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Isabel’s morning briefing
Sunday, May 31, 2026 - Posted by Isabel Miller * ICYMI: Bears’ megaprojects stadium bill breaks down day before Illinois legislative deadline. Sun-Times…
- State Sen. Bill Cunningham, D-Chicago, said legislators were still hammering out alternative economic incentives to keep the Bears from jumping the border, and to put Chicago back in the mix “to compete for a stadium.” - “The city has made it clear they would like to be considered for a new stadium as well,” said Cunningham, who expected alternative legislation to be filed Sunday morning. “We’d like to come up with some sort of proposal that would put them on an equal plane.” * Related stories… * Gov. JB Pritzker has no public events scheduled today. * The House will gavel in at 9 am, the Senate at noon. The Senate Appropriations Committee has a subject matter hearing on the budget at 10 am. * Sun-Times | Illinois lawmakers pass bill to help homeowners catch up with property taxes before losing their homes: After three years of non-compliance with a 2023 U.S. Supreme Court ruling, Illinois lawmakers have passed a measure that would fundamentally change how counties and taxing bodies in the state can recoup delinquent property taxes. For years, Illinois counties have sold property tax debt to investors who can ultimately seize the properties if their owners fail to redeem the delinquent property taxes. The nation’s highest court ruled it was unconstitutional to withhold the surplus equity from property owners who lose their properties in the process. Illinois is the only state affected by the ruling that has not yet reformed its property tax debt system. * Capitol News Illinois | Ticket bot bill, Glock ban, e-bikes still up in the air as lawmakers near May 31: Senate Bill 318, part of the Senate’s artificial intelligence package, would prohibit consumers from using bots or multiple accounts to purchase more event tickets than the sale allows. The seller would be responsible for reporting instances to the state attorney general. The bill awaits a floor vote in the House, which could come Saturday evening after clarifying amendments are heard in an afternoon committee. It would then head back to the Senate for a concurring vote. * Harness Racing Update | Illinois harness horsepeople cautiously optimistic as legislature enters final weekend of spring session: After seeing some progress in pursuit of their objectives, members of the Illinois Harness Horsemen’s Association (IHHA) were cautiously optimistic going into the final weekend of the spring session of the state legislature that will end on Sunday (May 31). The IHHA website reports that on May 26 the organization’s executive committee members testified on the merits of the new House Bill 5369 sponsored by Representative Bob Rita and emphasized the need for the proposed racino in downstate Decatur, a quicker path to another racino in Chicago’s south suburbs and an end to the 1995 “recapture” provision in the racing statute. * Capitol News Illinois | POWER Act data center regulation won’t move forward this spring: House Majority Leader Robyn Gabel, a Democrat from Evanston who has led the bill in the House, said at a Saturday rally hosted by the ICJC that there’s another option for regulating data centers while negotiations continue. “The governor proposed a pause in the data center tax credit in his budget address, and we need to get that done in this year’s budget,” Gabel said. “The last thing we should be doing is handing out tax breaks and incentives to these profitable corporations.” * Tribune | As plastics clog the Great Lakes, industry presses to make more and downplays dangers, Tribune analysis finds: By one estimate, at least 22 million pounds of plastic waste end up in the Great Lakes every year. Lake Michigan is rivaled only by Lake Erie in concentrations of nurdles and other tiny bits known collectively as microplastics. That makes sense, scientists said, since the two lakes are the most urbanized. * ABC Chicago | Nonprofit hosts ‘field takeover’ at Bronzeville school as alternative to disruptive teen gatherings: The field behind Mollison Elementary in Bronzeville was busy with athletics and affirmations. Personal trainers and speakers volunteered their time to engage and motivate young people at the Restore the Youth Field Takeover. “You are lovable. You are capable of being loved. You are capable of doing something positive, so any negative behavior that you have cultivated because of the hardship you’ve had all your life, change that around,” said Sunny Akhigbe. * Sun-Times | Visitors kick back and relax as Parisian chairs debut at Buckingham Fountain: The movable chairs were inspired by the seating found in Paris’ Luxembourg Gardens. City officials said the program, which debuted with 100 chairs manufactured by Paris-based Fermob, is designed to “encourage social gathering” and give visitors a place to relax and enjoy the fountain. On Saturday morning, visitors were seen gathered in large groups, sitting in pairs or pulling a chair back to avoid being sprayed by the fountain’s water. * Aurora Beacon-News | Aurora’s new hub for clean energy job training celebrates first graduation: A new center offering job training in green energy-related fields that opened earlier this year in Aurora celebrated its first graduation on Friday. Specifically, 16 students gradated from the program run by 548 Foundation, one of the two groups offering programs at Aurora’s CEJA Workforce Development Hub. Located in a formerly unused city facility at 649 S. River St., the workforce development hub’s programs get their funding through the state Climate and Equitable Jobs Act, which also gives the Aurora center its name. * Elgin Courier-News | Expect two months of lane reductions because of Fox River bridge resurfacing in South Elgin: Drivers should brace for traffic snarls this summer when South Elgin’s State Street bridge over the Fox River is reduced to one lane for road resurfacing work. Depending on the weather, the project is scheduled to begin Monday and be completed by the end of July, officials said. “To minimize the need for frequent repairs and to keep the bridge fully functional and safe for as many years as possible, the contractor will use latex-modified concrete for the bridge decking,” said Craig Pierce, the village’s manager of communications and community engagement. “It has a projected lifespan of 25 years and is considered nearly impermeable to road salt and other corrosive materials.” * WCIA | ‘Hazardous spill’ situation ends at U of I lab; safe to resume regular activities: At 2:22 p.m., the alert said it is now safe to resume regular activities near 600 South Mathews Avenue in Urbana. […] At 12:55 p.m. on May 30, an Illini Alert was put out that there were hazardous materials released at 600 South Mathews Avenue in Urbana — which is the Roger Adams Laboratory and Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering building on U of I’s campus. There were reports of fire and hazmat on scene a short time later. * WGLT | McLean County’s first Mental Health Field Day makes self-care feel less intimidating: McLean County Behavioral Health Coordination hosted a wide variety of tents and organizations Saturday at Normandy Village in Normal as part of Mental Health Awareness Month. The free event brought together various organizations offering mental health services, developmental resources, wellness activities and community support programs. Families wandered among booths while children played games and volunteers handed out information about therapy, early intervention services, smoking cessation programs and support groups. * Capitol City Now | Route 66 exhibit opens at Illinois State Museum: “Miles of Memories: Stories of Route 66” highlights what life was like along Route 66 during its peak years as a major highway connecting Chicago and Los Angeles. The exhibit features pieces from the museum’s Route 66 Oral History Project, which includes 100 interviews with people who lived, worked and traveled along the historic roadway. Visitors will be able to hear excerpts from those firsthand accounts throughout the exhibit. * Post-Tribune | Feds detail tangled web of ties in ‘Greek’ gambling ring: Elsewhere, federal prosecutors, as expected, signaled last week they will likely seek a superseding RICO indictment. They also want Gialamas, a top operative, back in jail. Gialamas was arrested while on vacation in Puerto Rico and later released. In a 66-page filing on May 22, Assistant U.S. Attorney Philip Benson argued that was a mistake, alleging he was “at least as egregious” as Gerodemos by “recruiting and financing” extortion efforts. * AP | America’s tech-filled classrooms are facing a backlash against school-assigned devices: The campaign for change is becoming a public policy issue. At least 14 states have proposed laws to limit screen time in schools, according to Ballotpedia. The federal government issued an advisory last week warning that excessive screen use among youth is becoming a growing public health concern. * NYT | Trump Administration Sees Striking Exodus of Legal Talent: President Trump’s upheaval of the federal government has led to an exodus of more than 10,000 lawyers since the beginning of 2025, a striking loss of legal talent that has left some agencies pushing to find attorneys to carry out his agenda. […] The Justice Department, which employs more than a quarter of all government lawyers, saw the largest decline in raw numbers. But other agencies — including the Department of Education, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and the Department of Housing and Urban Development — lost an even greater share of attorneys.
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- Proud Papa Bear - Sunday, May 31, 26 @ 8:04 am:
Re: tech in classrooms.
I’m a fan of easing up on it. Kids are on devices so much already and then we push more of it on them in class.
My administration encourages more tech use but the teachers have been pushing back against it. Fortunately, we have an administration that treats us as professionals and allows to do what we think is in the students’ best interests.