* CBS Chicago…

Plans for a new Chicago White Sox stadium in the South Loop have residents near the existing ballpark in Bridgeport concerned, not just because the team might be leaving, but also what might be coming nearby.

Amtrak plans for a 24/7 maintenance facility near Rate Field have Bridgeport residents fuming mad.

The new facility would be four stories tall and five tracks wide along a 47-acre site west of Rate Field, between two existing White Sox parking lots. It would replace Amtrak’s existing maintenance facility near 14th and Canal streets in the South Loop. […]

Gov. JB Pritzker said he’s “excited” about the potential for a new White Sox stadium in the South Loop, but cautioned that Ishbia needs to listen to the concerns that Bridgeport residents are raising about plans to move Amtrak’s maintenance operations from the South Loop to Bridgeport.

The governor’s full quote…

I have not spoken with, Mr. Ishbia. I am excited about the prospect of the White Sox having new facilities. And I know that, he has talked about funding most of that himself. And may need some help from the state, but I haven’t talked to him specifically about it. I know there are some concerns that have been raised by some local communities, he should be listening to those. The White Sox should be listening to those, and making sure they’re taking those into consideration, whatever the site may be. But again, what we want is for them to have a great new facility and for it to be in the state of Illinois, in the city of Chicago.

Please pardon any transcription errors.

* WGLT…

The state of Illinois’ decision to close Logan Correctional Center was an unpopular one in Lincoln. The plan to relocate the state’s only women’s prison housing medium and maximum-security prisoners 140 miles north to Crest Hill displaces more than 400 jobs in Lincoln, a city of about 13,000 people and the Logan County seat.

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker stood by the decision in a media appearance Tuesday in Bloomington.

Pritzker noted the Surplus to Success program, a $300 million initiative aimed at remediating state-owned properties which have been left vacant for decades, including the former Lincoln Developmental Center, a 100-acre former psychiatric hospital and school for developmentally disabled individuals. […]

In Lincoln specifically, Pritzker, a Democrat running for re-election in 2026, said the state’s desire is to attract a new industrial or commercial partner to add jobs to the struggling city. […]

Pritzker said there is a five-year timeline to fully transition to the new prison in Crest Hill, which will be located near a newly built Stateville men’s prison.

* The Governor was also asked about an audit that found DCFS made progress but failed to comply with Ta’Naja’s Law nearly six years after it went into effect…

Reporter: The recent DCFS audit shows the state is doing a poor job of enforcing a new law mandating phone checks and reunification in a timely manner. What’s your plan to bring the agency into compliance with state law?

Pritzker: So first of all, the agency itself, the Department of Children and Family Services, is doing a much better job than it has over the last couple decades. Jess McDonald is the last, you know, leader of the agency back in the 90s, when DCFS was really doing a great job. We’re trying to get back up to that level because it frankly fell over many years.

So whenever we discover any challenges for the agency, we’re trying to address those challenges as best we can. We have a great new director in Heidi Mueller. She’s been there a couple of years now, and really reformed it in a very positive way. So I’m pleased about the direction. I know that there are challenges ahead. I do want to point out that the improvements at the agency are evident, should be evident to people, even as we get audits that show the challenges. By the way, every agency, every year there are always some audit findings. And in this case, of course DCFS. Every one of the situations of a child at DCFS, before the audits, every situation, because it’s a welfare agency is one that has the potential for tragedy. And what we’re trying to do is protect and save as many of these kids, in fact, all of these kids that come under our care. So that’s why we take these things seriously. And we are, in fact, looking into how do we improve on the actualizing of that law.

* Related…

* WGLT | With Logan Correctional Center set to close, Lincoln mayor urges state to not leave another mess: Last year, Illinois announced a $300 million site readiness initiative targeting five properties, including the 100-acre LDC site. “They’re not just giving us the property; they’re going to remediate it,” said Welch. “But they want some ideas from us.” Ideas include residential housing and tiny homes for veterans. Welch wants to see community green space and some commercial development at the edge of the property bordering a highway. A new juvenile detention center, the Monarch Youth Center, recently opened on the eastern edge of the property.

* WICS | Video: Governor Pritzker comments on DCFS audit results

* 25News Now | Pritzker, ISU leaders celebrate College of Engineering’s Bloomington campus: “Today marks a defining moment in Illinois State University’s legacy. All of us gathered here today are witnessing history unfold,” said ISU President Aondover Tarhule. The nearly 400,000-square-foot complex on GE Road includes labs, collaborative classrooms, maker spaces and shops designed to give students hands-on experience.

* CBS Chicago | All 6 recommendations in new DCFS audit were also made in 2022 — and still aren’t fully met: On Wednesday, state auditors released their second audit finding DCFS has made progress but failed to comply with Ta’Naja’s Law nearly six years after it went into effect. The 109-page audit conducted by Illinois Auditor General Christopher Meister covered 2023 to 2024. Under the law that went into effect in January 2020, home safety checklists must be completed within 24 hours before a child returns home. The checklists, a tool to evaluate a home for physical hazards, environmental risks, and basic living necessities before or during an open child welfare case, are required by law and the agency’s own policies. They should be completed again within five days after a child is returned home, then monthly until the child’s case is closed.