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Solidarity forever (Updated)
Thursday, Mar 20, 2025 - Posted by Rich Miller * Whew…
…Adding… The Tribune pulled the alleged incident out of the story…
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Isabel’s afternoon roundup
Thursday, Mar 20, 2025 - Posted by Isabel Miller
Apparently, the DuPage court clerk has not updated the title of the offense to unlawful possession of a weapon.
* From a friend: “Former state Rep. Cindy Soto unfortunately passed away last night in the hospital succumbing to cancer. … Cindy was a wonderful person and a force in the Capitol who got things done behind the scenes.” More information to come. * Center Square | Clash continues around federal ag funding impacts in Illinois: “We don’t have what right now looks like about $11 billion that we will lose to the state of Illinois. We don’t have $11 billion to fill in the gaps on education, health care,” said Pritzker. “Again, I want to remind everybody what the purpose of all of that is, of taking all that away is, it’s to give big tax cuts to people who don’t need them.” * Sportico | Big Ten media deal must be revealed, Illinois AG says: This decision follows the university’s denial of a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request made two years ago by Michael LeRoy, a U of I law professor who studies college sports. To date, the Big Ten’s seven-year, $7 billion deal with Fox, CBS and NBC, which took effect in July 2023, has remained undisclosed, despite numerous attempts by journalists and others to obtain the agreement through public records requests made of Big Ten universities. * Tribune | HUD Midwest director, other longtime Chicago staff retiring early amid Trump administration threats, cuts to agency: Eight Chicago-based U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development staffers with more than 180 years of service collectively have retired or are retiring later this year as the agency undergoes scrutiny and faces cuts from billionaire Tesla founder Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency and President Donald Trump. Jim Cunningham, who oversaw the entire Midwest region from HUD’s Chicago office, is retiring early after nearly 34 years of service. Cunningham told the Tribune he had planned to retire at the end of 2026. Instead, he worked his last day Friday as he said he was concerned he might be terminated given the recent upheaval at HUD and, therefore, lose benefits such as health insurance. * WBEZ | Tense City Hall meeting on CTU contract, CPS budget vote ends with ‘handful of issues’ still unresolved: Feeling the crunch ahead of a pivotal Board of Education vote Thursday on the Chicago Public Schools budget dispute, Mayor Brandon Johnson summoned key players to his office Wednesday to try to settle the Chicago Teachers Union contract negotiations. Unlike past mayor’s office huddles that helped close out CTU talks, this one didn’t land a deal. It instead was another tense gathering that ended with teachers union and school district officials both walking out visibly angry. * ABC Chicago | CPS Board of Education meeting Thursday to vote on $175M pension payment: “So, today’s conversation, the convening of today’s conversation, was to get both sides of the table to discuss the differences within settling in this contract with just a couple of issues, just to understand that. Today, I got that understanding, and as a part of our conversation, there are pathways to settle those differences,” Johnson said. * Block Club | Lolla 4-Day Tickets Already Sold Out As 2025 Daily Lineup Announced: After selling out of four-day tickets in under an hour, Lollapalooza dropped its daily lineup Thursday morning. The mega music fest returns to Grant Park with 170 bands, eight stages and four days of music Thursday, July 31-Sunday, Aug. 3. * Sun-Times | Comparing 3 Bears stadium proposals in Arlington Heights, Bronzeville and the lakefront: The Bears and public officials have not come to terms yet on any stadium deal, but developers and the team are pushing bold (and expensive) ideas. All of them involve moving the Bears into a world-class stadium with a dome. Here’s how each of the three most prominent proposals — Arlington Heights, the museum campus lakefront and the former Michael Reese hospital site in Bronzeville — size up. * Daily Herald | State regulators block shutdown of psychiatric unit at Arlington Heights hospital: Corporate owner Endeavor Health’s request to close the 52-bed NCH Behavioral Health Center, 901 W. Kirchoff Road, failed to gain approval from the Illinois Health Facilities and Services Review Board. The panel deadlocked 4-4 Tuesday on the hospital system’s formal application to discontinue the inpatient acute mental illness category of service on the Arlington Heights campus. Next steps, including whether Endeavor might appeal the decision, were immediately unclear. * Daily Herald | Where’s my Metra train? Railroad updates progress of installing digital signs, ticket machines: So far, 285 signs have been installed at 110 stations, and the commuter railroad’s goal is to have one at every stop by the end of March 2026. An upgrade from Metra’s traditional LED displays, the latest versions show when trains are coming in real time using GPS technology on railcars and at stations. They also issue travel alerts. * Daily Herald | Buffalo Grove approves selling Lake Michigan water to Long Grove: Long Grove is expected to approve an intergovernmental agreement Tuesday allowing the village to buy water from Buffalo Grove. Buffalo Grove trustees on Monday approved their end of the bargain, which calls for Long Grove to receive up to 260,000 gallons per day for up to 20 years. Buffalo Grove officials estimate initial revenue at $80,000 annually. * Tribune | $45 million bond issue in Western Springs would fund infrastructure projects: Voters in Western Springs will be asked to approve a $45 million bond issue in the April 1 Consolidated General Election, funding village officials hope to have available to complete projects addressing aging infrastructure such as sanitary and storm sewers, water mains, roadways, sidewalks and street lighting. Village officials are hopeful the referendum will be successful. “We’re already doing engineering for some projects, projects that we’ve jumped ahead because we know that we need to do them,” said Casey Biernacki, deputy village manager. “One project in particular is Woodland Avenue.” * ABC Chicago | NWS confirms tornado touchdown in Gary; storm cleanup underway in south suburbs: The National Weather Service confirms an EF-1 tornado touched down in Gary, Indiana. NWS teams are surveying the area to see if there were any other tornados. Residents across the south suburbs and northwest Indiana will be getting a closer look at the damage. “It was really something that can’t be put into words,” Gary resident Goityra Chamberlain said. “Last night sounded like a thunderstorm times 100.” * Daily Southtown | Severe weather tears through New Lenox, rips roof off Steger building: Fire Chief Michael Long said the building was once a macaroni factory but was in the process of being converted to self-storage facility. The Fire Department was called about 5:30 p.m. and found large portions of the roof had blown onto adjacent railroad tracks, prompting officials to close to tracks until the railroad responded to clear debris, Long said. * Daily-Journal | School board candidate charged with misdemeanor battery: A candidate running for a seat on the Kankakee School District 111 board, Dajon Casiel, has been charged with Class A misdemeanor battery following an incident last year involving a current Kankakee High School student. It is punishable by up to a year in jail and a fine of up to $2,500. Due to the incident, the 19-year-old Casiel has been temporarily banned from Kankakee High School during school hours. * WCIA | Champaign County Sheriff’s Office looking to correct a hiring issue: If you’re looking to break into the criminal justice field — there’s new opportunities right here in Champaign County. The Sheriff’s Office is making a push to hire about a dozen people in their corrections department to fill an increased need. Sheriff Dustin Heuerman said they need more people to effectively open the renovated Champaign County jail. Inmates who are currently in other counties will be moving back in soon. Which means more correctional officers and behind the scenes personnel will be needed. * Smile Politely | Potawatomi Band voices support for U of I’s new mascot: Last week, the Nottawaseppi Huron Band of the Potawatomi released an official statement addressed to University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Chancellor, Robert J. Jones. This statement voiced strong support for university students’ efforts to replace the retired, outdated, and offensive chief mascot with a new one, highlighting the Kingfisher’s successful appeal to the U of I community. The Band acknowledges that the chief is technically retired, but points to the fact that, without an official replacement, its image has continually been used. The caricature of Native peoples that is the chief still appears on U of I sports merchandise and, of course, is still heralded as U of I’s “true mascot” by alumni and people who have no university affiliation alike. While implementing a new mascot may not completely halt some community members’ white-knuckled grip on the chief, it would mark the completion of the old mascot’s overdue demise. * NBC Chicago | ‘Gustnadoes’ reported in severe thunderstorms in central Illinois: According to the National Weather Service, there have been “gustnadoes” forming out in front of a line of severe thunderstorms that led to a severe storm warning in Livingston County on Wednesday afternoon. Blowing dust is also being reported ahead of the storm, which could pack wind gusts of up to 70 miles per hour as it moves to the northeast, according to forecasters. * WSIL | SIU’s Maple Festival set for this weekend: It’s an annual tradition that helps ring in Spring and celebrates a local tasty treat. It’s the 2025 Maple Syrup Festival, at Southern Illinois University’s Touch of Nature Outdoor Education Center, and it’s happening the weekend of March 22-23. The festival happens Saturday and Sunday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. * NPR | With Trump’s crackdown on DEI, some women fear a path to good-paying jobs will close: Sugerman, who later tended to elevators and escalators at Sears Tower, then the tallest building in the world, wonders if the small forays that women have made in the construction trades since the 1980s will simply vanish. […] The Labor Department did not respond to NPR’s request for comment on the impact the dismantling of EO 11246 may have on women and people of color.
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What Is A Credit Union?
Thursday, Mar 20, 2025 - Posted by Advertising Department [The following is a paid advertisement.] 
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Durbin doubles down on Section 230, says he’ll make reelection announcement ’soon,’ says he still has ‘my wits about me’
Thursday, Mar 20, 2025 - Posted by Rich Miller * Background is here and here if you need it. But here’s a little something from Seth Stern, the director of advocacy at Freedom of the Press Foundation, to get you started…
* Sen. Durbin was in Taylorville today, so Isabel dropped by…
I totally disagree that you can’t force a social media company to take down child porn. * Back to Isabel…
OK, then maybe focus on that bill, Senator. Don’t use a nuke when a smart bomb would clearly suffice. * Isabel also asked Durbin about his future plans…
Thoughts?
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The ball is still in the legislature’s court
Thursday, Mar 20, 2025 - Posted by Rich Miller * Chalkbeat…
* I’ve written about this before…
* From yesterday’s press conference…
Please pardon all transcription errors. The bottom line hasn’t changed: ISBE can’t release the funds until the leaders (mainly the House Speaker) decide what to do with the money.
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AG Raoul is a busy man
Thursday, Mar 20, 2025 - Posted by Rich Miller * From a national Politico story from last month entitled “23 Dem AGs think they’ve cracked the code to fighting Trump”…
Click here to read the rest. It’s a heckuva story. * I told subscribers about this dispute the other day. Press release…
The lawsuit is here. * Press release…
* And another press release from earlier this week…
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It’s just a bill
Thursday, Mar 20, 2025 - Posted by Isabel Miller * WAND…
* Tribune…
SB2264 passed out of Senate Executive on a partisan vote. * Sen. Mike Porfirio…
* WAND…
* WAND…
* Illinois Environmental Council, Alliance for the Great Lakes…
* WAND…
* Sen. Mike Simmons…
* Sen. Graciela Guzmán…
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Nursing Home Residents Have Waited 14 Years For Safe Staffing—Lawmakers Must Hold the Line
Thursday, Mar 20, 2025 - Posted by Advertising Department [The following is a paid advertisement and has been updated at the advertiser’s request.] Advocates for senior care and nursing home frontline workers have been fighting for over 14 years to hold the nursing home industry in Illinois accountable for safe staffing levels. Lawmakers established legal requirements for safe staffing levels, only to have nursing homes routinely ignore them. Then these legal limits were bolstered with enforcement measures—but the worst actors in the industry continue to staff at dangerously low levels. In fact, Illinois is worst in the country with the largest gap between care hours needed and care hours actually provided. Dead last among states. And now after 14 years of time and again receiving warnings and incentives and second, third and tenth chances to staff at the legally required levels, the industry began accruing fines in January that are actually substantial enough to take the profit motive out of short staffing. The industry’s response? HB 2922—designed to once again water down the existing fines and enforcement measures so they can continue to shortchange vulnerable seniors. This is despite the over $3 billion that Illinois pays to nursing homes annually for resident care—including hundreds of millions of dollars specifically earmarked to bolster direct care staffing levels. It’s time for lawmakers hold firm and let the nursing home industry know that in Illinois, care comes first—not nursing home profits. Oppose HB 2922—because safe, dignified, accountable nursing home care can’t wait.
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Open thread
Thursday, Mar 20, 2025 - Posted by Isabel Miller * What’s going on in your part of Illinois?…
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Isabel’s morning briefing
Thursday, Mar 20, 2025 - Posted by Isabel Miller * ICYMI: Federal DOJ launches probe into Illinois’ treatment of people with disabilities. Capitol News Illinois…
* BlueRoomStream.com’s coverage of today’s press conferences and committee hearings can be found here. * Governor Pritzker will be at the Ovation Center in Romeoville at 2 pm with Congresswoman Lauren Underwood to call attention to potential cuts to Social Security. Click here to watch. * Tribune | Bracing for budget crisis, Metra agreed to pay lobbyist as much as $4.65M for work on transit fiscal cliff: The five-year lobbying contract is in effect as the the region’s four transit agencies, including Metra, stare down a $771 million budget gap when federal COVID-19 relief funding runs out next year. Agency heads and advocates have warned that steep service cuts and fare hikes are at stake unless transit gets additional state money. Yet last year alone, Metra spent more than $602,000 on lobbyists for help with the budget cliff, along with work on Metra’s transition to a less commuter-focused service and advancing other Metra interests at the federal, state and regional level, according to public expense data and a copy of the lobbying contract, which took effect about a year ago. * Bloomberg | Fed holds rates, sees slower growth and higher inflation: Chair Jerome Powell acknowledged the high degree of uncertainty from President Donald Trump’s significant policy changes, but repeated the central bank is not in a hurry to adjust borrowing costs. He said officials can wait for greater clarity on the impact of those policies on the economy before acting. * Tribune | Sentencing for ex-Speaker Michael Madigan on bribery conviction set for June 13: A federal judge Wednesday set sentencing for former House Speaker Michael Madigan on bribery and other charges for June 13. The order by U.S. District Judge John Robert Blakey comes more than a month after Madigan, once the most powerful politician in the state, was convicted by a jury on bribery conspiracy and other corruption charges alleging he used his public office to increase his power, line his own pockets and enrich a small circle of his most loyal associates. * WAND | Commission to find if auto insurance discriminates on credit score and race: A commission could be created by the Illinois House Democrats that would look to see if the auto insurance companies have discriminated customers based on credit score, zip code, race and age. The commission would take one year to write up a report and release that report out to the public. From there lawmakers can use the data to plan future bills. * Chalkbeat Chicago | Illinois advocates call on state to release $50 million for after-school programs: Since funding has been delayed to after-school programs throughout the state this year, over 27,000 students have missed programming and more than 2,000 staff members have lost their jobs, according to the coalition. Susan Stanton, executive director for ACT Now, told Chalkbeat that the coalition is seeing a “ripple effect” from after-school programs shutting down, with parents losing child care. A spokesperson for the Illinois State Board of Education said the agency is waiting on “further guidance” from the General Assembly regarding how to distribute the $50 million appropriation since it was “not tied to an existing statutory program.” The funding was not part of the Nita M. Lowey 21st Century Community Learning grants, the spokesperson said. * Sen. Seth Lewis | Just trust Chicago? Not when it comes to public transit: Chicago’s leaders are asking suburban taxpayers to take a “leap of faith” — to trust them with the future of public transit. But after years of financial mismanagement, runaway debt and bailout demands, that trust has long been broken. A financial crisis is looming — one that could reshape public transit and strip suburban communities of their voice. Northeast Illinois’ transit systems — Metra, Pace and the CTA — are facing a $770 million fiscal cliff next year, and major decisions that will affect riders across the region. * Transit union leaders | A new bill offers a path forward for Illinois transit funding: This issue is not just numbers; it’s about real people. Consider the essential worker who must catch a bus for their early shift, the student who needs the train to get to college or the retiree who uses public transportation to reach their doctor. On the business side, companies also depend on a solid transit system to connect with customers and employees. A safe and reliable system also provides benefits to those who enjoy the best of what Chicagoland offers, such as its iconic museums, dining, sporting events, shopping and festivals. If we do nothing, the effects will be severe. * Crain’s | Civic groups step up calls for expanding Illinois sales tax to services: Illinois is facing a $3.2 billion shortfall in the fiscal year that starts July 1, in part because pandemic-era federal funds that paid for an expansion of Medicaid have run out. The outlook could be even more precarious because of recent actions by the Trump administration to cut funding to the state. * Crain’s | Johnson’s 11th-hour bid to broker an end to the CPS pension standoff falls short: Mayor Brandon Johnson sat down with Chicago Public Schools CEO Pedro Martinez and Chicago Teachers Union President Stacy Davis Gates this afternoon ahead of an uncertain vote to amend the district’s budget. The City Hall meeting comes one day before the Chicago Board of Education is set to vote to alter its budget to accept an extra $139 million transfer from Chicago and on a separate agreement to reimburse the city for a $175 million pension payment City Hall made on behalf of non-teacher employees at CPS into the Municipal Employees’ Annuity & Benefit Fund. The parties all agreed negotiations on a new teachers contract had been narrowed to a small number of disagreements, but nothing was resolved. * Tribune | Immigration crackdown leads to numerous reports of ICE agents near Chicago Public Schools, emails show: A look at emails from district officials in the weeks since the mistaken ICE report demonstrates that both panic and misinformation around ICE in schools has continued since the Hamline incident. The emails were mostly sent by officials at the CPS’ Student Safety Center, the district’s 24/7 command center for safety communications, and were obtained by the Tribune through a Freedom of Information Act request. * Crain’s | Richard Roeper leaving the Chicago Sun-Times after 37 years: Roeper announced this morning he is stepping away March 21 after 37 years at the publication, a tenure that included serving as the late Gene Siskel’s successor alongside Roger Ebert on their TV show and later Ebert’s successor as the newspaper’s main movie critic after Ebert’s death. Roeper will continue reviewing films and TV shows on ABC7’s “Windy City Weekend,” hosting “The Richard Roeper Show” podcast and writing reviews regularly, according to a news release. * Block Club | Neighbors, Activists Disrupt South Works Quantum Campus Meeting: ‘Don’t Poison Us’: A tense community meeting on the planned South Chicago megadevelopment — with a quantum research campus and a new hospital — highlighted neighbors’ mistrust over the project, driven by decades of divestment and “broken promises.” * Daily Herald | After no-confidence vote from officers, Wheeling police chief to step down: Wheeling Police Chief Jamie Dunne will retire this summer after nine years leading the department, the village announced Wednesday. Dunne’s decision comes nearly a month after most of the department’s unionized patrol officers signed a letter formally declaring they’d lost confidence in his leadership. The letter accused Dunne of undermining department readiness by cutting training, improperly changing the department’s field training program, misusing funds, discouraging officers from taking overtime pay and other unfavorable actions. * Lake County News-Sun | Transgender-related locker room complaint puts Lake County middle school in national spotlight: In a statement, the school district said students are not required to change into gym clothes in front of others in locker rooms, and have “multiple options to change in a private location if they wish.” The district said its policies and procedures, including student use of locker rooms, are in line with state laws, the Illinois School Code and guidance from the Illinois State Board of Education. * Evanston RoundTable | Gov. Pritzker backs Mayor Biss for reelection: In an announcement email sent by the Biss campaign Wednesday afternoon, Pritzker is quoted as calling Biss a friend, colleague and “a partner to me in fighting for working families.” Similar to the mayor’s earlier endorsement from Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul, Pritzker cited the need for local leadership to “stand up and fight back” against threats from the federal government under President Donald Trump. * CNN | Police end Democratic lawmaker’s town hall after fiery confrontations: A heated confrontation broke out at Democratic Congressman Sean Casten’s town hall on Wednesday in Downers Grove, Illinois forcing police to escort constituents out of the building. * News-Gazette | Budzinski, Pritzker discuss impacts of federal cuts at Urbana roundtable: “We don’t have the votes to change this,” replied Gov. J.B. Pritzker. “What we do have is our voices in local communities and the stories that we can tell about the devastation that has occurred.” It was with this aim in mind that Pritzker, U.S. Rep. Nikki Budzinski, D-Springfield, and Illinois Department of Agriculture Director Jerry Costello II held a roundtable Wednesday afternoon on how federal cuts and freezes have impacted farming and conservation efforts. * NPR Illinois | Funding announced for Lincoln’s New Salem repairs: The Illinois Department of Natural Resources and the Illinois Capital Development Board announced $8 million for improvements to the popular recreated log village where young Abraham Lincoln lived for six formative years from 1831 to 1837. According to an announcement, the funding is made possible through the Rebuild Illinois program. The funds will be used to repair up to 23 log village buildings and update the outdoor theater. * Rockford Register Star | Golden principal: Golden Apple winner makes sure all ’students are heard’: Megan Forsythe is the kind of principal who greets all 500 students at Whitman Post Elementary School by name each morning. She has an infectious energy, and she reminds her students that they matter and belong at her school. During a surprise ceremony on Wednesday, Forsythe was named the 2025 Golden Apple Outstanding Principal. * Reuters | Trump signs order to shift disaster preparations from FEMA to states, local governments: U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday signed an executive order that seeks to shift responsibility for disaster preparations to state and local governments, deepening his drive to overhaul the Federal Emergency Management Agency. The order, first previewed by the White House on March 10, calls for a review of all infrastructure, continuity, and preparedness and response policies to update and simplify federal approaches. * The New Yorker | What Made the Irish Famine So Deadly: The novelist Colm Tóibín suggested, in 1998, that the problem “may lie in the relationship between catastrophe and analytic narrative. How do you write about the Famine? What tone do you use?” He speculated, moreover, that the Great Hunger had created a great divide even in Irish consciousness. If, he said, he were to write a novel about his home town, Enniscorthy, that took place after the famine years, “I would not have to do much research”—because the place would resemble the one he grew up in. But he would find the years before and during the event itself “difficult to imagine.”
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Protected: SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - Supplement to today’s edition
Thursday, Mar 20, 2025 - Posted by Rich Miller
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Protected: SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - Today’s edition of Capitol Fax (use all CAPS in password)
Thursday, Mar 20, 2025 - Posted by Rich Miller
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Selected press releases (Live updates)
Thursday, Mar 20, 2025 - Posted by Isabel Miller
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Live coverage
Thursday, Mar 20, 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, Mar 19, 2025 - Posted by Isabel Miller * AFSCME Local 2858, Alliance for Community Services…
* Illinois State Rifle Association…
* The Nation | Democratic Donors Packed the House for an “Actual Billionaire”: Pritzker, to his credit, began his remarks by subtly disavowing the banner under which CAP had called him forth. “I did not see that the title of my talk was a better way forward,” he said. “I think about that and I think the only way out is through.” His comments were gratifyingly plainspoken, in contrast to both the event’s confusing forward-speak, and the party’s broader propensity, in these days of untrammeled reaction, to be terrified by its own shadow. Pritzker spoke of how “Elon Musk and his fellow DOGE bags” are “ intentionally dismantling” the bulwarks of government and “giving themselves the authority to rebuild it in their own interests.” He spoke candidly of the leering cruelty of the Trump White House’s deportation raids and the DOGE assault on governance. “People’s lives are a game to them,” Pritzker said of “the memelords and minions of the White House.” * Tribune | Bill aimed at bolstering county public defender system moves forward in Springfield: It’s the first time the bill, dubbed by advocates as the Funded Advocacy & Independent Representation bill, or FAIR Act, has moved forward since a version was introduced last year by Democratic Senate President Don Harmon of Oak Park. But lawmakers in favor of the bill, which is primarily geared toward rural counties, acknowledged it still needs some changes before advancing through the legislative process. * Tribune | After testimony from Anjanette Young, state lawmakers move bill aimed at tightening rules on search warrants: Six years after Chicago police officers wrongfully searched the home of social worker Anjanette Young, she told state lawmakers about the trauma she experienced in testimony on legislation that would essentially bar no-knock search warrants in the state. “I pray that none of you never have that experience because my story now includes experiencing PTSD, depression and fear of the very people who were sworn to protect and serve,” Young told Illinois lawmakers on Tuesday. “My story now includes the sheer panic when a police officer pulls me over for a routine stop. These are not normal interactions that any resident should have, however, these are real life events that happened to me since 2019.” * WAND | Lutheran Child and Family Services of Illinois celebrates Social Work Month, calls for more social workers: LCFS said the demand for social workers continues to rise. Lori Lynch, an adoption worker with LCFS, has been with the organization for over two decades. She says more social workers are needed to meet the growing needs of families in Illinois. “We are always looking to hire in all of our different programs—foster care, counselors. There is a great need.” * Block Club | Rohingya Refugees’ Dreams Of Family Reunification Shattered With Trump’s Resettlement Freeze: Trump’s administration’s refugee suspension and aid cuts have prompted Jabbar to think about his immigration journey. He fled military persecution in the violence-stricken region of Rakhine in 1996. He spent years without legal status in Malaysia, enduring constant fear of arrest. “Without documents, life was a constant struggle,” he said. “You could be detained at any moment.” After 16 years of uncertainty, he resettled in Chicago in 2012. He worked in a restaurant while learning English, but his dreams of earning a degree were put on hold. “I’m the only son in my family. I had to work to support my mother and sister,” he said * Block Club | CTA Promises Better, Faster Blue Line Service At Night For Spring Schedule: But the larger improvements are planned for the Blue Line to Forest Park. That line will schedule 30 extra trips on weekdays, 17 more trips Saturdays and two new trips Sundays. That should shrink wait times for Blue Line Forest Park trains from 15 minutes to seven and a half minutes for service 6:30 p.m.-midnight weekdays and 9 p.m.-midnight Saturdays, according to the CTA. * Tribune | Would you let a robot draw your blood? Northwestern among health systems trying new device: “With this device they never see the needle and and they never see or experience or feel the blood tubes being changed,” Gerberich said. “That really helps with those types of patients that are ordinarily squeamish.” The Aletta has a 95% success rate when it comes to drawing usable blood on the first attempt, and the machine can be especially useful for patients who might otherwise be difficult to successfully stick, according to the company. * Crain’s | Cigna, Blue Cross Illinois parent close $3.3 billion Medicare deal: Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Illinois parent Health Care Service Corp. has closed its $3.3 billion purchase of Cigna’s Medicare operations, the companies announced Wednesday. The deal, which includes Medicare Advantage, Medicare Part D and Medicare supplement assets along with the CareAllies consulting unit, quadruples Chicago-based Health Care Service Corp.’s Medicare Advantage membership to about 800,000 and closes the book on Cigna’s Medicare plan business. * Tribune | Ex-Augusta National employee who stole Arnold Palmer’s green jacket to be sentenced in Chicago: A former warehouse worker at Augusta National Golf Club in Georgia found golf legend Arnold Palmer’s 1958 Masters green jacket in a box of items errantly marked for destruction and sold it to a Florida memorabilia collector for $50,000, defense lawyers say. Years later, that same jacket was tracked by the FBI to a stately home in Chicago’s Lincoln Park neighborhood, where the latest owner was looking to sell. The price by then was almost $4 million, court records show. The new details were revealed as the former employee, Richard Brendan Globensky, is set to be sentenced Wednesday in Chicago for a 13-year scheme to illegally fence more than $5 million worth of Masters Tournament memorabilia. * WTTW | Weather Whiplash With Rain, Thunderstorms, Snow and Dusty Skies on Wednesday and Thursday: On Wednesday and Thursday, the forecast for Chicago includes a chance of almost anything and everything: rain, thunderstorms, wind and even snow. According to the National Weather Service, the threat of thunderstorms runs from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. Wednesday, with the greatest chance of tornadoes being south of I-88. * Press Release | Governor JB Pritzker Endorses Mayor Daniel Biss for Re-election : “I’m proud to endorse Daniel Biss for re-election as Mayor of Evanston. Daniel is a friend, a colleague, and has been a partner to me in fighting for working families. He has a long track record of standing up for Evanstonians and a real record of results for the community,” said Governor Pritzker. “These are trying times and we need leaders at every level of government to stand up and fight back against the constant threats from Donald Trump. Daniel has done just that, all while passing policies that have moved Evanston forward. Daniel and I have worked together on issues big and small facing Evanston. I’m thrilled to support him for re-election and continue that work, ” said Governor JB Pritzker * Naperville Sun | ‘Tesla Takedown DuPage’ protest draws hundreds to Lisle: ‘We’re in a full-on constitutional crisis’: Carrying homemade signs that read “Send Elon to Mars on a Starship rocket” and “This Musk stop,” people lined the sidewalk in front and on either side of the 3200 Ogden Ave. business as they shouted chants like “Hey, hey, ho, ho, Elon Musk has got to go” and “Love, not hate, makes America great.” Several area organizations teamed up to stage the “Tesla Takedown DuPage” event, including the Democratic Party of DuPage County, Democratic Women of DuPage County, Indivisible Illinois, Indivisible Batavia Aurora Area, Indivisible DuPage, Indivisible Naperville and Indivisible West Suburban Chicago. * Daily Herald | ‘Stay away’: Judge orders accused Tesla vandal to keep off company’s property: During a hearing at the county courthouse in Rolling Meadows, Judge Ellen Mandeltort also warned Erin L. White that she will be jailed if she violates those and other conditions of her release. White is charged with criminal damage to property, a Class 4 felony, and misdemeanor criminal trespass to property stemming from an estimated $9,000 in damage done last week to the Tesla facility on the 900 block of Dundee Road in Buffalo Grove. * Daily Herald | ‘I can’t wait’: Des Plaines City Council approves incentives, development deal for new downtown restaurant: Aldermen on Monday unanimously agreed to lend the two limited liability companies behind the project — Miner Street Station and D-4 of Des Plaines — $3.6 million to help pay for construction. Up to $1.2 million of the loan will be forgiven when the final occupancy certificate for the restaurant is issued, documents indicate. Ownership partners include the operator of Park Ridge’s Harp and Fiddle restaurant. Although “Harp & Fiddle” appear on an architectural rendering for the proposed building, the name and theme of the proposed eatery haven’t been revealed. * WAND | Restart of instruction at Neoga schools postponed to March 26 following tornado: Superintendent Kevin Haarman posted, “After a thorough evaluation by architects and engineers of both the Jr/Sr High School and Elementary School buildings, we have determined that additional measures are necessary to ensure a safe teaching and learning environment for our students and staff.” * WSIL | St. John’s to Rebuild After Devastating EF-2 Tornado: A terrifying night unfolded for residents of St. John’s, Illinois, as a powerful EF-2 tornado ripped through the area, leaving behind a trail of destruction. In just minutes, homes were leveled, businesses were torn apart, and lives were upended. But as residents begin picking up the pieces, one thing remains clear, community strength is at the foundation of recovery. The storm tore through with winds over 130 miles per hour, reducing structures to rubble and tossing debris across neighborhoods. At one local business, most of the roof was ripped away, leaving remnants scattered in nearby trees. A trampoline dangled over a utility line, and in one field, the entire contents of a home were strewn as far as the eye could see. * Pantagraph | Home Sweet Home Ministries proposes 56-bed ’shelter village’ for homeless: During a special session on Monday, the City Council heard a presentation from Home Sweet Home Ministries about the proposed community concept, which has already been used in more than 100 cities nationwide. Matt Burgess, CEO of Home Sweet Home Ministries, said the cabins would be about 80 to 100 square feet and would be just big enough for a bed, desk, dresser space for clothing and other amenities. They would have electricity and also be climate controlled over the summer and winter. * WIFR | Bleed for Weed blood drive coming to Freeport: After successfully giving blood, donors will receive a voucher for an eighth flower or an edible product of the dispensary’s choice. Donors can redeem the voucher at Lyfe Dispensary in Rockford. In addition to the voucher, free t-shirts will be handed out while supplies last. * WCIA | Illini seniors looking to make noise in return to NCAA Tournament: First time, we was like kids in a candy store,” senior guard Genesis Bryant said. “We were just happy to be there, just to experience that scene, but I think now we have some maturity under our belt and for seniors, this our last year… so we don’t have a next year in college basketball… so I think just bringing that desire and that passion and also just the intensity of knowing like, we’ve been here before.” * WSIL | John A. Logan College students work with Habitat for Humanity to build a local home: Arthur Zaitz, a board member with Jackson Union Habitat for Humanity, mentioned that they typically build about one home each year. This year, the three-bedroom, two-bathroom home will include laundry facilities and a new kitchen. The home will be offered to a selected family for close to Habitat for Humanity’s costs after building and financing. * Start Cities Dive | Up to $51B in transportation grant awards at risk, advocacy group says: The memo cites presidential executive orders and a previous order and memorandum by Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy that orders agency administrators to identify and eliminate rules, regulations and funding agreements that include or reference climate change, racial equity or environmental justice among other criteria. On March 10, Duffy announced in a press release the rescission of two Biden-era memoranda. These included policies aimed at improving road safety, making streets and transportation infrastructure accessible to those with disabilities, and fostering renewable energy and electric vehicle charging stations. The latest DOT policy memo targets bicycle infrastructure as well. * NYT | Kennedy’s Alarming Prescription for Bird Flu on Poultry Farms: Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the nation’s top health official, has an unorthodox idea for tackling the bird flu bedeviling U.S. poultry farms. Let the virus rip. Instead of culling birds when the infection is discovered, farmers “should consider maybe the possibility of letting it run through the flock so that we can identify the birds, and preserve the birds, that are immune to it,” Mr. Kennedy said recently on Fox News.
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RETAIL: The Largest Employer In Illinois
Wednesday, Mar 19, 2025 - Posted by Advertising Department [The following is a paid advertisement.] Retail creates more jobs in Illinois than any other private sector employer, with one out of every four workers employed by the retail sector. Importantly, retail is an industry in which everyone, regardless of credentials, can find a viable career path. Retailers like the Mikol family enrich our economy and strengthen our communities. We Are Retail and IRMA showcase the retailers who make Illinois work.
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A couple of programming notes
Wednesday, Mar 19, 2025 - Posted by Rich Miller 1) As I write this, Feedwind is down. The site supplies our RSS feeds on the right-hand side of the page. I’ve reached out to ask when they expect to be up and running again. Thanks for your patience. 2) I’ve seen a big uptick in the number of anonymous comments lately. Y’all need to take two seconds to come up with a screen name, or you’ll be deleted no matter how insightful your comment may be (although, anons are usually the opposite of that). Stop wasting our time. Thanks.
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Number of state workers busted by OEIG for alleged Paycheck Protection Program abuse/fraud rises to above 100
Wednesday, Mar 19, 2025 - Posted by Rich Miller * The Executive Ethics Commission today released a new batch of investigative reports issued by the state’s Executive Inspectors General. Click here. All but two of the 39 reports had to do with the federal Paycheck Protection Program, which was designed to help small businesses weather the international pandemic storm by lending them money to pay for payroll and operating costs. Many were eligible for loan forgiveness. 403 state employees have been dinged for violations since the OEIG began investigating the misuse of the program. According to a search of the Ethics Commission’s website, 402 investigations into the PPP program have been reported so far. …Adding… The commission says the actual number is 107, not 402. * Excerpts from one such report…
This third party claim is a common refrain in the reports. * Conclusion…
Pickering is not listed on the current state employee database. * Some of these folks are being prosecuted. From a few days ago…
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Homeschoolers descend on Springfield by the thousands to protest regulatory bill (Updated x2)
Wednesday, Mar 19, 2025 - Posted by Rich Miller * Homeschooling advocates were already at the Statehouse at 6:30 this morning…
ABATE and others are also in town today, so that crowd wasn’t completely homeschoolers. * Some folks have pointed to problems in public schools with teachers being regularly busted for child sexual abuse as a reason why the state should get its own house in order before sticking its nose into homeschooling. But the bill’s sponsor, Rep. Terra Costa Howard (D-Glen Ellyn), had this response…
The bill passed committee with one Democrat, Rep. Fred Crespo, voting “Present” and all Republicans voting against it. It now goes to the floor, but has an uncertain future. …Adding… House Republicans…
…Adding… ILGOP…
* Related…
* AFP-IL Launches Campaign Opposing Regulations on Homeschooling: Americans for Prosperity-Illinois (AFP-Illinois) is launching a statewide video campaign urging Illinoisans to contact their lawmakers and demand they reject HB2827, the Homeschool Act. * Illinois parents, lawmakers sound alarm over proposed homeschooling bill: ‘Direct assault on families’: Some left-leaning politicians have also voiced concerns about HB2827. Illinois state representative La Shawn Ford, a Democrat, told local outlet The Center Square that he’s “not for it.” “From the constituents that I’ve gotten calls from, I’m understanding why they don’t like it,” Ford is quoted as saying. “The loss of their autonomy, that’s a major concern that they lose the autonomy over their children, which is why they choose homeschooling. They want to have control over their children’s education, including the curriculum, how they teach and the philosophy.”
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Civic Federation, CMAP, IEPI and CTBA all call for expanding sales tax to some services to raise $2 billion
Wednesday, Mar 19, 2025 - Posted by Rich Miller * The Civic Federation, the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning, the Illinois Economic Policy Institute and the Center for Tax and Budget Accountability have released a report calling for the expansion of the sales tax to some services…
* From the press release…
* Exemptions and other items of concern…
* Where they’d like to see the new money go…
Before commenting, please click here and search the full report with any questions you may have. Anyway, what are your thoughts on this? …Adding… TFI…
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It’s just a bill
Wednesday, Mar 19, 2025 - Posted by Isabel Miller
* The Eco-Justice Collaborative, Prairie Rivers Network…
* Ben Szalinski at Capitol News Illinois…
* Sen. Karina Villa…
* Holly Rosencranz from the Illinois Clinicians for Climate Action…
* Sen. Steve Stadelman…
* Sen. Robert Peters…
* WAND…
* Sen. Karina Villa…
* More… * WTTW | How the Proposed Ban on Cellphones in Illinois Classrooms Would Work: Illinois students have yet to recover from pandemic-era learning losses, according to a study from the Illinois Workforce and Education Research Collaborative released in August that showed less than a quarter of school districts are “back to pre-pandemic levels in English language arts.” The figure is lower for math, with 15% of high schools scoring on SAT math as well as before the pandemic and 22% in grades 3-8. One change Gov. J.B. Pritzker said could improve student achievement: banning an “impediment to learning in the classroom: cellphones.” * WAND | Chronic health prescriptions only require prior authorization once under new IL proposal: Prior authorization is when doctors need to know if the patients health insurance will or will not cover the cost of a prescribed drug. Currently chronically ill patients need prior authorization each time they refill their medicine. This bill would change that, only needing prior authorization once. State Rep. Sonya Harper (D-Chicago) said the current system puts an “unnecessary burden on the patient.” * WAND | Illinois legislation could create prison ADA compliance task force: The proposed task force would study the number of people in Illinois prisons who have sight, hearing and mobility issues in order to create the best accommodations for them. Task force members would be required to look into the number of committed people not having their ADA needs met and areas the Department of Corrections is currently unable to make accommodations. * WAND | Bill could ensure Illinois prisoners receive physical mail, collect data on mail restriction: A bill in Springfield could require IDOC to collect data on why they restrict access to mail and how often it happens. The plan would also limit the department’s use of access to mail, in-person visits and virtual calls as disciplinary punishments. Sponsors and advocates said denying connection with family and friends can lead to worse outcomes. * Tribune | State legislators look to establish rules for artificial intelligence in elections, education and health care: The Democratic-controlled legislature, in the early stages of a two-year term, is considering bills to address how AI affects residents in areas including education, health care, insurance, elections, picking up on work from the previous General Assembly. Last year, Gov. JB Pritzker signed legislation that made it a civil rights violation for employers to use AI if it subjects employees to discrimination, as well as a measure prohibiting the use of AI to create child pornography, which made it a felony to be caught with artificially created images. In 2023, he signed a bill to make anyone civilly liable if they alter images of someone else in a sexually explicit manner. * WAND | Chronic health prescriptions only require prior authorization once under new IL proposal: This bill would change that, only needing prior authorization once. State Rep. Sonya Harper (D-Chicago) said the current system puts an “unnecessary burden on the patient.” The plan received some oral bipartisan support, with State Rep. William Hauter (R-Morton) saying he “hates prior authorization.” Republicans voted against the bill since the language of the bill may change. * TEXT:
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Misguided Insurance Regulation Proposals Could Increase Premiums For The Majority Of Illinoisans
Wednesday, Mar 19, 2025 - Posted by Advertising Department [The following is a paid advertisement.] Several bills proposed this legislative session seek to ban certain factors that insurance companies use to set fair and accurate insurance pricing for customers. The bills would ban the use of credit-based insurance scores, zip codes, age, and gender in insurance pricing. An op-ed published recently in the Chicago Tribune explains why such bans could cause insurance rates to rise for the majority of consumers. Case in point: When the use of credit was banned in Washington in 2021, more than 60 percent of Washington drivers saw an increase in their insurance premiums. Should similar legislation pass in Illinois, the majority of Illinoisians with better-than-average credit could see premium increases. With stubbornly high inflation and high property taxes, now is not the time to pass bills that could end up hiking insurance premiums for most Illinoisans. Click here to learn more.
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Caption contest!
Wednesday, Mar 19, 2025 - Posted by Rich Miller * The “Sullivan Caucus” is the Statehouse’s St. Patrick’s Day party, and it was last night at the Gin Mill…  No Sullivan’s are currently serving in the General Assembly, by the way. Times change.
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Nursing Home Residents Have Waited 14 Years For Safe Staffing—Lawmakers Must Hold the Line
Wednesday, Mar 19, 2025 - Posted by Advertising Department [The following is a paid advertisement and has been updated at the advertiser’s request.] Advocates for senior care and nursing home frontline workers have been fighting for over 14 years to hold the nursing home industry in Illinois accountable for safe staffing levels. Lawmakers established legal requirements for safe staffing levels, only to have nursing homes routinely ignore them. Then these legal limits were bolstered with enforcement measures—but the worst actors in the industry continue to staff at dangerously low levels. In fact, Illinois is worst in the country with the largest gap between care hours needed and care hours actually provided. Dead last among states. And now after 14 years of time and again receiving warnings and incentives and second, third and tenth chances to staff at the legally required levels, the industry began accruing fines in January that are actually substantial enough to take the profit motive out of short staffing. The industry’s response? HB 2292—designed to once again water down the existing fines and enforcement measures so they can continue to shortchange vulnerable seniors. This is despite the over $3 billion that Illinois pays to nursing homes annually for resident care—including hundreds of millions of dollars specifically earmarked to bolster direct care staffing levels. It’s time for lawmakers hold firm and let the nursing home industry know that in Illinois, care comes first—not nursing home profits. Oppose HB 2292—because safe, dignified, accountable nursing home care can’t wait.
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Open thread
Wednesday, Mar 19, 2025 - Posted by Rich Miller * Isabel met her paternal grandfather’s best friend in the world last night. Kankakee Township Supervisor Larry Enz attended the 1st Grade with my dad way back in 1949 and they’ve been tight ever since…  I worked for Larry building houses back in the 1980s for about a year. He was the best boss I ever had, but that experience forced me to realize that I’d better get my life together and find myself a career I was actually good at. I went back to school and then a couple of years later started writing about state government for another company. Three years after that, I started this company. So you could say Mr. Enz is a big reason you’re reading these words today. In all the time I knew Larry I never once heard him talk about politics. Then, about 20 years ago, he reluctantly agreed to run for the Kankakee County Board. He’s never looked back. Mr. Enz is in town lobbying against some bills. He corralled every legislator who visited our Saputo’s table last night. Dude definitely still has game. Click here and here to see what he’s up to. But go easy on him. Old family friends get a pass, and you’re likely not an old family friend. * Anyway, what’s going on in your part of the world?
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Isabel’s morning briefing
Wednesday, Mar 19, 2025 - Posted by Isabel Miller * ICYMI: Gov. Pritzker is launching a statewide “Standing Up for Illinois” Tour…
* BlueRoomStream.com’s coverage of today’s press conferences and committee hearings can be found here. * Tribune | The state must pass hemp restrictions while Mayor Brandon Johnson’s local efforts flounder, a City Council majority says: A majority of the Chicago City Council wants Illinois legislators to pass rules on the sale of hemp products, calling into doubt Mayor Brandon Johnson’s efforts to regulate it at the city level. The letter, signed by 28 aldermen and sent to Illinois General Assembly members Monday, expressed “deep concern” over the ongoing lack of laws governing the often-intoxicating products. The high number of signees, including six members of the aldermanic Progressive Caucus that often sides with the progressive mayor, raises questions about whether Johnson has the support to get aldermen to adopt his own guidelines. * Eye On Illinois | IDFPR seems to finally be moving in the right direction: From 2019 through 2022, applications for licensure in one of the 130-plus regulated career fields increased 15% to about 104,000 – many of which came in on paper because the agency was struggling to use its 1990s computer technology. One person speaking at a September 2023 hearing said he’d only seen things worsen over almost 25 years. […] These and countless other stories stand in stark contrast to Wednesday when the only news coming out of a House Health Care Licensing Committee was positive: the new Comprehensive Online Regulatory Environment is functioning properly. The first of six rollout phases is completed, and although just a handful of professions are live, lawmakers and IDFPR officials act like everything is on track for all license types to be incorporated by the end of summer, according to Capitol News Illinois. * AXIOS | Removing homeless encampments could be violation of human rights: The Illinois Department of Human Rights and the Illinois Office to Prevent and End Homelessness sent a letter last week to municipalities, emphasizing that all individuals — including those seeking shelter — must have non-discriminatory access to public spaces under the state’s Bill of Rights for the Homeless Act. * Semafor | Schumer was ‘wrong,’ Illinois governor says, but stop the Democratic ‘warfare’: Chuck Schumer’s government funding decision was “wrong” — but now is not the time for civil war. That’s according to Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, who gave fellow Democrats clear advice on Tuesday as the Senate minority leader kept trying to quell progressive fury over his vote to advance the Trump-backed funding bill. Pritzker told Semafor that he disagrees with Schumer’s decision, but he wants his party to stop “splintering” over it. * SJ-R | People rally at Illinois capitol to end subminimum wages for tipped workers: Proponents, including tipped workers and One Fair Wage, argue the bill would provide wage stability and reduce poverty, particularly for women and people of color. Opponents, such as the Illinois Restaurant Association, express concerns about potential job losses, price increases, and harm to small businesses. The bill follows Chicago’s recent adoption of a $15.80 minimum wage for tipped workers, phasing in over five years. * Chalkbeat Chicago | Conservative groups file complaint against Illinois and Chicago over policies protecting LGBTQ students: In their complaint, filed with the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights, the Defense of Freedom Institute for Policy Studies and the Liberty Justice Center allege that the state board and CPS are violating Title IX by “forcing students to share bathrooms, locker rooms, and overnight accommodations with members of the opposite sex, based solely on self-declared ‘gender identity,’” according to a press release. The complaint names the Illinois State Board of Education’s guidance from 2020 and Chicago Public Schools’ interim guidance from 2024 and alleges that both documents misinterpret Title IX by arguing that the clause protects against discrimination and harassment on the basis of gender identity. * WCIA | Illinois Attorney General warns against March Madness betting scams: March is Problem Gambling Awareness Month — and also happens to be the month when the NCAA Tournament for men and women’s college basketball is held. Raoul is encouraging fans who are filling out brackets and thinking about placing money on their favorite teams to be aware of the risks of unlicensed operators. […] Raoul said that certain betting apps and websites are allowed in Illinois. But operators must be licensed with the Illinois Gaming Board (IGB) and remain in compliance with state regulators. You can find the list of licensed sport betting organizations in Illinois here. * JG-TC | IHSA makes sweeping changes to classification process to benefit smaller schools: After private school dominance in both football and basketball, the IHSA has made changes to its classification process at its March meeting in Champaign, according to an IHSA release. The changes are aimed at helping competitive balance for smaller public schools by adjusting its classification method and assessing enrollments annually beginning next school year. “Competitive equity and classifications are a topical issue here in Illinois and for state associations around the country,” IHSA Executive Director Craig Anderson said in a release. “No state has a perfect system, so it is important that we remain fluid as a Board and staff to be able to review and adapt our policies as new trends emerge and issues evolve.” * Tribune | Mayor Brandon Johnson defends asking city contractors to take pay reductions: After pushing Chicago contractors to voluntarily reduce their prices, Mayor Brandon Johnson defended the request Tuesday as “standard procedure.” Johnson’s remarks came after Chief Procurement Officer Sharla Roberts sent emails to prime contractors doing business with the city last Wednesday asking for “a price reduction of minimally 3% off all invoices sent to the city for the next twelve months off any contracts you currently hold.” * Chalkbeat Chicago | Consultant lays out limited funding options for Chicago’s school board ahead of consequential vote: The five-page memo from consulting firm Baker Tilly outlines three options: cuts, including staff furloughs, debt refinancing, and more city money from special taxing districts. All of these potential solutions have already been floated by either Chicago Public Schools or Mayor Brandon Johnson’s administration. Baker Tilly’s analysis also revealed another challenge facing CPS: The school district must find $200 million in savings before June 30, when the current fiscal year ends. That’s because the district is expecting less tax revenue and spent more than planned on special education, transportation, and its buildings, according to the memo. * ABC Chicago | Mayor Johnson again appeals CPS to make $175M pension payment ahead of budget vote: CPS is in the middle of a five-year plan to assume full responsibility for its employees pensions. During this time, the city is helping the cash-strapped district make those payments. On Thursday, the Board will vote on an amended budget that calls for paying for teacher and principal contracts, but not making the pension payment, because it doesn’t have the money to do both. * CBS Chicago | Fireworks erupt at meeting on planned quantum computing campus at old South Chicago steel mill site: Other concerns brought up were jobs, housing costs, and displacement. Contractors say they plan to build some apartments. “180 units isn’t going to solve all the issues around housing. It’s not going to address potential displacement,” Anderson said, “but it is a big start.” * Sun-Times | Chicago Sun-Times to lose 20% of staff after buyout offer: Thirty employees of the Chicago Sun-Times — around 1 in 5 on its payroll — have agreed to resign under buyout terms the paper’s nonprofit ownership offered in hopes of stanching persistent financial deficits. The departures consist mostly of writers and editors — many with decades of experience. The cuts are the most drastic the oft-imperiled Sun-Times has faced in several years and will bring about recognizable changes to its content, although top leaders said the buyouts ensure there will be no layoffs in the near future. * Block Club | Chicago’s ‘Tomato Man’ Is Back — With 15,000 Plants For Sale: Air. Water. Tomatoes. For Bob Zeni, a suburban LaGrange Park man who has dedicated the past 11 years to cultivating and selling hundreds of varieties of tomato plants, these are the basic elements of life. is known for growing and selling thousands of tomato starters every spring, allowing Chicago gardeners to get a leg up on the growing season while trying out unique varieties of the plants. * WBEZ | Federal complaints lodged against Chicago, Deerfield for accommodating trans students: Trans advocates are pushing back against a north suburban mom who says her 13-year-old daughter was forced to change in front of a transgender classmate. The controversy at a middle school in the North Shore community of Deerfield comes at the same time as a federal complaint has been lodged against Chicago Public Schools and the state board of education for allegedly “forcing students” to share bathrooms and locker rooms with transgender classmates. * CBS Chicago | Chicago area man wins nearly $400,000 on sports bet, only to have it all canceled by BetMGM: Military veteran Mark Aiello took a gamble on civilian life when he started a family and moved back to the Chicago suburbs. […] Aiello placed four $500 bets on rebounds and assists by certain players. Six aspects, or “legs,” of the game needed to go his way to win. […] That was because it was his lucky day. His winning bets banked $389,000 — enough for his daughter’s future college education. Aiello’s bets had been canceled just minutes before tipoff as if he had never gambled at all — no wager, no winnings. * CBS Chicago | Harvey, Illinois mayor pays to have burned-out house torn down so displaced neighbor can go home: A senior from the south Chicago suburb of Harvey, Illinois is getting an unexpected financial boost to help her with home repairs after a fire. Harvey Mayor Christopher Clark decided to foot the bill to demolish a neighboring house so the work could get started. Alma West has been displaced from her block in Harvey since January. “It’s been extremely difficult these last few months,” Ms. West said. * Daily Herald | Buffalo Grove hires Philadelphia firm to design The Clove park: The Buffalo Grove Village Board Monday voted to hire Wallace Roberts & Todd LLC for approximately $108,000. Community Development Director Nicole Woods said the firm will engage in a four-month process to gather community and stakeholder input before arriving at a final concept plan and public reveal. “The time is right. Momentum has been rising. There is a lot of development happening,” said Woods, alluding to the opening of The 250 Residences and the addition of new businesses. * Shaw Local | Sterling approves purchase of new $2M firetruck with aerial ladder: The Sterling City Council approved the purchase of a new $2 million firetruck Monday. The decision to waive the bid process and accept a proposal from Jefferson Fire and Safety for the purchase of a customized Rosenbauer King Cobra firetruck with a 101-foot articulating aerial ladder came after a series of reports on the state of the Sterling Fire Department’s apparatus and vehicles. * Rockford Register Star | Rockford to buy $2M worth of police vehicles: The purchase from Rock River Ford of Rockford will cost about $2 million. Officials said the local dealership’s bid was a better deal and cost nearly $200,000 less than what the city would have been charged via a state joint purchasing cooperative. They will replace police vehicles that will either be shifted to a reserve status or sold at auction. * WCIA | Some infections may not be as resistant to antibiotics, U of I study finds: New research with a “microfluidic device” indicates that some infections may not be as resistant to antibiotics as was previously thought. The device works to mimic the fluid flow in the body better than bacteria cultures. The U of I team, led by Joe Sanfilippo, biochemistry professor, tested the antibiotic agent against Pseudomonas aeruginosa (which is considered one of the most resistant bacteria). They introduced the drug at varying rates of fluid flow and found that bacteria thrived with low fluid flow, but was killed off at higher flow rates. * WCIA | Decatur product makes top 16 of ‘Makers Madness’ contest: The TCCI Electric Compressor made by TCCI Manufacturing in Decatur has reached the top 16 of the sixth annual “Makers Madness.” Over 250,000 votes have been cast to narrow the field down to this point in the bracket-style tournament hosted by the Illinois Manufacturers’ Association. More than 250 products across Illinois were nominated for this year’s title. After two weeks of voting, the field has been slimmed down to 16 products. * The Telegraph | State of St. Louis? Missouri lawmaker suggests city, two counties as 51st state: Missouri state Rep. Michael Burton, a Democrat, suggests that St. Louis and two adjacent counties — St. Louis County and St. Charles County — break away from the Show-Me State, form its own borders and become America’s newest state; something that hasn’t been done since 1959 when Hawaii was added to the union. […] Putting a few things in perspective the city of St. Louis is 66 square miles in total area, St. Louis County is 523.366 and St. Charles is 593. That’s about 1,183 square miles; making the proposed state the second smallest by total area after Rhode Island. * Harvest Public Media | Changes could be coming to the U.S. Postal Service and rural residents will be most affected: The U.S. Postal Service’s future remains a huge question mark, with rural service hanging in the balance. President Donald Trump has talked of privatizing the service, potentially bringing it under the Department of Commerce. Proponents cite the agency’s $87 billion in financial losses over the past 14 years, along with its performance issues. A task force that studied privatization during the president’s first term warned rural postal service would suffer. * NYT | TEXT: From his perch on his new podcast, Gov. Gavin Newsom of California made the case for not only hearing out some of the most hard-line figures on the American right, but also welcoming them onto his show — a choice that prompted pushback from his latest guest, Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota, the 2024 Democratic vice-presidential nominee. Hours later, Gov. JB Pritzker of Illinois took a different approach in a speech at the Center for American Progress, an influential liberal think tank. The Trump administration, he implied, had plunged the country into a “villainous cruelty” that must be fiercely opposed by a unified Democratic front.
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Protected: SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - Today’s edition of Capitol Fax (use all CAPS in password)
Wednesday, Mar 19, 2025 - Posted by Rich Miller
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Selected press releases (Live updates)
Wednesday, Mar 19, 2025 - Posted by Isabel Miller
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Live coverage
Wednesday, Mar 19, 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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