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Isabel’s afternoon roundup
Tuesday, Sep 16, 2025 - Posted by Isabel Miller * Sun-Times…
* Jim Nowlan | Jim Edgar was proud to be governor of the state he loved: A teetotaler, Jim pushed successfully as secretary of state for drunken driving alcohol limits. He carried his abstemiousness into the governorship, where not a whiff of alcohol ever wafted through the grand rooms of the Executive Mansion. An invitation to the Governor’s Mansion was, shall we say, not the hottest ticket in town, and over eight years, it probably cost Jim a few social points, important in politics. But that was Jim Edgar. In his run for governor in 1990, Jim supported what was in effect a tax increase. Several years prior, the legislature had passed a temporary income tax increase, which was to expire in 1991. Jim’s opponent loudly called for terminating the tax increase. Not Jim, who knew state government inside out and also knew the revenue would be needed for education, a priority of his, and to balance the budget. That could well have been the end of Jim’s political career, but he won, in a squeaker. * Tribune | Porter McNeil, Illinois political consultant admired by those in both parties, dies at 65: “Porter’s passing leaves an irreplaceable hole in the community he loved so fiercely,” Gov. JB Pritzker said in a statement. “His infectious enthusiasm and fervent dedication to his family, his friends, and to doing the right thing for the neighbors he represented should serve as a guiding light for all public officials to follow.” McNeil spent time working for the political firm headed by David Axelrod, who went on to become senior adviser to President Barack Obama. Axelrod, now a senior political commentator for CNN, said that McNeil “had a great talent for communications and tremendous passion for politics but always as a vehicle to help improve the lives of his community and hard-working people.” * Tribune | Aaron Jaffe, former Illinois lawmaker, judge and head of state gaming board, dies at 95: Jaffe’s role overseeing the state’s gambling control board involved overseeing legal riverboat casinos and video gaming terminals. “He was an excellent chairman of a very important board, to make sure that we had honesty and integrity when it comes to gambling in Illinois,” said former Gov. Pat Quinn, who reappointed Jaffe as the board’s chair. “He was an exemplary legislator, judge and regulator and he just did everything with great integrity, and I think everyone in Illinois owes a permanent debt of gratitude to his public service.”
* Bob Kustra | Jim Edgar’s tenure as Illinois governor is a reminder of politics’ better days: As his lieutenant governor for eight years, I saw him up close and personal when he reached the pinnacle of his service to the people of Illinois after his election to the state legislature and as secretary of state, when he led a successful fight to crack down on drunken driving. He struck me as a mediator in the office of governor, always willing to listen to both sides of an issue and then make a call based on his own keen judgment of what worked best for the people of Illinois. Jim knew how to balance a budget, a lost art in our nation’s capital where deficits prevail. Upon his election in 1990, he inherited what was then the largest deficit in the state’s history requiring him to make hundreds of millions of dollars in budget cuts. But he never wavered in approving the Illinois Board of Higher Education budget year after year. It would be one of his proudest accomplishments. * Daily Herald | Jim Edgar, 1946-2025: In these dark political times, we all may miss the former governor’s legacy of decency more than we know: While a close colleague of both, Edgar in actuality was a protégé of long-ago legislative power W. Russell Arrington. When as a young man Edgar interned for the suburban president pro tem of the Illinois Senate, Arrington famously counseled him, “We’re not here just to get reelected. We’re here to solve problems.” With a record of historic legislative achievement, Arrington embodied those words, and they inspired Edgar throughout a half-century career in Illinois politics. * University of Illinois | Jim Edgar’s contributions to higher education, good government lauded by U of I System leaders: “Gov. Edgar was the ideal of collaborative and civil leadership, both as an elected leader and throughout his life. He led with vision and demonstrated a deep appreciation for higher education and its role in promoting social mobility and maintaining a stable society,” U of I System President Tim Killeen said. “His legacy here at the University of Illinois System lives on through the Edgar Fellows Program, training future generations of political leadership to address our state’s needs.” * Press Release | Villivalam invites residents to a transit town hall: The transit town hall will be held Saturday, Sept. 20 at noon at Harry S. Truman College – McKeon Lobby, located at 1145 W. Wilson Ave., Chicago. Villivalam is hosting the event alongside State Senators Sara Feigenholtz, Graciela Guzmán and Mike Simmons, and Alders Angela Clay, Maria Hadden, Leni Manaa-Hoppenworth, Matt Martin and Andre Vasquez, where they will provide updates about transit, answer residents’ questions and hear about how transit is essential in their communities. * Oak Park Journal | Illinois’ first lady tells story of remaking governor’s mansion : MK Pritzker, the first lady of Illinois, will tell the backstory of how she worked to update the governor’s mansion in Springfield when she visits the Nineteenth Century Charitable Association on Sept. 29. […] Gertrude Johnson, a club member, was the driving force in inviting Pritzker to speak. Porucznik says that Johnson, “read the book cover-to-cover and was so taken with it, she thought that Mrs. Pritzker would make a great speaker.” * Tribune | Mayor Brandon Johnson’s budget group announces familiar ideas to plug budget gap: After months of closed door meetings and zipped lips from its members, a working group appointed by Mayor Brandon Johnson to give him ideas to to plug next year’s $1.15 billion budget gap is rolling out a bunch of largely familiar, in some cases improbable options for Chicago officials to consider. The report is a mix of revenue increases and cuts, but it omits bolder ideas backed by progressive groups like a payroll expense tax on corporations, the mass cancellation and sweeping of special taxing districts, or major cuts to the Chicago Police Department budget. * Crain’s | Task force floats $2B menu of fixes for Chicago’s budget gap: The report identifies 39 options to fetch between $630 million and $1.65 billion in annual revenue through new or adjusted taxes, fines and fees, pegging some streams, including property taxes, to inflation. The city has not increased the property tax to keep pace with inflation since 2023. The 2026 inflationary increase is estimated to be $56 million, if approved, but Johnson has ruled out including a property tax increase in his proposal after the City Council unanimously rejected a $300 million hike last year. * Bloomberg | Chicago fronts cash to pension funds amid property tax delay: The city’s decision helps lessen the risk that its four pensions would need to sell assets from their portfolios, which include stocks, bonds, real estate and private equity, to raise cash after a glitch in setting up a new county computer system is delaying hundreds of millions of dollars in property tax earmarked for the funds. * Crain’s | Measure legalizing video gambling in Chicago advances over Johnson’s objection: Saying the Bally’s temporary casino has failed to bring in the tax revenue promised when it was approved in 2022, Ald. Anthony Beale, 9th, introduced the measure claiming the “sin tax” could bring in $60 million to $100 million in annual revenue. “It’s better . . . than to hit people with property taxes, fines and fees. Speed camera tickets and things like that. This is something that a person has to opt into, they have to want to go” gamble, Beale told Crain’s ahead of the meeting. * Tribune | Mayor Brandon Johnson orders police to work with protesters if Trump ‘tramples constitution’: But when reporters pressed him Tuesday about how the order will change the way Chicago police respond to federal agents cracking down on protests against deportations, Johnson offered no specifics. He simply reiterated that protesters in Chicago should be able to express their First Amendment rights, without saying whether police officers would seek to stop federal agents from removing protesters or using “less lethal” anti-crowd weapons like tear gas or rubber bullets against them. * Daily Herald | Border Patrol agent who led immigration crackdown in Los Angeles arrives in Chicago: “Well, Chicago, we’ve arrived!” Gregory Bovino said in a post on X that included footage of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement vehicles and agents under Chicago street signs and views of downtown. “Operation At Large is here to continue the mission we started in Los Angeles.” President Donald Trump has promised for weeks that Chicago would see a surge in deportations and National Guard troops over the fierce of objections of local leaders and residents. * Block Club | Pro-Trump Chicago Restaurateur Heads To Washington To Urge President To Slow Deportations: Amid ICE’s local efforts, Sanchez said he continues to carry his passport everywhere in case he is stopped. “I’m not lying to you — I have my passport in my pocket right now,” Sanchez said. “Is that what we have come to?” * Block Club | ICE Arrested Nearly 400 In Chicago, Nearby States In The Days After Trump’s Inauguration: Records: Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents arrested nearly 400 people in Chicago and neighboring states during the 10 days after Trump’s inauguration, according to records released to Block Club Chicago — after we sued to get them. At least 122 of those 393 arrests occurred in Illinois, including at least 53 in Chicago, the records show. * Crain’s | Advocate Illinois Masonic unveils $645M tower designed for patient and staff respite: During tours of the $645 million facility expansion, the nurses’ excitement was palpable as they showed off state-of-the-art, private patient care spaces, staff respite rooms with views of Wrigley Field and plans for their virtual backup, remote nurses, to take care of everything from documentation to monitoring patients via in-room cameras. * Block Club | Bridgeport’s Formerly Polluted Riverfront Park Is Now Thriving And Could Be Expanded: The Park District is close to wrapping a $500,000 makeover of Park No. 571, 2828 S. Eleanor St. along Bubbly Creek, adding two fishing stations and a nature play space this summer. Landscaping is still ongoing to convert turf grass into a sprawling native prairie habitat, spokesperson Michele Lemons said in a statement. Park 571, also known as the Eleanor Street Boathouse, could also expand dramatically thanks to further environmental remediation planned along the Chicago River. * Daily Herald | Homeland Security chief at Elgin immigration arrest Tuesday: According to members of a CASA DuPage volunteer People’s Patrol, people started calling them around 5:30 a.m. to report the raid. One of them, who declined to give her name, said agents pointed rifles at them and told them to leave. […] Ismael Cordova-Clough, an Elgin activist, posted on Facebook that agents knocked down the front door and that four people were arrested. He also posted, later in the morning, that federal agents had arrested people at the Kane County Judicial Center in St. Charles. State Rep. Anna Moeller of Elgin wrote, on Facebook, that she had heard of several arrests Tuesday morning in Elgin. * Shaw Local | Rep. Underwood: 250 people taken into custody in federal immigration crackdown: A federal immigration enforcement operation in Illinois has led to 250 people being taken into custody, according to U.S. Rep. Lauren Underwood. Underwood, D-Naperville, was briefed on Wednesday regarding ”Operation Midway Blitz” by the leadership of the U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement. * Shaw Local | ICE silent on reported Joliet enforcement during Operation Midway Blitz: Federal officials have yet to disclose whether they’ve been involved in reports of immigration enforcement activity in Joliet, including one that was alleged to have occurred at the Will County Courthouse. When The Herald-News contacted U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement about whether they’ve been involved in one these incidents last Thursday in Joliet, a spokeswoman requested more information. * Tribune | US citizen says he was briefly detained in latest Chicago-area ICE blitz: Joe Botello, 37, recalled being jolted awake before 6 a.m. by his home shaking and the sounds of yelling upstairs on the main floor. He said masked and armed agents were calling out the name of another man in Spanish and had forcibly entered his house in the 900 block of Chippewa Drive, destroying a front door and glass patio door in the process. “I’m just blessed that I’m still alive,” Botello said. “I’ve been hearing it and seeing it through social media. But it never crossed my mind that it was going to happen here at the house… where I live.” * Tribune | Protesters call for justice in Franklin Park after fatal ICE shooting; border patrol chief announces arrival in Chicago: As questions continue to surface over how U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents came to fatally shoot a man in Franklin Park on Friday, community members called for justice at a rally and march. Silverio Villegas Gonzalez, 38, was shot and killed after he allegedly tried to flee a traffic stop and struck an ICE officer with his vehicle. * Sun-Times | Elmwood Park fire chief resigns after allegedly punching employee of local bar, locking him in beer cooler: The incident, which happened the same weekend as the suburb’s annual family festival, led to criminal charges against 55-year-old Michael Terzo, who’s due in court this week. Why did he allegedly beat the 24-year-old man? “He disrespected me,” Terzo said, according to police records. * Tribune | Senate candidates Robin Kelly, Juliana Stratton make their pitches at Oak Park forum: While Kelly stressed her experience in Congress and her role in passing legislation, Stratton said that the current situation demands much more than that. “I don’t see my role as your next United States senator just to pass legislation, although that’s a big part of the role,” Stratton said. “I do not see my role as your next United States senator to just have a bully pulpit and to speak with moral clarity although I believe that that is my role, I also see my role to push our party to be courageous and bold.” * Tribune | Northbrook passes 1% grocery tax rather than lose $1.8 million in revenue: Northbrook has joined a long line of municipalities enacting their own 1% grocery tax when the state’s 25-year-old tax for the same amount ends Jan. 1. Officials said without creating the village’s own tax, Northbrook would lose up to $1.8 million in revenue annually. “We would need to make up that lost revenue elsewhere, most likely through an increase in property taxes or other new taxes and fees,” Trustee Robert Israel said. * WAND | EIU’s international enrollment down 50% amid federal immigration hurdles: International enrollment at Eastern Illinois University has dropped over 50% from fall 2024. Many students are concerned about the impact this will have on their college experience. “Every day I wake up and I say, ‘God, my funding should not be taken away from me.’ My funding should not be cut because if it happens, it means that I cannot continue to study here in the U.S,” said Eric Senyo, an EIU graduate student. * WAND | Sangamon County Sheriff signs 10 Shared Principles with NAACP: The 10 Shared Principles were developed by the Illinois Association of Chiefs of Police and the Illinois NAACP State Conference, designed to strengthen relationships between law enforcement and communities. Sheriff Crouch said, “Law enforcement works best when it works together with the community. I am proud to sign onto these principles alongside the NAACP as a pledge to work hand-in-hand with our community to continue building confidence in how we serve. This is about listening, treating all people with fairness, and strengthening our relationships.” * WGLT | Town of Normal shows positive financial trends, passes audit from prior fiscal year: The town saw a $201 million increase in total assessed value from 2015 to 2024. Residential total assessed values alone rose by $102 million. Another $58 million came from industrial and $41 million came from commercial. Huhn said the shift in numbers has shifted the tax base, too. “If you look back at 2015 to about now, about 68% of the tax base [back then] was residential, so as that changes to more industrial and commercial, more of the tax burden is shifted away from those households to those entities,” said Huhn. * WCIA | Decatur City Manager Gleason stepping down after returning to the role last year: Gleason formally announced his resignation in a letter to the Decatur City Council, effective no later than Oct. 31, 2025. This concludes his recent tenure leading the city since his return to the position in May of 2024. Gleason previously served as the City Manager of Decatur between 2015 and 2018. He then worked at the City of Bloomington as its city manager until his return to Decatur last year. During his tenure, Gleason oversaw city initiatives like improving infrastructure, economic development and efficiency with internal organization, as well as supporting public safety. * WGLT | Bloomington becomes a ‘lifesaver’ for family that opens grocery in food desert: The Alzebdieh family arrived in Bloomington-Normal, a place they’d never heard of, with $16 left. This was 16 years ago. They’ve never left. They stayed for a while at the Home Sweet Home Ministries shelter, where Matt Burgess — now the CEO — helped them get settled. “Matt truly, truly saved our lives. I don’t know if my kids and everybody else feel like that, but when I came here I was in a lot of trauma after being shot,” she said. * WTVO | Illinois Gov. Pritzker issues disaster proclamation for storm-hit Boone County: “Through the preliminary damage assessments, we’ve been able to validate the full scope of the August 16-19 storms’ impact,” said IEMA-OHS Acting Director Theodore (Ted) Berger. “The Governor’s proclamation is a critical step to expanding assistance, allowing us to submit this information to FEMA for determination of what federal assistance may be made available to residents and local governments.” * AP | It’s ‘do or die’ for electric vehicle maker Rivian as it breaks ground on a $5 billion plant: Rivian Chief Policy Officer Alan Hoffman said the company believes it can sell electric vehicles not for environmental or tax incentive reasons, but because they’re superior. “We did not build this company based upon federal tax incentives,” Hoffman said. “And we’re going to prove that we’re going to be successful in the future.”
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Pritzker on Trump: ‘I think he might be suffering from some dementia’
Tuesday, Sep 16, 2025 - Posted by Isabel Miller * Trump this morning…
* Governor JB Pritzker was asked about the president’s comments today and yesterday during a press conference this afternoon…
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Services announced for Jim Edgar, Porter McNeil
Tuesday, Sep 16, 2025 - Posted by Rich Miller * From Jim Edgar’s official obituary…
Full obit is here. * From Porter McNeil’s official obituary…
Full obit is here. I hope to attend Porter’s wake, but if you can’t (and even if you can), I’d respectfully ask that you contribute to the scholarship fund. Thanks.
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Competition Works: Lower Bills. Reliable Power. Say NO To Right Of First Refusal
Tuesday, Sep 16, 2025 - Posted by Advertising Department [The following is a paid advertisement.] Illinois families are sweating through heat and higher electricity bills this summer. Across the Midwest, some relief from energy inflation is in the forecast. Thanks to competitive bidding, dramatically lower costs have resulted compared to no-bid Right of First Refusal (ROFR) proposals. Here’s the proof:
Fairport to Denny Transmission Line (MISO – Missouri)
Reid EHV to IN/KY Border Transmission Project (MISO)
• Delivered long-term cost savings
Matheson–Redbud Transmission Line (SPP – Oklahoma)
• Provided a superior engineering solution compared to other proposals In many cases, incumbent utilities won these bids, proving that when they compete with other qualified builders, consumers win. It saves money and drives better results.  Competition Works. Legislators should choose competition and protect Illinois families.
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Protected: SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - Campaign news
Tuesday, Sep 16, 2025 - Posted by Isabel Miller
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Today’s quotable
Tuesday, Sep 16, 2025 - Posted by Rich Miller * The Wednesday Journal published a story about the numerous endorsements House Speaker Chris Welch has rounded up in his race for Democratic state central committeeman. Senate President Don Harmon, another candidate in that same race, issued this statement in response…
Background on that ICE shooting is here. Discuss.
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Catching up with the congressionals
Tuesday, Sep 16, 2025 - Posted by Isabel Miller * HuffPost…
* Cook County Commissioner Kevin Morrison…
* Equality PAC endorsed Morrison this morning…
* Moving to the 9th Congressional District, where two former aldermen are backing Sen. Laura Fine…
More from Evanston Now…
* Bushra Amiwala announced Northside Democracy for America has endorsed her for the 9th CD…
* More…
* Evanston Now | Candidates face ICE agents in Broadview: Two congressional candidates — Kat Abughazaleh and Evanston Mayor Daniel Biss — joined a group of protesters outside a Department of Homeland Security processing facility in Broadview Friday morning as ICE raids ramp up in Illinois. The agents, armed with tear gas canisters and rifles, repeatedly encroached on the protesters throughout the morning to allow vehicles to pass, leading to one agent physically shoving Biss back about three feet and others pulling Abughazaleh from the ground, scraping her knees. * WGLT | Young Democrat Montez Soliz to challenge incumbent Eric Sorensen in 17th District primary: He is critical of Sorensen on immigration issues. Soliz said when ICE came to Rockford a couple months ago, he had family and friends who are DACA recipients calling him crying and afraid. “And to have a representative that has been quiet or on the sidelines or addressing the situation too late, that really rubbed me the wrong way. And so, for me I think that was the final nail in the coffin,” said Soliz. “We shouldn’t have to be anointed to lead when we could just be leaders ourselves.”
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Trump sends National Guard to Memphis, says Chicago is ‘probably next’ — again
Tuesday, Sep 16, 2025 - Posted by Isabel Miller
Trump had previously flagged Chicago as “probably next” back in August, after deploying the National Guard in DC. * Crain’s…
* During the Monday press conference, President Trump was asked how he would send the National Guard into Chicago without cooperation from Gov. Pritzker and Mayor Brandon Johnson…
* More…
* Block Club Chicago | Yes, Chicago Crime Really Is Down. Here’s What To Know About How It’s Tracked: Declarations by the president that Chicago is the “murder capital of the world” do not hold up to fact-checks showing dozens of other cities with far higher murder rates or law enforcement data that’s charted an ongoing drop in violent crime in the city. Yet Trump’s repeated insinuations have ignited fresh discord over how often crimes are happening in Chicago and how they are being counted. Mayor Brandon Johnson tried to rebut the president’s claims last month via a fact sheet emphasizing dips this year in homicides and overall violent crime — while also noting that the city’s homicide clearance rate of more than 77 percent is the highest it’s been in more than a decade. * Block Club Chicago | Trump Revives Threat Of Sending Troops To Chicago After Memphis: The Monday Oval Office signing ceremony included GOP Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee, who supported the measure. Memphis Mayor Paul Young has meanwhile said that he did not ask for the National Guard and did not think it would drive down crime, according to the Associated Press. * The Guardian | Trump to send national guard to Memphis and says Chicago is ‘probably next’: Announcing the taskforce in an Oval Office meeting, Trump said the troops would work alongside federal authorities from various agencies, including the FBI; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms; the Drug Enforcement Administration; Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice); the US Marshall’s service and the Department of Justice. In his remarks on Monday, the president cited a slew of crime statistics and vowed to end the “savagery” and to “make Memphis safe again”. * WISN | Here’s the latest on Washington, D.C.’s crime numbers 30 days after National Guard deployment: A Get the Facts Data Team analysis found that incidents of violent crime have fallen in the 30 days since Trump’s emergency order, but violent crime was already on a two-year decline in the district following a 2023 spike, according to Metropolitan Police Department data. If you compare the 30 days after Aug. 11 to the 30 days before, violent crime has dropped 17% and property crime incidents have dropped 18%, police data shows. However, there are many factors that can affect crime, and trends are difficult to determine with such a small snapshot of time.
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Isabel’s morning briefing
Tuesday, Sep 16, 2025 - Posted by Isabel Miller * ICYMI: Illinois lays new pathway for internationally trained doctors to earn licenses here. Crain’s…
- Applications for the limited, two-year license is available to international medical graduates now, the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation said in a press release. - Over the course of the two-year limited license, IMGs must practice under the supervision of a fully licensed physician at an approved sponsoring institution, the release said. * Related stories… * Governor Pritzker will attend an 11:00 am luncheon with Lutheran Social Services of Illinois to receive the Paul Simon Courage in Public Service Award. Click here to watch. * Tribune | Federal immigration agents sweep across Chicago area as advocates try to make sense of ‘patchwork’ enforcement: “We don’t know the true scale, but we know activity has increased” in the area over the last couple of weeks, said Brandon Lee, spokesperson for the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights. The organization is mostly relying on intake numbers from legal partners, hotline calls and networks of community members to get a sense of what is happening and who has been affected. * Capitol News Illinois | Amid backlash, Pritzker calls for leaders — especially Trump — to tone down rhetoric: Gov. JB Pritzker said political leaders — starting with President Donald Trump — need to do more to condemn political violence. “He actively fans the flames of division, as he did on Friday, regularly advocates violence for political retribution, and in more than one case, declares we are at war, not with a foreign adversary, but with each other,” Pritzker said. “I don’t believe any of that.” Pritzker’s critique of the president comes after the governor faced backlash last week for immediately tying conservative activist Charlie Kirk’s assassination to Trump’s rhetoric. * Republican Joseph Johnson has launched a bid against Rep. Marty Moylan in the 55th House District. Press release…
The 55th District leans Democratic. Rep. Moylan won reelection by 9 points in 2022, while Gov. JB Pritzker carried it by 17. The last Republican to prevail there was Leslie Munger, who won the 2016 comptroller’s race by 3 points. * Sun-Times | In a spirit of pride, Pilsen turns out for El Grito celebration: The Mexican Cultural Committee of Chicago hosted the annual Mexican Independence eve celebration — El Grito, on Monday evening at St. Paul’s Catholic Church in Pilsen. However, the mood was subdued amid concerns of increased enforcement activity in Chicago by agents from Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Committee president Teresa Fraga says she doesn’t regret hosting the event under the current circumstances. * WBEZ | South Chicago charter school may abruptly close, stranding 250 students: Epic Charter School in South Chicago with about 250 students informed CPS on Aug. 21 that it was facing “persistent enrollment declines and rising operational costs,” according to the district. The board of the privately managed, publicly funded school is expected to formally vote on the closure at its meeting Wednesday. “While CPS is not making this decision, we are deeply committed to supporting Epic students, families and staff throughout any transition,” district officials said in a statement. * WTTW | 2 More Developments Designed to Transform Chicago’s Financial District Into a Residential Neighborhood Advance: The Chicago City Council’s Finance Committee endorsed the $241 million plan from Riverside Investment & Development/AmTrust to transform the 1.3 million-square-foot building that used to be home to Bank of America at 135 S. LaSalle St. into an apartment building with 386 units, including 116 units set aside for low- and moderate-income Chicagoans. The project relies on $98 million in city subsidies, and includes “event and cultural spaces as well as a fresh-market grocer,” according to the developer. * NYT | 20 Years Ago, Alinea Electrified Chicago Dining. Does It Still Matter?: Flames leap. Ice smokes. Servers march and whirl. You’re in for a show, and maybe for the price, you’d better be. This can be fun when it’s not domineering. “Eat immediately,” I was warned in the blandly elegant Salon upstairs. “And keep your mouth shut.” Servers in the more intimate Gallery downstairs were gentler, recasting commands as helpful advice: If you don’t shut your mouth, the contents of the exploding raviolo will likely end up all over the table. * Sun-Times | Federal agents make immigration arrests in West Chicago and at West Side courthouse: More than a dozen people were taken into custody by federal immigration agents Monday in raids near a west suburban police station and a Chicago courthouse, according to a state lawmaker and court officials. State Sen. Karina Villa, D-West Chicago, said her office received reports that immigration agents would be out across DuPage County early in the morning, and she spotted about nine agents in the West Chicago Police Department parking lot. * Evanston Now | Grocery tax passes, Biss promises veto: Once Biss formally vetoes the ordinance, the six members of the City Council in favor of reinstating the tax are expected to add a veto-override vote to the regularly scheduled Sept. 29 City Council meeting. The state set a deadline of the end of September for municipalities to reinstate the tax locally, after abolishing it statewide last year. * ABC Chicago | Some seek East Aurora school board member’s resignation over alleged racially insensitive comments: On Monday night, District 131 School Board member Mayra Reyes publicly apologized for comments she allegedly made a year ago during an interview for a then-vacant school board position. “I deeply apologize for the hurt and frustration. Clearly, it was never my intention to offend or discriminate in any way, shape, or form against any minority group,” Reyes said. * Tribune | Black leaders concerned about ‘unwelcome’ climate in East Aurora School District: According to audio obtained by The Beacon-News of last year’s interview for the vacant school board position, Reyes claimed she was “not as in support of (the dual language program) as I once was” because “I struggle with the fact we are now giving the advantage that Spanish speakers may have at one point … over somebody who wasn’t bilingual.” According to the audio recording, she went on to say, “Now we are making all of us kind of all even in that playing field.” And as an example Reyes on the recording described “an African American kid who did not grow up speaking Spanish” now being able to speak Spanish “along with the kid who did grow up speaking Spanish” and might seek a job as a translator. “And now the African American kid can, too,” she said on the audio recording of the interview. “So I feel like that advantage has been taken away.” * Daily Herald | Pace reveals passenger upgrades at Schaumburg bus hub but specter of fiscal cliff looms: After years of being exposed to the elements, riders at Pace’s Northwest Transportation Center in Schaumburg finally have a place to warm up, cool down and stay dry. Officials marked the opening of a $7.2 million renovation that includes a large indoor waiting room, expanded park-n-ride lot and the region’s first ADA paratransit transfer facility last week. * Daily Herald | Schaumburg, Hoffman Estates to establish emergency connection of water systems: They along with the neighboring suburbs of Elk Grove Village, Hanover Park, Mount Prospect, Rolling Meadows and Streamwood found themselves already prepared to rely on backup sources during the four-day repair of a leak in a Northwest Suburban Municipal Joint Action Water Agency water main in the spring. Hoffman Estates Mayor Bill McLeod said his village had kept its wells in working order for such an eventuality in addition to having already completed an emergency interconnect with unaffected Palatine. * Tribune | Suburban La Luz Del Mundo church leader ordered held in child sex trafficking case: A federal judge in Chicago on Monday ordered the pastor of a local chapter of the La Luz del Mundo megachurch held in custody to face federal charges alleging he helped cover up a widespread child sex trafficking operation that authorities say victimized young members of the church for decades. * WGLT | Toxic bacteria shut down this town’s water supply. Fertilizer runoff is fueling the issue: After that crisis, Toledo installed sensors and carbon filtration to ensure its water supply is clean. Similarly, in August, the Mattoon City Council voted to invest in new measures to help protect its water system from algal blooms. The city will spend roughly $300,000 to spray algaecide to control algae blooms in both of its reservoirs and replace a broken water pump. City Manager Kyle Gill said that eventually, they’ll need to dredge both reservoirs to get rid of fertilizer-laden silt. * BND | What Trump priorities, EPA firings mean for sewage spills in metro-east city: At the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the employee tasked with coordinating the local, state and federal response in Cahokia Heights and tracking the projects and funding was assigned to a different job in January, according to the lawmakers. Other employees at the EPA were fired under former Trump adviser Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency. Duckworth said the regional EPA office that oversees Cahokia Heights is now understaffed. * WGLT | Young Democrat Montez Soliz to challenge incumbent Eric Sorensen in 17th District primary: Montez Soliz is another example of the trend. The Rockford native said he’s running against Democratic U.S. Rep. Eric Sorensen in the March primary for the 17th Congressional District in Illinois. “My platform runs on three basic points: economic justice, health care and rights and building strong communities. I believe that we need to be making work pay with better wages and benefits, legislatively, expanding earned tax income credit, child tax credit,” said Soliz. * Capitol City Now | Massey Commission shares final recommendations for change following Sonya’s death: Johnson says they also recommend a publicly-accessible database for incidents of potential officer misconduct. Another recommendation was that some officer training should be given before they leave the academy, and not, in some cases, after a couple of years of work on the street — especially in the area of de-escalation. * WCIA | Champaign Co. Circuit Clerk offering Amnesty Week: The Champaign County Circuit Clerk’s office has announced that it’ll host Amnesty Week in October, helping people save money when paying fines. Amnesty Week will run from Oct. 20 to Oct. 31. The Circuit Clerk’s office said during that time, anyone who owes money on any criminal, traffic, DUI, ordinance violation or conservation violation can avoid paying late fees and collection fees. * NYT | Appeals Court Says Lisa Cook Can Remain on Fed Board: A federal appeals court on Monday denied a last-minute attempt by President Trump to fire Lisa Cook, a Federal Reserve governor, and prevent her from participating in a crucial two-day Fed meeting to set interest rates. As a result, Ms. Cook will be able to cast a vote at the gathering, which begins on Tuesday. * Art News | Trump Orders National Park to Remove Famed Photograph of Formerly Enslaved Man: Following a threatened crackdown on what he his administration called “corrosive ideology” in American museums, Donald Trump has ordered a national park to remove a famous photograph of a formerly enslaved man baring his scarred back. The Washington Post, which first reported the news on Monday night, did not specify which park would be impacted by the removal of the photograph and cited anonymous sources. But the article said it was one of “multiple” parks impacted by the orders, which target “signs and exhibits related to slavery at multiple national parks,” per the article.
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Open thread
Tuesday, Sep 16, 2025 - Posted by Isabel Miller * What’s going on in your part of Illinois?…
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Selected press releases (Live updates)
Tuesday, Sep 16, 2025 - Posted by Isabel Miller
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Live coverage
Tuesday, Sep 16, 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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