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Isabel’s morning briefing
Friday, Dec 5, 2025 - Posted by Isabel Miller * ICYMI: DOJ lawyer says it’s ‘wrong to allege’ Operation Midway Blitz is over. Capitol News Illinois…
- The comment came during a hearing Thursday in front of U.S. District Judge Sara Ellis on how best to wind down a lawsuit initiated earlier this fall by protesters, clergy and journalists over federal immigration agents’ use of riot control weapons like tear gas. Earlier this week in a surprise move, plaintiffs’ attorneys asked Ellis to dismiss the case. -Judge Ellis slammed the DOJ’s contention that dismissing the case would bar future claims of constitutional violations by immigration agents. * Related stories… Sponsored by PhRMA
* Good morning! Before the day gets away from you, please take a moment to think about foster kids who could really use a little brightness this season. With your help, LSSI can turn $25 into a Christmas present for a foster kid. If you can help, now is a great time to do it. Click here today and give what you can. Thank you! * WGLT | Illinois Supreme Court justices want to see McLean County’s Family Treatment Court replicated: Justice Mary K. O’Brien joined Rochford in McLean County with a specific interest in observing Family Treatment Court. As part of her responsibilities for the Illinois Supreme Court, O’Brien serves as a liaison to the juvenile courts committee. “We have invested deeply in treatment courts [and] problem-solving courts for mental health, for drug use, for veterans,” she said. “But we have not done so statewide for families impacted with abuse and neglect — what we call a JA case.” McLean County operates the state’s only Family Treatment Court, a voluntary program offered to parents involved in child welfare cases involving substance abuse. The program launched in 2024, funded by a $750,000 federal grant from the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. * News-Gazette | Sheriffs across Illinois inundated with FOIA requests: Champaign County Sheriff Dustin Heuerman said that he, like other sheriffs “all across the state,” has been inundated with Freedom of Information Act requests, placing a burden on the time of his staff. “Basically, individuals/organizations (usually under random gmail accounts, etc.) are requesting a month’s worth of calls for service, then FOIA’ing body camera footage for anything that seems interesting out of those calls,” Heuerman said in an email to the Ford County Chronicle on Thursday. “Then they will post these on a website and charge people to view (or get advertisers on the site due to many followers).” * Sun-Times | Thousands leaving Illinois prisons face high risk of housing instability, new study finds: A significant portion of more than 10,000 people released from Illinois state prisons each year are at risk of housing instability, according to a new study by the Illinois Reentry Council and Loyola University’s Center for Criminal Justice. Policymakers, researchers and advocates have long been long aware of the need for housing for people leaving incarceration, with criminal records, poor credit history and no job. The survey, for the first time, links data to that need, said Dave Olson, professor and co-director of the Center for Criminal Justice. * WGLT | Private vs. public debate persists at IHSA state football championships: Debates over perceived advantages private schools have over public schools in Illinois High School Association [IHSA] athletics continued as the state football championships played out in Normal and DeKalb. For IHSA sports, playoff classes are determined by the student enrollment of a school. Private schools that meet certain success criteria have their enrollments multiplied by 1.65 and then are placed in a class based on that number. This multiplier puts them into higher classes with bigger and often more difficult schools to face. Each of the seven private schools to earn a championship game appearance in 2025 had the multiplier applied. * ABC Chicago | New IL laws in 2026 address missing persons investigations, sexual assault victims, senior drivers: A new Illinois law will require landlords to include a summary of the special housing rights that survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault have under six state statutes on the first page of each written residential lease or lease renewal. A University of Illinois Chicago professor and her students from a domestic violence law course helped create the legislation. * Sun-Times | Mayor Brandon Johnson’s administration shoots down Council members’ alternate budget ideas: If there is room for compromise, it was tough to tell by the Johnson administration’s response. Virtually all of the ideas from a group of moderate and conservative alderpersons, with help from a brain trust of civic groups and former city finance experts, were dismissed as either unwise or unworkable. The proposal to nearly double a garbage fee that has been frozen at $9.50 a month since its inception to $18 a month — while charging eligible seniors $9 a month — was dismissed by the mayor’s team as politically untenable “at a time when communities are already experiencing substantial property tax increases through the recent property tax assessments” that hit hardest on the predominantly Black South and West sides. * Crain’s | Johnson pours cold water on council bloc’s budget plan: Committee meetings that were scheduled for Dec. 8 to take up budget votes have been canceled, and it’s uncertain when Johnson will call for new votes. The mayor’s office also responded to a letter from Ald. Nicole Lee, 11th, today confirming his budget team would meet a portion of the group Dec. 6. * Tribune | Chicago Tribune sues Perplexity AI for copyright infringement: The complaint challenges the unauthorized use of often fully reproduced Tribune reporting to provide answers on the Perplexity AI platforms – both a chatbot and newly launched search engine – essentially bypassing the need to link to the newspaper’s website. Using large chunks of the Tribune’s original reporting – sometimes inaccurately – diverts traffic away from the newspaper’s website, threatening its business model of paid subscriptions and advertising, the lawsuit alleges. * NBC Chicago | Former student reacts to $17.5M sex abuse settlement with CPS: “I can move on and heal in peace,” the former student we’ll call “Jane” told NBC 5 Investigates during an exclusive interview. “No amount of money can take my pain away, but I do feel like I can heal in peace now and finally turn the page.” The woman, now in her 20s, sued CPS last year alleging that her former dean, Brian Crowder, at Little Village Lawndale High School had sexually abused her. * Capitol News Illinois | ComEd launches new discount program for low-income customers: The Low-Income Discount program will provide price breaks starting Jan. 1, 2026, to qualifying households in its service area. ComEd delivers energy to more than 4 million customers across northern Illinois, approximately 70% of the state’s population. “ComEd understands that families are struggling with a perfect storm of economic uncertainty and rising energy supply costs due to capacity auctions, which make up as much as half of ComEd bills, and we are committed to helping address these higher costs by providing practical support,” the company wrote in its announcement Monday. * Tribune | Chicago Housing Authority head told HUD ‘we do not recommend’ Mayor Brandon Johnson ally as CEO: CHA board Chair Matthew Brewer wrote to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development on Oct. 1 laying out what he said were Johnson’s attempts to influence the agency to name former Ald. Walter Burnett Jr. as CEO, according to a copy of the letter obtained by the Tribune. The six-page message said the public housing agency’s board of commissioners never seriously considered Burnett, noting he lacked management experience, and only interviewed him as a courtesy. Brewer was first appointed to the board by Mayor Rahm Emanuel before Johnson named him its interim chair last year. The board appointed him interim CEO, too, when Angela Hurlock resigned that post in September. He then wrote to HUD’s public housing director just before the federal government shutdown in response to HUD’s request for additional information on the CHA CEO selection process. * Block Club | Gale Street Inn Reopens Thursday, Bringing Back Its Famous Ribs: Villabona said reservations are already booked through the weekend “We’re really excited to meet everyone in the community. So many people have already reached out and given us such a warm reception on social media and in emails,” Villabona said during a Wednesday afternoon ribbon-cutting. * Block Club Chicago | Humboldt Park Getting Upgrades — But No Pickleball Courts After All: In 2023, the district announced the park would get pickleball courts as part of its Pickleball Mania program, which aims to establish 50 pickleball courts across Chicago by this year. But after hearing from residents and community members, the plan was scrapped. A survey of more than 200 people from the area gauged interest on whether the community wanted the tennis courts to be rehabbed or converted into pickleball courts, district spokesperson Michele Lemons said this week. Results from the survey indicated there was a preference to rehab the existing courts for tennis. * Sun-Times | Broadview conspiracy defendants want to see if White House played a role in their case: Federal prosecutors in Chicago are being asked to turn over “White House communications” by attorneys defending six people — including four Democratic politicians — charged with a conspiracy tied to protests outside an immigration holding facility in Broadview. A defense attorney for congressional candidate Kat Abughazaleh, one of the six charged, also told a judge Thursday that a “selective prosecution motion” could be on the way in the case that’s one of the most high-profile to result from the feds’ “Operation Midway Blitz.” * Daily Herald | How a wrong turn led to a possible safe haven for abuse survivors: “The problem that we’ve been experiencing, which started with COVID but now has really continued, is the demand for our services far exceeds the supply that we have,” A Safe Place CEO Pat Davenport told us this week. “We have been seeing between 80 to 100 people (a week) that need emergency shelter, who are fleeing their homes because their lives are in danger, with their children, and they are the ones that we’re hoping that this new facility will be able to help.” The agency currently has shelter space for 33 people, which means others in need are put up in hotels. That isn’t financially sustainable at a time when federal and state assistance is waning, Davenport said. * Daily Herald | Hanover Park prohibits use of village property for federal immigration enforcement: Village board members ultimately chose a more binding ordinance over a resolution. Though the peak of suburban activity by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers seems to have passed for now, Mayor Rod Craig believes Hanover Park’s action is far from too late. “I don’t think it’s over,” he said. “I just think it may become more strategic. The politics aren’t going to change in the next two years. We have to be honorable, representing the people of Hanover Park.” * Daily Southtown | Arab American activists to continue protest after Oak Lawn settlement of lawsuit accusing cop of beating teen: In light of Oak Lawn’s settlement of a lawsuit alleging police in 2022 struck a 17-year-old more than 10 times in the face and head as he was lying face down in the street during his arrest, Arab American activists say they will continue to demand accountability at public meetings. “Remember when you all stood here and told us how we were liars and how we were wrong?” said Arab American Action Network lead organizer Muhammad Sankari, who led a protest of the Oak Lawn Police and Fire Commission meeting on Tuesday. “At the end of the day, the village just paid $825,000 of taxpayer money … because your officers beat a minor almost to death.” * Daily Southtown | Will County Board taps reserves to cover $2.77 million deficit: The Will County Board voted Thursday to use just over $2.77 million from its cash reserves to balance its budget for its 2026 fiscal year that started Monday. The board voted 20-0 Thursday to reconcile its budget during a nearly two-hour special meeting after an unbalanced budget was approved two weeks ago. While all board members present agreed to use cash reserves to close the gap, some members said they did so reluctantly because there was no other choice. * Daily Southtown | Harvey residents and officials try to piece together city finances in midst of fiscal crisis: Harvey residents gathered at a Thursday discussion event hosted by Alds. Colby Chapman and Tracy Key and City Treasurer Aisha Pickett to try to understand the city’s opaque finances. Pickett was elected in 2019 and re-elected in 2023. She said throughout her time as treasurer, she has not been provided the necessary information to understand the city’s financial situation and do her job. “My tenure as treasurer has not been the easiest. As they mentioned before, there are things I don’t necessarily have access to,” Pickett said. “It makes my job very difficult.” * Tribune | Cook County property taxpayers get another shot at appeals: Every Cook County township will reopen for appeals to property tax assessments, the county’s estimate of a home or business’ value, through Dec. 12. Successful appeals won’t offer any immediate relief on the bills that just landed, however. Any savings would apply to next year’s second installment bills, which typically land in the summer. People who already appealed aren’t eligible. * NBC Chicago | Park Forest police detective dies nearly 10 years after being paralyzed in shooting: The rookie cop was 24 when he was critically injured responding to a break-in in March of 2016. The shooting left Jones paralyzed as he underwent multiple surgeries and months of rehabilitation. His road to recovery was filled with unwavering love and support. The community stood by him every step of the way from his release to fundraisers to even a street dedication. “You drive around now, and you see stickers on people’s cars that say Tim Strong and that hashtag is going to live on forever—he’s just a tremendous young man,” said Hazel Crest Police Chief Mitchell Davis. * WAND | AI error blamed for post wrongly reporting injured Springfield firefighters: Even though there were several fires Wednesday night, none of them resulted in injuries to first responders. An AI software shared two separate emergencies as one incident. According to [Springfield Assistant Fire Chief Julie Plun], Springfield Fire was transporting a patient to the hospital for a medical emergency. Around that same time, the Springfield Police Department had some problems with some individuals, and there were nine individuals. * WGLT | Cannabis plant in Livingston County set to close: A cannabis cultivation operation in Livingston County is closing, putting 82 employees out of work. According to the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity’s monthly report of mass layoffs, PharmaCann has informed employees that it plans to close its plant in Dwight on Jan. 13. * WGLT | Cybercriminals target vendor used by the Town of Normal: A cybercrime organization has breached a system used by the Town of Normal to send out emergency and event notices to subscribers. “Any people who have subscribed to Notify Normal or Code Red via a managed account, which means they created a password and used an email address, should go in, if they have reused that password with any other personal or business account, and change that password on those accounts immediately,” said town spokesperson Cathy Oloffson. * WaPo | A widow and widower fell in love during water aerobics. They wed in the pool.: When they met in 2022, Parsons and La Rue were still grieving their respective partners: Dale, who died in 2020 of complications from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and Georgia, who died in 2019 after suffering from a blood disease Between stretches and jumping jacks during water aerobics classes at a YMCA facility in Maryville, Illinois, La Rue got a kick out of splashing the other 30 class members. While some people didn’t appreciate it, Parsons laughed and splashed him back. They visited a Chinese restaurant for their first date in December 2023 — the first date either had been on since their spouses died. They had similar hobbies: Cooking soup, reading and completing word-search puzzles. At water aerobics classes, they kissed when they didn’t think anyone was looking. * CNBC | Layoff announcements top 1.1 million this year, the most since 2020 pandemic, Challenger says: The firm said layoff plans totaled 71,321 in November, a step down from the massive cuts announced in October but still enough to bring the 2025 total up to 1.17 million. That total is 54% higher than the same 11-month period a year ago and the highest level since 2020, when the Covid pandemic rocked the global economy. * AP | Supreme Court allows Texas to use a congressional map favorable to Republicans in 2026: The Supreme Court’s order puts the 2-1 ruling blocking the map on hold at least until after the high court issues a final decision in the case. Justice Samuel Alito had previously temporarily blocked the order while the full court considered the Texas appeal. The justices have blocked past lower-court rulings in congressional redistricting cases, most recently in Alabama and Louisiana, that came several months before elections. * Post Tribune | Indiana House advances redistricting bill to Friday final reading: The Indiana House voted against more than a dozen Democratic amendments to the redistricting bill Thursday, which allowed the bill to advance, as is, for final approval by the House Friday. House Bill 1032, authored by State Rep. Ben Smaltz, would allow the legislature to amend congressional districts “at a time other than the first regular session of the general assembly convening immediately following the United States decennial census.” * WaPo | Trump’s attack on DEI may hurt college men, particularly white men: While much of the president’s recent scrutiny of college admissions practices has focused on race, these experts say his ban on diversity, equity and inclusion is likely to hit another underrepresented group of applicants: men, and particularly White men — the largest subset of male college applicants. “This drips with irony,” said Ted Mitchell, president of the American Council on Education, or ACE, the nation’s largest association of universities and colleges, who said he expects that colleges and universities will end any consideration of gender in admission. “The idea of males, including White males, being at the short end of the stick all of a sudden would be a truly ironic outcome.” * AP | MLB players union meets to prepare for potentially contentious labor negotiations in 2026: Clark said the MLBPA’s main focus continues to be centered on a few large issues heading into bargaining. One is finding more ways to encourage all 30 teams to spend on the free-agent market to make teams as competitive as possible. While the Dodgers have spent roughly $890 million over the past two years building back-to-back World Series champions, the Athletics have committed less than $150 million over the same period. MLB is the only major U.S.-based professional sports league without a salary cap. The players’ association is bracing to resist a renewed push for a cap. Demand for a cap from owners is what led to a 7 1/2-month strike in 1994-95 and the first cancellation of the World Series in 90 years. * Market Watch | Manufacturers shrink for 9th month in a row, ISM finds. Tariffs hurt sales and keep lid on hiring.: A closely followed manufacturing index fell to a four-month low of 48.2% in November from 48.7% in the prior month, the Institute for Supply Management said Monday. Any number below 50% signals contraction.
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- JS Mill - Friday, Dec 5, 25 @ 8:43 am:
= the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Chicago-area “Operation Midway Blitz” immigration enforcement campaign is over, but declined to give any specifics on when the city may experience another surge of federal agents.=
LOL, everyone knows they will come back when it is warmer. Heading South as December was nearing was no coincidence. Gregory and his “men” may be sadists but they aren’t very tough as evidenced by the deployment of CS gas when mean words were heard.