* ICYMI: Ex-Illinois inmate’s lawsuit over forced labor induction tests Gov. JB Pritzker on reproductive rights. Tribune…

- Amy Hicks was 7 ½ months pregnant and convicted of an illegal drug offense that would keep her behind bars for months to come. Still, as Hicks waited inside that transitional cellblock of the Logan Correctional Center women’s prison, she thought she’d give birth to her daughter when she was ready to be born.

- Two weeks before her due date, in early 2024, Hicks underwent the induction. Now two years later, she describes the experience as painful, physically violating and traumatic.

- The suit alleges Logan’s staff violated her constitutional right to refuse a medical procedure and ran afoul of Illinois’ Reproductive Health Act.

* Related stories…

• Sun-Times: Illinois prisons were ordered to improve health care for inmates. They’ve spent seven years failing.

More on this in a bit.

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*** Isabel’s Top Picks ***

* Tribune | As Indiana extends coal and builds data centers, Illinois may be on the hook for neighbor’s AI boom: In December, the Indiana utility filed a petition with a DOE commission to spread the costs of keeping the Schahfer plant open to all ratepayers living in the area served by Midcontinent Independent System Operator, which runs the electricity grid in Indiana and 14 other states. Southern and central Illinois are in MISO territory. That request drew objections from Illinois regulators. In a filing last month, the Illinois Commerce Commission called the move “hasty” and argued that customers outside Indiana should not be required to subsidize the continued operation of the coal plant.

* Crain’s | FAA targets O’Hare flight growth as airline feud heats up: The massive expansion of flights planned for O’Hare International Airport has gotten the attention of the FAA, which says it’s planning to reduce summer flight schedules by 9%. […] The FAA says the current schedules planned by airlines for this summer would result in 3,080 peak daily operations, compared with 2,680 last year. “This proposed increase is significant and would stress the runway, terminal and air-traffic control systems at the airport,” the FAA said.

* BND | Judge tosses East St. Louis’ $2.7 billion PCB case against Monsanto: U.S. District Judge David W. Dugan of the Southern District of Illinois ruled the city’s 2021 complaint against Monsanto and its successor companies was filed too late. The statutes of limitations and repose had passed on contamination officials discovered decades ago, he said. East St. Louis was seeking damages for contamination from toxic chemicals known as polychlorinated biphenyls, or PCBs.

*** Statewide ***

* BND | A red ‘blood’ lunar eclipse will be visible over Illinois soon. When to look up: The full moon peaking Tuesday, March 3, will bring a “blood moon” or total lunar eclipse to Illinois stargazers. “Blood moon” is the popular term referring to a total lunar eclipse, and the name is used because the moon appears orangish or reddish during a total lunar eclipse, according to NASA.

*** Statehouse News ***

* Tribune | Some Indiana taxpayers not as thrilled by Chicago Bears stadium plan as lawmakers: [T]he measure to build a new Bears stadium in Hammond would involve a series of new taxes: a 1% food and beverage tax in Lake and Porter counties, a 5% tax increase on hotel rooms in Lake County, and a 12% admissions tax. The plan would also involve toll roads and creating a special taxing district to funnel new tax proceeds to the stadium project. The silence in opposition was also striking because northwest Indiana residents recently had literally taken to the streets to protest skyrocketing utility bills. Some said they had to choose between paying utility bills or grocery bills.

* NBC Chicago | Trump, Pritzker trade shots after governor accuses him of plan to ‘steal’ 2026 midterm election: “Governor Pritzker posted on social media that you’re planning to steal the 2026 midterm election,” the reporter said. “In fact, he says the plan is already underway. How do you respond to Governor Pritzker?” Pritzker’s post on social media read: “Donald Trump’s plan to steal the 2026 midterm elections is already underway.” Responding to the reporter, Trump said, “We’ll he’s got to focus on crime in his state. The crime in his state is doing very badly. If we, if we went and took care of it, what would we do, just like Washington, D.C., we have no crime. Memphis, it’s down 82%. Louisiana, you take a look at Louisiana. What he should really do is focus on crime in his state, because there’s too much of it.”

* Daily Herald | Despite encounter with resident, Simmons isn’t changing door-to-door campaigning tactics: Democratic congressional candidate Mike Simmons’ team won’t let an uncomfortable encounter with a potential voter change how it conducts door-to-door campaigning, a representative said this week. “When people have good reason to be afraid of government and law enforcement, it’s even more important to be good neighbors and have good neighbors,” campaign manager Milan Patel told the Daily Herald.

*** Chicago ***

* Sun-Times | ICE protesters keep beating Trump in Chicago court, but the battles take a toll — ‘It’s about intimidation’: Prosecutions for nonimmigration crimes tied to Operation Midway Blitz have disintegrated at an alarming rate at the Dirksen Federal Courthouse since October. Cases against 17 of 32 known defendants have already collapsed, including the ones against Collins and Robledo. But they still come at a cost. A federal prosecution is intimidating. It carries the threat of prison time. Damaging news stories spread online. Freedoms are often restricted, even in minor cases. Lawyers are needed, though federal defenders have saved people from big legal bills.

* CBS Chciago | Some volunteers raise concerns over Mayor Brandon Johnson’s pick to run Chicago Animal Care and Control: Some current and former volunteers at the city’s animal shelter said more needs to be done to improve the agency. “Seeing the conditions inside the shelter, watching things happen that are inhumane is just, it’s catastrophic,” volunteer Irene Jordan said. Current and former volunteers at Chicago Animal Care and Control said conditions at the agency are deeply concerning.

*** Cook County and Suburbs ***

* Daily Herald | Suburban leaders: Reduction in local share of state income taxes could affect services, force tax hikes: Local governments are crying foul in the wake of Gov. JB Pritzker’s proposed cut to their share of the state income taxes in 2027. That share, known as the Local Government Distributive Fund, is used by local governments to offset the costs of a number of services, including police, fire and public works. It also helps some cover public safety pension costs. Municipal officials say the cut could lead to reduced services or higher property taxes, sales taxes or fees.

* Lake County News-Sun | Lake County school superintendents mulling sales tax referendum: ‘Doing it would make schools less dependent on property taxes’: School superintendents across Lake County are discussing a possible referendum to establish a countywide 1% sales tax that would generate more than $122 million in revenue, with $14 million going to Waukegan Community Unit School District 60. Adding the tax would require the approval of a majority of Lake County voters after school districts representing 50% of the county’s public school students take the steps necessary to place it before the voters. District 60 Superintendent Theresa Plascencia said the superintendents around the county are having discussions about asking voters to approve a 1% sales tax to support education. The educators like the idea, she said.

* Naperville Sun | Naperville D203 board president says inaccurate info circulating about teacher cuts: Cush emailed community members this week to counter what he said was false information that’s been spread about “reduction in force,” or RIF, notices being given to employees. He also said there was no truth to a rumor that administrators would be protected from losing their jobs. The board is to ​b​e briefed Monday on staffing projections and on proposed reduction in force lists for certified staff on March 16. Classified staffing proposals and reduction in force lists will be evaluated April 20 before a tentative 2026-27 budget is released in May. The new budget year begins July 1.

* Crain’s | Hawthorne Race Course files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy: In a desperate shot at saving the famed Hawthorne Race Course and its employees’ jobs, the course’s parent company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy today, an attempt at reorganizing and attracting a new owner for the struggling business and its sister companies. The reorganization plan, according to a press release, will “prioritize paying accrued purses to the Illinois Horsemen,” along with payroll for the race course’s some 250 employees, while also restructuring the company’s debt load.

* Daily Herald | Brace for delays on I-80 as IDOT digs into bridges, key interchanges near Joliet: The final phase of a mega rebuild and widening of I-80 starts Monday. However, drivers in the Joliet area can’t exhale yet. Roughly 60% of the $1.3 million project between Minooka and New Lenox is complete, Illinois Department of Transportation engineers explained during a Thursday briefing. But this year, workers will embark on the most complex part involving key bridges and ramps.

* Daily Herald | ‘We didn’t want to leave anyone behind’: Midwest Shelter for Homeless Veterans plans new housing for those who served: The nonprofit’s original home on West Street, named in honor of Marine Lance Cpl. Nicholas Larson, a Wheaton teen killed in Iraq, provides transitional housing for male veterans of any era. In addition to that and other long-standing programs, Midwest Shelter plans to grow with a four-story apartment building in downtown Wheaton for veterans who are homeless or at risk of homelessness. Of the proposed 20 units of permanent supportive housing, five are two-bedroom apartments.

* CBS Chicago | Early voting begins at locations all across Chicago, suburban Cook County: The 55 suburban Cook County early voting locations, in village halls, courthouses, and other facilities throughout the suburbs, were all set to open at 9 a.m. Monday. Any suburban Cook County resident can vote at any one of the polling places. For instance, if a resident of north suburban Glencoe feels moved to head to south suburban Lynwood to vote, they are free to do so.

*** Downstate ***

* WCIA | Champaign Co. issues warning about lines due to lack of election judges: Champaign County Clerk Aaron Ammons said they’re still short dozens of election judges, but there are other options to avoid the wait. He said they have just under 150 judges eligible ready to work. But that’s less than he would like, leaving him with tough decisions to make. […] He said he needs at least three judges to run a polling place. Ammons wanted 66 locations across the county, requiring around 200 people. But this time around, he’s working with about 150.

* WGLT | Crucial water system upgrades are in Bloomington’s plans: The City of Bloomington doesn’t know what’s happening to up to 3 million gallons of water per day — and it could be more during the summer. An aging treatment and distribution system is a root cause. “Right now, we have a 30% loss rate from when water leaves the water plant to what we are actually billing for,” said City Manager Jeff Jurgens. “It’s a staggering number.” The city pumps an average of 10 to 10.5 million gallons per day, and up to 12 million gallons at some points in the summer.

* BND | State-funded program opens ‘barrier-free’ path to clean energy jobs in metro-east: Macedonia Development Corporation, with the help of other area organizations, brought the program to East St. Louis. All East St. Louis program participants received foundational environmental education and general industry training, and then could specialize and earn certifications in either weatherization — which refers to ways to make buildings more energy-efficient — or solar power. All of this is free of charge to the participants, thanks to state funding.

* BND | East St. Louis hopes to save one of the nation’s first Black public schools : In the decades following the American Civil War, John Robinson, a Civil War veteran and former slave, had a revolutionary idea: a school for Black children. At the time, most Black people had to attend schools hosted in a variety of settings, such as churches or home basements. Seeing the disparity, Robinson helped organize and lead a protest of Black mothers and students into the nearby, all-white Clay School to demand equitable education.

* WCIA | Illinois secures ten-seed for Big Ten Tournament with home loss to Minnesota: Illinois hosted No. 22 Minnesota for Senior Day in the last game of the year, coming back from as much as a 15-point deficit to tie the game with less than a minute to play. The Gophers pulled away at the charity stripe and handed Illinois a 78-73 loss. With the loss, Illinois finishes the season with a 19-10 record and 9-9 in Big Ten play to secure a ten-seed in the Big Ten Tournament. The Illini will play 15-seed Wisconsin on Wednesday, March 4 in Indianapolis.

*** National ***

* WaPo | An Ohio newspaper has a new star writer. It isn’t human: On social media, industry veterans recoiled at the sentiment. Former Financial Times editor Lionel Barber called it “beyond dumb.” Axios reporter Sam Allard defended the applicant for “wanting to be a journalist instead of an AI content farmer.” HuffPost editor Philip Lewis wrote, “An editor for a newspaper encouraging ‘removing writing from reporters’ workloads’ should just resign.” As once-robust metropolitan newspapers across the country lay off reporters, shutter bureaus and scale back ambitions, the 184-year-old Plain Dealer, known online as Cleveland.com, is at the forefront of an industry-wide push to reimagine journalism for the AI age.

* WIRED | X Is Drowning in Disinformation Following US and Israeli Attack on Iran: Elon Musk’s social media platform is a verifiable mess: In some cases, alleged video footage of the attack shared in posts on X are actually months or years old. In several posts, video footage of apparent attacks have been attributed to incorrect locations. A number of images shared on X appear to be altered or generated with AI. Other posts attempt to pass off video game footage as scenes from the conflict.