* Um…Ok… Indianapolis Star…

An Indiana General Assembly bill filed by one of the state’s most powerful lawmakers would set up a commission to “embrace” neighboring counties in Illinois that want to secede and join the Hoosier state.

House Bill 1008, which was unveiled on Tuesday by House Speaker Todd Huston, R-Fishers, would create a so-called “Indiana-Illinois Boundary Adjustment Commission,” with the goal of embracing Illinois counties “that want to join low-tax, low-cost Indiana.”

The House Republicans included the bill on a list of their top priorities for the 2025 session, which specifically noted that dozens of counties in Illinois have voted since 2020 “to secede from their high-tax state.” […]

He said it would require Illinois lawmakers to pass a similar resolution. It’s unclear what the political appetite for that would be.

*** Statehouse News ***

* Institute of Government and Public Affairs | Evaluating Illinois State Agencies and the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act: Although NAGPRA was a significant step, gaps remain in the law that limit its applicability, which could hinder culturally appropriate care and repatriation. For example, Native American Ancestors may be unaccounted for in medical examiner and coroner offices (MECOs). These agencies are typically the first point of contact when unidentified human remains (UHRs) are discovered, and identifying human remains as Native Ancestors is not always straightforward or even possible given limited contextual details. Such identifications would require awareness of NAGPRA (and other relevant laws) and have access to specialists qualified to make such determinations.

* Streetsblog Chicago | “It Was Magnificent”: Illinois legislators take a learning tour of Berlin and Munich transit systems: Sen. Peters said his biggest takeaway from the trip was how easy the German system is to use. “It was as if I could take Metra, get on the Red or Blue line, and then a bus and it was all fluid,” he said. “You couldn’t tell there were different agencies operating different lines. Everything was coordinated: timetable, payment systems. It was magnificent.”

* Capitol News Illinois | Illinois Shelter Alliance calls for $100M state funding boost to fight homelessness: With homelessness increasing in Illinois, a coalition of shelter providers and advocates is calling for a $100 million increase in state funding to prevent homelessness and provide shelter to people without homes. That would come on top of the $290 million the state is spending this year on homelessness services.

* WGN | Illinois proposal raises age for mandatory road tests to 87 for older drivers: “Age alone does not necessarily determine if someone should have a driver’s license,” Giannoulias said during a morning press event. “Driver’s ability and medical health should serve as the main determining factors.” Data published by the Illinois Department of Transportation for the last several years indicate the crash rate for drivers aged 70 and older is lower than every other age range of drivers.

*** Madigan Trial ***

* WTTW | ‘I Put the Knife Into Cullerton’: Madigan Details Falling Out With Senate President as Testimony Continues: “Does Cullerton have any association to your son at all?” Assistant U.S. Attorney Amarjeet Bhachu asked. Madigan confirmed that Cullerton is his son’s godfather and that Madigan and his wife had chosen him for that role. “And you’re talking about putting a knife into Cullerton, is that right?” Bhachu asked. “Correct,” Madigan answered.

* Sun-Times | Madigan talks about his dealings with FBI mole Danny Solis: ‘We all have regrets in life’: Live updates: Without a break, McClain attorney Patrick Cotter steps up to question Madigan, but it ends quickly. Madigan had some harsh words about his longtime friend on the stand on Monday, including telling the jury that “I don’t think I was as loyal to him as he was to me.”

*** Chicago ***

* South Side Weekly | Calls Widen for Police District Councilor’s Resignation: Last summer, the Weekly reported on tensions in the 14th PDC, which represents parts of Wicker Park, Logan Square, and Humboldt Park. (Each of the city’s twenty-two police districts has a three-member council, which were first elected in 2023.) At the time, formal complaints had already been filed against Orlikoff for his behavior. In April, a PDC 14 meeting devolved into a shouting match between Orkiloff and members of the public. During the uproar, he attempted to grab Chairperson Chris Laurent’s gavel, and he kept arguing with attendees after the meeting. In September, Laurent introduced a measure at a citywide meeting of district council members calling on the CCPSA to formally censure Orlikoff. It needed thirty-two votes to pass, and failed by a single vote.

* Chalkbeat Chicago | Meet the new Chicago Board of Education: The Chicago Board of Education is changing. After the city held its first school board elections in history, 10 people elected by their communities will join 11 mayoral appointees to serve for the next two years. The 21-member hybrid school board will be sworn in Wednesday, Jan. 15 — marking an historic shift in governance as 30 years of mayoral control in Chicago comes to a close.

* WTTW | CTU President Stacy Davis Gates on Contract Negotiations, Future of Chicago Public Schools: Contract negotiations between CTU and CPS are still on pause. Part of what the union is asking for is 5% raises annually for the first two years of the contract, and 4% to 5% increases for the third and fourth years of the contract. The district said it’s offering 4% because that’s all it can afford. CTU is also asking for fine arts programs, libraries and librarians, and 20 minutes of prep time for teachers, among other things. Davis Gates characterized negotiations so far as abysmal.

Covering a panel today by City Club of Chicago where the focus will be reimagining downtown.

The concept is reimagining Chicago downtown as a cultural hub or “the cultural stadium”

Some interesting examples in here like a floating farmers market, entertainment hub et. pic.twitter.com/4S3SGIktlr

— Melody Mercado (@melodymercadotv) January 14, 2025

* CO Star | Will this Chicago office sale lead to world’s tallest teardown?: Local investors John Murphy of Murphy Development Group and Gerald Kostelny of InSite Real Estate have a contract to buy the more than 1.3 million-square-foot tower at 311 S. Wacker Drive at a fraction of the more than $302 million it last sold for in 2014. Those investors’ involvement is significant, because they already have been working in recent years with development behemoth Hines on potential ground-up projects for vacant sites on each side of the 961-foot-tall tower at 301 S. Wacker and 321 S. Wacker.

Possible plans to demolish the 65-storey tower at 311 South Wacker, Chicago

Would be the tallest building ever demolished voluntarily

The building is only 35 years old. I estimate an embodied carbon of around 150,000 tonnes of CO2https://t.co/UkGKRDhPqc pic.twitter.com/5QM3Mosiel

— Philip Oldfield (@SustainableTall) January 14, 2025

* Crain’s | United Center owners reveal new details of planned 1901 Project: The families that own the Chicago Bulls and Blackhawks will detail their proposed 1901 Project on Jan. 16 for the Chicago Plan Commission, according to a presentation on the city’s website. The panel’s approval is a key step toward final City Council sign-off for a 14 million-square-foot development surrounding the venue at 1901 W. Madison St. that could reshape the city’s Near West Side over the next decade-plus.

*** Cook County and Suburbs ***

* Tribune | EPA warns of toxic forever chemicals in sewage sludge used on farmland, including thousands of acres near the Chicago area: The findings are particularly relevant for northeast Illinois, where more than 777,000 tons of sludge from Chicago and Cook County have been spread on farmland during the past eight years — in many cases near residential areas. Only the Greater Los Angeles area distributed more sludge to farmers during the same period. Officials at the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago have known their sludge fertilizer is contaminated with forever chemicals since at least 2013, the Chicago Tribune reported in a 2022 investigation.

* ABC Chicago | Mother left shocked by initial $7K bill for daughter’s 11-mile ambulance ride between hospitals:
“Sticker shock was huge. Huge. Because it was over $7,000 for 11 miles. I couldn’t believe it,” Dudzik said. Dudzik says she has excellent insurance under a union, so most of her bill was covered. She was left with a $1,300 balance. “I thought, ‘Oh, my gosh, you know, how is this not regulated?’ I started making phone calls. I called the union who controls our insurance, and they’re like, ‘It is the wild, wild west out there,’” Dudzik said of when she received the initial bill.

* Daily Herald | Elgin launches new webpage to keep residents informed on ‘Tent City,’ homelessness initiatives: Days after the third fire at the “Tent City” homeless encampment since early December, Elgin has launched a webpage to provide up-to-date information on their efforts to relocate the residents and offer ways people can help. The “Homelessness Response” page on the city’s website, ElginIL.gov/EHR, features a donation portal, volunteer opportunities, updates on Tent City, a timeline of the city’s initiatives, a human services resource guide, a community partner directory and a list of frequently asked questions.

* Daily Herald | Rosemont considers sale of publicly owned theater to private entertainment group: But Mayor Brad Stephens emphasized a sale is still only a possibility and that discussions — which have been ongoing for less than a year — continue. “Any good deal for any of our assets is something we have to look at,” he said. Stephens said the private group — an undisclosed “substantial” entertainment firm — came to the village expressing interest in taking over ownership and operations of the 4,400-seat live performance space.

* Shaw Local | McHenry record shop owner is known for helping others. Now he’s the one in need.: Between Thanksgiving and Christmas, Wille posted about a family who was facing eviction, unable to pay their rent, Gasek said. With the help of others on the page, the rent was paid and the residents were able to stay in their home. “He has a good following because he has a good heart,” Gasek said. The community is now stepping up to help Wille. He was hospitalized with pneumonia shortly before Christmas. The illness worsened, and Wille was placed on a ventilator. According to a post to the record store’s Facebook page, Wille was taken off the ventilator last week.

*** Downstate ***

* WCBU | Pekin business park could be home of an estimated $550 million methanol plant: The Pekin City Council voted 5-2 to approve giving Ambient Fuels of New York, N.Y., the opportunity to purchase about 47 acres of a 57-acre site from the city for the plant. Ambient plans to use ethanol, carbon dioxide and green energy like offsite solar to manufacture methanol with a lower carbon footprint than traditional plants. Ambient has a two-year option to purchase the 47 acres for $1 million. The company will make quarterly payments to the city of $7,500 in the first year and $16,750 in the second year while its doing its due diligence for the plant.

* Illinois Times | Adams Street at a crossroads: “The idea of TIF is that the market doesn’t support the full cost of renovation because the project is in a distressed area of town,” said Abby Powell, director of business development for Springfield Sangamon Growth Alliance, who previously served as the TIF administrator for the city of Springfield. “A bank would not be able to lend against the full cost because a project wouldn’t appraise out to get funding from a traditional lender. This is called gap financing because it’s a gap between what the market supports and what the project requires.”

* WGEM | West Central Illinois non-profits receiving additional ARPA funding: In total, $24,000 is set to be divided between agencies in Adams, Brown, Hancock and Pike counties. The money comes from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) and Consolidated Appropriations Act, both from 2021. This round of funding is considered phase 42. The local Emergency Food and Shelter Program (EFSP) board awards the money. United Way of Adams County is the coordinating agency for the local board. Meaning they administer funds to the participating non-profits.

* 25News Now | Free tuition idea rejected by PPS board: The Board of Education for Peoria Public Schools is unwilling to offer free tuition to children of full-time school employees who live outside the district despite claims that the action could help recruit and retain teachers. The board voted 3-3 with one member absent. A tie vote means the motion failed. However, board members might revisit the issue later and vote on a measure offering a steeper tuition discount than what’s currently available.

* WCIA | Sangamon County accepting applications for board member vacancy: After District 21 board member Clyde Bunch died in December, the board is looking to appoint a resident who will serve in his place until a special election in November 2026. To qualify for the seat, candidates must be registered voters in District 21 and have lived there for more than a year. Applicants also must be a member of the Democratic Party, as Bunch was a Democrat.

* Herald-Whig | Hancock County kicks off year-long bicentennial celebration: On a historic day for Hancock County, Brezlynn Taylor made some history of her own. The seventh-grader from Carthage Middle School visited the courthouse for the first time, touring the historic structure Monday as the county kicked off its year-long bicentennial celebration.

* Cannabis Business Times | PharmaCann Cannabis Cultivation Workers Vote to Unionize in Illinois: Cannabis workers at the PharmaCann cultivation facility in Dwight, Ill., have voted overwhelmingly to join Teamsters Local 777. “We already represent over 100 PharmaCann Teamsters throughout Illinois,” said Jim Glimco, president of Local 777. “We look forward to getting these workers a great union contract, just like we’ve already done for PharmaCann retail workers throughout the state.”

*** National ***

* AP | Hanging out at Starbucks will cost you as company reverses its open-door policy: Starbucks spokesperson Jaci Anderson said the new rules are designed to help prioritize paying customers. Anderson said most other retailers already have similar rules. “We want everyone to feel welcome and comfortable in our stores,” Anderson said. “By setting clear expectations for behavior and use of our spaces, we can create a better environment for everyone.”

* NBC Chicago | Meta’s new hate speech guidelines permit users to say LGBTQ people are mentally ill: The company’s new guidelines prohibit insults about someone’s intellect or mental illness on Facebook, Instagram and Threads, as have previous iterations. However, the latest guidelines now include a caveat for accusing LGBTQ people of being mentally ill because they are gay or transgender. “We do allow allegations of mental illness or abnormality when based on gender or sexual orientation, given political and religious discourse about transgenderism and homosexuality and common non-serious usage of words like ‘weird,’” the revised company guidelines read.