* WTTW…

Federal transit authorities have rejected the CTA’s revised safety plan, calling it “materially deficient” as the Trump administration reiterated its threat to withhold potentially millions in federal funding after reports of “high crime rates” on Chicago’s bus and train lines.

The Federal Transit Administration on Friday said it determined the CTA failed to comply with a special directive issued earlier this month that required the agency to implement “immediate, measurable corrective actions” aimed at reducing violent crime and addressing “unsafe conditions.” […]

According to Molinaro, if the CTA fails to submit an acceptable plan within 90 days, the feds plan to withhold as much as $50 million in funding from the transit agency.

The CTA said in a statement it has received the FTA’s response “and will respond fully to the request within the allotted time frame to respond.”

* “Clean energy projects soar in Illinois following state takeover of zoning rules” from CNHI News…

Other counties have tried to kill projects through means such as assessing fees through road-use agreements to put financial strain on developers, according to Danielson.

“There are a handful of counties where it was clear that they were not going to honor the spirit of the law,” he said.
Now, after approving two bills aimed directly at bolstering clean energy in Illinois, legislators in October passed a third that further encourages development and makes it harder than ever for counties to oppose solar and wind projects.

The Clean and Reliable Grid Affordability Act is sweeping legislation that sets new policy for the state’s entire energy sector, reducing utility rate hikes, strengthening the state’s power grid and expanding renewable energy sources.

It also includes multiple provisions that expedite solar and wind projects to avoid lengthy lawsuits that can hold up construction for years.

* KFVS…

Several school districts in Southern Illinois are dealing with the loss of federal funding in the middle of the school year.

Vienna High School posted on social media that the loss of Federal Full Service Community Schooling Grant Program funding will have an unknown impact on their school district.

In a news release, the Herrin Community Unit School District #4 said that thir district was also notified that the grants will be rescinded on December 31.

Du Quoin School District announced the end of several after-school programs effective, December 18. […]

Heartland News reached out to Representative Mike Bost’s office for comment, but as of the publishing of this article, have not heard back.

ACT Now Illinois…

ACT Now Illinois has formally filed an appeal of the federal decision to discontinue Full Service Community School grant funding, expressing hope that this decision can be reversed before the December 31 deadline. Susan Stanton, executive director at ACT Now Illinois, issued the following statement:

“ACT Now Illinois has formally filed an appeal and request for reconsideration of the federal decision to discontinue Full Service Community School grant funding, and we are hopeful this decision can be reversed before the December 31 deadline. Community Schools were designed to rethink what a school can be – not just a place for lessons and tests, but a place of care. These grants have allowed schools across the country to wrap children and families in the support they need.

“If this decision stands, the impact will be immediate and felt deeply. Thirty-two Community Schools – in urban neighborhoods, rural communities and small towns with already dwindling resources – will lose crucial funding that supports 19,000 children and their families. These schools help working families, many of whom work multiple jobs but are still struggling to make ends meet, are navigating home insecurity or food instability. In rural areas especially, Community Schools are often the beating heart of the community – the place where families turn for afterschool care, health services and even career classes when few other options are nearby.

“This decision also puts approximately 600 teachers and staff at risk of losing their jobs with virtually no notice, just days before the holidays. These are the people who show up for our kids in everyday moments that shape their lives. They help get kids to wellness checkups and dental exams so kids can stay in school. They make sure they have clean clothes, backpacks discreetly filled with food and somewhere safe to go when class ends. They build trust with families so parents feel supported, not judged. When this funding is cut, it doesn’t just affect a program. It will leave gaping holes in the lives of children and families who already carry so much.

“These grants were awarded through a competitive, merit-based process, and schools have met their obligation while delivering measurable results for our kids. Students come to school more often because they feel welcomed. They are able to focus because they aren’t hungry or worried about basic needs. Families are more engaged because schools meet them where they are. Undoing that stability unravels years of trust and progress with devastating consequences.

“We are encouraged by the bipartisan support we have received from leaders at the local, state and federal levels who understand the value Community Schools offer. ACT Now Illinois is committed to working constructively with federal and state partners to ensure these schools can remain open, staff can keep their jobs and our students can continue to be wrapping the care, opportunity and sense of belonging they deserve.”

*** Statehouse News ***

* CNI | As state regulators warn of impending energy shortfalls, capacity prices rise again: Illinois’ electric grids may soon face power shortages and further price increases as fossil fuel plants go offline and data centers fueling the rise of artificial intelligence demand ever-increasing amounts of power. That’s the conclusion of a new report by three state agencies that foreshadows an upcoming state grid planning process and a potential legislative fight on how lawmakers will regulate power-hungry data centers, if at all.

* WAND | IL municipalities, fire districts can charge lift assist fees for congregate care facilities starting Jan. 1: Lift assist worker compensation claims are twice as costly as any other local government claims. The law states providers can charge reasonable fees to assisted living and nursing home facilities calling for lift assists more than six times per year. The fees must not exceed the actual personnel and equipment costs incurred in providing service. Springfield implemented a new lift assist fee for assisted living facilities, independent living facilities, and nursing homes in July. The Springfield fee does not apply to people residing in their homes or to medical emergencies.

*** Chicago ***

* Sun-Times | City Council approves alternate revenue plan — minus Mayor Brandon Johnson’s corporate head tax: The 29-19 vote was five votes short of the 34 that would be needed to override a mayoral veto. But opposition council members said they think they’d get the needed votes if Johnson does issue a veto.

* Tribune | Aldermen pass 2026 spending plan including debt sale over Mayor Brandon Johnson’s opposition: The mayor introduced a revised budget plan of his own Friday that would replace the debt sale plan with his proposal to reinstate a corporate head tax. In the plan, the city would make a full advanced pension payment Johnson had earlier proposed halving, not legalize video gambling terminals and count on slot machines being placed at a Midway Airport lounge. The historic rebuke of the freshman mayor will likely draw further condemnation from his leftist allies who have been admonishing aldermen for what they say is siding with rich corporations and billionaires over working-class Chicagoans.

* Tribune | ICC lops $25M off ComEd rate request, striking costs for botched computer system: The Illinois Commerce Commission sliced $25.4 million from ComEd’s $268.5 million rate reconciliation request Thursday, holding down increases customers will pay for electricity delivery next year as supply costs continue to rise. ComEd was seeking the annual reconciliation adjustment to recover extra capital expenses the utility said it incurred above its projected budget in 2024. In its decision, the ICC struck the bulk of overrun costs for ComEd’s botched implementation of a new computer billing system last year.

* Chicago Reader | Fred Hampton Jr. keeps the revolution alive in Chicago’s music scene: “You probably caught me in a revolutionary ritual,” he says. “The Black Panther Party would take certain songs and make them applicable to our respective conditions. One song my mother always used to sing that Chairman Fred did was a Curtis Mayfield song.” The Chairman stops his story. Suddenly he’s no longer in the room with me but somewhere in the recesses of his memory. Then, delicately, he begins to sing. “People get ready, revolution is coming. Don’t need no ticket, just a loaded gun. All you need is enough faith for the people. Don’t need no ticket, just a loaded gun,” he sings. “Art can be abstract, but I have a firmer relationship with music.”

* Sun-Times | White Sox hire Carlos Rodriguez as assistant general manager: On Friday, the Sox announced they hired Carlos Rodriguez as their new assistant general manager. Rodriguez spent 16 seasons with the Tampa Bay Rays, the last six as vice president. He’s had prior roles in international scouting and player development with the organization. He departed the organization this past October to “explore other opportunities.”

*** Cook County and Suburbs ***

* Aurora Beacon-News | Indian Prairie School District 204 board OKs $360.5 million tax levy, up 4.15% from last year: Assuming an average home value of $507,000, the increase will add about $187, an increase of about 2.9%, to the portion of the tax bill paid to the school district, according to District 204 Chief School Business Official Matt Shipley. The total estimated payment to the district for a taxpayer with a property valued at $507,000 would be $7,318, Shipley told The Beacon-News.

* Daily Southtown | New Lenox business owners say cars returned after forfeiture are damaged: Keranen and Regnier, of Kee Construction and Kee Firearms, were charged with fraud and money laundering by the Will County state’s attorney’s office in 2023. As a part of investigations, their two Ford Broncos were seized by the state, along with investment accounts estimated to be worth $5.5 million at the time. When the couple bought two replacement cars, those two cars were seized as a part of investigations. Will County Judge Brian Barrett ordered the state to return two of the cars and the investment accounts. The Will County sheriff’s office returned the two cars, along with some of the investment funds, Dec. 12, after an Illinois Appellate Court denied the state’s attempt to appeal Barrett’s order.

* Daily Herald | Geneva panel again rejects request to demolish historic blacksmith shop: The Geneva Historic Preservation Commission unanimously denied a third request Tuesday from developer Shodeen to demolish a circa-1840 former blacksmith shop after a 90-minute public hearing. Meanwhile, David Patzelt, president of the Shodeen Group, said in an email the next day that the company had submitted an appeal to the Geneva City Council to overturn the denial. “There continues to be a disconnect in where the Commission believes that the property owner must repair and rebuild the historic structure at their expense,” Patzelt’s email stated. “This simply is not the case.”

*** Downstate ***

* BND | SWIC proposes 11% tax levy increase. How would it be spent?: The Southwestern Illinois College Board of Trustees is proposing an 11.05% increase to its property tax levy for taxes payable next year, with the largest share dedicated to paying bonds to fund campus improvements. On Wednesday, the board approved a $43.36 million in property tax levy for tax year 2025 to help meet its estimated budgetary needs for the 2027-28 school year — a nearly $4.3 million increase over the $39,042,742 the previous year.

* WCIA | ‘Definitely went to my office and cried’: Vermilion Co. program partially closing after funding cut: A program in Vermilion County schools thought it had funding for the next three and a half years, but a recent cut has them unsure if they’re able to continue serving students at two schools in the new year. Project Success said they had a $5 million grant to support their services at Mary Miller Junior High School and Pine Crest Elementary School. On Monday, they found out that’s no longer the case. Leaders at Project Success said they were serving more than 100 students at both schools separately before the cut. From after school programs to mental health counseling, they said they’ll miss out on a lot now that funding from state education company ACT Now is gone, leaving parents and guardians unsure of what to do.

* WAND | U of I Head Wrestling Coach placed on ‘indefinite’ administrative leave: The University of Illinois Division of Intercollegiate Athletics released a statement Friday saying that Head Wrestling Coach Mike Poeta was placed on indefinite administrative leave by Director of Athletics Josh Whitman. Poeta will remain away from the program while the University conducts an investigation into what it called “potential violations of his employment agreement stemming from possible noncompliance with University Fiscal control policies.”

*** National ***

* Mother Jones | The Horns and Whistles Work: “No, it actually helps us,” Bovino claimed. “Oftentimes that helps. We incorporate that into our strategy.” When asked for clarification, Bovino explained, “Sometimes it alerts them. We’re able to look at a reaction from the horn, and gather info and intel from that.” He quickly walked away. CBP didn’t answers my follow-up questions about the raid I saw that day. But based on my experience observing Border Patrol and ICE across the country, I found it hard to believe they actually wanted protesters to warn neighbors about their presence. And that certainly wasn’t what I witnessed in Louisiana.

* ProPublica | Monkey Sounds, “White Power” and the N-Word: Racial Harassment Against Black Students Ignored Under Trump: Since Trump returned to office, the Education Department’s civil rights office has not resolved a single racial harassment investigation. It sends a message that “people impacted by racial discrimination … don’t matter,” one attorney said.

* AP | TikTok signs deal to form new US unit with investors, including Oracle, Silver Lake: Half of the new TikTok U.S. joint venture will be owned by a group of investors — among them Oracle, Silver Lake and the Emirati investment firm MGX, who will each hold a 15% share. 19.9% of the new app will be held by ByteDance itself, and another 30.1% will be held by affiliates of existing ByteDance investors, according to the memo. The memo did not say who the other investors are and both TikTok and the White House declined to comment.