* AP…

At least two dozen U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement employees and contractors have been charged with crimes since 2020, and their documented wrongdoing includes patterns of physical and sexual abuse, corruption and other abuses of authority, a review by The Associated Press found. […]

AP’s review examined public records involving cases of ICE employees and contractors who have been arrested since 2020, including at least 17 who have been convicted and six others who are awaiting trial. Nine have been charged in the last year, including an agent cited last month for assaulting a protester near Chicago while off-duty. […]

When officers in suburban Chicago found a man passed out in a crashed car in October, they were surprised to discover the driver was an ICE officer who had recently completed his shift at a detention center and had his government firearm in the vehicle. They arrested Guillermo Diaz-Torres for driving under the influence. He’s pleaded not guilty and has been put on administrative duty pending an investigation. […]

Outside Chicago, an off-duty ICE agent has been charged with misdemeanor battery for throwing to the ground a 68-year-old protester who was filming him at a gas station in December. McLaughlin has said the agent acted in self-defense.

* Crain’s…

The publisher of suburban Chicago’s largest daily newspaper, the Daily Herald, is looking at a potential bidding war with at least one suitor reportedly showing interest and the deep-pocketed owner of the Chicago Tribune declaring it will pay more than anyone.

But what kind of offer Paddock Publications’ employee-owners would go for, and whether they could accept selling to a firm notorious for trimming newsrooms, remains unclear.

There may be as many as three buyers lining up to offer a new home for the Herald’s reporters and editors, although so far only one has made its intentions plain: New York-based Alden Global Capital, owner of the Chicago Tribune. The other two that could also be in the mix are Crystal Lake-based Shaw Media and Florida-based Lee Enterprises, now controlled by David Hoffmann, a billionaire with ties to Chicago, according to various media reports. Those three have been mentioned in media circles as possible new owners after the Herald last month notified the state of Illinois that it was exploring a potential sale to an unnamed party.

*** Statehouse News ***

* Tribune | Arlington Heights rallies to bring Bears to the suburbs — and fight off a bid from Indiana: Arlington Heights Mayor Jim Tinaglia said he thinks Illinois lawmakers are making progress to counter Indiana’s offer. “This is no longer Arlington Heights versus Chicago,” he said. “This is about doing what we need to keep the Bears here in Illinois.” Local school leaders, who would be most affected by any property tax deal, support the Illinois legislation. They would be able to broker their own deal, as they did in a short-term deal that sets the Bears tax at $3.6 million annually — more than the former Arlington International Racecourse site ever paid.

* STLPR | Bailey says Illinois GOP should give him a 2nd chance to take on Gov. Pritzker: To make Illinois safer, Bailey and fellow Republicans argue the SAFE-T Act, which eliminated cash bail, should be abolished. “That is the only answer,” Bailey said. “There are no parts and pieces that need worked on.”

*** Chicago ***

* Sun-Times | U. of I. purchases Wacker Drive office building for tech and research hub: The purchase comes after the university nixed plans to build the Discovery Partners Institute at The 78 in the South Loop. Instead, it chose to divide the tech hub between two Chicago locations.

* Block Club | Derrick Rose Will Partner On 1901 Project, $7 Billion Development Near United Center: “It’s probably the biggest project there since the World’s Fair,” Rose said in the interview, which released Jan. 29. “We’ll be working on the project. … We’re hoping to get in on the second phase, but I can’t say too much about that.” Rose also said he is taking real estate classes on the West Side to learn more about development and related industries.

* Sun-Times | Chicago police officer involved in Dexter Reed shooting accused of threatening detective at bar: Thomas Spanos, who fired 34 rounds and reloaded his weapon during the deadly gunfight with Reed, approached a group of men early Saturday at Tommy’s on Higgins and tried to pick a fight, according to a police report. Spanos was flanked by another officer, Nicholas Prozanski, and two other people. Police said the threats stemmed from a previous incident at the bar about a week earlier, and the detective who was accosted was listed as the victim in the report.

* Tribune | Another Operation Midway Blitz protest case evaporates in federal court: A judge has dismissed yet another set of Operation Midway Blitz-related charges, this time against a man who had been accused of resisting or impeding federal agents during the Trump administration’s expansive immigration raids in and around Chicago late last year. […] Magistrate Judge Maria Valdez’s Tuesday order to dismiss the misdemeanor case against Meier without prejudice makes him at least the 17th defendant swept up and charged in protests around Operation Midway Blitz last fall to later be cleared. Meier’s attorney didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

* Crain’s | Elon Musk’s brother, with ties to Chicago’s dining scene, appears in Epstein files: Kimbal Musk has ties to Chicago’s restaurant community, mainly through his co-ownership of The Kitchen American Bistro, which appears to have quietly closed in recent days. Mentions of the Chicago location have been wiped from the mini-chain’s website. The company did not respond to requests for comment. It appears to still operate restaurants in Colorado and Texas.

* Chicago Mag | The Restaurant That Started a Revolution : The shabby-genteel restaurant quickly became a hard-to-get reservation and was frequented by celebrities. Chef Louis himself became Chicago’s first modern celebrity chef, through his newspaper columns, the books he authored (notably, 1971’s The Chef’s Secret Cook Book), and TV appearances with talk show hosts from Mike Douglas and Dinah Shore to Phil Donahue and Oprah Winfrey. Within a couple of decades of the Bakery’s opening, Lincoln Park would become Chicago’s most popular neighborhood among yuppies, and Chef Louis was the man who taught them how to eat. In this adapted excerpt from the new book The Chicago Way: An Oral History of Chicago Dining, those who knew the restaurant well tell the story of Chef Louis and the Bakery in their own words.

* “Only with mustard”…

You can take the Pope out of Chicago but you can’t take the Chicago out of the Pope pic.twitter.com/UxkHNp1lIf

— Barstool Chicago (@barstoolchicago) February 11, 2026

*** Cook County and Suburbs ***

* Crain’s | Dolton claims Fifth Third Bank let disgraced mayor steal $1.9M: The suit, which was filed in Cook County Circuit Court, claims Fifth Third did not require signatures from both Henyard and Clerk Alison Key on checks drawn from Dolton accounts. “Fifth Third Bank acted in bad faith because it knowingly and intentionally paid checks on behalf of the village of Dolton that it knew should not have been paid,” the complaint alleges.

* Shaw Local | Aurora police actions questioned after 3 students were arrested during anti-ICE school protest: State Sen. Karina Villa has accused the Aurora Police Department of “police brutality” in a clash Monday between officers and teens that led to the arrest of three East Aurora High School students during a walkout protesting federal immigration tactics. Videos of a skirmish between officers and protesters have some residents questioning the police’s tactics, though a department spokesman said intervention became necessary after the initially peaceful protest escalated. Aurora police say three East Aurora High School students were taken into custody Monday. All three were charged with improper walking in the roadway, obstructing, and resisting a peace officer. One was also charged with aggravated battery to a police officer, according to a news release from the Aurora Police Department.

* Crain’s | Neil Bluhm gifts Northwestern Medicine $50M to keep it at forefront of cardiac care: Dr. Patrick McCarthy, director of the institute, said the idea behind this latest donation started last year, when Bluhm and the health system celebrated the 20th anniversary of his foundational $10 million gift. McCarthy said last year’s gathering of institute employees left Bluhm feeling both proud and motivated to ensure the cardiovascular institute would continue in the future.

*** Downstate ***

* WCIA | Jacksonville City Council passes ordinance banning public camping: The ordinance was first read at the Jan. 26 city council meeting, but it was was tabled for further discussion. During the council meeting on Feb. 9, the council voted to pass the ordinance. Aldermen Heape, Henry, Oldenettel, Pollock, Rubin de Celis and Scott were all in favor, while Alderman Speed was the sole “no” vote. Aldermen Lockman and Williams were both absent from the meeting. WCIA obtained a copy of the ordinance, which explains that the council found it appropriate, necessary and in the best interests of the city and its residents that they implement a public camping prohibition and related enforcement mechanisms to address the “myriad” of public concerns they said public camping creates.

* Muddy River News | Man charged with sending threatening electronic communications resigns from IT job with the City of Quincy: Pugh is charged with sending threatening and harassing electronic communications to Benjamin Inman, 28, of Quincy. Communications included phrases, “I could have shanked you,” and “you’re going to suffer like the F****** bitch you are,” according to charging documents. Inman was on probation after admitting to threatening a city councilman when he was arrested for alleged possession of child porn. Inman said in open court during earlier detention hearings that he believes he was framed.

* WCIA | Clinton police officer fired after ‘unprofessional conduct’ with minor: “On October 11, 2025, an allegation of unprofessional conduct was brought to the department’s attention, specifically involving an unprofessional interaction and inappropriate communication between the officer and a 17-year-old individual,” Lowers said. “Deputy Chief Ropp and I immediately gathered the facts of that encounter, and our investigation was completed promptly. The officer’s employment was terminated without delay.” Roman’s letter of termination is dated Oct. 11, indicating he was fired the same day the allegations were made.

* WCIA | DACC receives grant to add mental health services: Danville Area Community College (DACC) is putting a new grant to good use. After being awarded $78,000 from the Illinois Community College Board, DACC said it plans to improve mental health services campus-wide. The school is partnering with online therapy apps for students and CrossPoint Human Services, which is a crisis hotline.

*** National ***

* Reuters | Trump to direct Pentagon to buy coal to revive industry, Bloomberg News says: The Bloomberg report said the move will come via an executive order on Wednesday, with Trump directing Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to enter agreements to buy electricity from coal plants for military operations. Trump is also set to unveil a plan by the Department of Energy to provide $175 million for upgrades at six coal-fired plants in Kentucky, North Carolina, Ohio, Virginia and West Virginia, the report added.

* 404 Media | With Ring, American Consumers Built a Surveillance Dragnet: Chris Gilliard, a privacy expert and author of the upcoming book Luxury Surveillance, told 404 Media these features and its Super Bowl ad are “a clumsy attempt by Ring to put a cuddly face on a rather dystopian reality: widespread networked surveillance by a company that has cozy relationships with law enforcement and other equally invasive surveillance companies.”