Capitol Fax.com - Your Illinois News Radar

Friday, Apr 17, 2026 - Posted by Isabel Miller

* ICYMI: Johnson has just $813,125 in campaign cash months before mayoral race; Giannoulias has $18.3 million. Sun-Times…

* Related stories…

• NBC Chicago: Chicago mayoral election 2027: Alexi Giannoulias has huge fundraising edge
• Tribune: Alexi Giannoulias dominates mayoral hopeful fundraising with $12 million haul

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* At noon, Gov. JB Pritzker will deliver remarks and host a discussion on housing and his BUILD Initiative at the City Club of Chicago. Click here to watch.

* BlueRoomStream.com’s coverage of today’s press conferences and committee hearings can be found here.

*** Isabel’s Top Picks ***

* Tribune | Darren Bailey, lacking big fundraising help, spent just $2.30 per vote to win Illinois GOP governor primary: Bailey’s spending was a far cry from four years ago, when he had millions of dollars to spend in both the primary and general election. He ultimately lost to Pritzker, the billionaire business owner and heir to the Hyatt Hotels fortune, by about 13 percentage points. Since Bailey won the GOP nomination last month, the former state lawmaker and farmer from downstate Xenia has only received about $25,000 in large-dollar donations, the reports show.

* Daily Herald | DuPage County forced to pay bill after vendor disables election equipment: DuPage County Board members this week approved a $629,068 expenditure after learning that election-related equipment had been disabled and wouldn’t be reactivated until a vendor was paid. Vendor Hart InterCivic billed the DuPage County clerk’s office in September. The invoice was for services related to the county’s electronic poll books. Election officials use the devices to review and process voter information. County board members did not learn the bill was unpaid until after the company contacted DuPage on April 1. […] Board members expressed frustration about their long-running battle with DuPage County Clerk Jean Kaczmarek over bills from her office. They once again reiterated concerns that she is not following state procurement laws by awarding no-bid contracts.

*** Statehouse News ***

* Capitol City Now | ‘Four Tops’ speak to IL Chamber Day: “I’m not trying to win the game; I’m trying to keep playing,” said Welch. “And when you keep playing, the goal is: I want to get better. I want to do better than I did yesterday.” Meanwhile, House Minority Leader Tony McCombie (R-Savanna) could barely hide her dissatisfaction with how the supermajority Democrats are running the state. “We can, and we must, do better,” she said. “That starts with a more predictable tax environment, and it also means stopping policies that make it harder to do business in Illinois.”

* Tribune | Gov. JB Pritzker pumped $10 million into Juliana Stratton’s Senate primary win through outside PAC: Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker contributed more than $10 million to help his two-time running mate, Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton, win last month’s Democratic U.S. Senate primary, nearly all of it funneled through an ostensibly independent political action committee whose spending on the race more than tripled that of Stratton’s own campaign. While Pritzker’s backing was no secret, the full extent of his financial support was only revealed in new federal campaign disclosures filed this week and covering the weeks immediately before and after the March 17 primary, in which Stratton topped a field that included two veteran members of Congress.

* Sun-Times | Power Rising Summit draws Kamala Harris and Juliana Stratton to harness the collective power of Black women: “We try to speak to the totality of our experience. So some women come and they’re into technology. There’s something for them,” Daughtry said. “For some women, they’ve been displaced by the economic times. There’s a workshop for them to talk about how they pivot. Some of us are political animals. Some of us are into the resistance and how do we fight back?” This year’s summit is co-covened by Daughtry, chairperson of the 2008 Democratic National Convention, and Minyon Moore, chairperson of the 2024 DNC, held in Chicago.

*** Chicago ***

* Tribune | Mayor Brandon Johnson says, ‘May 1 is happening,’ despite pushback from CPS CEO: Mayor Brandon Johnson said Wednesday that “May 1 is happening,” signaling his support for the nationwide day of protest as the Chicago Teachers Union continues to urge the school district to cancel classes so that students and staff can participate. “We have an opportunity in this moment to push the narrative, not just at the federal level, but for Chicago and the state of Illinois to show up on behalf of working people,” said Johnson, a former CTU organizer and close ally of the union.

* Sun-Times | Chicago cabbies conflicted about fare hike intended to save ‘dying’ taxi industry: Several cabdrivers who spoke with the Sun-Times said, a decade ago, they could make up to $650 during an eight-hour shift. Now, it could take up to 16 hours to just make $250. Most of them aim for around $150 to $200 a day. The value of their taxicab medallions have also plummeted. A medallion that once sold for as much as $400,000 is now valued at $5,000.

* Tribune | CPS restores disability support funding in Catholic schools: The reversal follows an announcement from the archdiocese last week accusing CPS of ending services for Catholic school students under the Individual with Disabilities Education Act, or IDEA, just two months before the last day of school. The district and Catholic school administrators had traded blame over who was at fault. In a statement Thursday, however, the archdiocese said it was “delighted” to announce that funding would restart Monday and continue through May 22 as originally planned.

* Tribune | FAA orders flight cuts at O’Hare amid airline arms race: In an order posted Thursday, the FAA capped daily operations at O’Hare to just over 2,700 takeoffs and landings per day between May 17 and Oct. 24. On peak days this summer, the cap will result in just under 400 fewer operations than airlines had planned at the airport. The order comes as O’Hare’s two dominant airlines, United and American, ramped up planned flights out of Chicago as they compete over gate space at the airport, which is allocated based on how much the airline flew the previous year.

* Crain’s | Chicago Loop Alliance names former Illinois Medical District, Sterling Bay exec as CEO: Suzet McKinney will take the helm as the downtown business group’s president and CEO on May 11, the organization announced today. McKinney most recently served as principal and director of life sciences at Chicago-based developer Sterling Bay and spent five years running the IMD prior to that.

*** Cook County and Suburbs ***

* Lake County News-Sun | Wauconda pursues annexation to stop solar farm: ‘Developing in a manner inconsistent with our long-term plan’: Wauconda officials were initially unaware of the project until last month. Madison, Wisconsin-based OneEnergy Renewables indicated an interest in building a five-megawatt solar energy facility at that location. “The village received formal word of the potential solar utility system to be located in unincorporated Lake County, directly behind the homes of Wauconda residents, during the company’s due-diligence phase,” Village Administrator Allison Matson said. The proposal calls for solar panels to be just 150 feet from existing homes.

* Aurora Beacon-News | After a rezoning request is withdrawn, Yorkville mayor says city’s ‘had enough’ data center proposals: Recently, a developer withdrew a request to rezone a property for a potential data center campus due to a lack of support from Yorkville’s City Council, and the city’s mayor has since indicated future projects are unlikely to secure city approval going forward. Yorkville has become a sort of hub for data center developments, in part due to the area’s proximity to a ComEd substation. The city has approved three major data center projects in recent years.

* Sun-Times | Burdened by costs of an ICE facility in town, Broadview reckons with a spotlight it never wanted: Just as the village had gotten its financial house in order, it was hit with nearly $400,000 in unexpected costs as a result of last fall’s campaign — around 10% of the small municipality’s discretionary budget. That’s in sharp contrast to local governments elsewhere in the country that have contracted with the federal government to have their costs covered — and more — for detaining immigrants in local jails.

* Daily Southtown | Will County Board OKs solar farm near Crete, reverses rejection on six farms: The Will County Board voted Thursday to approve a 2,400-acre solar farm near Crete and reversed course on six previously denied solar projects near New Lenox, Wilmington, Shorewood and Channahon. County Board members voted 11-9 to approve Earthrise Energy’s project near Crete. The vote was split largely along party lines, with most Republicans voting against the proposal. Earthrise Energy expects to start construction on its 260-megawatt solar farm that will cross farmlands in Crete, Washington, Will and Monee townships early next year. When fully operational, the facility will generate electricity for 50,000 households, said Rob Kalbouss, Earthrise Energy’s director of development.

*** Downstate ***

* WGLT | ISU faculty union files unfair labor practice complaint amid AFSCME strike: Illinois State University’s faculty union said Thursday it’s filed an unfair labor practice complaint against the university and its Board of Trustees after its members were allegedly asked to do the work of striking workers from another union. When the strike began, United Faculty of Illinois State University [UFISU] was reminded their contracts do not permit any members to join in a labor stoppage. Keith Pluymers, associate professor and UFISU’s vice president, said the union has complied with that request.

* WGLT | Farm bureau announces a $1 million investment in McLean County fairgrounds: The McLean County Farm Bureau has announced a $1 million investment to improve the McLean County Fairgrounds over the next three years. In 2026, the Mclean County Fair will mark 30 years at the current fairgrounds west of Bloomington. The McLean County Fair is held yearly and organized by the McLean County Farm Bureau. One of the largest county 4-H fairs in Illinois, it features agriculture exhibits, carnival rides and entertainment.

* WAND | Sangamon County celebrates one year of new domestic violence court system: The new system means domestic violence cases are put on an expedited docket, with one judge who handles all of the cases. This means victims don’t have to rehash cases with multiple judges. “That judge can also follow that case beyond conviction, beyond plea,” said Hon. Jack Davis, an associate Circuit Judge in Sangamon County and the presiding judge over the domestic violence court. “It makes sense, and it is a huge benefit to have one judge being able to monitor that progress of that case to ensure that it not only stays on track, but also that there’s some real follow-up and there’s some real accountability for those involved.”

* WICS | Historic Jacksonville theater to remain operating as is: Last year, the Jacksonville Center for the Arts announced its intentions to raise $8.8 million to repurpose and restore the Illinois Theater. But despite a few pledged donations, the arts board ultimately halted their plans—citing a lack of sufficient funds and capital required to support the changes. The goal was to transform the theater into a civic center and performing arts venue. Sam Hampton was working as a manager at the Illinois Theater during this time. While Hampton explains that the sale was initially explored partly due to the theater struggling with attendance after Covid, things had started to improve.

* BND | Belleville’s new economic development director eyes growth, vacant buildings: Austin Albert also served more than four years as a U.S. Army intelligence analyst and four years as a reservist before earning a master’s degree in city and regional planning. Albert sees himself as a “utility player” whose varied background can be an asset in guiding Belleville’s growth. The city of about 41,000 people continues to attract new business but struggles with problems related to vacant and derelict buildings.

*** National ***

* USA Today | DOGE cuts prompt scramble to feed troops at remote US base: The document, a legal justification for an emergency no-bid contract awarded to staff the fort’s dining facility, blamed the issue on staff retirements combined with a federal hiring freeze and a buyout program launched by Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency shortly after President Donald Trump’s inauguration last year. Contracting officials warned that the food service disruption could have resulted in “mission failure” if the deal hadn’t gone through to hire additional staff via Alaska’s state Department of Labor and Workforce Development.

* SBJ | The future of the cheap seats: Why teams are rethinking upper decks: “You’re not seeing the massive upper decks you’ve seen in the past,” said Jeff Goode, HNTB design principal and seating bowl expert. “Owners, they want larger lower bowls. We’re hearing that in all the leagues. ‘Pack more fans down low.’ When you do that, it pushes those middle and upper tiers further out.” It’s getting harder for upper-deck seats to compete with watching a game in more comfortable surroundings, and upper-deck economics are shakier with season-ticket sales’ gradual decline.

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