Jason House and Brittney Norwood — held a special Village Board meeting Thursday at a Dolton Park District facility. Village Clerk Alison Key also participated.

* Congratulations Ashley!…

Click here to watch Governor Pritzker announce new maternal health initiatives at 10:00 am and here to watch him announce new State-designated cultural districts at noon.

* Here’s the rest of your morning roundup…

* Naperville Sun | Naperville councilman said no one interested in housing migrants but emails show some people did respond: On Jan. 25, a separate person reached out via the council email and said: “Please pass the message to Josh McBroom that I will house migrants. I live in St. Charles and if you send me the sign up sheet I will sign it. Please tell Josh that Naperville doesn’t speak for the Chicago suburbs and plenty of people will house them. Let’s talk and we’ll get this started.” Rachel Pruneda with the mayor’s office replied and thanked the person for contacting the council. She assured them that “Councilman McBroom does receive emails that are sent to council@naperville.il.us and is monitoring them.”

* ABC Chicago | 4th District Congressional Race Primary: In 2012, he was elected to serve as Democratic Ward Committeeman, making him the first openly gay Latino elected to any office in Illinois. In 2015, he was elected to serve the city’s 15th Ward. Lopez grew up on Chicago’s Southwest Side, he said it’s time to elect someone who “fights and provides results with common-sense solutions.”

* Sun-Times | In House Democratic primary, Rep. Jesus “Chuy” Garcia challenged from the right by Ald. Raymond Lopez: Bucking a national trend in which Democratic incumbent centrists fight primary challenges from the left, one of the most progressive members of Congress, Rep. Jesús “Chuy” Garcia, faces 15th Ward Ald. Ray Lopez, a frequent Fox News guest coming after him from the right.

* CNN | How Johnson wooed Trump to back a GOP congressman targeted by Gaetz: According to multiple GOP sources, Johnson lobbied Trump to back Republican Rep. Mike Bost against his MAGA-aligned primary foe, Darren Bailey, in the southern Illinois district – a sign of how the new speaker is leveraging his relationship with the former president as internal GOP primary battles threaten to reshape the makeup of Congress.

* WBEZ | Longtime Cook County tax appeal commissioner faces a big-money push to replace him: Rogers’s challenger in the March Democratic primary, Larecia Tucker, says those facts and other ethics problems mean the veteran politician does not deserve another term at the three-member Board of Review. “It is very inappropriate,” Tucker said of Rogers staffers handling his sibling’s cases. “It is not ethical. It is a conflict of interest.”

* Daily Herald | Democratic congressional candidates want to abolish Electoral College: Abolishing the Electoral College would require a constitutional amendment. When asked why she wants to disband the college, Ahmad said it unfairly gives more power to votes cast in states with smaller populations.

* WBEZ | CTU staffer fights to keep Chicago Mayor Johnson’s former seat on the Cook County Board: Stamps also has the backing of County Board President Toni Preckwinkle, who doubles as head of the Cook County Democratic Party. Stamps’s Democratic challenger in the March 19 primary is Zerlina Smith-Members — a perennial candidate, victim advocate and political consultant. She alleges that because of the CTU’s support, Stamps could be beholden to the “new machine.”

* WBEZ | Can you prove your teen lives here? Some schools make house calls.: Calloway said she has seen people trying to falsely claim a neighborhood spot at Kenwood over the last two decades, and she has also discovered enrolled students who lied on their registration forms. Some families also have moved outside the boundaries after their children enrolled. Just last week, it was revealed that the inspector general for CPS found five Kenwood basketball players falsified proof of where they live or provided inaccurate home addresses.

* NBC Chicago | Newly obtained records shed light on cost of Mayor Brandon Johnson’s trip to Los Angeles: Airfare, lodging and travel agency fees for the trip cost a combined $7,949.96, records show. But the city redacted some of the additional expenses, like rental cars and a full page of charges, citing privacy concerns.

* Tribune | Serious crashes with pedestrians and cyclists often fail to lead to tickets or charges: ‘We can’t be OK with this’: Serious or fatal traffic crashes with pedestrians or cyclists in Chicago, like the one involving Campbell, often fail to lead to charges or citations, a Tribune analysis of Chicago police data shows. Of more than 4,000 such crashes between 2018 and mid-November 2023 reviewed by the Tribune, traffic tickets or more serious violations were listed in about 26% of cases.

* The Atlantic | The Americans Who Need Chaos: Several years ago, the political scientist Michael Bang Petersen, who is based in Denmark, wanted to understand why people share conspiracy theories on the Internet. He and other researchers designed a study that involved showing American participants blatantly false stories about Democratic and Republican politicians, such as Bernie Sanders, Ted Cruz, Hillary Clinton, and Donald Trump. The subjects were asked: Would you share these stories online?

* SJ-R | Springfield’s housing market is one of the hottest in the country, new report finds: The index uses proprietary data to determine which markets have strong supply and demand, with homes in the Springfield area being on the market for an average of 49 days, up nearly 9% from 2022, and going for a median list price of $168,950, up 2.4% from the prior year. The ranking is two spots higher than in November, where Springfield ranked 28th with a score of 85.74.

* Tribune | Evanston keeps 15 year lease to move city operations downtown: The move comes with accessibility and building condition concerns about the city’s current hub, the Lorraine H. Morton Civic Center. These woes leave some, such as Mayor Daniel Biss, saying a prompt move is necessary. The approved resolution calls for city operations to move to the Davis Street location in July. Biss says the lease should be 15 years to allow for proper public input when deciding where city operation will be permanently held.

* Daily Herald | Is Illinois’ film tax credit luring Hollywood to the heartland?: While Chicago has long been used as a stand-in for fictional and real settings, the suburbs have also become a destination for film and television companies seeking a specific look. “Illinois can be everything except a desert,” said Christine Dudley, Executive Director for the Illinois Production Alliance. “There’s the architecture, the lake, the suburbs, the forest preserves and even farmland. And it’s all within a few minutes of each other.”

* Daily Southtown | Black History Month program unites Buddy Guy, grandson for conversation at Evergreen Park school: The Evergreen Park Community High School senior got to know much more about his grandpa last week thanks to a Black History Month project in which he and classmate Samantha Ricks interviewed the 87-year-old musician during a sold-out presentation Feb. 20 at the school’s Marshall Batho Auditorium. The show started with a biographical documentary about Buddy, followed by the student-led question-and-answer session.