* ICYMI: Pritzker signs major energy reform bill amid projected shortages. Capitol News Illinois…

- At the core of the law is a new structure to incentivize energy storage, or battery, projects. It will result in new charges to ratepayers, though supporters of the bill say that those costs would be offset by cost savings from greater energy efficiency, storage and planning.
- The law grants new authority to the Illinois Commerce Commission, the state body responsible for regulating utilities. The ICC will now have the power to set long-term plans for managing energy supply and demand in the state through approval of an integrated resource plan.
- It additionally adds new requirements for energy efficiency programs at electric and natural gas utilities and places new air regulations on backup generators used by data centers.

* Related stories…

• Tribune: Gov. JB Pritzker signs sweeping Illinois energy law boosting batteries and renewables that GOP opposed
• Center Square: Pritzker signs energy omnibus with new charge for ratepayers in 2030

*** Isabel’s Top Picks ***

* WTTW | After Fatal Minneapolis Shooting, Chicago Judge Raises ‘Concern’ Over Dismissing Lawsuit on Federal Agents’ Use of Force: “It doesn’t give me much comfort in reading news reports that someone who in some news reports was described as a legal observer was shot yesterday in Minneapolis,” Ellis said. “So that’s my concern.” […] The lawsuit was filed last fall after journalists, protesters and clergy members in and around Chicago claimed they had been targeted by federal immigration agents, who subjected them to a “pattern of extreme brutality” through their usage of riot control weapons without justification.

* Tribune | Republican candidate for governor Darren Bailey distances himself from President Trump but defends immigration crackdowns: Voters, Bailey said, are “going to have to get over the federal (Trump administration) situations. Then we’re going to understand we have our own problems in Illinois. I am my own person and I’ve proven that regardless of who I like, who I support.” “I’m running this campaign. I believe we’ve got an avenue to win. If it comes, great. If it doesn’t, fine. I’m here for Illinois,” Bailey said. “This (campaign) doesn’t revolve around Donald Trump and I want the people of Illinois to truly understand that. I want them to come and have a conversation with me. We’ve got our own unique problems and solutions and it’s time that we stop this political divisiveness.

* Sun-Times | Can state officials prosecute the feds? Calls grow after Minneapolis shooting: Cook County State’s Attorney Eileen O’Neill Burke’s office said in a statement that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations “have resulted in unnecessary deaths, broken relationships between law enforcement and our citizens, and an untold amount of terror unleashed on communities.” Still, it insisted the office “does not conduct independent investigations into criminal conduct. We do not have jurisdiction over federal agencies or facilities.” Instead, it reviews “evidence appropriately collected by law enforcement” and makes charging decisions. […] Pathways exist for state-level prosecutors like Burke to file criminal charges against federal agents under certain circumstances. The key legal question is whether federal agents are acting reasonably in fulfilling their duties, experts say.

*** Statewide ***

* BND | IL reports child flu death as virus surges at ‘very high’ levels. There’s a new variant: “Illinois is facing a significant winter surge in seasonal respiratory illnesses with flu activity at very high levels,” IDPH Director Dr. Sameer Vohra said in a Jan. 5 news release. “Vaccinations remain the most effective tool to prevent severe illness from flu, COVID-19, and RSV. Simple steps like covering coughs and sneezes, washing hands regularly, staying home when sick if you are able, and improving ventilation are also critical to preventing further spread.

*** Statehouse News ***

* WTTW | Four Illinois Sheriff’s Offices Ignored Sanctuary Laws by Transferring People Into Federal Custody, AG Report Finds: Despite that, in 2024, after receiving civil detainers or warrants, the Madison County Sheriff’s Office reported transferring 18 individuals into Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Homeland Security Investigations custody; the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office reported three; the Kane County Sheriff’s Office reported two; and the Grundy County Sheriff’s Office reported one.

* WaPo | Five Democratic-led states sue HHS over frozen welfare funding: Five Democratic-led states, New York, California, Colorado, Illinois and Minnesota, are suing the Trump administration for freezing their share of federal food, housing and child care assistance dollars, saying officials failed to justify the sweeping actions that could strip billions in aid from needy families.

* WAND | Pritzker signs Clean & Reliable Grid Affordability Act into law: Yet, the Illinois Manufacturers’ Association argued the law will leave businesses and families with a $7 billion bill to pay for battery storage. “Rather than bailing out battery storage developers and their hedge fund owners, the bill should utilize the Illinois Finance Authority to fund these projects at below market rates so developers assume the risk, not everyday Illinoisans,” said IMA President and CEO Mark Denzler.

* WTVO | DHS accuses ‘sanctuary’ leaders of fueling anti-ICE violence with rhetoric: DHS pointed to remarks from Democratic officials that compare ICE to a “modern-day Gestapo,” including comments from Gov. Pritzker that the United States is “essentially” becoming Nazi Germany as a result of ICE’s enforcement efforts. On Wednesday, Pritzker demanded the resignation of DHS Secretary Kristi Noem, saying, “For months, Trump’s DHS has wreaked lawless havoc in our neighborhoods. Tear gassing infants, families, and police. Firing their weapons at peaceful citizens. Killing innocent people. It’s brutal, unconstitutional, and out of control. It must stop. Kristi Noem must go. Now.”

* Crain’s | The other Medicaid cut: Illinois stares down as much as $1.5B less in provider taxes: Illinois faces a $239 million drop in hospital and managed care organization provider tax revenue, an important mechanism for funding the state’s Medicaid program, in 2028 and as much as a $1.5 billion cut over the next five years, according to a new assessment of looming budget challenges for the state. The issue of diminishing provider taxes and the somewhat-corresponding payments back to hospitals is another multiyear, cost-cutting change to Medicaid rules contained in the federal Big Beautiful Bill Act.

* NBC Chicago | Utility costs, affordability messages dominate Illinois governor race: On Thursday, Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker signed the Clean and Reliable Grid Affordability Act, which aims to lower monthly utility bills. It’s expected to save customers $13.4 billion over next two decades, according to the Illinois Power Agency. […] On the Republican side, gubernatorial candidate Darren Bailey held his news conference Thursday outside of the governor’s office. He laid out his “Blueprint for Illinois,” which would freeze new utility rate hikes to help lower utility bills and offer property tax relief.

* Capitol News Illinois | Bailey proposes ‘Illinois DOGE’ as Republican governor’s race focuses on spending: Bailey also announced a plan to address cost-of-living issues and other areas that relies on DOGE-style governing to achieve results. The commission under a Bailey governorship would be led by his running mate, Aaron Del Mar. Bailey and Del Mar did not specify any cuts they’ve already identified but stressed it would not be a tool to lay off large numbers of state employees or make cuts based on partisan politics — a difference from Trump’s and Musk’s approach. “We’re not going in here with a chainsaw,” Del Mar said. “We’re going in here with an X-Acto knife. We are doing this as a purely public policy effort. This is not politically driven.”

* Illinois Review | Tax-Exempt Wirepoints Breaks IRS Rules to Smear Bailey and Boost Dabrowski’s Governor Run: The article, written by Mark Glennon, frames Bailey as the preferred opponent of Democratic Gov. JB Pritzker and portrays him as a weak candidate easily manipulated by Democrats. It goes further, suggesting Republican voters are naive for supporting Bailey. […] Wirepoints is not a private media outlet free to engage in partisan combat. It is a federally recognized tax-exempt nonprofit. Under IRS rules, 501(c)(3) organizations are absolutely prohibited from participating or intervening in political campaigns for or against any candidate for elective office. That prohibition is clear, strict, and well-established. Dabrowski appeared to recognize this reality in September 2025, when he resigned as president of Wirepoints, explicitly citing the need to comply with 501(c)(3) restrictions ahead of his gubernatorial campaign.

* Jim Dey | Is Pritzker trying — again — to pick GOP opponent in November election?: Four years ago, Gov. J.B. Pritzker, working with the Democratic Governors Association, spent millions of dollars to promote a Republican gubernatorial candidate — Darren Bailey — whom he was sure he could defeat in the 2022 general election. With Pritzker’s help, Bailey won a contested GOP primary and then went on to sound defeat against Pritzker. Four years later, Pritzker is running for re-election while Bailey, again, is seeking the Republican nomination to challenge him.

* Center Square | Signature shortfalls knock multiple candidates off Illinois ballot: Lamar Chapman challenged U.S. Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi’s candidacy, alleging he is not a citizen. Krishnamoorthi, D-Schaumburg, was born in India and his family moved to Peoria as a child. “The candidate filed a motion to strike and dismiss the objector’s petition, attaching a certificate of citizenship and a U.S. passport,” Malowitz said in a December 2025 hearing.

* News-Gazette | Champaign County auditor fails to qualify for state comptroller’s race: But successful challenges to some of his signatures left him 657 short of the 5,000 minimum. Danos said he does not anticipate appealing the decision. “There is (an appeal process). But I’m not inclined to pursue it. I don’t think the courts want to overturn a decision by the state board,” he said.

* Daily Herald | GOP race for governor tightens up after Severino removed from ballot: Board members removed Republican Joseph Severino from the ballot after finding that the Lake Forest resident and his lieutenant governor pick, Rantch Isquith, had insufficient signatures on their nominating petitions.“The candidates submitted 4,748 ballot signatures, which is 252 fewer than the minimum of 5,000 signatures required for ballot access,” board of elections general counsel Marni Malowitz said.

*** Chicago ***

* Tribune | Record property tax increases slam Chicago homeowners as downtown owners see cuts: The long-awaited second installment of Cook County property tax bills was mailed to property owners on Friday and is due Dec. 15. Across the county, residential and commercial property owners are being billed a total of $19.2 billion, a nearly 5% increase from last year. But the burden is falling unequally. Audrey Pierce, 71, last year paid about $3,300 in property taxes for the greystone three-flat she has owned on Christiana Avenue in North Lawndale since 2000. On Thursday night, she logged onto the treasurer’s website to discover her new annual bill now is nearly $7,000.

* CBS Chicago | Police oversight commission hears from Chicagoans frustrated with CPD’s interactions with ICE: The Community Commission for Public Safety & Accountability held the meeting after receiving a petition with at least 2,000 signatures demanding an investigation into how CPD interacted with the feds. People demanded commissioners hear the countless accountants of what Chicagoans have endured and witnessed during the immigration enforcement. “Why is it that CPD, who claim to protect and serve Chicagoans have engaged in crowd control for ICE?” one woman said.

* Block Club | Before Feds Killed Minnesota Mom, They Killed A Man And Shot A Woman 5 Times In Chicago: Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson voiced his support for Frey and the Minneapolis community Wednesday afternoon, calling the shooting “deeply disturbing and unfortunately all too familiar to incidents that have transpired here in Chicago.” “It is incidents like these that demonstrate why we have pushed back against reckless and racist militarized immigration enforcement in Chicago,” he said.

* Tribune | Federal judge postpones ruling on detained father of sick teen: Attorneys for Ruben Torres Maldonado, a 40-year-old Portage Park man detained by federal immigration agents last Saturday while his 16-year-old daughter, Ofelia, is undergoing cancer treatment, petitioned the court for him to be freed as his deportation case works its way through the system. Federal Judge Jeremy Daniel heard arguments from Torres’ attorney and a lawyer with the United States attorney’s office but postponed a ruling until Friday. Torres’ lawyers argued for his immediate release due to the hardship his absence is creating for Ofelia; his wife, Sandibell Hidalgo; and their 4-year-old son, Nathan.

*** Cook County and Suburbs ***

* Daily Herald | ‘I will not back down’: DuPage clerk’s dispute with county board heads to appeals court: According to a notice of appeal filed on Wednesday, the clerk’s office is seeking the reversal of two rulings last year from DuPage County Judge Bryan Chapman that both sided with the county board. Chapman ruled in August that DuPage County Clerk Jean Kaczmarek and her office must follow the county’s accounting procedures. Then, in December, the judge denied the clerk’s request for summary judgment, in which Kaczmarek argued that two election-related contracts were exempt from bidding rules.

* Lake County News-Sun | Officials continue push to remove Waukegan coal ash ponds: ‘I’m not giving up’: Shortly after NRG introduced its initial plan, state Rep. Rita Mayfield, D-Gurnee, introduced legislation in the Illinois General Assembly to require the removal of all coal ash ponds and other deposits of the material along Lake Michigan. She remains five votes short of passage. “It would be 10 times worse than Flint,” Mayfield said in June 2022, referring to the lead contamination of the drinking water in that Michigan city in 2014. “We’re not looking for solutions for today. We’re looking toward tomorrow.”

* Daily Southtown | Bill aimed at settling Ford Heights debt to Chicago Heights signed, though concerns remain: Signed by Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker on Dec. 12, the legislation allows the state comptroller to collect debts between local governments if the entities reached an agreement or filed a court order. It takes effect June 1, according to the governor’s office. Ford Heights owes Chicago Heights, its water supplier, nearly $2 million in unpaid water bills. Chicago Heights has attempted to collect the money for about a decade, including suing Ford Heights. State Reps. Thaddeus Jones and Anthony DeLuca came together to revive the bill after it was pulled from the statehouse floor in April. Jones expressed concern state intervention could further hike water bills for Ford Heights, which already has some of the highest water bills in the south suburbs, after Chicago Heights threatened to turn off the water in 2018.

* Elgin Courier-News | Angry, frustrated residents flood Elgin immigration forum: ‘We can’t ignore what is happening here’: Attended by about 250 people, the forum at the Edward Schock Centre of Elgin was in response to a Dec. 6 incident in which a man escaped U.S. Immigration Customs and Enforcement custody and barricaded himself for several hours in an apartment on Maple Lane. A large group who gathered to protest the actions that day were sprayed with chemical weapons, residents said. “I was tear-gassed by ICE,” Zack Hislip said. “(ICE) is lying about everything that happened that day.” He refuted allegations that federal agents were hit by bottles and rocks in a riot-like atmosphere.

* Daily Herald | ‘It just hurts’: Community members express anger, fear and frustration over immigration enforcement in Elgin: Hislip said his fear is that this is only the beginning. “They’re going to be more violent,” he said. “They’re going to kill people like they did today (in Minneapolis). They’re going to kill people in Elgin. They’re going to kill our neighbors.”

* Daily Herald | Elgin police chief says changes needed to TRUST Act: Lalley told the crowd at the meeting that she’s working with Kane County State’s Attorney Jamie Mosser and others to propose amendments to the Illinois TRUST Act, which restricts local law enforcement from collaborating or interfering with federal immigration enforcement. Lalley said she heard the disappointment from the community that officers did not stay on the scene longer during an immigration enforcement action at Maple Lane on Dec. 6, but explained that they had to deal with the gray areas of the TRUST Act.

* Evanston Now | Women’s pro soccer team wants to play at new Ryan Field: Club president Karen Leetzow told a virtual 7th Ward meeting on Thursday night that “we view Ryan Field as a lifeline” as the team works long-term for a separate, soccer-only facility at an undetermiined location. The team says that a survey done by 2040 Strategy Group for the Stars “shows 82 percent of Evanston residents are in favor of the team playing at Ryan Field” … and “overwhelmingly believe the team would reinforce Evanston’s values, and promote gender equity.”

*** Downstate ***

* WICS | Danville steps in to provide critical rides after CRIS transit services halt operations: “For the entire Vermillion County, anyone who was being transported to their dialysis appointments by CRIS senior services as of starting last Saturday, they closed on Friday, on Saturday, my team was on it, and they’ve made sure that all their patients have been able to make their appointments,” said Rickey Williams, Mayor of Danville. Williams said city staff immediately stepped in, coordinating rides for critical appointments, some as early as 5:30 a.m.

* Advantage News | Godfrey may purchase Geofencing software: The Village of Godfrey is considering the purchase of software that can help them see where people are spending time in the village. Called Geofencing, the program does not identify you or harvest your personal information but can tell the village where you came from by using Wi-Fi and your smartphone. Godfrey Economic Development Director Jim Mager says he and Park and Rec Director Chris Logan recently had conversations about such a product. No decisions were made at this week’s Village Board meeting, but trustees were asked to consider the possibility of such a purchase being brought up at a future meeting. This version of the software has a price tag of $10,000 per year, but there are other versions that are more costly.

* The Telegraph | Alton’s Dan King wins ‘Wheel of Fortune,’ takes home $60,648: It was a busier-than-normal night in Alton Sports Tap as over a hundred gathered to watch King compete on “Wheel of Fortune.” With friends, family, customers, and even his personal hairstylist in attendance, King celebrated the big win with celebratory cheers.

* 25News Now | Caterpillar, NVIDIA announce AI-powered collaboration: Caterpillar, celebrating 100 years, announced an AI ecosystem for machines, job sites, factories and supply chains in a collaboration with NVIDIA. “As AI moves beyond data to reshape the physical world, it is unlocking new opportunities for innovation — from job sites and factory floors to offices,” Creed said. NVIDIA‘s Jetson Thor platform enables real-time AI inference on Cat construction, mining and power equipment, laying the foundation for next-generation autonomy and intelligent in-cab experiences. Caterpillar said the platform would provide customers with personalized insights and use voice activation to enable settings, guide troubleshooting and connect users to the right resources across Cat apps and websites.

*** National ***

* 404 Media | Inside ICE’s Tool to Monitor Phones in Entire Neighborhoods: Commercial location data, in this case acquired from hundreds of millions of phones via a company called Penlink, can be queried without a warrant, according to an internal ICE legal analysis shared with 404 Media. The purchase comes squarely during ICE’s mass deportation effort and continued crackdown on protected speech, alarming civil liberties experts and raising questions on what exactly ICE will use the surveillance system for.

* Oregonian | ICE officers impersonating utility workers, Oregon lawmaker says: Rep. Ricki Ruiz, D-Gresham, on Tuesday posted on Facebook that the NW Natural notice came after he spoke to utility officials about the reports. Ruiz said he also reached out to Portland General Electric with the same concerns. Ruiz said members of a Gresham family told him that immigration agents wearing bright vests asked one of them to come out of their house to show him where the gas meter was. […] The person was released after several hours because he proved he has legal status, Ruiz said. The family members asked him not to release their names out of fear of retaliation, he said.

* WaPo | After 25 days, ICE releases Maryland woman who says she is a US citizen: Slatton said the case against Diaz Morales has not yet been dismissed by the government and she could still face deportation proceedings. But Slatton is confident her client’s claim to citizenship has been established. “She is a U.S. citizen. She was born here. I think that we’ve presented more than enough evidence, but we will continue to fight it until every single court accepts and acknowledges it,” she said.

* Mother Jones | Cops Are Taught Not to Shoot Into Cars. ICE Keeps Doing It Anyway.: Instead of shooting, law enforcement officers are taught to do something much safer for everybody involved: Get out of the way. But the federal agents enforcing President Donald Trump’s mass deportation campaign seem not to be following this rule, and are taking a far more dangerous path.

* Mother Jones | Grok Deepfaked Renee Nicole Good’s Body Into a Bikini: In several posts, Grok confirmed that the chatbot had undressed the recently killed woman, writing in one, “I generated an AI image altering a photo of Renee Good, killed in the January 7, 2026, Minneapolis ICE shooting, by placing her in a bikini per a user request. This used sensitive content unintentionally.” In another post, Grok wrote that the image “may violate the 2025 TAKE IT DOWN Act,” legislation criminalizing the nonconsensual publication of intimate images, including AI-generated deepfakes.

* Bloomberg | J&J Reaches Deal With Trump For Drug Discounts, Tariff Reprieve: Johnson & Johnson reached a deal with the US government to lower drug prices for some Americans, joining a cadre of major pharmaceutical companies to make price concessions in exchange for tariff exemption. The American drugmaker was one of 17 companies President Donald Trump called on last summer to lower prices, and among the last ones to announce a deal. The two remaining companies are AbbVie Inc. and Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc., which previously said they are in talks with the White House.

* WaPo | A study offers a surprising reason for plunging U.S. overdose deaths: The paper suggests that the illicit fentanyl trade — which drove a historic surge in drug deaths during the past decade — experienced a large-scale decline in supply. Overdose deaths had surpassed 100,000 annually during the Biden administration but began to decline in mid-2023 and plunged further in its final year. They have kept falling under President Donald Trump, who invokes drug trafficking as he imposes steep tariffs on other countries and unleashes missile strikes on suspected drug boats in the Caribbean.