* The Illinois Education Association…

With great sadness, the Illinois Education Association (IEA) shares that IEA President Albert J. “Al” Llorens died Thurs., Sept. 26, at St. John’s Hospital in Springfield.

Llorens, who spent more than 30 years as a high school math teacher and head girls’ track and cross-country coach at Thornridge High School, had been an IEA member since 1985. Prior to that, he taught fourth-grade phonics and middle school reading in Champaign, and as a math and science teacher in Kankakee and Chicago.

He married the love of his life, Wanda, in 2018. He was the father of three children and two stepchildren.

Always leading with empathy, Llorens will be remembered for his kindness, his passion for public education and unions, his ability to put what’s best for students first, his dedication to the members of IEA and his devotion to his wife, Wanda.

Llorens always referred to Reginald “Reg” Weaver, IEA president from 1981 to 1987 and former NEA president, as his mentor. Weaver said he will miss Llorens and all he brought to his lifelong work.

“Al Llorens was a true friend and a man of the people. He believed strongly in public education and fought diligently for union members, their students, families and the community. Al believed in the power of sports and was an excellent coach. He will be deeply missed.”

Gov. JB Pritzker said Llorens was a caring leader who focused on what was best for IEA members and what was best for our state’s public school students.

“MK and I are deeply saddened to hear of the passing of Al Llorens – a teacher and coach, an advocate for our children’s education, and a truly good man,” the Governor said. “Whether in the classroom or leading the Illinois Education Association, Al cared deeply about empowering the next generation and worked tirelessly to invest in their future. He molded the minds of countless students and leaves behind a more equitable, supportive, and enriching education system. May his memory be a blessing to us all.”

* Illinois Federation of Teachers President Dan Montgomery…

“I am profoundly sad at the loss of my friend, union brother, and longtime educator, Al Llorens. His passing leaves Illinois emptier and less whole. The labor movement has lost a fierce advocate, and those of us who knew him have lost a steady, compassionate pillar who made our lives and our schools better.

“Al was a passionate unionist and educator who dedicated his life to students, public service, and the teachers and staff in Illinois’ public schools. As president of the Illinois Education Association (IEA), he led with compassion and an unwavering commitment to making Illinois schools their very best.

“Al was not only a dear friend, he was also a remarkable leader and teacher whose legacy will live on in the students he taught, the classrooms he fought for, the educators he uplifted, and the movement he strengthened. The IFT sends our deepest condolences to Al’s wife, Wanda, his family, and all the members and staff of the IEA.

* Sun-Times…

Democratic members of the Illinois congressional delegation say a Friday meeting with the Chicago field office director of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has been rescheduled to a yet to be determined date — as they pressed the director to let them conduct oversight at the agency’s Broadview facility and answer detailed questions about President Donald Trump’s Chicago deportation operations.

Members of the delegation were scheduled to meet Russell Hott on Friday but were told the meeting had to be rescheduled to a later date. Sen. Dick Durbin and Reps. Delia Ramirez, Robin Kelly, Jesus “Chuy” Garcia, Sean Casten, Raja Krishnamoorthi, Jan Schakowsky, Bill Foster and Mike Quigley had planned to attend the meeting in-person.

Led by Durbin and Ramirez, the delegation on Friday penned a letter to Hott, asking him to “promptly schedule a meeting” to discuss conditions at the ICE Broadview detention facility, which they say is “desperately needed as legal service providers and our constituents have raised concerns about the poor conditions at Broadview.”

* Daily Herald…

Huntley has officially replaced all lead service lines the village was aware of that delivered water to residences, the village has announced. […]

[T]he timeline the state gave municipalities is less strict and varies from 2042 for towns with fewer than 1,200 affected lines, which includes Huntley, to 2077 for towns such as Chicago, which have 100,000 or more lead lines. […]

Huntley officials say the village was among the first communities in the state to comply with the required phase-out of lead pipes and ensure safe water to residents.

Public water lines were already lead-free, Huntley officials said. The work to replace the lines going into homes took about a month, and there was a low volume of pipes, officials said.

*** Statewide ***

* IPM | As tick-borne illnesses rise, Illinois is taking steps to increase surveillance: A new study led by Becky Smith, an associate professor of entomology at the U of I, examined three different species of ticks in Illinois and found the black legged tick, the lone star tick and the American dog tick have been moving to different regions of the state when they used to be more consolidated. “It used to be that you would only find lone star ticks down in the Shawnee National Forest. I have colleagues up in Chicago who are finding them in the Chicago area,” she explained. “You would only find the black legged tick up in the Chicago area, up along the Wisconsin border, and now we’re finding them in the Shawnee National Forest. So they’re moving across the state.”

*** Statehouse News ***

* Streetsblog Chicago | GOP State Rep. and Rosemont Mayor Brad Stephens on solving the transit fiscal cliff: “This can’t be a city-versus-suburbs thing.”:” This can’t be a city-versus-suburbs thing. This isn’t about, “That wasn’t fiscally conservative enough,” or “That one they gave great contracts to this union.” That’s not what this is about. We’re where we’re at, at a place in time. We need to address it and figure out how we’re going to keep transit safe, clean, and at a level that it gets people to and from their jobs, to and from their leisure activities, still affordable, in a civil manner.”

* WGLT | During B-N stop, conservative governor candidate Ted Dabrowski vows to fight for economic change in Illinois: “One of the things we should do is move immediately to 401[k]s for all new workers. We should stop digging the pension hole,” Dabrowski continued. [Note from Rich: Moving newbies to 401k’s would mean Social Security payments and no employee contributions into the system.]

*** Chicago ***

* Block Club | Ald. Gardiner Rejects Apartment Building Pitched For Edgebrook After Tense Meeting: More than 200 people crowded into the Edgebrook School gym to hear Drexel Properties’ plans for the commercial property at 5500 W. Devon Ave. Speakers who opposed the apartment building said it didn’t fit with the character of the neighborhood, would worsen already-bad traffic and create spillover traffic. Supporters said the project could help revitalize the neighborhood’s struggling downtown, bringing more foot traffic to businesses.

* Sun-Times | Starbucks to close hundreds of stores, lay off 900 workers. Here are some stores closing in Chicago: The company’s Edgewater store, at 5964 N. Ridge Ave., is among the locations closing Saturday, according to Starbucks Workers United. The labor group represents 12,000 baristas and recently won its 650th union election. Workers picketed outside the Edgewater store on Thursday morning. The rally was planned before Starbucks’ announcement. Workers had aimed to press for a fair contract with the company.

* Crain’s | Chicago crypto software firm Zerohash valued at $1B in new funding round: The funding values the company at $1 billion, making it one of a handful of venture capital-backed “unicorn” companies in Chicago. The cryptocurrency sector is taking off, fueled by the Trump administration’s embrace of the industry and regulations that have paved the way for traditional banks to get involved.

* Block Club | South Side Hotels Near Obama Center, XS Tennis Center Get City Council Approval: The 303-foot-tall building will feature a fifth-floor swimming pool, green roofs and outdoor terraces on the fifth, 13th and 20th floors. The developer owns three parcels at the development site, while the other two are city-owned. The city intends to sell its properties to the developer “at fair market value,” Planning Commissioner Ciere Boatright wrote to Plan Commission officials in January.

* WBEZ | The man behind the organ at the Rockefeller Memorial Chapel has been pulling the stops for 25 years: A great forest of zinc pipes — the longest of them stretching 16 feet — soars along the east chancel wall. All is quiet until Weisflog, hidden behind an oak console, goes to work, his fingers stroking keys and pulling stops. He reaches for a stop labeled “tuba mirabilis.” Thunderous notes fill the chapel, rattling the woodwork.

*** Cook County and Suburbs ***

* Sun-Times | Arrests made after rooftop agents fire rubber pellets, tear gas at crowd outside Broadview ICE facility: Meanwhile, two people were led away in handcuffs as of about 11 a.m. and a black bus with tinted windows filled with apparent detainees left the facility around the same time. […] In turn, federal officers have often pushed demonstrators and fired rubber bullets and chemical munitions into crowds. Rubber pellets began flying through the air shortly after 8 a.m. A Sun-Times photographer was hit by one of the pellets and a window of a nearby business was broken by one of the projectiles about 9:45 a.m.

* Crain’s | Housing plan for long-vacant Solo Cup factory site in Highland Park advances: Seventeen years after the Solo Cup company closed its Highland Park factory, a plan to redevelop the 28-acre site with homes is headed for the city council next week. At 227 units, the Habitat Company’s proposal is less than half what another developer was proposing in 2018, initially 518 units and later increased to 534. It’s also less than the 262 units in the first-draft proposal Habitat unveiled in October 2024. The proposed units are all attached townhouses.

* Aurora Beacon-News | Oswego panel not in favor of residential project proposed for former site of Traughber Junior High School: The Oswego Planning and Zoning Commission recently recommended denial of concept plans to redevelop the old Traughber Junior High School site in the village into a 239-unit residential project. The commission’s primary concern at its meeting earlier this month was the density of the proposed redevelopment project. Oswego officials said the developer is working on site plan modifications based on public feedback before bringing the proposal to the Village Board, which has the final say on the project.

* Tribune | Paul Noland, a former judge and attorney who represented Tylenol amid 1982 cyanide poisonings, dies at 91: Paul Noland was a DuPage County judge who in his earlier career as an attorney represented the makers of Tylenol in the aftermath of the still-unsolved Chicago-area poisoning deaths in 1982 that were caused by drug tampering. Noland became involved representing the makers of Tylenol because Dave Collins, the chairman of Johnson & Johnson’s McNeil Consumer Products unit in 1982, had been close friends with Noland dating back to their high school days and also had been Noland’s college roommate.

*** Downstate ***

* WGLT | ISU president cites fiscal challenges, lauds campus achievements in annual address: “Institutional costs are rising at twice, twice! our rate of revenues,” said Tarhule, who called the situation “difficult.” Tarhule told the assembled crowd the financial pressures include state disinvestment in higher education, and a need for more affordable tuition, higher compensation, and new student support programs. He said cost containment, re-prioritizing funding, and improving student retention and graduation rates can all continue to help ISU address the pressures all colleges and universities face.

* STLPR | Illinois EPA says Bethalto water is safe, but residents want more done: After months of Bethalto residents dealing with brown water, tests by the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency show the drinking water is safe. Three rounds of testing by the IEPA over the past few weeks found the drinking water in the Metro East community “meets all state and federal water quality standards,” according to a letter and subsequent results from the state agency. The early September letter addressed to state Rep. Amy Elik, R-Godfrey, and the latest results come as Bethalto residents have complained for months, or in some cases years, of brown water coming from their faucets and independent tests by concerned residents found elevated levels of manganese.

* WCIA | Ameren Illinois introducing new ‘smart switch’ devices in Vermilion Co.: On Thursday, Ameren announced it would be installing 69kV Viper®-HV reclosers, also known as “smart switches.” These devices detect problems on the electric system and help determine if power should be re-routed from another source. The introduction of these switches is aimed at modernizing Ameren’s electric grid in Vermilion County.

* WICS | University of Illinois homecoming draws over 60,000, boosting local businesses and economy: The University of Illinois will celebrate homecoming this weekend, and the Champaign-Urbana area is expecting thousands of visitors. The football game is sold out, and with FOX Big Noon Kickoff in town, events surrounding the game are also expected to be huge. From sold-out hotels to packed restaurants, this weekend is expected to bring in more than $4 million to Champaign-Urbana’s economy. It’s a sold-out weekend across the board.

*** National ***

* Crain’s | Medicaid cuts will deepen a growing strain on ERs treating gunshots: study: Annual costs for the initial emergency department and inpatient treatment of people injured by firearms nationwide ran about $1.2 billion a year from 2016 to 2019, but jumped to $1.6 billion in 2021. The 33% increase, researchers said, coincided with a rise in gunshot wounds during the COVID-19 pandemic. What’s more, the annual cost of treatment for pediatric patients grew 54% from 2019 to 2021, the study said. The total cost of initial treatment of firearm injuries for U.S. hospitals was $7.7 billion from 2016 to 2021. Of those costs, more than half were billed to Medicaid.

* AP | Sinclair brings Jimmy Kimmel’s show back to its ABC-affiliated stations, ending blackout: “Our objective throughout this process has been to ensure that programming remains accurate and engaging for the widest possible audience,” Sinclair, which operates 38 ABC affiliates, said in a statement Friday afternoon. “We take seriously our responsibility as local broadcasters to provide programming that serves the interests of our communities, while also honoring our obligations to air national network programming.”

* NYT | Des Moines Schools Superintendent Detained by ICE, School Officials Say: Jackie Norris, the president of the board, she did not know why federal agents took Ian Roberts, the superintendent, into custody. Ms. Norris said that an associate superintendent, Matt Smith, would lead the system temporarily.