* ICYMI: Pritzker signs ‘Karina’s law’ to remove guns from domestic violence situations. Capitol News Illinois…

- After more than a year of negotiations, Gov. JB Pritzker signed a bill Monday designed to remove guns from domestic violence situations.
- House Bill 4144, also known as Karina’s Law, clarifies that local law enforcement must temporarily remove guns from a person who has an order of protection against them when the alleged victim successfully seeks firearm removal as a remedy in court.
- Current law allows people asking a court for an order of protection to request a “firearm remedy” that would lead to law enforcement removing guns from the alleged abuser’s possession.
- Karina’s Law closes the loophole that made it unclear who was responsible for removing the gun from the situation.

* Related stories…

∙ WEHT: Illinois governor signs Karina’s Law to protect victims of domestic violence
∙ Block Club: Guns Will Be Taken Away From Domestic Abusers After Gov. Pritzker Signs ‘Karina’s Law’
∙ Fox Chicago: Karina’s Law aims to prevent gun violence in Illinois domestic abuse cases

*** Isabel’s Top Picks ***

* NBC Chicago | What’s open and closed this week on Lincoln’s Birthday? Illinois DMVs, USPS and more: Illinois Secretary of States facilities and DMVs will be closed this week, but it’s not because of President’s Day. It’s due to Lincoln’s Birthday — the day that honors Abraham Lincoln, the country’s 16th president who hailed from Illinois — which falls on Feb. 12 each year. However, Lincoln’s Birthday is not a federal holiday, which means the United States Post Office will still deliver mail on Wednesday. Still, DMVs across the state will be closed in observance, along with Illinois courts.

* Sun-Times | City’s homeless shelters fail on accessibility for people with disabilities: Two homeless senior adults we have been working with for the last few months, one with a mobility disability requiring personal assistance from the other, have now been waiting for an accessible shelter bed for 47 days. In that time, they have been living in their truck and desperately seeking housing after an unexpected eviction from their apartment of eight years.

*** Statehouse News ***

* Sun-Times | Pritzker halts Joliet Great Lakes carp project until Trump promises not to yank federal funds: Illinois Department of Natural Resources Director Natalie Phelps Finnie on Monday wrote in a letter to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers that the state will be postponing a “property rights closing” on Tuesday, “based on the anticipated lack of federal funding for the Brandon Road Project.”

* AFP | AFP-Illinois Launches Campaigns Targeting Pension and Tax Proposals: oday, Americans for Prosperity-Illinois (AFP-Illinois) launched a pair of digital campaigns targeting various lawmakers for their lack of action to deliver meaningful property tax relief while at the same time considering various pension and tax proposals that would crush hardworking Illinois families.

* Cook County Record | Plaintiff accuses Illinois Environmental Council of pregnancy discrimination: The situation escalated when Koerner announced her pregnancy in October 2023. Walling expressed concerns about how Koerner’s due date would coincide with an upcoming legislative session. By December 2023, after confirming that Koerner’s delivery would occur during this critical period, Walling sought to terminate her employment and pressured her to alter maternity leave plans to suit the legislative calendar. Despite being eight months pregnant and without any performance issues noted by HR, Koerner was terminated on February 29, 2024.

* Statement from the Illinois Environmental Council: “The Illinois Environmental Council will fully defend itself against false allegations that are without merit and have been filed by a disgruntled former employee. The organization and its leaders prioritize providing a professional and respectful environment that supports our employees in their work to advocate for policies that support clean water, air and energy across Illinois. While we typically do not comment on personnel matters, because this former employee has made her case public, we note that she was terminated for legitimate reasons having nothing to do with her pregnancy status.”

* Center Square | Black health advocacy group calls for more Illinois tax dollars for HIV care: “Despite the rate of infections going down across the state among other ethnicities, African Americans continue to comprise 47% of new cases,” said BLACHE Board Chair Creola Hampton. Hampton claims the state is withholding funds that were promised four years ago and believes white organizations are getting preferential treatment from the state.

* Tribune | President Donald Trump pardons ex-Gov. Rod Blagojevich nearly 5 years after commuting his sentence : Hours after the arrest, then-U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald detailed elements of what he called “a political corruption crime spree,” which also included attempting to shake down a children’s hospital for campaign donations, that he said “would make Lincoln roll over in his grave.” It also prompted then-FBI Special Agent Robert Grant, who headed the Chicago office, to declare that if Illinois wasn’t the most corrupt state in the union, “it’s certainly one hell of a competitor.”

*** Statewide ***

A 25% tariff on aluminum will be devastating for Illinois.

Our craft breweries could see a $10.2 million increase in packaging costs, testing their already delicate supply chains and razor-thin margins.

Ultimately, our small brewery owners and customers will pay the price. pic.twitter.com/9Cmh74BTP6

— Illinois Craft Brewers Guild (@IllinoisBeer) February 11, 2025

* Sun-Times | CFPB, saving Illinois consumers from corporate wrongdoing, goes dark in Trump attack on federal agencies: U.S. Rep. Jan Schakowsky, D-Evanston, the ranking member on the House Commerce, Manufacturing and Trade Subcommittee, which deals with consumer protection issues, is among the Democrats alarmed at the CFPB’s shutdown. They plan to march to the CFPB offices in Washington Monday afternoon. Schakowsky said it was hypocritical for billionaire and Trump adviser Elon Musk to target an agency that helps consumers with financial problems. On Friday, Musk had posted an emoji of a gravestone with the taunt, “CFPB RIP,” on his X platform.

* Sun-Times | How Trump’s education plans might affect Illinois schools: rump cannot just close the Department of Education — or any other federal agency — through an executive order. That’s because Congress created the department and would have to shut it down. There are some early efforts in the U.S. House to dissolve the agency, but their prospects for passing both chambers of Congress are uncertain.

*** Chicago ***

* Block Club | Months After Axing ShotSpotter, City Seeks Proposals For ‘Gun Violence’ Detection System: “Over the testing period of no more than one week, the city will randomly initiate simulations and live gunfire within the demonstration area,” according to the document. “The chosen respondents will be judged on percentage of accurate notifications vs inaccurate or missed notifications.”

* Sun-Times | Finance Committee signs off on Johnson’s $830 million general obligation bond issue: Mayor Brandon Johnson’s plan to issue $830 million worth of general obligation bonds to bankroll a year’s worth of capital projects cleared a City Council committee Monday amid questions about borrowing that much money when federal funding is at risk and the impact of the city’s recently reduced-bond rating. Last month, Chicago suffered the borrowing consequences of a marathon budget stalemate that ended with no property tax increase and a tension-filled 27-to-25 vote to pass Johnson’s $17.1 billion spending plan. Standard & Poor’s followed through on its threat to drop the all-important bond rating that determines Chicago’s borrowing costs. It went down from BBB+ to BBB, just two notches above “junk bond” status.

* Chicago Mag | The Next Mayor: Has there ever been a Chicago mayor as unpopular as Brandon Johnson? A new poll has his favorability rating at a cringeworthy 14 percent. As political consultant Tom Bowen delicately puts it: “This mayor is so weakened by his own hand that eight out of 10 Chicagoans would rather get punched in the face than reelect him.” Ouch. Even with the primary two years away, that kind of sentiment has already fueled early jockeying for who might succeed Johnson. We’ve ranked 11 speculated-about contenders in order of who we think has the best shot.

* Tribune | Chicago says it hopes to open city-owned market instead of city-owned grocery store: A year-round public market, city officials said, would sell staple grocery items, such as milk and bread. The market would also contain retail spaces for local farmers and food retailers to sell their products, which the city said it would rent out at low cost. Still, details are scarce about when such a market would open, how it would be funded and operated and where it would be located.

* Block Club | Chicago Public Schools Fair Aims To Prepare Students With Disabilities For Life After High School: The Student Transition FAIR — Fostering Access, Independence, and Responsibility — held last month at Malcolm X College in partnership with City Colleges of Chicago is one opportunity students with disabilities have to explore their options for life after high school. Over two days, teachers, counselors, and other school support staff from 46 high schools brought about 700 students, who could check out booths staffed by representatives from colleges and employers, as well as a virtual reality area related to trade jobs and a room for mock interviews.

* Tribune | Chicago has not been immune from air traffic controller shortages in recent years: For example, in one facility that oversees planes coming to and going from Chicago, the number of fully certified controllers was about 70% of the target staffing levels recommended by the union and Federal Aviation Administration working group. At another regional facility, the number of fully certified controllers was 82% of the group’s recommendation. Shortages in Chicago were not as acute as those in some other major cities, like New York. Still, they can force air traffic controllers to work overtime and face fatigue in a busy air space that has been recognized as among the nation’s most critical because of the number of airlines and flights served.

*** Cook County and Suburbs ***

* Tribune | As Bally’s Chicago navigates challenges, south suburban newcomer Wind Creek becoming big player among state’s casinos: Wind Creek, owned by the Poarch Band of Creek Indians, opened its permanent, 70,000 square foot casino in East Hazel Crest on Nov. 11 to large crowds and seemingly pent-up demand. The facility features 1,400 slot machines, 56 table games and other attractions, with a hotel set to open early this year. Last month, perennial leader Rivers Casino Des Plaines once again topped the list at nearly $39 million in adjusted gross receipts and 236,000 visitors. Hard Rock Rockford, which moved from a temporary casino to a larger permanent facility in August, ranked third with $11.3 million in adjusted gross receipts and 111,000 admissions in January.

* Fox Chicago | Early voting opens in suburbs as Dolton mayoral race heats up: Among the key races is Dolton’s mayoral contest, where incumbent Tiffany Henyard faces a challenge from Jason House, a senior village trustee. Henyard has stirred up controversy in both Dolton and Thornton Township, where she was a supervisor, and now she’s facing an FBI investigation.

* Daily Herald | Pace picking up for new businesses in and near Gurnee Mills: The busy pace in and around Gurnee Mills is picking up with the opening or planned arrivals of several new businesses at the Gurnee shopping center. […] Nearby, Ashley Furniture is replacing the former Toys R Us space and the onetime Baker’s Square has been demolished to make way for a Bank of America branch. Inside the mall, the former Bed Bath & Beyond space is being renovated for two businesses — international clothing retailer Primark and an expanded Boot Barn, which has an announced opening of May 31. There is no specific timetable for Primark’s opening.

* Sun-Times | Into the heart of darkness for good crappie: Juan Macias capped off a Sunday of catching “amazing crappies” on the Fox Chain O’Lakes in a big way. He messaged that they were “biting constantly after sunset. Finishing with this beauty [of a] 15-incher. It swam back after a picture so it can go and produce lots of eggs when spawning time [comes].”

*** Downstate ***

* WLPO | Former State Representative Candidate Wants To Be La Salle’s Next City Clerk: Fresh off a close loss in her race to get a seat in the Illinois House of Representatives, Liz Bishop of La Salle is seeking a political seat closer to home. The Republican on Monday announced her intention to be a write-in candidate for La Salle City Clerk. Bishop says with no official city clerk candidate on the April ballot in La Salle, she’s hoping La Salle voters take a few extra seconds to write her name in on their ballots.

* SJ-R | Former chamber of commerce CEO in central Illinois pleads guilty to theft: The former CEO of the Taylorville Chamber of Commerce has pleaded guilty after she was arrested in 2023 for allegedly stealing between $100,000 and $500,000 from the organization over multiple years. Patty A. Hornbuckle pleaded guilty last week to the charge of theft, which is a felony. Hornbuckle, who was 63 years old at the time of her arrest, was sentenced to first offender second chance probation with 24 months.

* SJ-R | ‘No confidence’: Massey family have misgivings about citizens commission: Sontae Massey said he was “actively defying” his family’s wishes by staying as a member of the Massey Commission, formed in the aftermath of the July 6 fatally shooting of his cousin, Sonya Massey. Addressing the commission Monday, Massey said his family “sent me here today to leave this commission and take our name with it.” Massey told The State Journal-Register that family members he spoke with Monday, including Sonya’s mother, Donna Massey, “had no confidence in this (commission) whatsoever, but I do. I do see a glimmer of hope.

*** National ***

* Unherd | JB Pritzker is replacing Newsom as anti-Trump figurehead: As a beleaguered Democratic Party grapples for ways to mount effective opposition to an ever-more assertive Trump administration, one governor has taken the lead in demonstrating how it may be done. It is not California’s Gavin Newsom, whose need to work with the President on disaster relief has muted his earlier posturing. Rather, the title of “Resistance governor” could go to Illinois’s JB Pritzker. Like Trump, he’s a billionaire-turned-politician with national ambitions; and aside from antics such as renaming Lake Michigan “Lake Illinois” and threatening to annex Green Bay, he’s been in the news for efforts to counter key items in the agenda of Trump 2.0.

* American Bar Agency | The ABA supports the rule of law: It has been three weeks since Inauguration Day. Most Americans recognize that newly elected leaders bring change. That is expected. But most Americans also expect that changes will take place in accordance with the rule of law and in an orderly manner that respects the lives of affected individuals and the work they have been asked to perform. Instead, we see wide-scale affronts to the rule of law itself, such as attacks on constitutionally protected birthright citizenship, the dismantling of USAID and the attempts to criminalize those who support lawful programs to eliminate bias and enhance diversity.