* ICYMI: Illinois launches portal to simplify searching for youth mental health resources. Crain’s…

- The portal, called the Behavioral Health Care & Ongoing Navigation, or BEACON, is the brainchild of the state’s Children’s Behavioral Health Transformation Initiative and its chief officer, Dana Weiner.
- The centralized resource for Illinois youth and families who are seeking youth mental health services and care, can be found at beacon.illinois.gov and is now available for all Illinoisans.
- Pritzker said the portal is part of the work being done in Illinois to fight stigmas about behavioral health, break down barriers to finding and affording care, and eliminate silos of services among individual state agencies.

* Related stories…

∙ Center Square: Illinois launches mental health portal for youth and families
∙ WCIA: Pritzker launches behavioral health resource for IL families

*** Isabel’s Top Picks ***

* Capitol News Illinois | State Board of Education seeks $11.4 billion for PreK-12 spending: The request includes a $350 million increase in “Evidence-Based Funding,” the minimum annual increase called for under the 2017 law that focuses new education spending on the neediest districts. It also includes a $142 million increase in what’s called “mandatory categorical” aid for expenses such as transportation and special education, and $75 million in new funding for early childhood education.

* NBC Chicago | Amtrak cancels Chicago-area trains ahead of cold blast of Arctic air: With the coldest air of the season expected to blanket the Chicago area in coming days, Amtrak has preemptively canceled multiple trains. According to the agency, the Empire Builder train set to run between Chicago and Seattle on Monday, Jan. 20 will not operate due to expected frigid conditions.

* QC News | Deere responds to Illinois attorney general right-to-repair lawsuit: “This lawsuit, filed on the eve of a change in Administration, ignores the Company’s long-standing commitment to customer self-repair and the consistent progress and innovation we have made over time, including the launch of Equipment Mobile in 2023 and the previously announced launch of new capabilities for John Deere Operations Center later this year,” the response says. “The complaint is based on flagrant misrepresentations of the facts and fatally flawed legal theories, and it punishes innovation and pro-competitive product design.

*** Statehouse News ***

* Sun-Times | Campaign contributions surge amid debate over hemp regulation in Illinois: While those figures pale in comparison to political donations from the cannabis industry in recent years, the hemp lobby’s contributions came as the long-running delta-8 debate reached a fever pitch in Springfield.

* QC Times | Quad-Cities area Republican tapped to lead veterans committee in Illinois statehouse: “As a veteran, Rep. Swanson has served our country with honor and distinction, and I know he will bring the same solemn sense of duty to leading a bipartisan Veterans Affairs Committee,” Welch said in a statement. Swanson, in an interview with Lee Enterprises, said he “dropped the phone” and was “speechless” when Welch called this weekend to inform him of the assignment.

* Chalkbeat | While the state faces a tighter budget, Illinois’ schools chief ask for a boost in education funding: The board unanimously approved Illinois Superintendent Tony Sanders’ budget proposal at a Wednesday board meeting without any pushback from members. Sanders proposed an additional $350 million for the state’s evidence-based funding formula for K-12 schools, which distributes new state education funding to schools based on need, sending more to under-resourced schools and those that serve a majority of students from low-income households, English learners, and students with disabilities.

*** Statewide ***

* Covers
| Illinois Sets New Records for Monthly Sports Betting Handle, Revenue: The Illinois Gaming Board reported a November handle of $1.53 billion, the most ever wagered for the second consecutive month. Sports betting operator revenue of $154.6 million also set a new monthly high and eclipsed the previous record of $137.2 million from September 2024.

*** Chicago ***

* Chalkbeat | Chicago Teachers Union alleges paycheck errors, asks new school board to help reach contract deal: The grievance claims at least five unnamed staffers have not been paid according to their seniority with the district. In all five cases, the union alleges, employees have reached out to the district for help in correcting the issue, but CPS has not fixed their pay.

* Tribune | New Chicago school board sworn in as CTU president pushes to reach deal over contentious contract: The hybrid board — currently composed of 10 members who won their seats during the city’s first school board elections and 10 members appointed by Mayor Brandon Johnson — will have a decisive hand in shaping the future of Chicago Public Schools amid immediate financial challenges at the district and contentious negotiations on a new four-year Chicago Teachers Union contract that has devolved into a prolonged power struggle. Johnson has yet to select his final appointment to the board, which will ultimately bring total membership to 21.

* Block Club | 25 MPH Speed Limit Reduction Proposal Hits The Brakes In City Council: While the measure passed the necessary council committee in October, La Spata ultimately did not bring it up for a vote last year. On Wednesday, he again withheld it from facing a final vote after failing to secure enough support to ensure its passage. Alderpeople did approve a resolution also backed by La Spata to create a working group that would examine Chicago’s traffic laws and design a “more equitable enforcement system, including fines and fees reform.” That measure passed by a 49-1 vote, with only Ald. Brian Hopkins (2nd) voting against it.

* Sun-Times | Flamingo, seal die of bird flu at Lincoln Park Zoo: How the animals were exposed to H5N1 avian influenza remains unknown, but the zoo said it was “near certain” that it derived from contact with a waterfowl that was infected with the virus. “This is sad news for wildlife and for the zoo team. Not only are we facing the first known cases of HPAI in animals in our care, but we’ve lost two amazing animals,” said Dr. Kathryn Gamble, Lincoln Park Zoo director of veterinary services, referring to highly pathogenic avian influenza.

* Sun-Times | Chicago’s bond rating dropped to BBB — one step above lowest investment grade: Now it has followed through, dropping the city to just two notches above “junk bond” status. Standard & Poor’s last year had cited Chicago’s “heavy reliance on one-time” revenue and a “politically-charged standoff” between Mayor Brandon Johnson and the City Council in warning of the likely reduction.

* Chicago Reader | Chicago Reader Announces Restructuring and Layoffs: n addition to the layoffs, RICJ CEO Solomon Lieberman submitted his resignation to the RICJ board of directors on Monday, January 13. “We are deeply grateful for Sol’s hard work and dedication during his tenure, and wish him the very best in his future endeavors,” says Chicago Reader publisher Amber Nettles.

* Block Club | Late Chicago Folk Legend Steve Goodman’s Guitars, Lyric Sheets Feared Lost In L.A. Fires: The beloved Chicago singer-songwriter Steve Goodman recorded his final album “Santa Ana Winds” in 1984. They are the same winds that spread the Los Angeles wild fires that killed at least 25 people this week and destroyed thousands of homes. Two of those homes belonged to Goodman’s daughters, and they now fear some of their father’s prized keepsakes — including guitars and the original handwritten lyrics to his legendary hit “City of New Orleans” — were lost to the fires.

*** Cook County and Suburbs ***

* WBEZ | A former Cook County agency employee will get $180,000 in a legal settlement: A former employee of Cook County’s property-tax appeal agency will get a big payout to end a legal case, just months after he was fired and sued a Democratic elected official. A county board subcommittee on Wednesday approved a $180,000 settlement to end the federal whistleblower case filed last year by Frank Calabrese against the county’s Board of Review, Board of Review Commissioner Samantha Steele and her top aide.

* Daily Herald | Arlington Heights, Rolling Meadows clash before state Supreme Court over sales tax from Cooper’s Hawk: Appearing before the Illinois Supreme Court Wednesday, attorneys for Rolling Meadows and Arlington Heights argued whether the former should pay the latter more than $1 million in misallocated sales taxes from Cooper’s Hawk Winery & Restaurant.

*** Downstate ***
…Adding… The Southern | Altercation after Carbondale council meeting under investigation: During the altercation, at least one citizen yelled in the face of Councilwoman Clare Killman, before city staff and police intervened and separated them. This came after a tense three-hour meeting during which Killman and Councilwoman Ginger Rye-Sanders criticized each other during the public portion of the meeting.

* WSIL | Carbondale police intervene verbal situation between city council members and public at meeting, city government reports: A member with the City of Carbondale Government stated on January 14, 2025, at roughly 9:05 p.m., Carbondale police officers intervened a verbal situation which involved two city council members and some members of the public. This happened at the conclusion of an executive session meeting at a Carbondale City Council meeting.

* WTVO | U of I system guarantees admission for Illinois high school grads looking to transfer: The policy takes effect for the 2025 fall semester and the only requirements are that students graduated from an Illinois high school, working toward their first bachelor’s degree, satisfy the system’s English language proficiency requirement and have at least 36 semester credit hours.

*** National ***

* AP | What products contain Red 3 dye? Checking ingredient labels is the best way to find out: The Food and Drug Administration is ordering food and drug makers to remove a dye called Red 3 from the products U.S. consumers eat and drink. The colorant was banned from cosmetics and non-oral medications decades ago because a study showed it caused cancer when eaten by rats. But it kept appearing on the ingredient lists of popular snack foods and other grocery products because it remained approved for use until now.