* Sun-Times…

Former Illinois House Speaker Mike Madigan on Wednesday finally explained why he doesn’t use a cellphone or email. […]

‘“Well, when cellphones came along, I was already speaker, and I had these offices [law firm, state representative and Illinois State Capitol speaker’s offices] … and I didn’t see that I had a need for a cellphone,” Madigan said. “In addition, I was a hard worker, and I worked seven days a week, and I was in the office before 8 o’clock and wouldn’t leave until 6 o’clock. And at that point, I wanted to end my day.”

Madigan said he “didn’t want to be sitting with a cellphone taking calls during the meal [dinner] or at other times when I just wasn’t on the job.”

His explanation for avoiding email was similar: “I never had an email address. When computers came along … I was already the speaker and I had those offices. I had the law office. I had people in all of them who could take transmissions through computer and give the documents to me.”

* Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias’ office rejected more than 300 vanity and personalized license plates in 2024…

* President Jennifer Welch is stepping down from her role at Planned Parenthood of Illinois…

Planned Parenthood of Illinois (PPIL) today announced its President and CEO Jennifer Welch will step down from her role after over 7 years of dedicated service.

PPIL Chief Financial Officer Tonya Tucker will serve as interim CEO to ensure a smooth transition and continuity of operations as the organization initiates a national search for a new CEO.

Among Welch’s key roles during her tenure, she led the organization during the first Trump Administration, steered PPIL through the Covid-19 pandemic and actively prepared PPIL for the overturning of Roe v. Wade to welcome patients from all over the country

Welch will also transition from the role as President and CEO of Planned Parenthood Illinois Action, the 501(c)(4) political advocacy arm of PPIL. Welch led PPIA’s successful advocacy to pass state legislation to codify protections for patients and providers in Illinois to maintain access to reproductive healthcare in light of the Supreme Court’s 2022 overturning of Roe v. Wade with the Dobbs decision.

“On behalf of the board, we thank Jennifer for her years of service and steadfast dedication to Planned Parenthood of Illinois’ mission during such a fractious, difficult time for our organization and our affiliates,” PPIL Board Chair Arielle Rodriguez Maffei said. “We are committed to an efficient but thorough search process to ensure we identify the most capable candidate to take on the leadership role at this time of great adversity. In the interim, I know Tonya, with her financial acumen and extensive organizational management skills, is well suited to take on this role and ensure that we remain keenly focused on continuing to deliver the best of care for our patients.”

Maffei added: “I am deeply grateful for our talented, dedicated professionals committed to our critical mission to protect reproductive rights. As we look ahead, I know the next chapter for the organization will continue to be extremely challenging And I know Tonya will provide a steady hand and strong financial stewardship to transition our team amid such a dynamic period. Most importantly, I know our patients will continue to receive the same first-rate care they’ve come to expect from our caregivers.”

“I am honored to take on this leadership role and work with our dedicated staff and Board of Directors to maintain stability and prepare for a seamless transition to permanent leadership,” said Tucker. “As we navigate a challenging operational environment marked by increased demand for services and evolving financial pressures, my priority is to ensure that PPIL remains a strong, resilient organization that continues to deliver high-quality essential care to our patients.”

To conduct its search, PPIL’s Board of Directors has enlisted Koya Partners, a renowned search firm dedicated to mission-driven leadership, to partner with its CEO search committee. Interested candidates should direct their inquiries to the Koya team at PPIL_CEO@koyapartners.com.

*** Statehouse News ***

* WCIA | Legislators inaugurated for 104th Illinois General Assembly: Senators gathered in their newly reopened chamber in the Capitol after being closed for renovations for years. The new and returning members of the Illinois House of Representatives have convened on UIS’s campus. The four leaders of each caucus have remained the same.

* Capitol City Now | IL Senate passes warehouse work rules bill: A labor-related bill is a step away from the governor’s action. The bill, sponsored by State Sen. Celina Villanueva (D-Chicago), covers warehouse workers by requiring their employers to notify them of the daily production quote and also provide adequate break and meal times.

*** Statewide ***

* NPR | Lunch and Learn Series explains how Illinois rejected slavery but wasn’t free for all: The UIS Alumni SAGE Society and the Illinois State Historical Society recently hosted a presentation titled “Illinois Rejects Slavery,” featuring Illinois Humanities Road Scholar Dr. Caroline Kisiel. The presentation discussed the summer of 1824 in Illinois when the Illinois General Assembly was on the brink of changing the state constitution to permit slavery outright. Dr. Kisiel explained the sentiments at the time from both abolitionists and enslavers. She also shared how despite Illinois being a free state, slavery found its way within the state’s borders.

*** Chicago ***

* Illinois Answers Project | Chicago is Debating Lowering its Speed Limit. Other Cities Aren’t Waiting: In Chicago, though, council members are debating the safety benefits of lowering the speed limit from 30 to 25 miles per hour versus the economic impacts on drivers. The measure passed out of committee in October but has been held from a vote from the full City Council while proponents whip support. Some cities have rolled out their lower limits gradually, others all at once. Some tied their policies with other tools to slow traffic, like speed cameras or curb extensions. Others simply changed the signs and watched what happened.

* ABC Chicago | CPS Inspector General investigated 300 cases, including sports fraud, annual report says: The CPS watchdog investigated more than 300 complaints beginning July 1 2023, ending June 30 2024. They involved sports fraud, sexual misconduct cases and improper conduct from former Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s campaign. Highlights of the CPS Inspector General’s annual report include ongoing fraud involving high school sports.

* CBS Chicago | CTA trains require a lot of power, but only 11% is currently from renewable sources: And while the average CTA commuter may not think about it, all that power has to come from somewhere. And it turns out more of the electricity that powers the trains is generated by fossil fuels that warm the climate than by renewable sources like wind or solar power. Primarily, the CTA’s power comes from nuclear power plants—a total of 67%. Another 22% comes from fossil fuels, while only 11% comes from renewable sources.

* Tribune | How big could the Chicago Bears candidate list become? Brad Biggs’ 6 thoughts on the end-of-season news conferences: “We’ve been in information-gathering mode,” Ryan Poles said, “looking at data research, making countless calls to make sure that we have everything we need to make a sound decision. We’re looking for clear vision, a developmental mindset, really good game management — and obviously a plan to develop a quarterback is going to be a key part of that as well.

*** Cook County and Suburbs ***

* Daily Southtown | Will County judge rejects effort to restore Homer Glen candidates to April ballot: Attorney Alan Bruggeman filed a petition for judicial review with the Will County Circuit Court on behalf of potential candidates Cesar Marin, Ethan Fialko, Jennifer Trzos-Consolino, John Walters, Theresa “Tammy” Hayes, James Roti, Heidi “Hadley” Pacella and Daniel Gutierrez. The Homer Glen Electoral Board in November and December removed each of the candidates from the ballot after a series of hearings. Because 17 candidates initially filed to run for three trustee spots, there would have been a primary in February before the April 1 election.

* Naperville Sun | Naperville D203 board member censured for ‘detrimental’ actions, including disclosing student and closed session information: Naperville District 203 School Board member Melissa Kelley Black was censured by the School Board Tuesday for “unprofessional” and damaging actions, including disclosing private student information, spreading false information and releasing collective bargaining details. “Member Kelley Black has repeatedly acted in such a way that is detrimental to District 203, its students and its staff, specifically as it relates to the unification of the board leadership and ultimately to student achievement,” the board’s 10-page censure resolution said.

*** Downstate ***

* SJ-R | The Rochester schools superintendent is on leave. Letter critical of district may provide details: A memo Monday to Rochester school district parents from the board of education president and acting superintendent about Superintendent Dan W. Cox being placed on paid administrative leave while an investigation is being conducted offered scant details. But a letter to the editor in the Rochester Times last fall from the district’s former director of business services and treasurer raised issues about questionable business trips, budget overspending to the tune of $500,000 and other issues. Robert McDermott spent 22 years in the district before retiring on June 30, 2023, after butting heads with Cox.

* WCIA | Champaign activates sidewalk snow removal ordinance: The City of Champaign is asking residents to remove the snow and ice from their sidewalks before noon on Thursday. The Public Works Director said that the sidewalk snow and ice removal requirement in the Downtown, Midtown, and Campustown areas is now in effect.

*** National ***

* Chicago Mag | John H. White: The Pulitzer Prize–winning photojournalist, 79, on covering Ali and having a gun pointed at him: My father was a minister who said, “Love those who do evil against you.” But it was hard for me. I’m a visual person, and I’d retain everything I’d see. I remember one time when I was growing up in North Carolina, Daddy said, “Everybody be still and be quiet. Get in that room and don’t look out.” I looked out. The Klan were all in robes. They had burned a cross in our yard and put our car in neutral and made it roll down the road. I saw that.

* The Atlantic | Why Poor American Kids Are So Likely to Become Poor Adults: In a new study published in Nature Human Behaviour, my co-authors (Gøsta Esping-Andersen, Rafael Pintro-Schmitt, and Peter Fallesen) and I quantify the persistence of poverty from childhood to adulthood in the U.S. We find that child poverty in the U.S. is more than four times as likely to lead to adult poverty than in Denmark and Germany, and more than twice as likely than in the United Kingdom and Australia. These findings hold across multiple measures of poverty.