* WGN…

To push his invest-in-people agenda, the mayor says he’s looking to Springfield to boost funding for Chicago. But there are signs City Hall and the Pritzker administration are not on the same page. We asked the mayor when was the last time he had a one-on-one with the governor. […]

“Wow, look, our teams talk on a regular basis. We speak periodically,” the mayor said.

On Tuesday, Pritzker said Johnson has called him “maybe five times.”

“They don’t reach out that often. And it seems like they don’t have good relationships in Springfield, in part because they don’t do the outreach that’s necessary,” the governor said.

*** Statehouse News ***

* Crain’s | Johnson wasn’t the one to kill hemp bill, Pritzker says: Pritzker, who pushed hard for passage of a bill that Johnson worked to defeat, blamed “special interests” in the hemp industry and Illinois House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch for not calling it to a vote. “My impression is the mayor didn’t have much to do with it,” Pritzker said after a health care event in Normal. “There’s a powerful lobby that has been working against this bill for quite some time. This was not an easy bill . . . if it had been, it would have passed in May in the House. . . .The mayor had very little to do with the ultimate result.”

* Tribune | Illinois House sends measure to aid relatives of kids in DCFS care to governor: “We’re going to change some kid’s life,” said Rep. Marcus Evans, a Chicago Democrat who sponsored the bill. “This legislation represents more than just change from our worker system but it represents an opportunity to make a real difference in the lives of thousands of children and families and build stronger, more resilient communities across our state.” Supporters of the legislation said keeping kids with family members can reduce trauma, provide a clearer path toward possible reunification with their parents, help make placements more permanent when needed and reduce the number of children that need to be housed by the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services.

* WSIL | Senator Fowler pays tribute to linemen and first responders in wake of winter storm:” All of our first responders and all those that worked tirelessly, all of our electricians and everyone for the work that they’ve done and are still doing today as they continue to restore power and get the trees off of homes and out of the streets. So I would just really appreciate that acknowledgement, Mr. President. Thank you very much.”

*** Madigan Trial ***

* Tribune | ‘Did you ever trade your public office for private gain?’: Ex-Speaker Madigan takes stand in own defense at landmark corruption trial: Dressed in a gray suit and blue and red tie, Madigan looked directly at the jury as he spoke, using his hands and talking conversationally. He testified about his schooling and how he wound up at St. Ignatius College Prep, saying “for some reason I had the same nun in 7th and 8th grade…she advocated very strongly I go to St. Ignatius.” He described himself as “hard-working and disciplined.”

* Capitol News Illinois | Breaking: Madigan to take witness stand in his corruption trial: Prior to the revelation, Madigan’s former law partner, Vincent “Bud” Getzendanner, was expected to testify on Tuesday. But Madigan’s time on the witness stand could take days or even weeks. The former speaker has had at least one family present each day of trial

*** Chicago ***

* Sun-Times | With statewide restrictions stalled, City Council committee OKs hemp products ban in two wards near Midway: The sale of delta-8 and other unregulated hemp products would be banned in two Southwest Side wards near Midway Airport under a crackdown advanced Tuesday to fill a void created by a state stalemate. One day after eleventh-hour opposition from Mayor Brandon Johnson helped to kill statewide restrictions championed by Gov. JB Pritzker, the City Council’s License Committee did what Ald. Marty Quinn (13th) and Silvana Tabares (23rd) called the next-best thing.

* Sun-Times | President/CEO Kevin Warren: Bears still hope to start lakefront stadium construction this year: Last month, three school districts and the Arlington Heights elected boards voted for an agreement that could give the Bears a property tax break. “It’s a fantastic piece of property,” Warren said. “We were able to get the memorandum of understanding done there. So optionality does exist. But I’ll remain steadfast that the goal remains that we have shovels in the ground in 2025 and I’m confident that will happen.”

* WBBM | In hearing ’sell the team’ chants, George McCaskey understands frustration of Bears fans: “They’re incredibly frustrated,” McCaskey said of Bears fans. “They wanted to make their voices heard. I was more bothered by the (Dec. 22 game) when Lions fans tried to take over Soldier Field and force the home team to go to a silent snap count. Fortunately, that didn’t happen. It’s understandable that Bears fans would sell their tickets because of the way the season has gone, and the challenge for us is to put a team on the field that Bears fans are so excited about that they’re not interested in selling their tickets.”

* Sun-Times | Grant Park Music Festival’s 2025 season announced for Millennium Park summer series: The festival’s 10-week series featuring the Grant Park Orchestra and Chorus, the latter under the leadership of chorus director Christopher Bell, will run June 11 to August 16 in Millennium Park. “Since this one-of-a-kind festival is free and welcomes all, our programming reflects the rich and multi-faceted culture of Chicago,” said Guerrero via the announcement. “Well-known works by the giants of classical music will be presented on the same programs as music from spectacular contemporary composers whose pieces deserve to be heard alongside those legendary composers. Presenting newer voices together with those from the past makes those masterworks sound new again, offering listeners a sense of discovery and newness. This is what motivates me.”

* Block Club Chicago | A Funeral For The Blue Man Group: Chicago Says Farewell To Iconic Performance Troupe: After nearly thirty years of splashed paint and blown minds, the Blue Man Group has finally put down their PVC pipes for good in Chicago. On Monday, Blue Man Group cast and crew members, along with members of the Chicago arts community, gathered near the Briar Street Theater, 3133 N. Halsted St., to stage a demonstration in protest of the show’s closing.

* Daily Herald | Chicago area ties with NYC for worst gridlock in U.S.: Analytics firm INRIX found drivers in both metropolises wasted an average of 102 hours in traffic in 2024, compared to 43 hours nationwide. The Chicago region’s congestion ticked up by 6% from 2023, when motorists spent an average of 96 hours inching along clogged roads.

*** Cook County and Suburbs ***

* Sun-Times | State’s attorney accused of threatening witness in murder case to chill wrongful conviction cases: A civil rights lawyer accused Cook County State’s Attorney Eileen O’Neill Burke on Monday of directing prosecutors to threaten the lawyer’s client with perjury to scare him and other potential witnesses from recanting testimony in police misconduct cases. Jennifer Bonjean told Judge Carol Howard she believed O’Neill Burke did so “to signal there is a new sheriff in town” to defense attorneys representing clients who claim they were wrongly convicted because of police misconduct. O’Neill Burke took office just a month ago.

* Tribune | Anthony Clark gets $25K payout in resignation agreement with Oak Park and River Forest High School: Oak Park and River Forest High School District 200 is paying former special education teacher Anthony Clark $25,000 to resign. Clark, who had taught at Oak Park and River Forest High School since 2012, resigned from his teaching position last month as part of an agreement that was unanimously approved Dec. 19 by the School Board and became effective last month when the semester ended. Although Clark received his final paycheck Dec. 27, the agreement, obtained through a public records request, states the district will pay Clark an additional $25,000 on Jan. 25, and that in accepting that payment Clark acknowledges it is a complete and final settlement of any claims he might have against the school.

* Daily Southtown | Dolton meeting goes on despite move by Mayor Tiffany Henyard to cancel, citing safety threats: Dolton trustees conducted village business, such as paying bills, but rather than a board meeting the atmosphere inside the Dolton Park District’s Lester Long Fieldhouse was more along the lines of a political pep rally. Residents sang and there were chants aimed at ousting Henyard, with the meeting taking place ahead of a Feb. 25 primary where Henyard faces a challenge for reelection from Trustee Jason House.

* Tribune | Bald eagle found in Hinsdale felled by bird flu: “It pops up and goes away,” [Sarah Reich, head veterinarian for the DuPage Wildlife Conservation Center,] said. “This variant seems to be a little more aggressive. The risk for human infection is considered low, but we recommend that people don’t touch animals that may have this. It’s hard for people not to rescue birds in distress, but we suggest that they just walk away.”

* Naperville Sun | Edward Hospital implements stricter masking policy for employees as respiratory illnesses in DuPage climb: Despite most of the country — Illinois included — experiencing high numbers of respiratory illnesses, Naperville’s Edward Hospital has not seen an increase in flu, COVID-19 or RSV cases beyond what’s typical for this time of year, officials said. Still, the Naperville campus is taking extra precautions by implementing stricter masking requirements for employees.

*** Downstate ***

* WSIL | Electric crews from four other states help Ameren Illinois in restoring power and repairing infrastructure: The winter storm caused tens of thousands of outages across the area. Ameren Illinois workers have already restored more than 55,000 outages across the area for their customers. Most of the Ameren customers who saw damage and outages were in the Jackson, Williamson, Saline and Gallatin county area.

* WPSD | Man assaults Illinois mayor assessing storm damage: The Williamson County Sheriff’s Office arrested a Carterville man for battering the Mayor of Energy, Illinois, 74-year-old Bengi McGee, while surveying winter storm damage. The Williamson County Sheriff’s Office received a report at approximately 12:49 p.m. from a passing driver of a battered male.

*** National ***

* AP | Biden administration bans unpaid medical bills from appearing on credit reports: Unpaid medical bills will no longer appear on credit reports, where they can block people from mortgages, car loans or small business loans, according to a final rule announced Tuesday by the Biden administration. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau rule will remove $49 billion in medical debt from the credit reports of more than 15 million Americans, according to the bureau, which means lenders will no longer be able to take that into consideration when deciding to issue a loan.