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340B Program Savings Help Patients In Need – Vote YES On HB 2371 SA 2
Thursday, Sep 25, 2025 - Posted by Advertising Department [The following is a paid advertisement.] Every day, hospitals go above and beyond for their patients. Take the case of a critically ill patient who received 47 days of care at OSF HealthCare Saint Francis Medical Center in Peoria for a serious brain infection. The patient had no insurance, so the hospital’s care team coordinated a Medicaid application. At discharge, the patient needed antibiotics and antiviral drugs costing $16,000 for self-pay, which the hospital could offer for $12,000 through the federal 340B program. It was still beyond the patient’s means, so the hospital secured a donor to cover the cost. While hospitals are working to ensure the best possible patient outcomes, pharmaceutical companies are devising ways to limit the positive impact of the 340B program, which was created to increase access to care and enhance healthcare services for uninsured and low-income patients. In just one year, OSF HealthCare experienced a 31% decrease in drug discount savings because of drugmaker restrictions, such as limiting hospitals to only one contract pharmacy within a defined mileage radius. “The reduction in revenue directly impacts our ability to consistently fund programs aimed at improving access to healthcare in our rural communities or fund patient assistance programs,” the health system said. Vote YES on House Bill 2371 SA 2 to support optimal health for Illinoisans. Learn more.
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Isabel’s afternoon roundup
Thursday, Sep 25, 2025 - Posted by Isabel Miller * ABC Chicago…
* DuPage County Forest Preserve Commissioner Tina Tyson-Dunne is running for Rep. Terra Costa Howard’s House seat… We told you this morning DuPage County Board member Lynn LaPlante has thrown her hat in the ring for the 42nd House District. Glen Ellyn Trustee Sonia Bhagwakar has also applied for the replacement appointment and is prepared to run for the seat. * US Senate candidate Raja Krishnamoorthi is out with more endorsements…
* Crain’s | Johnson’s plan to remake City Council leadership crumbles: A Rules Committee meeting scheduled this morning ahead of the full City Council was delayed by over two hours as the Latino Caucus and other council members scrambled at City Hall to revive a lineup proposal that only came together this week before “crashing and burning,” according to Ald. Nick Sposato, 38th. During the meeting, Walter “Red” Burnett was unanimously confirmed to take over the 27th ward seat and was sworn in with his hand on the bible of his father and predecessor, former Ald. Walter Burnett, but no committee chairmanships were voted on. * CBS Chicago | Homeless shelter on Chicago’s North Side offering first-of-its-kind dorm room model: Shelter leaders said providing clients with their own personal space offers much more than a place to sleep inside a former Rogers Park medical clinic. “It’s just a stepping stone. It’s just a place to help me move forward in life,” Resident Ray Smith said. Instead of sleeping in a large room on cots like other men’s shelters, the residents share a room with one other person. * Block Club | Vacant Pilsen Lot Could Become Affordable Housing For Seniors Under Developer’s Plan: Developer Teo Scorte plans to build a seven-story, 106-unit apartment building for people 55 and older at 1606 S. Wolcott Ave. All apartments would be rented at affordable rates and all units would meet accessibility standards, Rolando Acosta, the developer’s lawyer, said at a community meeting Monday. The building, dubbed Casa Bienestar, would have 94 one-bedroom and 12 two-bedroom units. People 55 and older whose income is at 30, 60 and 80 percent of the area median income could apply. Rents would range from $675 to $1,800, Acosta said. * Block Club | As Domestic Violence Surges, City Funding To Fight Crisis Set To Drop Dramatically: During the hearing convened by the council’s Committee on Health and Human Services, advocates representing a range of local organizations pushed alderpeople to support a significant increase in resources for gender-based violence services. Mayor Brandon Johnson is expected to release his 2026 budget recommendations next month, which will kick off weeks of discussions and negotiations with City Council members. Overall violence in the city has decreased significantly in recent years, according to Chicago police figures. Yet domestic violence remains higher than pre-pandemic levels, Ald. Daniel La Spata (1st) noted at the hearing. * Chalkbeat Chicago | Chicago Public Schools enrollment drops, preliminary data show: Chicago Public Schools enrollment has dipped to roughly 313,000 this fall — a decrease of about 12,000 students, assuming preliminary data analyzed by Chalkbeat holds steady until the 20th day of school on Sept. 15 when the district takes its official count. The early numbers, which are posted publicly on the CPS school profiles and updated daily based on the district’s student record system, show drops in the number of English language learners and Black students. * WTTW | ‘Lights Out,’ Chicago. Bird Migration Will Be Intense Thursday Night and Millions Need Safe Passage: Half a billion birds will be on the move across the U.S. tonight as migration begins to hit its peak, with some 25 million expected to pass over Illinois, putting the entire state on high alert to reduce collision risks. That means “lights out” for all non-essential outdoor lighting between 11 p.m. and 6 a.m. Shades should be closed, as well. * Tribune | Leo High School finishes in 4th place for ‘America’s Got Talent’: After months of competing for first place on “America’s Got Talent,” the Leo Catholic High School choir fell just short at the conclusion of the NBC reality talent show’s 20th season, broadcast Wednesday night. The all-boys choir from the South Side Catholic school placed fourth. Singer Jessica Sanchez was crowned the winner. * Sun-Times | Chicago musicians leave Spotify over concerns about data privacy and AI: In an open letter published on Monday, the artists cite CEO Daniel Ek’s venture capital investment in and chairmanship of Munich-based military AI company Helsing, Spotify’s compensation model for artists, the proliferation of unlabeled AI-generated music, and the company’s algorithm-driven model that relies heavily on user data collection as core reasons. The authors of the letter point to journalist Liz Pelly’s book “Mood Machine: The Rise of Spotify and the Costs of the Perfect Playlist,” released in January, as a significant influence. * Aurora Beacon-News | Aurora to hold its last Food Truck Festival of the year on Friday: The summer Food Truck Festival held on July 18 received strong support after being offered for the first time, city officials said. The summer event joined the longstanding spring Food Truck Festival held during the first week in May. The fall Food Truck Festival set for Friday is the second year an autumn version of the event will be held. Similar to the summer event, organizers said the Food Truck Festival on Friday will offer about 35 vendors with a large number not seen before in Aurora. Aurora Community Events Coordinator Christina DiCristofano said adding new faces “is a way to make sure we keep things interesting.” * Naperville Sun | People giving up pets for financial reasons need help, DuPage officials say: The problem, they said, is more people are facing economic crisis and are unable to keep their pets. Whether because of the high cost of pet fees in rental housing, the fast-rising price of veterinary care or other reasons, many pet owners are making the difficult decision to surrender their animals. “People can no longer afford their pets,” said Marc Ayers, Illinois state director for Humane World for Animals, formerly the Humane Society of the United States. “There are so many reasons — mainly economic — that are creating the situation that people can no longer have a pet in their home. And so they’re making that decision to surrender.” * BND | Is Collinsville’s water safe? City changes its answer after new PFAS tests: Collinsville has reversed its previous guidance that the city’s drinking water is safe after new tests revealed rising levels of so-called “forever chemicals” in groundwater and treated water, which exceed federal limits. The city is now recommending that residents filter city tap water before drinking or cooking with it, contrary to assurances it gave just five months ago. Exposure to the contaminants known as PFAS has been linked to certain types of cancer, fertility and child development issues and other health problems. * PJ Star | City of Peoria wins Exposition Gardens property at public auction: The winning bid of $1.2 million comes one day after the Peoria City Council gave Urich the approval to spend up to $2 million on the property. Peoria’s aim for the more than 70-acre property, which sits at 1601 Northmoor Road, is to bid it out to housing contractors in hopes of seeing up to 200 homes constructed there, Urich said Wednesday. * WGLT | Industry leaders convene in Normal to talk economic challenges facing Illinois truckers: Matthew Hart became the executive director of the Illinois Trucking Association [ITA] in 2011 and has since been working to bring awareness to freight companies on economic shifts. The nonprofit organization holds an annual meeting in various locations to connect owners and employees of trucking companies from all around. Hart said his focus remains in Springfield and Washington, D.C. “That’s one of the key things that our members ask us to do—to be their voice in Springfield because they’re all running trucking companies back home,” Hart said. * WSIL | Drought-breaking rain brings some relief to farmers: Leon McClerren, a farmer in Franklin County, said the biggest benefit of the rain right now is the reduced fire danger in Southern Illinois. The rainfall, although welcome, comes after irreversible damage has already been done. “We would normally see this whole field maturing evenly,” McClerren says. “So we are going to be impacted on the timing of harvest because we’re going to have plants like these versus plants like these right here that are still very green.” * WCIA | Another burglary suspect arrested with help of Sangamon Co. drone: When deputies arrived, Wilhite said they deployed the Sheriff’s Office drone to assist in the search for the suspect. Using a thermal imaging camera, the drone’s operator located the suspect lying in the field and directed deputies on the ground to his position. * VICE | Concert Tickets Aren’t Expensive Enough Actually, Says Live Nation CEO: Live Nation CEO Michael Rapino recently claimed that concert tickets should cost way more, actually, while speaking at CNBC and Boardroom’s Game Plan conference. According to Rapino, who has a net worth of $997.1 million, concert tickets have been “underpriced” for “a long time.” Rapino compared popular concerts to sports games, insinuating that sports fans actually enjoy spending thousands of dollars on tickets. By this logic, concertgoers should embrace higher prices, or at least learn to like it. * AP | Starbucks to close hundreds of stores, lay off 900 workers as part of turnaround plan: The company wouldn’t give a number of stores that are closing, but the bulk of the closures appear to be in the U.S. and Canada. Starbucks said it expects to have 18,300 North American locations when its fiscal year ends on Sunday. As of June 29, the company had 18,734 locations. In a research note Thursday, TD Cowen analyst Andrew Charles estimated Starbucks will close around 500 North American stores in its fiscal fourth quarter. * The Atlantic | The Black Hole That Could Rewrite Cosmology: In the deep sky, beyond the most ancient fully formed galaxies, astronomers have now found a mysterious and colossal object that may be a primordial black hole. Earlier this month, a team of them posted an analysis of the object based on observations made by the James Webb Space Telescope. If their account holds up, the standard view of how the universe evolved will need serious revamping.
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Some bold polling claims
Thursday, Sep 25, 2025 - Posted by Rich Miller * This is a bold statement, considering Bean is only receiving support from 10 percent of voters in her own poll…
* The results…
Um, Bean was in Congress and she’s only two points ahead of Junaid Ahmed in a poll with a margin of error of ±4.9 percent? Like I said: bold. * More…
Curious whether the poll said she is CEO of Mesirow Wealth Advisors. Also, home town? That’s a question? * More…
No disclosure about what that “simulated communication” was. * Politico…
Not saying at all that Bean won’t or can’t win. Just saying I got a chuckle out of reading these bold claims.
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Stratton breaks from Schumer
Thursday, Sep 25, 2025 - Posted by Rich Miller *** UPDATE *** This story was originally about the bland sameness of the three major US Senate candidates in Illinois. But Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton’s US Senate campaign sent me the full statement they gave to Politico. She has most definitely shifted…
Emphasis added. And Stratton said this to the Washington Post…
So, I changed the headline. * Late last month, I asked the three major Democratic US candidates if they would vote for Chuck Schumer as the Senate’s Democratic/chamber leader (depending on the outcome of national races). As I told you at the time, I figured there wouldn’t be a whole lot of space between them, but thought there could be a chance that somebody might stand out. They all blandly dodged the question, as I mostly expected. * Politico (national, not state) took that an entirely different way…
Non-committal may be a news story in DC, but here it’s just a sign that the three major candidates won’t stick their necks out on almost anything. And as long as that continues, the person spending the most money (Raja) has the best shot at winning. Also, some of the folks Politico talked to were downright hostile to Schumer. This reminds me of the 2020 Illinois House races, when most Democratic candidates just issued bland, non-committal statements about Speaker Madigan. Most every one of them voted for Madigan in the first round, but he came up short because 19 Democrats stood firm and the House wound up with a different Speaker. * I’ve been spending quite a bit of time in the Quad Cities area the past couple of months because I need to be with my parents (for the first time, I’m missing the annual Illinois vs. Missouri legislative softball game at Busch Stadium tonight for that very reason). Anyway, Raja is all over the TV airwaves here. It’s quite something. Speaking of which, here’s a Raja Poll…
I’ve had this poll for a few days, but forgot to post it. Methodology…
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Bailey launches 2026 campaign for governor, DPI labels him ‘extreme MAGA Republican’ (Updated)
Thursday, Sep 25, 2025 - Posted by Isabel Miller * Former state senator Darren Bailey kicks off his second run for governor today with three campaign stops… His 6 pm campaign appearance at Oakbrook’s Drake Hotel will be live-streamed on BlueRoomStream.com. * The Democratic Party of Illinois reacted…
* So did the Illinois Democratic County Chairs’ Association…
* Illinois comptroller candidate Rep. Margaret Croke…
…Adding… DGA…
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Maybe it’s time for these owners to sell their teams?
Thursday, Sep 25, 2025 - Posted by Rich Miller * Ridiculous…  Please sell the team, Jerry. The Sox are not close to the in-a-row-record yet, but they are one more 100+ loss season away from the four in a row by the New York Mets expansion team. * On the other end of the financial spectrum…
Time to cash in, McCaskey fam. Your thoughts?
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It’s just a bill
Thursday, Sep 25, 2025 - Posted by Isabel Miller * WTVO…
* Daily Herald…
I reached out to Dave Simmons to get a better sense of what the legislation could include. His response…
* Rep. Lisa Davis filed HB4131 last week. Synopsis…
* Canary Media…
Rep. Jay Hoffman introduced HB4120 earlier this month. * Subscribers know more. WAND…
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Isabel’s morning briefing
Thursday, Sep 25, 2025 - Posted by Isabel Miller * ICYMI: Immigration Enforcement Conditions Placed on Federal Disaster Aid for Illinois and Other States ‘Unconstitutional,’ Judge Rules. WTTW…
- On Wednesday, Rhode Island District Judge William Smith ruled that the conditions the Trump administration placed onto that funding are “invalid.” - “In the end,” he wrote in a 45-page ruling, “the Court finds that the contested conditions fail, regardless of DHS’s arguments related to its authority to promulgate them, because the contested conditions are both arbitrary and capricious under the (Administrative Procedure Act) and unconstitutional under the Spending Clause of the U.S. Constitution.” - In light of that finding, Smith added that a permanent injunction preventing the enforcement of those contested conditions “is also appropriate.” * Related stories… Sponsored by Ameren Illinois
* Sun-Times | NFL approval of Bears’ sale of minority stake raises valuation to $8.9 billion: report: The Bears are valued at $8.9 billion after the NFL approved the sale of a minority stake in the team, CNBC reported Wednesday. It’s the highest official valuation for any team in the league, though CNBC’s unofficial estimates have six other teams ahead of them: the Cowboys ($12.5 billion), Rams ($10.7 billion), Giants ($10.5 billion), Raiders ($9.3 billion), Patriots ($9.3 billion) and Jets ($9.1 billion). * WTVO | Illinois prisons face criticism over outdated recidivism statistics: State Representative Kam Buckner is introducing a bill to address outdated recidivism data in the Illinois Department of Corrections. The bill aims to modernize the department’s systems and ensure that recidivism rates are updated regularly. Currently, the state prisons report that nearly 37% of inmates reoffend within three years of release, but this data has not been updated in over two years due to a computer programming issue. * WCIA | U of I study finds majority of Illinois wetlands no longer federally protected: From their research, the team estimated that about 72% of Illinois’ remaining wetlands is non-WOTUS — meaning that it is not protected by the Clean Water Act. 79.5% of non-WOTUS wetlands have no alternate protections from county, state or federal regulations, the researchers added. * Sun-Times | New federal clean energy policies hamper some Illinois companies: At the start of 2024, clean energy was projected to be one of the fastest-growing parts of the U.S. economy. But new federal policies threaten the growth of clean energy jobs and the country’s economic health, said a new report from E2, a Washington, D.C.,-based nonpartisan business group. In 2024, Illinois ranked 10th in the nation for clean energy jobs with 132,239 across sectors, such as solar, electric vehicles, wind, battery storage and biofuels, E2 said. The state had nearly 10,000 wind energy jobs, second only to Texas. Since 2020, clean energy jobs in Illinois have grown more than 15%. But new federal policies that revoke clean energy incentives, cancel permits and add red tape puts the sector’s growth “at serious risk,” according to E2’s report released last week. * With Rep. Terra Costa Howard appointed circuit judge, DuPage County Board member Lynn LaPlante is first in the 42nd House District race… * Fox2 Now | Illinois Republicans admit impeachment effort of Pritzker likely to go nowhere: State Representative David Friess is among the nine of 40 Republican House members who have now signed onto the impeachment resolution. […] He expects the resolution to be discussed on the House floor but admits it likely will never come up for a vote with a Democrat supermajority in control of the General Assembly. * Center Square | Illinois lawmakers clash over election consolidation and compulsory voting: State Rep. Patrick Windhorst, R-Metropolis, warned that mandatory voting could erode core freedoms. “Part of our electoral process and part of being a free people is the right not to engage,” Windhorst told the committee. “We have the freedom of speech. We also have the freedom not to speak. We can encourage voting without making it compulsory.” * NBC Chicago | GOP candidates for governor call for repeal of Illinois TRUST Act: Darren Bailey, who is set to launch his candidacy for governor this week, said in a statement: “The TRUST Act has been an unmitigated disaster for our state. The idea that law enforcement would be directed to not cooperate with federal agents is a testament to how politics has crept into the basic functions of our government. We need to repeal this terrible policy and return to sanity in our state.” * CNN | Trump administration to hold back millions from NYC, Chicago and DC area school districts over transgender policies: Chicago schools were further told to abolish a program that provides remedial academic resources to Black students, which Trainor labeled “textbook racial discrimination.” School officials estimated a total of about $8 million would be lost for initiatives that have expanded staffing, technology and enrichment opportunities like field trips and after-school programming. * Sun-Times | Trump administration pulls millions from Chicago Public Schools: In relation to the district’s roughly $10 billion budget, the grant is relatively small. But pulling this funding could signal the Trump administration’s willingness to come after more of the district’s federal funding, which is projected to make up around $1 billion of the district’s 2026 budget. Just a week ago, Trainor demanded CPS take action to change these policies, which he maintains discriminate against non-Black students and students who do not identify as transgender. Trainor first gave CPS til Friday Sept. 19 and then Tuesday Sept. 23 to comply. * Capitol News Illinois | Durbin hopes to meet with ICE this week about Chicago-area raids: Durbin said there is a “chance” that changes this week, adding he has a lot of “basic” questions for ICE. “What’s happening to the people that you’re sweeping off the streets, the detainees?” Durbin said. “Many times, their families don’t know what happened to them and can’t come up with any information as to where they’re even located.” * CBS Chicago | Immigrant rights group says ICE agents targeting Chicago homeless shelters for arrests: The Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights said ICE agents detained and released two people who were outside the shelter at 3034 W. Foster Ave. in the North Park neighborhood. The building was once a U.S. Marine Corps reserve training center, but was purchased by the city in 2023 to transform into a shelter for asylum seekers, and now assists anyone experiencing homelessness in Chicago. The group said targeting shelters is a new tactic ICE is using to arrest people. * Tribune | Mayor Brandon Johnson pushing to reorganize City Council chairs; aldermen unsure of votes: Johnson administration officials are lobbying aldermen with a plan to install a progressive Zoning Committee chair while winning over the council’s powerful ethnic caucuses with upgrades of their own. But the final result of the mayor’s push to reassign chairmanships remains in question, aldermen said Wednesday. “I don’t think it’s a done deal until it’s in writing, passed by committee and passed by the full City Council,” Ald. Daniel La Spata said at City Hall Wednesday. “I’ve seen too many things go sideways when actual voting happens.” * Sun-Times | Man whose murder conviction was overturned files federal lawsuit alleging misconduct: The lawsuit claims police detectives fabricated witness statements through coercion, created fake polygraph results and suppressed truthful statements, and prosecutors ignored exculpatory evidence during the initial investigation and again years later during a reinvestigation. The detectives and prosecutors also are accused of disregarding an alternative suspect in the shooting. * ABC Chicago | Chicago City Council to take up settlements, Obama Center housing ordinance: The City Council Finance Committee unanimously approved a $90 million settlement for the 176 civil rights violations cases involving former disgraced Chicago Police Sergeant Ronald Watts. That goes before the full council Thursday. Watts was convicted and sentenced for shaking down residents in the Ida B. Wells Public Housing Complex. * ABC Chicago | Chicago residents struggle with delays, denials for disabled parking spots: “We keep getting denied, and I don’t know the exact reason why we keep getting denied,” homeowner Murshed Rab said. The latest complaints come after ABC7 viewers saw Bridget Vann’s story. Vann was denied because she has a small, detached garage. However, that garage could not fit her injured husband’s SUV, and it’s further from the home then a designated street spot. After an I-Team report, a spot was eventually installed. * Tribune | ‘A number you don’t want to get to’: Chicago White Sox reach 100 losses for the 3rd consecutive season: It’s the seventh time in franchise history the Sox have lost at least 100 games in a season. “It’s definitely a number you don’t want to get to,” Cannon said. “But I think there’s so many positives (this year). When you look around the locker room, look at all the guys here, guys that have had success here throughout the year, I think it’s very exciting.” * NBC Chicago | Loyola’s beloved Sister Jean retires at age 106: Sister Jean rose to the spotlight during Loyola Chicago’s trip to the Final Four in the 2018 NCAA Tournament. She was spotted cheering courtside throughout the Ramblers’ improbable run. She published a memoir in 2023, “Wake Up with Purpose! What I’ve Learned in My First 100 Years,” sharing lessons she’d learned throughout her life and offering spiritual advice. Sister Jean turned 106 on Aug. 21. * Daily Herald | Crystal Lake park board president wears bulletproof vest to meeting amid heightened security: The president of the Crystal Lake Park District board wore a bulletproof vest to the panel’s meeting Monday, one of several heightened security measures taken amid hostile sessions that have included yelling, personal jabs and booing from the public. […] Tiesenga said being he’s been characterized as a “Nazi” and “fascist” on social media and that “is right out of the Democratic liberal playbook on how to demonize somebody.” […] Many residents, along with board members in the minority, have been critical of the new majority’s swift actions. Those include replacing the longtime park district attorney with former board member who chose not to seek reelection this year, at a higher pay rate; ending an intergovernmental agreement with Crystal Lake and Lakewood in favor of a new contract; reconstituting a lake advisory panel with a lakefront homeowners group; and ending the district’s diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) policy. * Tribune | Broadview ICE facility becomes backdrop for candidates to signal immigration stance and raise campaign funds: This past Friday, at least five Democrats campaigning for federal office made appearances at the facility, including an activist who for weeks has been promoting her presence at the spot, a north suburban mayor, a south suburban member of Congress and Illinois’ lieutenant governor. The candidates have shared their appearances on social media, and some have even used them in fundraising appeals, eliciting criticism from Republicans and, in one instance, from Broadview’s Democratic mayor. * Aurora Beacon-News | Aurora City Council calls special meeting Thursday on data centers, warehouses: Chief Development Services Officer John Curley told the Aurora City Council on Tuesday that the moratorium would allow staff time to research ways to mitigate the various impacts of data centers and warehouses then report recommendations back to City Council. If approved by the Aurora City Council at the special meeting Thursday, the temporary moratorium would be in effect for 180 days, so until late March 2026, but could be extended an additional 30 days. * Sun-Times | Toni Preckwinkle responsible for ‘failed Far Left social experiment,’ her Democratic primary opponent says: Downtown Ald. Brendan Reilly (42nd) took off the gloves against incumbent Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle in his bid to unseat her, accusuing her of using the massive windfall earmarked for pandemic relief to “balloon” the county budget. Preckwinkle called Reilly’s remarks “either a reflection of his ignorance or deliberate misinformation.” * Tribune | Oak Park River Forest Chamber of Commerce director resigns amid discrimination complaints: According to the Illinois Department of Human Rights, Marion-Burton’s resignation came after two women, a current employee and a former employee, filed separate complaints against the Oak Park River Forest Chamber of Commerce with the agency on Aug. 28 and Sept. 4. IDHR referred to the complaints as “unperfected charges of discrimination” and declined to release the complaints because they are still under investigation. Marion-Burton declined to comment when asked why he resigned or whether his leaving his job was related to charges of discrimination filed with the state agency. * Daily Herald | Planned industrial buildings in Schaumburg require demolition of 19 unincorporated homes: The company has all 25 properties under contract to buy, including the 19 homes and vacant land, some of which is owned by the village. Homeowner Dina Menini said she never thought she’d leave the property she’s lived on for the past 25 years, but the presence of Experior has changed the peaceful, rural atmosphere she and her neighbors sought. “Once they approved the truck stop, nobody’s going to want to buy our houses,” she said. “There’s no peace anymore. It was very disappointing.” * WCIA | Decatur mayor, council member disagree amidst city manager resignation: Decatur Mayor Julie Moore Wolfe said “toxic” actions from Council Member David Horn led to City Manager Tim Gleason’s resignation. WCIA received Gleason’s letter of resignation through a Freedom of Information Act request. His letter cited “ongoing actions from one councilmember” as a reason for his departure. “I had been trying to work with him on not leaving,” Moore Wolf said. “It became, to the manager, a very toxic work environment.” * News-Gazette | First-ever Illinois-led space mission successfully launches: A capacity crowd of 400-plus at the UI’s Campus Instructional Facility counted down in unison the last 10 seconds, awaiting the first University of Illinois-led NASA mission to blast off into orbit — all thanks to two UI scholars. The project’s principal investigator, Lara Waldrop, the UI’s Y.T. Lo Fellow in Electrical and Computer Engineering, watched the launch from the observatory deck alongside her family at Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla. * WGLT | Federal grant to Chestnut Health Systems supports research on drug addiction and the justice system: Chestnut’s research arm called the Lighthouse Institute received a $1.1 million grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to develop evidence-based strategies for safe and effective treatment and recovery services at various points in the legal system. “About one in four people with an opioid use disorder are involved with the legal system during any give 12-month period,” said Lighthouse Institute Chief Research Officer Michael Dennis. “So, it’s one of the easiest ways to find out-of-treatment opioid users.” * WCIA | Charleston redefining music education: Students at Charleston High School are putting their new recording studio to use. Their new recording studio lets students create and play with music in the non-traditional sense. Charleston High School’s band director, John Wengerski, said that there are a lot of careers that have nothing to do with touching an instrument, but everything to do with using technology and recording equipment. * Wisconsin Public Radio | Planned Parenthood, family planning clinics in Wisconsin face cuts under new federal law: Speaking to reporters last week, Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin’s Chief Strategy Officer Michelle Velasquez said that while the full extent of the impact on Wisconsin isn’t yet known, the cutbacks will be significant. She warned that the changes will make it harder to provide a range of services — not just abortion. “[The bill] would make Planned Parenthood essentially a prohibited entity, meaning it could not seek reimbursement from Medicaid for services like contraception care, gender affirming care, STI [sexually transmitted infection] treatment, testing, cancer screening,” Velasquez said at a news conference. “The list goes on and on.”
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Open thread
Thursday, Sep 25, 2025 - Posted by Isabel Miller * What’s going on?…
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Selected press releases (Live updates)
Thursday, Sep 25, 2025 - Posted by Isabel Miller
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Live coverage
Thursday, Sep 25, 2025 - Posted by Isabel Miller * Click here and/or here to follow breaking news. Hopefully, enough reporters and news outlets migrate to BlueSky so we can hopefully resume live-posting.
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Isabel’s afternoon roundup
Wednesday, Sep 24, 2025 - Posted by Isabel Miller * 25News Now…
* The Governor’s office is hiring a new press secretary…
And only 37.5 hours a week! In theory. * Capitol News Illinois | Ex-GOP nominee for AG Tom DeVore temporarily loses law license over inappropriate client relationship: In mounting a defense to the ARDC’s case, DeVore claimed that his work as Riley’s attorney in her effort to get her salon reopened had ended by the time their romantic involvement began in late May or June 2020. The ARDC disputed DeVore’s timeline, pointing to continued attorney behavior in that case. But beyond that, DeVore went on to represent Riley in three other legal matters — including her divorce — that summer. That “demonstrated an unbroken continuation of his attorney-client relationship” with Craig, the ARDC ruled. The disciplinary panel began looking into DeVore’s behavior in 2021, and during that initial investigation, Craig said she was not a client when their sexual relationship began. She repeated that claim on social media while DeVore was running for attorney general in 2022. * Center Square | IL governor on photo with wanted suspect: ‘No way to vet everybody’: “There’s no way, by the way, when you take a picture to vet everybody. Do you know how many pictures I took out there with people who were sitting in the audience? I do it all the time,” Pritzker said. Pritzker was told that McMiller had warrants in four states at the time the picture was taken. “That isn’t something that our [Executive Protection Unit] can know, and, honestly, we were invited into that environment. We know that people who are involved in community violence intervention are people who had a previous life of crime. Certainly, nobody knew that this person had warrants in other states if they were active at the time,” Pritzker said. * WTVO | Illinois House Minority Leader: Pritzker’s budget executive order is way to raise taxes: McCombie said SNAP shortfalls could be corrected by correcting what she characterizes as a spending problem. “His own [SNAP] error rate since 2017 has gone up from 5.73 to 11.56%,” she said. “If he could go back down below that 6%, this is no anticipated cost to the state of Illinois. Do that.” * Paulick Report | Late Illinois Gov. Jim Edgar’s Racing, Breeding Stock To Be Dispersed Oct. 11-12 In Indiana: Horses of racing age and breeding stock owned by the late Illinois Gov. Jim Edgar will be dispersed in Indiana Oct. 11-12. Six yearlings bred by Edgar and consigned by Breakway Farm, agent, will be in the main body of the Indiana Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association Yearling Sale at Horseshoe Indianapolis on Oct. 11, with 13 horses of racing age to be offered in a paddock sale that follows, according to Brandi Steele, who formerly trained for Edgar and more recently boarded his mares. * Sun-Times | Mayor Johnson uses new Council committee chair line-up to appease critics and shore up progressive support: Replacing Burnett as chair of the powerful Zoning Committee is Ald. Daniel La Spata (1st), who worked closely with the mayor in crafting a groundbreaking ordinance relaxing parking requirements for so-called transit-oriented developments. An avid cyclist, La Spata has also led the push for more protected bike lanes, and tried and failed to convince colleagues to reduce the default speed limit on Chicago streets to 25 mph. * Tribune | Aldermen to consider plan to protect affordable housing around Obama center: Spurred by rising property values and rents in the neighborhood since the OPC was announced, organizers successfully passed a pilot program in the Woodlawn neighborhood to maintain affordable housing and give current renters the chance to buy homes that went up for sale. But a similar program just south of the presidential center site in Jackson Park has lagged. On Wednesday, after months of stop-and-start meetings with Mayor Brandon Johnson’s administration, advocates are rolling out a proposal in the City Council Housing Committee that they hope will pass the full City Council before aldermen are mired in budget talks. But their proposal was quickly met with pushback from other neighborhood groups, including business interests. * WTTW | Chicago’s Latino Communities See Surge in Grassroots Activism as Immigration Operations Continue: Nationwide, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security reports more than 2 million people have left the country since Jan. 20. The agency said it is on pace to deport nearly 600,000 people by the end of President Donald Trump’s first year back in office. In response, organizations across Chicago have staged protests — including outside the Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in Broadview — and launched resistance campaigns. Baltazar Enriquez, president of the Little Village Community Council, which operates in one of Chicago’s most densely populated Latino communities, said he and others have begun handing out whistles so residents can alert each other of ICE sightings. * WTTW | Feds Accuse Chicago Police Officer of Straw Purchasing Firearms That Were Smuggled to Mexico: According to a federal indictment unsealed Tuesday, Officer Kevin Rodriguez has been charged with conspiracy to defraud the U.S. and straw purchasing firearms as part of the alleged scheme. A spokesperson for the Chicago Police Department on Wednesday said Rodriguez was immediately placed into no-pay status following the federal indictment and has been relieved of his police powers since July 3. * Chalkbeat Chicago | Chicago’s search for new schools chief narrows, source says interim CEO plans to apply: One of those soon-to-be applicants is the district’s interim CEO, Macquline King, according to a CPS official with knowledge of her plans who requested anonymity to discuss them openly. When asked earlier about her interest in the permanent job, the former CPS teacher and principal said she had not decided but was focused on her interim responsibilities. She declined to comment for this story. * Crain’s | Cubs push back against claims of illegal biometric data collection at Wrigley: “The Cubs do not use this technology and these allegations are false,” Jennifer Martinez-Roth, senior director of communications for the Cubs, said in a written statement. “We will vigorously defend ourselves against these claims.”The lawsuits, filed last week in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, claim the team violated the Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act, or BIPA, by using facial recognition technology for security at games without receiving proper consent from attendees. * Crain’s | Illinois has a new top school in the latest U.S. News rankings: The latest U.S. News & World Report Best Colleges rankings are out, and Chicago has a new top-ranked school. The University of Chicago has returned as the highest-ranked Illinois school after being dethroned for two years by Northwestern University. The Hyde Park-based school landed at No. 6 this year, up from No. 11 last year. * WBEZ | For Jeff Tweedy, a new triple album proves there’s forever ‘a new song to sing’: Looking back at his childhood, a key moment emerges for Jeff Tweedy: the day his mother taught him how to play solitaire after sensing he spent too much time alone. “That explains a lot,” he said recently, laughing. To this day, at 58, the Chicago singer-songwriter and Wilco frontman says that his 30-year catalog of songs required a “sacrifice.” For him, it was “being conditioned to endure solitude and accept that that’s part of what it takes to do the thing that you want to do.” * ABC Chicago | Mold count breaks record in Chicago, Loyola allergist says: On Tuesday, the area recorded a “very high” count of 82,121, breaking the 2014 record. On August 20, 2014, the area recorded 82,000. On Wednesday, Loyola reported the mold count was still “high.” * Daily Herald | Oath Keepers founder, Jan. 6 planner speaks at Elgin church after 3 other venues cancel amid outcry: The Three Headed Eagle Alliance was able to have Rhodes give his speech at Greater Grace Community Church in Elgin, a nondenominational evangelical church on the city’s west side. Rhodes was convicted of seditious conspiracy in the planning of the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. His sentence was commuted by President Donald Trump. * Daily Herald | Suburban private schools were told they earned Blue Ribbon awards. Then the Department of Education axed the program: In its Aug. 29 announcement, the Department of Education said “the important work of identifying blue ribbon schools is done at the state level.” “State leaders are best positioned to recognize excellence in local schools based on educational achievements that align with their communities’ priorities for academic accomplishment and improvement,” the letter reads. “Awards conceived by those closest to the communities and families served by local schools will do more to encourage meaningful reforms than a one-size-fits-all standard established by a distant bureaucracy in Washington, D.C.” * Naperville Sun | Naperville seeks clean energy bids as it awaits IMEA contract response: The request for proposals (RFP)comes about a month after the council voted to allow city staff to negotiate with IMEA on a number of key contract points, many of which revolve around lowering Naperville’s carbon footprint. One of the provisions would allow the city to seek bids for non-fossil fuel energy options. Naperville’s contract with its longtime power supplier IMEA expires in 2035, but the agency wants to extend its contract with the city and other municipalities until 2055. Critics say IMEA is too reliant on electricity produced by coal. * Daily Herald | Aurora considers moratorium on new data centers: At a special meeting at 3 p.m. Thursday, the city council will discuss enacting a 180-day moratorium, according to a news release. According to the release, residents have complained about “environmental issues” at existing data centers, including emissions, noise from normal and emergency operations, and vibrations from emergency operations. City code classifies data centers as a type of warehouse, according to the release. * Aurora Beacon-News | Aurora mayor names new interim head of HR, among other positions: Michele Clark, who has served as the city’s director of equity, diversity and inclusion for the past four years, was appointed to be the interim chief human resources officer, the city announced in a news release Monday evening. City officials said in the release that Clark has an impressive level of experience in HR that helped her rise above a group of other highly-qualified candidates. * WGN | District 160 in Country Club Hills faces scrutiny over questionable spending, new hires: Tuesday night brought another switch-up on the school board, following the installation of two new interim superintendents in September, employed on a part-time basis, who WGN has learned will be paid $1,200 a day, each. Board member Barbara Swain takes over as secretary, replacing Jacqueline Doss, who has missed several of the last meetings. WGN has previously reported on the district’s woes, covering stories of questionable spending, the unapproved sale of a district-owned Ford F-150 to Doss, and $866,000 spent on one credit card in the district’s name between January 2023 and June 2025. * WTTW | Northwestern University Lab Helps Shape the Future of Medical Monitoring: rom flexible electronic monitors the size of a Band-Aid to tiny pacemakers that dissolve harmlessly in the body when no longer needed — the work of the Querrey Simpson Institute of Bioelectronics at Northwestern University at times seems truly miraculous. What makes such breakthroughs possible is a new generation of flexible and at times dissolvable electronics pioneered by professor John Rogers and his team. * Daily Southtown | Oak Lawn OKs downtown lighting upgrades, work for Polaris flood control project: While Oak Lawn officials in June said they expected the project to cost $13 million, with the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago paying up to $6.5 million and the village covering the rest, the lowest bid from Acura was $14,996,055. The highest bid received was from V3 Construction Group, at $18.7 million, officials said. * WAND | Sherman residents and leaders fed up with damage caused by utility provider: It has been months since Comcast subcontractors started work in the Village of Sherman, according to Mayor Trevor Clatfelter. He heard so many complaints from community members about their work that he completed a stop-work order and delivered it to the Comcast teams. “They are disregarding every rule and regulation that I’ve seen in place,” Clatfelter said. “They have cut cable lines, they have damaged sewer lines, they have backed up raw sewage into people’s houses, they are not fixing sidewalks.” * WAND | Decatur city manager says councilmember breached employment agreement: Outgoing Decatur City Manager Tim Gleason said the actions of one member of the Decatur City Council represented a breach of his employment agreement. Gleason made the reference to Decatur City Council in his letter of resignation on Sept. 12. WAND News obtained the letter through a Freedom of Information Act request. “Regrettably, ongoing actions by one council member have undermined the professional standards and mutual trust necessary to fulfil my role effectively,” Gleason wrote. * WTVO | Tourism boom in Stateline generates over $500M for Rockford: “We look at demand generators like our sports facilities, our concert venues, our big museums. Visitors who didn’t live here supported our economy by spending their money,” shared CEO and President of Go Rockford, John Groh. Rockford and Winnebago County visitors spent millions in funding, boasting over 4,000 jobs and millions of dollars in direct income and taxes. * WTVO | New bus service from Rockford airport to O’Hare starts next month: This new “American Airlines Landline” service aims to combine the convenience of passing through security in Rockford with the extensive travel options available at O’Hare. Travelers can enjoy a more streamlined experience, especially beneficial for families and those with special needs. * Bloomberg | Rivian faces auto safety probe over its electric delivery vans: U.S. auto safety regulators opened an investigation into Rivian Automotive Inc. over issues with the seat belts in its electric delivery vans that could introduce additional risk in the event of a crash. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said it’s aware of six reports of potential failures with the seat belt anchorage system for the driver’s seat in Rivian’s vans. In multiple instances, the steel braided cable connecting the belt to the seat frame has frayed or broken, “leaving the occupants unrestrained in the event of a collision,” the agency said in a document posted to its website. * CNN | Hunger Researchers Put On Leave After Trump Administration Cancels Food Insecurity Report: Days after announcing it was ending the government’s annual food insecurity report, the U.S. Department of Agriculture placed about a dozen researchers, supervisors and administrators on paid administrative leave on Monday. The employees, who include top officials with the USDA’s Economic Research Service, which produces the longstanding report, were told the reason was “unauthorized disclosure,” said Laura Dodson, vice president of American Federation of Government Employees’ Local 3403, which represents five of the workers. * WaPo | What researchers suspect may be fueling cancer among millennials: Last year, researchers released findings from a 150,000-person study at the annual American Association for Cancer Research meeting that took the cancer community by surprise. They found that millennials — born between 1981 and 1996 — appear to be aging biologically faster than previous generations, based on biomarkers in blood that indicate the health of various organs. That acceleration was associated with a significantly increased risk — up to 42 percent — for certain cancers, especially those of the lung, gastrointestinal tract and uterus.
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Dabrowski holds press conference outside ICE facility, says Pritzker should ‘hand over criminals in handcuffs from local and state police directly to federal authorities’
Wednesday, Sep 24, 2025 - Posted by Rich Miller * ICE has blocked off a Broadview street with a massive fence outside its facility. ABC 7 screen cap…  * Sun-Times…
* But after today’s Texas shooting, we can probably expect even more barricades, and increased paranoia on all sides. From ABC News…
Just horrible and despicable. * Republican gubernatorial candidate Ted Dabrowski held a press event outside the Broadview facility today. Click here to watch. He talked a bit about the Texas shooting, but the audio quality is really poor so there may be some errors in the transcription…
And then he went on to talk about how Florida cooperates, which, he said, is why you don’t see massive ICE operations there like in the Chicago region. * WGN was at the event…
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Campaign stuff: Plumbers endorse Croke; Bailey announces tomorrow; List of CD9 candidates
Wednesday, Sep 24, 2025 - Posted by Isabel Miller * Rep. Margaret Croke nets a Labor endorsement…
* Looks like a pretty decent crowd for a comptroller candidate…
* Darren Bailey is kicking off his campaign for governor tomorrow… 
* Evanston Roundtable has a list of all 18 candidates in the 9th Congressional District Democratic primary…
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More like this, please
Wednesday, Sep 24, 2025 - Posted by Rich Miller * I’ve heard lots of positive things about this freshman Republican. From what I am told by several people, he’s genuinely interested in learning about how state government works and understanding legislation. Plus, as one person pointed out today, “54 meets is A LOT.” Yeah. It’s a lot for an entire term. In less than a year? That’s almost unheard of for a freshman. Also, I don’t mind him trumpeting this effort. It shows his constituents that he’s engaging with government in a positive, curious way. And yeah, he got in a ding about out-migration, but whatever. He seems like a good fit for the Legislative Audit Commission…
He’s also on the administrative burden task force, which is looking at ways to reduce the administrative burden of Medicaid and behavioral health. Anyway, discuss.
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The crackdown is bad for business, and bad for state and local revenues
Wednesday, Sep 24, 2025 - Posted by Rich Miller * Martin Cabrera of Cabrera Capital speaking at the City Club yesterday…
* I called Cabrera’s office to ask about the $101 billion number, which would be about ten percent of Illinois’ trillion-dollar GDP. I was referred to a Latino Donor Collaborative study about the ten largest US Latino state GDPs in 2024. It actually had Illinois in fifth place at $145 billion. A 2023 Sun-Times op-ed by Sylvia Puente and Daniel Cooper had Latino spending power in Illinois at $68 billion. * Whatever the real number is, it’s a huge impact. And keep this 2022 story in mind…
That’s huge. * Block Club Chicago two weeks ago…
Discuss.
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RETAIL: Strengthening Communities Across Illinois
Wednesday, Sep 24, 2025 - Posted by Advertising Department [The following is a paid advertisement.] Retail generates $7.3 billion in income and sales tax revenue each year in Illinois. These funds support public safety, infrastructure, education, and other important programs we all rely on every day. In fact, retail is the second largest revenue generator for the State of Illinois and the largest revenue generator for local governments. Retailers like Shayne in Joliet enrich our economy and strengthen our communities. We Are Retail and IRMA are showcasing the retailers who make Illinois work.
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Pritzker won’t say whether ICE has broken any laws, but says it’s broken ‘what is a norm’
Wednesday, Sep 24, 2025 - Posted by Rich Miller * From a transcript provided by the governor’s office of Gov. JB Pritzker’s interview with MSNBC’s Mika Brzezinski. Videos are here…
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What Illinois Can Learn From Texas On Battery Energy Storage
Wednesday, Sep 24, 2025 - Posted by Advertising Department [The following is a paid advertisement.] As Illinois confronts skyrocketing electric bills, legislators are on the hunt for solutions that provide relief as quickly as possible. Battery energy storage is our best and most cost-effective solution. But last session— without evidence —opponents attempted to claim that battery energy storage wouldn’t work. Try telling that to Texas, where the rapid deployment of battery storage has already prevented blackouts and saved consumers billions. Called “Ground Zero for the US Battery Boom” by Bloomberg, Texas added enough storage in 2023 to power 3 million homes and drop grid emergency risk during peak hours from 16% to less than 1%. The result? Storage saved consumers an estimated $750 million in 2024. Texas has proven that storage is the quickest, cheapest, most reliable way to get consumers relief from skyrocketing, demand-induced price spikes. Storage is a nimble way to address growing populations, power-hungry data centers, and meet other electrification-related power needs. These are benefits Texas saw from storage even as the state reduced its gas generation capacity by 166 MW last year. Illinois lawmakers should follow Texas’s lead and pass the Clean and Reliable Grid Act this fall to deploy 6GW of energy storage by 2035. Click here for more information.
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Isabel’s morning briefing
Wednesday, Sep 24, 2025 - Posted by Isabel Miller * ICYMI: Gov. JB Pritzker asks state agencies to reserve 4% of funds while blasting Trump economic policies. Tribune…
- The governor said the 4% figure was just the “beginning” of what his administration thinks could be “a very severe challenge” for the state budget. - The executive order Tuesday also resembled Pritzker’s request in 2020 — during Trump’s first term — that agencies prepare for budget cuts amid the pandemic and uncertainty surrounding federal aid. * Related stories… Sponsored by Ameren Illinois
* Evanston Now | Flock reinstalls cameras, city orders removal: But residents around Evanston noticed Monday that several of the previously removed cameras had been reinstalled. The city said Flock had reinstalled them and that the city’s legal department “immediately issued a cease-and-desist order to Flock” on Tuesday, demanding they be taken down. Flock subsequently agreed to remove the cameras this afternoon, the city said, but it’s unclear when they’ll actually come down or if they were ever activated by Flock. * ABC Chicago | Illinois Department of Public Health issues guidelines for COVID-19, flu vaccines: When it comes to the COVID vaccine, IDPH says adults ages 18 and older should be vaccinated, as well as children between the ages of six and 23 months. For children between 2 and 17 years old, the department says they should get vaccinated if their parents want them to have it, and if they have special circumstances like underlying conditions or weakened immune systems. * WSIL | Illinois fairs attract more than 1 million in 2025 attendance; Du Quoin State Fair shatters record: Gov. JB Pritzker announced the 2025 Illinois State Fair and Du Quoin State Fair saw a combined attendance of more than 1 million people. “Illinois state fairs are a part of a time-honored tradition for generations of families,” Pritzker said. “This year’s attendance figures are proof of the enduring value of state fairs as over 1 million attendees from across Illinois and throughout the nation joined in celebration of our state’s proud agricultural heritage.” The Illinois State Fair in Springfield welcomed 723,079 attendees, marking its second-largest turnout ever. Meanwhile, the Du Quoin State Fair set a new record with 282,202 visitors, surpassing last year’s record of 204,004. * WCIA | IL State Board of Education developing new math plan, seeking public feedback: The Illinois State Board of Education is looking for feedback on the first draft of a plan to strengthen math learning, and they’re planning a series of listening sessions across the state to receive this feedback. The aforementioned plan is the Illinois Comprehensive Numeracy Plan. Modeled on the state’s successful and nationally acclaimed Illinois Comprehensive Literacy Plan, the Comprehensive Numeracy Plan will provide guidance that supports educators, schools and districts in advancing student success in math. * Daily Herald | State lawmaker Howard to become DuPage County judge: State Rep. Terra Costa Howard is giving up her seat in the state House to become a DuPage County Circuit Court judge. The Illinois Supreme Court announced Tuesday it is appointing Howard as resident circuit judge, effective Oct. 17. Her term will end Dec. 7, 2026. […] A spokesman confirmed Costa Howard is resigning, but said a date has not been set. * Bloomberg | Pritzker Plans Illinois Spending Cuts in Wake of Trump Policies: The second-term Democratic governor and frequent critic of Trump signed an executive order on Tuesday that asks departments to identify ways to put 4% of their budgets into reserves, limit spending and prioritize only essential hires in the wake of Trump’s tax and spending package. That legislation, along with tariffs and other policies, will erode health care, food assistance and other services for working families, Pritzker said. * STLPR | Rep. Hoffman says Illinois needs to fix its pension system for public workers: It’s a critical time to fix Illinois’ pension program for public-sector employees hired after 2011 — but it may not happen this fall, state Rep. Jay Hoffman told pension-eligible employees of Southern Illinois University Edwardsville on Tuesday. “I don’t think there’s enough time to do it and do it correctly,” Hoffman said. Hoffman, D-Swansea, chairs the Illinois General Assembly’s Pensions Working Group that has led negotiations on reforms. Lawmakers have been trying to change the state’s Tier 2 pensions for a couple of years and a legislative proposal could be one of the bigger subjects addressed during the fall veto session, which starts Oct. 14. Tier 2 pensions cover local public employees, such as teachers. * 25News Now | State senators address challenges across Illinois at Peoria’s legislator luncheon: The two senators did agree that DEI is important in providing equal opportunity, especially when it comes to business development. “When you think about over the last 10 years, the top 1% of wage earners have seen their wealth increase by 145%, but the bottom 90% have only seen their wages increase about 16%,” [Sen. Elgie Sims] said. “The focus has not been on making sure that everyone has the opportunity to have a seat at the table, but instead making sure that the same folks are receiving the opportunities over and over again. We need more folks at the table making sure that we’re facing those issues head-on.” “Why is there success here? Why are we not achieving success at a statewide level,” [Senate Republican Leader John Curran] said. “I think it’s probably something we need to take a very close look at and adjust, but ultimately at the end of the day we’re trying to make sure we have a fair, competitive, competent playing field for all business to succeed in Illinois.” * Crain’s | Chicago Fire stadium set for City Council approval: The City Council’s Zoning Committee today approved the 22,000-seat stadium as part of a larger zoning overhaul for Related Midwest’s 62-acre site along the Chicago River south of Roosevelt Road. The vote came on the heels of Chicago Plan Commission approval last week and sets up a final decision in the full City Council on Sept. 25. Related Midwest and the Fire must still strike a financial agreement with the city over which infrastructure improvements will be ultimately covered by taxpayers. * Sun-Times | Former Cabrini-Green site gets a new developer, with plans calling for apartments, condos and townhomes: The CHA approved plans for Cabrini New Vision to redevelop the vacant property at Clybourn Avenue and Larrabee Street. The company is a joint venture between Evergreen Real Estate Group and KLEO Enterprises. […] The housing authority had previously selected a team led by Texas-based firm Hunt Development Group. But Hunt withdrew from the deal in August 2024 after the team failed to secure financing, causing the CHA to go back to the drawing board. Developer Pennrose, also part of the former development team with Imagine Development Group, said it left the Chicago market after years of being passed over for tax credits at the Cabrini site. * Tribune | Mayor Brandon Johnson calls more Chicago protected bike lanes ‘ultimate goal,’ touts milestone: “Real, secure, protected bike lanes throughout the city is the ultimate goal,” Johnson said, half his attention set on navigating traffic. “I don’t want there to be any section of the city that doesn’t have secure, dedicated bike lanes.” It’s a cause that has become an essential item for progressive politicians amid sustained political pressure from pedestrian and cyclist advocacy groups, which are key parts of Johnson’s base. But better protection for cyclists on Chicago streets has been a cause championed and funded for decades by Johnson’s less progressive predecessors. * Tribune | Chicago White Sox up to 99 losses after a 3-2 walk-off defeat to the New York Yankees: “As a true competitor, you go out there and you try to win every single game and sometimes these things are going to happen,” Montgomery said. “It’s just all learning experiences for us. Everybody on this team’s a true competitor, and they’re all trying to win, and sometimes it sucks and doesn’t go your way.” * Click here for some background. The Democratic Party of Illinois…
* Lyons Township Clerk Elyse Hoffenberg has announced a bid against Sean Morrison, the lone Republican on the Cook County Board. Press release…
* SRP News | Cook County commissioner’s security firm faces new lawsuit alleging sexual assault by employee: The lawsuit also targets Morrison Security for negligent retention and supervision, alleging the company ignored prior warnings about Holmes’s inappropriate behavior toward minors. Another MSC employee reportedly flagged Holmes to company president Morrison as unfit to work unsupervised with young women. The complaint contends MSC’s failure to act led directly to Gant’s injuries. * Daily Herald | ‘We will take care of people’: Conroy’s county budget plan responds to threatened federal cuts: Bracing for federal funding cuts to safety net programs, DuPage County Board Chair Deb Conroy has announced a balanced-budget plan that calls for new affordable housing efforts, supporting food pantries and a “stronger social service infrastructure.” The proposed budget totals $644.7 million for the upcoming fiscal year. “For the first time, we must plan based on threats to the very existence of the federal departments and programs our residents depend on for food, shelter, education, energy assistance and critical medical services,” Conroy said in her budget address Tuesday. “The programs that survive the threat of cuts will likely see funding sliced away, leaving gaping holes that will hurt the most vulnerable among us.” * Daily Herald | ‘Conservation takes action’: How volunteers restored 589 acres at Palatine forest preserve: Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle visited Palatine on Tuesday to praise the work of dozens of volunteers who’ve restored hundreds of acres at Deer Grove East Forest Preserve to their natural state. Their efforts, Preckwinkle said, restored almost double the amount of land that’s been lost to expansion of O’Hare International Airport. “We know that it’s not enough to simply acquire land and keep it from being developed,” she said. “To make the preserves amazing places where nature thrives, conservation takes action.” * Daily Herald | Former Illinois public health director among speakers scheduled for TEDx in Arlington Heights: The third annual event, an invite-only presentation Oct. 4, at Rolling Green Country Club, is a local, independently-organized version of the internationally popular TED Talks. It operates under a license with the New York- and Vancouver-based nonprofit organization behind the big ideas conferences. The onstage speeches of Ezike and seven other presenters will be recorded and available online after the event at tedxarlingtonheights.com. * WCIA | Decatur City Manager cites issues with council member as reason for resignation: “Regrettably, ongoing actions by one council member have undermined the professional standards and mutual trust necessary to fulfill my role effectively. In my view, these actions represent a breach of both the letter and intent of my employment agreement and have made continued service untenable,” Gleason wrote. * WTVO | Housing and energy top priorities for Rockford area economic development: “One of the things I was happy to see was, number one, the participation was robust. Everyone’s working together in this region, and everyone wants to work to move not just Rockford, Winnebago County, Boone County, they all want to move Illinois forward,” said House Speaker Rep. Emanuel “Chris” Welch (D). Vella noted that his district is experiencing positive trends with projects like the Hard Rock Casino Rockford and efforts to reopen the Belvidere Stellantis plant. * WTVO | Funding approved for Winnebago County’s vital tornado warning system: The Winnebago County Administration and Operations Committee unanimously approved over $100,000 in funding for all tornado sirens. “I have family members that don’t carry a cell phone. So, I believe these sirens are vital for public safety,” said vice chairman of the Winnebago County Board Public Safety Committee, Aaron Booker. More than 70 of the sirens are over 20 years old and have technological and environmental issues. Booker said less than half weren’t operational, and crews have fixed some, but not all. * Pantagraph | Bloomington votes to maintain 1% grocery tax, rebate some sales tax: Bloomington City Manager Jeff Jurgens said the continuation of the tax would generate $3 million annually for the city and would make a significant reduction in the $7.25 million budget deficit that was projected earlier this year. Assuming the average Bloomington household has 2.3 people and spends $9,474 on groceries a year, the city estimated that this would have a financial impact of $7.90 a month to those residents. * WMBD | Congressman tours Liberty Steel as the company eyes an HQ move: Congressman Eric Sorensen toured the Liberty Steel and Wire Monday as the company explores moving its headquarters to Peoria County. State Sen. Dave Koehler and Rep. Sharon Chung were also on the tour. Koehler said it was to make sure the 17th District Congressman saw the Liberty Steel plant, all of the jobs at the facility and the moves that are being considered. * WGLT | At first, the Pretrial Fairness Act reduced McLean County’s jail population. It didn’t last: * WIFR | Rockford City Council passes agreement to improve public safety: The City will acquire a nearly 300-foot tower located on North Main Street. This public safety infrastructure was originally owned by Winnebago County. City council members explain because of where the tower is located, it will allow better communication access to emergency personnel. “Before, we would have to go through the county, then through the city, obviously, and so this will alleviate that process; we will have direct control of that tower,” explained Tuneberg. * NYT | Jimmy Kimmel, Somber but Defiant, Defends Free Speech in Return to ABC: Not everyone in the country was able to watch the return of “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” Two large station groups, Nexstar and Sinclair, pre-empted the episode from the ABC affiliates they own — and said they would continue to do so going forward. Those two station groups represent a little more than 20 percent of ABC’s national reach combined. * 404 Media | We’re Suing ICE for Its $2 Million Spyware Contract: On Monday 404 Media filed a lawsuit against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) demanding the agency publish its $2 million contract with Paragon, a company that makes powerful spyware that can remotely break into mobile phones without the target even clicking a link. The sale of the spyware to ICE has activists and lawmakers deeply concerned about what the agency, which continues to push the Trump administration’s mass deportation effort, may use the technology for. The contract and related documents 404 Media is suing for may provide more information on what ICE intends to do with the spyware.
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Good morning!
Wednesday, Sep 24, 2025 - Posted by Rich Miller * Steve Earle… Everyone in Nacogdoches knew Tom Ames And one day his daddy took a ten dollar bill So he took that money and his brother’s old bay What’s up?
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Protected: SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - Supplement to today’s edition (Updated)
Wednesday, Sep 24, 2025 - Posted by Rich Miller
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Protected: SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - Today’s edition of Capitol Fax (use all CAPS in password)
Wednesday, Sep 24, 2025 - Posted by Rich Miller
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Selected press releases (Live updates)
Wednesday, Sep 24, 2025 - Posted by Isabel Miller
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Live coverage
Wednesday, Sep 24, 2025 - Posted by Isabel Miller * Click here and/or here to follow breaking news. Hopefully, enough reporters and news outlets migrate to BlueSky so we can hopefully resume live-posting.
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