* Darren Bailey’s closing ad…

* Here’s Bost’s…

* Politico…

In a hotly contested western suburban state House race, outgoing state Rep. Kelly Burke is raising eyebrows for a letter she wrote endorsing Rick Ryan, her pick to succeed her. Burke tells voters Ryan has “deep roots in our community” and that he’s a candidate that “we can trust.” And without naming Ryan’s opponent, Sonia Anne Khalil, Burke refers to the campaign as “outsiders” and “people outside the district pushing their own candidate.” The phrases are seen as racial microaggressions given Khalil, who has lived in the district her whole life, is Arab American. The 36th District covers the Evergreen Park, Oak Lawn and Palos Hills communities.

Burke called the claim “desperate,” saying she’s talking about outside political influences similar to what she faced in her own 2010 race. “Rick has been working in the district for 20 years, and he’s being supported by leaders from within the district.” His opponent is sending out mailers featuring Congresswoman Delia Ramirez and former County Clerk David Orr, “who don’t even live in the district.” Her letter, she told Playbook, makes “a clear distinction” between the candidate vs. her supporters.

* Press release…

The Illinois Supreme Court has received and approved the report and recommendations from the Pretrial Release Appeals Task Force (Task Force).

The Task Force was convened to thoroughly review pretrial release appeals and their impact on the caseloads in each of the five Appellate Court districts. The report notes the staggering increase in caseloads the appellate courts have faced since the implementation of the Pretrial Fairness Act (PFA) began on Sept. 18, 2023, going from an average of 17 annual bond appeals to a projected 4,557 appeals under the PFA – a 268-fold increase.

The amendments are available here and are effective April 15, 2024.

“There is no doubt that the volume of PFA cases is a problem; that’s why the Task Force was created,” said Fourth District Appellate Court Justice Eugene G. Doherty, who Chaired the Task Force. “We think our recommendations can help address the volume while making the process of appellate review more meaningful.”

The full report with recommendations can be found here.

The Task Force’s creation was announced in January 2024 in response to the implementation of the Pretrial Fairness Act (PFA) in September 2023 creating a dramatic increase in the number of appeals from pretrial release decisions by the circuit courts.

In its report the Task Force proposed amendments which are intended to streamline the PFA appeal process while ensuring meaningful review of decisions to detain, release, or impose conditions of release in the pretrial setting.

* Crain’s…

The National Association of Realtors will drop the long-held policy on broker commissions that has been the target of several lawsuits, the Chicago-based professional association announced March 15.

It’s the end of a Chicago-born standard of real estate sales, where the agents for buyer and seller agree to share a commission, most often dividing in half a commission of around 5% to 6%, although NAR’s rules say the split can give one party as little as zero. Lawsuits seeking to kill the standard have argued the sharing rule amounts to collusion to keep prices high by preventing buyers’ agents from competing against one another on price. […]

NAR will also pay $418 million over the next four years to settle the lawsuits, which revolve around the claim that its commission standards violate antitrust laws. Key among them is the Sitzer-Burnett case, where a Kansas City jury hit NAR and two big brokerages with a $1.78 billion verdict in October. With NAR no longer pursuing an appeal, only HomeServices of America, which in Chicago operates Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Chicago, is still defending, NAR’s release said.

* Yesterday’s early vote totals for Chicago…

The Early Vote total stands at 48,364 ballots cast (with 1,659 Same Day Registration, 32 Provisional votes).

48,583 Vote By Mail ballots have been returned to the Board – total VBM applications stands at 178,316.

The grand total is 96,947 ballots cast so far for the March 19, 2024 Presidential Primary Election in Chicago.

* Columbia Journalism Review

If you’re reading this, you’re probably a news and politics junkie. Someone who reads multiple news sites a day, follows several news organizations on social media, and receives a few email newsletters.

Most people aren’t like this. A 2020 study found that news represents just 14 percent of Americans’ media consumption. Attention does pick up, however, during an election year. While roughly one-third of Americans closely follow the news in non-election years, 39 to 43 percent do so when there’s a presidential election, according to Gallup.

However, new research—and recent reporting about how artificial intelligence is changing the online information environment—suggests that even as people start tuning into the election, they could end up more misinformed, not less. The reason: People have greater faith in their own abilities to “fact-check” the news than they have in the news itself. In the past year, we have published two academic studies that suggest this faith is misplaced, and that it actually leaves people more likely to believe misinformation.

* The rest…

* Amanda Kass and Philip Rocco | State and local governments have less than a year to decide how to spend their remaining COVID relief funds. Here’s how 26 cities are doing.: Our analysis is based on quarterly Project & Expenditure Reports data released by the Treasury Department. The newest data, released in January of 2024, covers spending that has taken place between 2021 and September 30, 2023. To evaluate cities’ spending pace, we compared the amounts that have been spent and have been obligated to planned spending for our 26 study cities.

* Sun-Times | Lurie Children’s Hospital begins restoring MyChart platform over six weeks after cyberattack: The hospital said in a statement to expect intermittent disruptions on the platform as MyChart hasn’t been updated since before it was taken down. MyChart also may not currently reflect up-to-date information, Lurie said, such as billing details.

* WBEZ | Routine traffic stops have resulted in gun charges for thousands of Chicagoans: In 2014, about 60 unlawful use of a weapon cases stemmed from traffic stops in Cook County. In 2023, there were nearly 500 — an increase of more than 700%, according to an analysis of data from the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office in response to an open records request. During that 10-year span, more than 3,600 unlawful use of a weapon cases resulted from traffic stops, with 86% made by Chicago Police.

* KFVS | 1 southern Illinois school to receive grant funding for habitat development: Out of the 17 awarded, only one is in southern Illinois. IDNR announced De Soto Grade School will receive $1,990 for a standard pollinator garden for students sixth through eighth grades.

* PJ Star | Iconic folk punk band Violent Femmes will play unique show in Peoria: The Peoria concert will kick off with the group performing its second album, 1984’s “Hallowed Ground.” The band will then play its debut album, the self-titled “Violent Femmes,” which included the songs “Blister in the Sun” and “Gone Daddy Gone.” The show will conclude with a few tracks from later albums.

* Block Club Chicago | For 40 Years, The ‘South Side Irish’ Song Has Been A Neighborhood Anthem. Meet The Man Behind It: McEldowney, 77, a perennial performer and raunchy wisecracker at Irish pub Reilly’s Daughter, gets his own float in the South Side Irish Parade traveling through Beverly and Morgan Park. “He’s the guy with the neighborhood’s fight song,” said Skinny Sheahan, a former right-hand man to Mayor Richard M. Daley. “All the kids around here learned the words in basements of churches. They grow up and sing it at packed bars. It’s a rite of passage.”

* SJ-R | The IHSA has set a timeline for adding a shot clock to Illinois high school basketball: “I think we’re looking at probably three years, to be honest with you,” [Illinois High School Association assistant executive director Kurt Gibson] said in an interview with the Aledo-based FM radio station on March 9. “We’ve had a couple of really good years with this experiential phase. I think we’re going to talk about maybe allowing schools to transition into just using it during the regular season without having to have any approval.

* SJ-R | Thousands of dollars raised for families of fatal school bus, semi crash in Illinois: Since Monday, the GoFundMe has already raised over $39,000 in assistance to the families, with 552 donations. “Every contribution, big or small, will make a difference and show these families that they’re not alone during this incredibly difficult time,” organizer for donations Dominic Thurman wrote on the page. “Your support will help cover funeral expenses, medical bills, and other unforeseen costs, allowing these families to focus on healing without the added stress of financial worries.”