* ICYMI: Pritzker signs bill to phase out subminimum wage for disabled workers. Capitol News Illinois…

- The governor signed House Bill 793, which, beginning in 2030, will prohibit businesses and other residential facilities in Illinois from claiming an exemption allowing them to pay workers with disabilities less than minimum wage.
- Illinois is the 19th state to eliminate the subminimum wage for workers with disabilities.
- Money for the transition program would come from the Illinois Department of Human Services’ line item for transforming the state’s developmental and intellectual disability system.

* Related stories…

∙ WBEZ: Pritzker signs bill eliminating subminimum wage for people with disabilities
∙ Courthouse News Service: Pritzker signs Illinois law barring sub-minimum wages for disabled workers
∙ Center Square: New Illinois law eliminates subminimum wage for disabled workers

*** Isabel’s Top Picks ***

* Tribune | Closing arguments in landmark trial of ex-speaker Michael Madigan expected Wednesday: After jurors return Wednesday morning, U.S. District Judge John Robert Blakey will read them their lengthy instructions — they are likely to run more than 100 pages — before prosecutors begin their closing arguments. In total, the arguments are expected to last through the end of the week. Jurors are scheduled to begin deliberations Monday.

* Pantagraph | McLean County’s Juvenile Detention Center among the state facilities not passing inspections. Here’s how they hope to improve.: Gabel, House majority leader, emphasized most children held in juvenile detention centers have not been convicted of a crime, but are in holding until their cases are adjudicated. “My view is that there are better ways to take care of these children until their court date. Putting them in the JDC, in which 10 of the 14 are always underperforming, never getting passing grades — it’s detrimental to children’s lives,” Gabel said.

* Crain’s | Doctors and police top list of highest-paid state employees in Illinois: Physicians dominate Crain’s newest list of highest-paid state employees in Illinois, according to data from the Illinois Comptroller’s Office. The list ranks 25 workers on the Comptroller’s payroll, which excludes university employees, by 2024 total compensation. On average, the 11 doctors on the list earned about $357,369 last year.

*** Statehouse News ***

* An Alliance of consumer and public interest groups launched a nearly $1 million ad campaign to oppose Peoples Gas’ $13 billion pipe replacement program today. The ICC is expected to rule on the project next month. Click here for more info.

* WTWO | Illinois Chamber of Commerce expands Legislative Affairs Team: The Illinois Chamber of Commerce has announced it is expanding its Legislative Affairs Team, as Ramiro Hernandez is joining the team as the new Executive Director of the Tax Institute and Municipal and County Affairs, according to the chamber of commerce. The Illinois Chamber of Commerce said Hernandez brings over 10 years of experience in legislative, public policy, and communications across the state of Illinois.

*** Statewide ***

* Press Release | IDPH Launches New Data Dashboard on Violent Deaths and Firearm Injuries: It is intended to provide detailed information at the county level about these incidents, including the types of incidents (e.g., homicide, suicide, etc.), weapon type and where victims reside, broken down by county. The goal of the dashboard is to inform data-driven prevention and intervention efforts to reduce violent deaths and firearm injuries in Illinois.

*** Chicago ***

* Crain’s | Bally’s faces tough City Council battle over property tax break: Caught in the middle is local Ald. Walter Burnett, 27th, who doubles as Johnson’s vice mayor and triples as the pro-development chairman of the Zoning Committee. Burnett so far is siding with Johnson, who he said is “darned if he do, darned if he don’t” because the mayor wants to be pro-development but is unwilling to dispense a corporate handout.

* CBS Chicago | Chicago man says accountability has been lacking after off-duty CPD officer shot, killed his dog: Speaking to CBS News Chicago for the first time, the dog’s owner, Kent Maynard, said there has been no accountability in the months since. He also said his case was treated differently from the start. Maynard said the case was essentially a “one-interview investigation.” He said that despite video evidence and eyewitnesses being present on the scene, the initial report and investigation by police were heavily biased in favor of their coworker.

* Sun-Times | Chicago weed exec, golf buddies charged with insider trading surrounding $413 million acquisition: Anthony Marsico was executive vice president of Verano when he used confidential information about a blockbuster plan to take over Minneapolis-based Goodness Growth in order to enrich himself and manipulate Verano’s stock value, according to the indictment filed in federal court in Chicago on Jan. 16.

* Sun-Times | Biden commutes life sentence of former Gangster Disciples co-chairman Gregory Shell: Shell was second-in-command to Larry Hoover, who’s serving a life sentence in a maximum-security prison in Colorado. Shell, 67, is serving a life prison term there, too. “This is a positive first step toward correcting the draconian sentence imposed on Mr. Shell three decades ago,” his lawyer, Andréa Gambino, said Tuesday.

* Sun-Times | What happens when it’s so cold in Chicago that CTA rails crack?: The CTA relies on its “protectors of the railroad” — hundreds of workers ready to repair any rail cracks caused by subzero cold. “Without them, [trains] wouldn’t be able to run,” said Lenny Romano, the CTA’s vice president of infrastructure maintenance. “You don’t see them, but they’re out there.”

*** Cook County and Suburbs ***

* ABC Chicago | So-called Elgin tent city for homeless being cleared out after $2.5M contract approved: The city and social service staffers are working to move residents to the nearby Lexington Hotel for the next month while they get help looking for more permanent housing. “These are people that don’t have anywhere to live and this is an opportunity to get out of the elements and get the help they need to get back on their feet,” Knox said.

* ABC Chicago | Thornton Township board fills interim trustee position; Supervisor Tiffany Henyard skips meeting: Stephanie Wiedeman received the majority vote to fill a vacant Thornton Township trustee position, effective immediately. Wiedeman beat out two other nominees during Tuesday night’s special meeting. She had served under Thornton Township’s previous administration since 2003, but Henyard fired her when she took office three years ago.

* Daily Herald | Former Arlington Heights pastor accused of earlier sexual abuse of a minor : The St. James Parish congregation was informed in a letter from Chicago Archbishop Blase Cupich over the weekend. The abuse accusations were said to have occurred during an earlier period when Foley was associate pastor of St. Agatha in Chicago’s North Lawndale neighborhood. “In keeping with our child protection policies, Father Foley has been asked to step away from ministry during the investigation,” Cupich wrote. “While he strenuously denies this allegation, he has agreed to cooperate with this directive.”

* SRP | Pekau disputes video criticizing deal with Orland insurance carrier : The video says that Pekau and the board are costing the village more than $1 million a year by choosing Horton over another insurance broker – the Intergovernmental Personnel Benefit Cooperative — because Horton is a top campaign donor. “Keith Pekau claims to work for the taxpayers, but his actions tell a different story,” the narrator says.

*** Downstate ***

* Effingham Daily News | Problem Solving Court helps people regain control of their lives: According to [Effingham County Probation Officer Chris Winters], the three graduates saved taxpayers $270,000 by completing the program instead of possibly being imprisoned. Durbin began the Problem Solving Court on Aug. 16, 2023 because he was tired of damaging his relationships with his family and loved ones. People were getting “tired of me,” he said. When he was picked up by officers, he reached his tipping point, or rock bottom, and wanted to change.

* BND | Assisted living facility in Collinsville is sold, displacing its residents: Addington Place managers announced this month that the facility is closing in April because the owner of the building sold the property, and the new owner does not want to use it for assisted living. They said only that the new owner wants to “repurpose” the property, declining to answer the Belleville News-Democrat’s questions about how many residents and employees are affected by the closure and who the new and old property owners are.

* STLPR | Interstate 255 will be closed for six months in St. Clair County. Here’s what we know: Interstate 255 will be shut down for six months beginning Feb. 1 so crews can repair 3.5 miles of the highway from Illinois 157 to Illinois 15 in St. Clair County, the Illinois Department of Transportation said Friday. The project, which was announced last year, is expected to be completed by July 31.

* Rock River Current | Slot Revenue Rose 3% In Rockford In 2024 To The Second-Highest Total On Record: Net revenue from video gaming was $41.2 million in Rockford last year, up from $40 million in 2023, according to data from the Illinois Gaming Board. That’s the second highest total after $47.4 million in 2021. Those figures don’t include casino gambling. That increase comes despite the Aug. 29 debut of Hard Rock Casino Rockford, which reaped in $97.6 million in 2024.