* ProPublica…

For months, the Trump administration has justified its dramatic midnight raid on a Chicago apartment complex by saying that it had intelligence that the violent Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua had taken over the building. But officials have provided no evidence to back up the claim.

Now, new documents confirm in the government’s own words that what prompted the raid was more pedestrian: allegations that immigrants were squatting in the complex. And the landlord had given federal officials, who were already targeting immigrants in Chicago, the blessing to search the building.

Arrest records for two of the 37 immigrants detained that September night, included in a motion filed Tuesday that’s tied to an ongoing federal consent decree, provide the clearest picture yet of what led to the controversial and aggressive operation, in which agents descended from a Blackhawk helicopter, broke down doors and zip-tied U.S. citizens and immigrants.

The records reveal that agents entered and searched the complex with the “owner/manager’s verbal and written consent.” Agents wrote that they launched the operation “based on intelligence that there were illegal aliens unlawfully occupying apartments.” They said they focused their search on units “that were not legally rented or leased at the time.” That narrative appears word for word in both arrest reports — for a Venezuelan man and a Mexican man. […]

The complex was home to dozens of mostly African American and Venezuelan tenants. While some said they had stopped paying rent because of the dangerous and dilapidated conditions, close to a dozen Venezuelans, including Colmenares, Henríquez and Andrade, told us they were paying rent to people they believed worked for the management company.

* Senate President Don Harmon’s response to Illini Republicans social media post that we told you about earlier this week…

“The imagery and message posted by college Republicans at the University of Illinois is vile and bigoted. It glorifies violence, dehumanizes immigrants and echoes some of the darkest moments in our history. It has no place in our society.

“All students — especially immigrant and international students — deserve to feel safe and respected. I support the university’s immediate review, and I urge campus leadership to treat this incident with the seriousness it warrants. Free expression is not a shield for hate. Illinois will always stand for dignity and reject bigotry and the toxic politics of dehumanization.”

The now-deleted post was an illustration of a masked gunman holding a weapon to a kneeling man’s head, with the caption “Only traitors help invaders.

*** Statewide ***

* Sun-Times | USPS postmark change could ‘threaten’ mail-in voters, Cook County officials warn: “While this change has been described as ‘minor,’ its impact on elections could be anything but,” Gordon said. Because mail is often processed days after it is dropped off, if ballots are postmarked after Election Day it could jeopardize whether votes are counted. Mail-in ballots must be postmarked by Election Day and received within 14 days to be counted. The policy change went into effect Dec. 24.

* Illinois Pork Producers Association | Illinois Crowns Best Breaded Pork Tenderloin Sandwich: Buford’s Pub stood out among nominated restaurants statewide, capturing top honors for its oversized, hand-breaded pork tenderloin sandwich and its loyal following among pork tenderloin enthusiasts. “It’s always good to be rewarded for hard work. We make hundreds of tenderloins each week and to be nominated and awarded the best in Illinois is just unbelievable,” said Jeff Buckler, owner of Buford’s Pub. “There are hundreds of restaurants out there making delicious tenderloins. It’s still hard to fathom the following of this sandwich. People will travel hours for one and then to hear they loved ours brings tears to my eyes.”

*** Statehouse News ***

* Capitol News Illinois | State looks to expand manufacturing training at community colleges: As the U.S. sheds manufacturing jobs, Illinois is accepting applications for $24 million in grant funding to establish training facilities at community colleges aimed at bolstering the state’s manufacturing labor pool. The funding is for six “manufacturing training academies” at downstate community colleges that will add to two existing academies that opened in 2024. The new grants will be awarded through a bidding process. The Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity announced that the latest application window opened in January. Community colleges outside of Cook and the collar counties can apply for grants ranging from $3 million to $6 million.

* NYT | State Fiscal Chiefs Protest Federal Immigration Chaos: Other states have also experienced extended Immigration and Customs Enforcement presence, including Illinois, where Operation Midway Blitz took place in the fall. Mike Frerichs, the state’s treasurer, said sales and income taxes dipped during that period, as people fearing federal officers avoided restaurants and shops in neighborhoods like Chicago’s Little Village “If you’re terrorizing people, and they think they’re going to be arrested or shot, they’re going to stay home, and they’re not going to be spending money,” Mr. Frerichs said. “Donald Trump and Stephen Miller may not care about immigrants to this country, but the fear and chaos that they are sowing in our cities are having ripple effects on taxpaying Americans.”

*** Chicago ***

* Block Club | City Sues For Millions In Damages After ‘Worst Landowner’ Property Auction Fails: When the woman dubbed Chicago’s “worst landowner” was forced to sell off her real estate empire of vacant lots on the South and West sides as part of a legal settlement, city officials had hoped the deal would generate millions of dollars for its coffers and slow the spreading blight. But the sale fizzled. And the city didn’t get a dime out of it. Now, the city is suing the company that ran the auction, claiming the firm was negligent and incompetent and overvalued the land, which left the city hanging out to dry when the sale flopped.

* Tribune | Federal judge dismisses whistleblower lawsuit from former COPA investigator: The lawsuit brought by Matthew Haynam claimed that his First Amendment rights were violated when he was fired by former COPA chief administrator Andrea Kersten in August 2024 after he reported her alleged malfeasance to the Community Commission for Public Safety and Accountability and the city’s Office of Inspector General. Federal court records show the two-count suit was dismissed on Jan. 29 by U.S. District Judge Joan Lefkow for Haynam’s failure to state a claim. A lawyer for Haynam did not immediately comment.

* Sun-Times | Experts baffled over how teacher with child sex abuse record could pass Chicago Archdiocese background check: But experts told the Sun-Times it’s hard to believe a person’s lengthy criminal record wouldn’t come up in a background check. “I find that almost impossible,” said Mike Leonard, a Chicago-based criminal defense attorney who specializes in state and federal criminal matters and civil employment. “Especially with a fingerprint check. There is no possible way you couldn’t come up with some sort of record. … Even a Google search would likely pull something up.”

*** Cook County and Suburbs ***

* Tribune | Cook County court clerk piloting electronic traffic tickets: Drivers pulled over for traffic violations in a growing number of Cook County suburbs will be able to pay tickets online for the first time under a new pilot from Circuit Court Clerk Mariyana Spyropoulos. The clerk’s office, long buried in paper, historically relied on a wholly manual process where officers that wrote drivers up on patrol would take a batch of handwritten tickets back to the station and mail it to the clerk’s office. Once they arrived at the clerk, they were typed up to be entered into the court’s system. That process meant it took sometimes a week or more for that information to make it into the system. Drivers anxious to pay their tickets right away were unable to because clerks couldn’t yet match their payment with violations. At times, violators would mail in checks and clerks would have to try to track down their citation later, Spyropoulos said.

* Naperville Sun | Naperville council votes to pause contract talks with electricity provider IMEA: Contract renewal discussions have been ongoing for nearly two years, and in August the council voted to negotiate independently with IMEA on a number of provisions that could be included in a future contract with the agency. On Tuesday night, the council heard from Naperville residents in favor of and opposed to extending the IMEA deal, with more than 20 people speaking on the topic.

* Daily Southtown | Orland Park Village Board approves $12 million in pool renovations at fitness center, discusses legislative priorities: The Village Board also discussed its 2026 legislative priorities, though no set list was approved. While William Healy suggested additions to the running list of priorities, such as repealing the SAFE-T Act, that eliminated cash bail in Illinois. Other board members emphasized building relationships at the state level and funding local projects. Listed priorities include requesting funding for the remainder of a Southwest Highway/143rd Street road project, including $40 million needed to complete 143rd Street from Wolf Road to West Avenue, $3 million needed to complete 143rd Street from West Avenue to Southwest Highway and $3.6 million to complete 143rd Street from Wolf Road to Will-Cook Road.

* Evanston Now | Hundreds knit hats as ICE protest: Organizers say the event raised over $5,000 for three immigrant aid groups — Sanctuary Evanston, the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights and the National Immigrant Justice Center. The hat protest was inspired by actions of Norwegians in the 1940s who made and wore red pointed hats with a tassel as a form of protest against the Nazi occupation of their country.

*** Downstate ***

* Illinois Times | Both data center plans move forward: A public hearing on CyrusOne’s plan to build a 636-megawatt data center complex covering 1.4 million square feet on 230 acres of farm ground in the 13000 block of Thayer Road in Talkington Township, 14 miles southwest of Springfield, is scheduled Feb. 19 in front of the Sangamon County Zoning Board of Appeals. The ZBA will meet at 6:30 p.m. Feb. 19 in the Sangamon County Board chambers, Room 222 of the Sangamon County Complex, 200 S. Ninth St., Springfield, to hear testimony on the plans and consider making a non-binding recommendation to the County Board.

* WCIA | Transportation company looks to buy new Urbana facility: The Champaign-Urbana Mass Transit District is working on bringing a new downtown Urbana transfer facility to the city. With a price tag of $25 million, the company said it needs money and is applying for a federal grant. If they are awarded the grant, they say the new building will be near the old Urbana Civic Center.

* WAND | Several central Illinois small businesses awarded through research grant program: Through competitive awards of up to $75,000, the program helps companies pursue research and development projects in partnership with a qualified Illinois university. “The Innovation Voucher Program is enhancing research and development across key sectors - solidifying Illinois’ reputation as a center for innovation. These investments grow our economy, empower our small businesses, and encourage collaboration between startups and Illinois’ renowned universities,” said Governor JB Pritzker.

* WAND | Springfield District 186 announces death of former superintendent: Springfield Public School District 186 announced the death of a former superintendent on Tuesday. District 186 shared in a Facebook post that Diane Rutledge died following a battle with ALS. The district said Rutledge helped shape the district for more than three decades and advocated for public education even after her retirement.

*** National ***

* NYT | Supreme Court Clears Way for California Voting Map: The unsigned order did not include a vote count or the court’s reasoning, which is typical in such emergency decisions. “Donald Trump said he was ‘entitled’ to five more congressional seats in Texas,” Gov. Gavin Newsom of California said in a statement on Wednesday. “He started this redistricting war. He lost, and he’ll lose again in November.”

* Texas Tribune | Texas Tech struggles with new rules that changed what students learn about race, gender, sexuality: When Henry Carter opened the syllabus for a spring class at Texas Tech University, he found “DO NOT READ” stamped next to page numbers in the middle of a required text. Another professor assigned a new textbook, then days later told students not to buy it. The syllabus for a third class labeled some readings as “censored.” This is Carter’s fourth semester at Texas Tech but the first under restrictions set by the system’s new chancellor, Brandon Creighton, limiting how race, gender and sexuality can be discussed in classrooms.