* NBC Chicago…

An Illinois law designed to ensure victims of sexual assault receive proper care inside hospitals also includes a carve out that allows patients to be transferred if the hospital determines it can’t provide services like rape kit exams.

Advocates argue this can disrupt the chain of custody for things like evidence collection and creates a chilling effect where victims may decide to not travel further to get a rape exam.

“That now means a survivor has to go that much further, that’s where we see the real-life impact on a survivor,” said Carrie Ward with the Illinois Coalition Against Sexual Assault.

An NBC 5 Investigates’ review of 185 Illinois hospital inspection reports filed by the Illinois Department of Public Health between 2018 and 2024 found hospitals across the state have failed to properly treat victims through a series of missteps – from poor record-keeping to more serious violations like failing to contact police and turnover rape kits – some which we found sat on the shelves for years.

* The Illinois Freedom Caucus announced its first Senate member…

Illinois’ most conservative Senator, Andrew Chesney (R-Freeport), today announced his decision to join the Illinois Freedom Caucus, making him the first Senator to join and launching the Caucus into the Senate.

“I’m here to defend American values, stand up for hard-working families, and fight back against the radical left policies we see in Springfield,” said Senator Chesney. “My record speaks for itself—I’ve never voted for a tax or fee hike in my life. I’m proud of that. By bringing the Freedom Caucus into the Senate, I’ll have allies standing with me as I keep fighting for conservative values.”

In joining the Freedom Caucus, Chesney is doubling down on his conservative leadership and commitment to fiscal responsibility, limited government, and protecting the rights of Illinoisans. Senator Chesney has earned a reputation as a no-nonsense, rock-solid conservative who isn’t afraid to call out the leftist policy agenda—or Republicans who vote against their principles.

“I had the pleasure of serving with Andrew Chesney in the House, where he showed he was a true, courageous conservative leader,” said State Rep. Chris Miller, Chairman of the Illinois Freedom Caucus. “He’s exactly the conservative leader we need bringing the Freedom Caucus into the Senate. In fact, he is the only Senator in Illinois with a track record of true conservatism. Working families and taxpayers can count on Andrew Chesney, and they can keep counting on the Illinois Freedom Caucus to fight for them.”

With this announcement, Senator Chesney and the Illinois Freedom Caucus are strengthening a new era of conservative leadership—one that defends Republican core values, refuses to bow to pressure, and will put Illinois families first. This is what the people want.

* Views in the Capitol…

Large show of force by the state’s public sector unions in the Capitol today. They’re advocating for changes to the “Tier 2” pension system that would enhance benefits. Gov. Pritzker and lawmakers have acknowledged the need for changes, but have been wary of giving too much. https://t.co/Tt1JWqpUdc pic.twitter.com/LfVvccpfdi

— Brenden Moore (@brendenmoore13) November 13, 2024

* WAND…

Country star Megan Moroney is coming to perform at the Illinois State Fair next year.

Moroney will take to the grandstand on Saturday, Aug. 10.

Moroney has nearly 2 billion total global streams to date.

“The Illinois State Fair has a long tradition of showcasing artists early in their careers,” said Illinois Department of Agriculture Director Jerry Costello II. “We’re looking forward to Megan Moroney’s Grandstand appearance in August. She has a bright future in Country music.”

*** Madigan Trial ***

* Sun-Times | ‘Did the word ‘felony’ resonate with you?’: Defense attorneys grill star witness in Madigan case: One of those defense attorneys accepted wholeheartedly Wednesday, grilling Fidel Marquez over whether he’d forgotten last winter that he’d “pled guilty to a felony” and was “facing five years?” “Did the word ‘felony’ resonate with you on March 8, 2024?” attorney Patrick Cotter demanded. “Did you remember that part of the court proceeding?”

*** Statehouse News ***

* WTTW | State Republicans Call for Inclusion in Budget Talks as Illinois Faces $3B Deficit: President-elect Donald Trump’s victory last week should have a resounding message for Illinois politicians, according to the Republican leader of the state Senate, John Curran: “They want elected officials to focus on making life more affordable.” Curran said Illinois Democrats, who control state government and therefore its purse strings, should bear that in mind as they contend with a deficit projected to top $3 billion.

* Center Square | Bipartisan push to protect Central Illinois drinking water from carbon capture: Julie Fosdick, an opponent of carbon sequestration projects, said legislators seem to be protecting the aquifer now that news broke about the Archer Daniels Midland leaks. “People became much more aware that having carbon sequestration near an aquifer is a serious risk after learning ADM had two leaks,” said Fosdick. “The one leak had already occurred at ADM when the bill [Senate Bill 1289], but that was kept secret.”

*** Statewide ***

* WGLT | Illinois Farm Bureau expelled from national federation: The American Farm Bureau Federation [AFBF] has kicked the Illinois Farm Bureau out of the federation in a dispute over member dues. A letter from AFBF President Zippy Duvall to state farm bureau presidents said the action comes after a failed mediation session on Monday. The move is in retaliation for a decision by the Illinois Farm Bureau’s affiliate, Country Financial, to drop a Farm Bureau membership eligibility requirement for non-farm insurance policy holders in Illinois.

* FarmWeek | IFB president responds to AFBF’s decision: We believe AFBF is choosing to abandon our more than 70,000 Illinois farmer members because our affiliate insurance company does not want to force non-farmers to join.

* KFVS | Illinois Department of Agriculture Launches First-Ever Illinois Product Holiday Box: The Illinois Department of Agriculture has announced the release of the first of its kind Illinois Product Holiday Box. The box features nine different products from Illinois. We believe AFBF is choosing to put our farms, our families and our communities at risk at a time when we need support through federal policy. In short, we believe AFBF has chosen to break its promises to Illinois farmers.

*** Chicago ***

* Sun-Times | Durbin, Duckworth, House Democrats demand feds fix Legionella problem at Loop buildings: The Sun-Times reported in August that three Loop buildings — Ralph H. Metcalfe Federal Building, John C. Kluczynski Federal Building and Everett M. Dirksen U.S. Courthouse — have Legionella and, in some cases, traces of lead or copper that exceed safe levels set by the government. The Metcalfe building also includes a children’s daycare that detected Legionella and lead. In their letter, the lawmakers said the Stanley J. Roszkowski U.S. Courthouse Building in Rockford was also found to have Legionella above safe levels.

* Tribune | Chicago-based Grubhub sold for $650 million to Wonder Group Inc.: Wonder Group Inc. is buying Grubhub from Just Eat Takeaway.com NV for about $650 million, acquiring the restaurant delivery service at a steep discount to the $7.3 billion price tag it commanded during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic. The transaction is expected to close in the first quarter of 2025, Just Eat said in a statement on its website Wednesday. It expects net proceeds of as much as $50 million from the deal.

* Sun-Times | Family of Officer Enrique Martinez doesn’t want Mayor Johnson, Gov. Pritzker at funeral, FOP head says: The family has been “very clear they do not want the governor or the mayor to attend” the funeral on Nov. 18, Catanzara said in a video posted to the Chicago Fraternal Order of Police YouTube channel on Monday. He added that Pritzker has acknowledged the request and indicated he plans to honor it, but Johnson has yet to follow suit. “Shame on you, Mayor Johnson,” Catanzara said.

* Tribune | Nurses at University of Illinois Hospital walk off the job, in second strike since August: It’s the second time the nurses have gone on strike since August, which is when their last contract expired. The nurses are seeking better security to prevent patients from attacking them at the hospital, and they’re asking for higher pay. UI Health has proposed annual raises of less than 3%, according to the union, the Illinois Nurses Association. Meanwhile, the health system has said that the majority of its nurses are already better paid than 90% of nurses in the Chicago area.

* Tribune | How will Donald Trump’s plans for education affect Chicago Public Schools?: Trump repeatedly made promises on the campaign trail to dismantle the Department of Education and change funding priorities toward private schools and other educational expenses, which worries Reyes. Like other parents and educational advocates in Chicago, he said he would do whatever it takes to “ensure (his) kids get the proper education they need from all realms and all voices.” Education policy experts say the 47th incoming president’s plans to expand education savings accounts (where families get taxpayer money to help pay tuition for private schools), limit and reshape American history curriculums and shift budget priorities from programs that benefit low-income students have the potential to create a tumultuous transition for Chicago students.

*** Cook County and Suburbs ***

* Shaw Local | Will County state’s attorney calls for closure of SAFE-T Act ‘loophole’: The murder case filed against a man accused of killing a Chicago police officer has led Will County State’s Attorney James Glasgow to call for lawmakers to close a “loophole” with the SAFE-T Act. But the Illinois Network for Pretrial Justice, which supports the law, said in a statement that Glasgow’s solution would “effectively try to lock up everyone accused of any felony,” do nothing to improve safety and “distract the courts from their current careful focus on cases with serious allegations.”

* Daily Herald | Lake County sees a mix of incumbent leaders seeking reelection and those voluntarily ending their runs: Several incumbent Lake County mayors are seeking reelection and some will face challengers who submitted paperwork Tuesday, the first day to file nominating petitions for local offices in the April 1 consolidated election. Many candidates file when their local village halls open the first day to get a higher ballot position and there was plenty of activity with some mayoral candidates filing as a slate with incumbent trustees.

* Daily Herald | CMAP, DuPage County to host traffic safety open house: DuPage County and the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning will host an open house in Bensenville to discuss traffic safety issues and hear suggestions from the public. The event is scheduled for 5:30 to 7 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 14, in the Bensenville Community Public Library, Diamond Meeting Room, 200 S. Church Road.

*** Downstate ***

* WIFR | Winnebago County residents share experience on public defense in Illinois: State Rep. Dave Vella says public defenders are understaffed and overloaded with cases. He says the main Winnebago County public defender was tied up in court all day Thursday because of this. “We don’t have swift justice for either the victims or for the defendants, and it costs a lot more money for the taxpayers,” says Vella. That’s why Vella introduced the Funded Advocacy and Independent Representation, or FAIR Act, which in part will create an office of the state public defender to assess client needs, staffing and resources statewide.

* Crain’s | University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign chancellor to step down: Robert Jones, the first African American chancellor of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, announced he will be stepping down at the end of this academic year, leaving a vacancy at the top of Illinois’ largest university as it plays an increasing role in the state’s economic future. Jones has led Illinois’ flagship land-grant university for nine years while also serving as vice president of the University of Illinois System, which oversees the Urbana-Champaign, Chicago and Springfield campuses. U of I System President Tim Killeen said in a written statement that Jones will remain with the system to “employ his considerable experience” in expanding its presence in Chicago.

*** National ***

* NYT | Mexico Signals It Could Hit Back With Tariffs at U.S.: “If you put 25 percents tariffs on me, I have to react with tariffs,” Marcelo Ebrard, Mexico’s economy minister, told a radio interviewer on Monday. “Structurally, we have the conditions to play in Mexico’s favor,” he added. The disclosure by Mr. Ebrard, who is poised to be one of Mexico’s top negotiators with the Trump administration, showcases the rising tensions between the countries in the aftermath of the U.S. presidential election.

* The Hill | Axelrod pushes for Rahm Emanuel as DNC chair: “If they said, ‘Well, what should we do? Who should lead the party?’ I would take Ambassador Rahm Emanuel, and I would bring him back from Japan and I would appoint him chairman of the Democratic National Committee,” Axelrod said Tuesday on his podcast “Hacks on Tap.” “He is the most skillful, political kind of infighter in the Democratic Party. … He’s been a member of Congress, he’s been White House chief of staff, he’s been the mayor of Chicago. Now, he’s been ambassador to Japan, and he ran, in 2005 and [2006], the campaign to take back the House,” Axelrod continued.