Capitol Fax.com - Your Illinois News Radar

Tuesday, Jun 17, 2025 - Posted by Isabel Miller

U.S. Rep. Nikki Budzinski on Tuesday confirmed her name was included in notes left behind by Vance Boelter, the man charged with killing a Minnesota lawmaker and injuring another.

“On Sunday, I was informed by Capitol Police that my name was included in the Minnesota murder suspect’s notes,” Budzinski, D-Ill., wrote on X. “I want to again send my condolences to the family of Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband Mark. I will continue to keep them as well as State Senator John Hoffman and his wife Yvette in my prayers. My deepest sympathies go out to their families, friends, and the entire Minnesota community.

“As I’ve said before, there is absolutely no place in this country for political violence. We must be a nation that values civility and mutual respect — always,” Budzinski said.

She declined further comment.

* United Food and Commercial Workers Local 881…

Local 881 United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) endorsed Robert Peters for Congress in Illinois’ 2nd Congressional District on Tuesday. Local 881 represents 34,000 hard-working members across Illinois, including thousands in the district, in grocery, retail, pharmacy, cannabis, food processing, and other essential industries.

“Robert Peters has always been a champion for working people,” said Local 881 UFCW President Steve Powell. “He understands the challenges our members face, from wages and health care to safe working conditions and dignity on the job. We need his voice fighting for us in Washington.”

As a current Illinois State Senator and longtime organizer, Peters has stood shoulder to shoulder with labor, advocating for fair pay, strong unions, and a people-first economy. His campaign for Congress centers working families, racial and economic justice, health equity, and a bold vision for the future of Illinois and the nation.

“I’m proud to receive the support of Local 881,” said Peters. “Their members—essential workers who keep our communities going—deserve more than lip service. I will continue standing for their right to organize, earn a living wage, and build a better life for their families as we fight back against Trump’s onslaught against working people.”

* The state headquarters building in Chicago experienced a power surge today. This email was sent out by CMS at noon…

555 W. Monroe just experience a power surge. Power has been fully restored to the building; however, we are in the process of manually switching power back on throughout the building. The surge effected the elevators, and we are working to have the power restored quickly. If you need to exit the building during this time, please take the stairs to the ground level. We will keep everyone informed as we work through this situation.

Several employees went home to work remotely, we’re told.

*** Statehouse News ***

* Press Release | Illinois governor signs bill, delays implementation for state interchange act: “Credit unions across Illinois applaud Governor Pritzker for his swift action in signing House Bill 742, extending the effective date of the Interchange Fee Prohibition Act,” said Ashley Sharp, senior vice president of state advocacy and legislative Counsel for the Illinois Credit Union League. “While litigation challenging the law proceeds, it is imperative to provide relief to credit unions, local banks, Main Street businesses and consumers throughout the state of Illinois – all who stand to be negatively impacted by this law.”

*** Statewide ***

* WaPo | Maps show the cities about to experience extreme humidity and heat: Chicago: Maximum humidity level: Very high: High humidity will develop Tuesday, becoming very high Wednesday, when strong-to-severe storms are possible. After a brief break Thursday, humidity levels will surge from Friday through next week as a period of dangerous heat arrives. … St. Louis: Maximum humidity level: Extreme: High to extreme humidity levels show no signs of letting up through next week. This will fuel strong-to-severe thunderstorms on Wednesday. A period of excessive heat is forecast to arrive on Saturday.

* Tribune | Photos: Our Route 66 road trip: As the 100th anniversary of Route 66 approaches in 2026, join Pulitzer Prize winners Jonathan Bullington and E. Jason Wambsgans as they spotlight the stops and people who live along America’s highway. Route 66 was created to connect us, a fused chain of existing roadways many unpaved that stretched 2,448 miles across eight states and three time zones, starting steps from Lake Michigan in downtown Chicago and ending near the Pacific Ocean and Santa Monica’s famed fishing pier.

*** Chicago ***

* Injustice Watch | Pilsen tenants followed the law in withholding rent. They were forced to move out anyway.: By the time three Pilsen tenants began writing letters to their landlord requesting repairs in May 2023, water was dripping from the ceiling of a third-floor hallway even on sunny days. “Right outside my unit, there is water leakage from the fourth floor and damage in floorboards due to oversaturation,” wrote Cristina Miranda, one of the tenants, who just months earlier had moved into the four-story building on the southern edge of the trendy Mexican neighborhood. “This water leakage is random and independent from rainy weather,” Miranda wrote.

* Block Club | Chicago Police Have Failed To Solve More Homicides. Could A New Law Help?: The late May passage of the Illinois Homicide Data Transparency Act — which will require law enforcement to track and publish detailed, standardized homicide reports — was welcome news to gun reform advocates in Chicago, a city where many shooting survivors say they distrust police. That distrust exists, in part, because Chicago Police typically solve gun crimes at lower rates than their counterparts in other cities, and they report their clearance rates in a way that tends to inflate their track record.

* WGN | Illinois Congressmen visit immigration facility in South Loop as Trump orders ICE to increase deportation efforts: Two Illinois Congressmen, U.S. Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi (8th District) and U.S. Rep. Jonathan Jackson (1st District), visited the ISAP (Intensive Supervision Appearance Program) office in the South Loop on Tuesday. The immigration office is run by ICE officials. Several Chicago residents have received text messages to show up there. When they arrived for check-in, they were detained. […] “For ICE and Donald Trump to specifically target Chicago for these types of raids and these types of fraudulent text scams to get people to come in, only to be snatched away, is wrong,” the congressman said.

* The federal legislators entered the ISAP office but were denied access once inside…

.@rep_jackson and I were just denied entry to the South Loop ICE facility in Chicago.

We went to ask questions and perform congressional oversight of potential illegal ICE activities as Donald Trump's administration targets immigrant communities.

More to come. pic.twitter.com/ufrHr1k2dl

— Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi (@CongressmanRaja) June 17, 2025

…Adding… Statement from Krishnamoorthi…

“People in Illinois are confused, scared, and deserve answers,” Congressman Krishnamoorthi said. “It is my responsibility as an elected member of the United States Congress to conduct oversight of this center and get answers for our neighbors and constituents. These raids are not isolated incidents. The facility leadership’s decision to deny me entry into the center is disappointing and outrageous, and I will continue to demand information from ICE personnel to ensure everyone’s rights to due process are being upheld – as is the law.”

On Monday, a man was arrested and detained by ICE agents in Elgin, located in Congressman Krishnamoorthi’s congressional district, despite having no previous criminal record and having lived and worked in Elgin for 12 years.

…Adding… Sun-Times…

“We made it through the double doors into the facility. We talked to an ICE officer who refused to identify himself. He was wearing a mask to obscure his identity. We asked for his name. We asked for his badge. He refused,” Krishnamoorthi said. “He then called Chicago Police to evict us from the property as trespassers. This is federally paid property. We should be able to conduct oversight here, and we’re going to insist following this visit on doing just that.”

Jackson said police officers were “gracious and kind,” and he called them “conflicted.”

“What you’re beginning to see is the officers are conflicted. He was calling the police on two members of Congress and said that we were trespassing,” Jackson said. “This is a federal contractor in the 1st District, and there’s been some really slimy and scammy things that have happened with text messages and people being picked up. We came here simply to ask.”

Krishnamoorthi said “several people” from Elgin, in his district, have received texts to show up to an ICE office. Jackson said two constituents have reached out to his office about missing family members.

* Block Club | MAT Asphalt Complaints Continue Even After Mitigation Technology Installed Last April: Over the last year, the Chicago Department of Public Health (CDPH) has received more than two dozen air pollution complaints against MAT Asphalt and ticketed the facility for environmental ordinance violations, according to records obtained by Borderless Magazine. In a handful of instances, inspectors have identified odors escaping from the plant and trucks when loaded with asphalt, a petroleum-based material, according to environmental inspection records.

* Tribune | Ald. Jim Gardiner cleared of ethics charge, $20k fine; ethics board chair stepping down: It’s a rare win in a string of other controversies for the alderman. Czosnyka and others won a $157,500 settlement after claiming Gardiner unfairly blocked critics from his official Facebook page, which was paid in part by the alderman and partly with taxpayer dollars. Taxpayers also had to pick up the tab for a separate $100,000 settlement to a man that claimed Gardiner had him wrongfully arrested. Gardiner also publicly apologized for what he described as “offensive” texts using derogatory language against City Council colleagues and women.

* Tribune | Chicago police still seeking suspect in foot chase that led to shooting death of Officer Krystal Rivera: Meanwhile, investigators with the Civilian Office of Police Accountability continue to probe the gunshot that resulted in Rivera’s on-duty death, CPD’s first of 2025. In the moments after the chase, Rivera was shot and killed by her own partner, authorities have said. […] With no time to wait for an ambulance, Rivera was placed into a squad car to be driven to University of Chicago Medical Center. During the trip to the hospital, though, the police vehicle caught fire and Rivera was transferred to a different squad car. She was pronounced dead at the hospital. In the chaos, the suspect who prompted the stop was able to escape. A Police Department spokesperson told the Tribune that they remained at large.

* Crain’s | With latest deal, United Center owners cross $100M in land purchases: A venture controlled by the Reinsdorf and Wirtz families, which co-own the Near West Side venue, paid just more than $12 million late last month for a surface parking lot and brick building at the southeast corner of Washington Boulevard and Damen Avenue, according to Cook County property records. The entity bought the property from an affiliate of Red Top Parking, a longtime operator of parking lots near the United Center that has sold other land nearby to the team owners in recent years.

* Sun-Times | Chicago public pools to open 7 days a week for first time since COVID-19 closings: The outlook this summer is for above-average temperatures and intense humidity, according to Illinois State Climatologist Trent Ford. Chicagoans will get the first taste of extreme heat this weekend when temperatures are forecast above 90 degrees and humidity levels are expected to be oppressive, Ford said. It’s been a cool June so far.

* Sun-Times | Earl Moses, ‘true newsman,’ former Sun-Times editor, dies at 94: Moses, a respected Chicago newspaperman, died May 24 at his home in Torrance, California. He was 94. […] Moses joined the Sun-Times in 1962, rising from reporter to night city editor, then city editor, assistant managing editor, assistant to the personnel director and assistant to the editor before taking early retirement in 1988 after suffering a stroke. “My dad was a true newsman. The Sun-Times was his life,” said Matthew Moses, who remembers his father interacting with colleagues. “Roger Flaherty, Leon Pitt, I remember their confidence. They saw through all the bs going on in the city. It was fun watching them hang out, hearing them swap stories. That made him a superhero in my eyes.”

*** Cook County and Suburbs ***

* Daily Southtown | Students complained about Bloom Trail teacher years before sexual assault charges brought, records show: Records obtained from District 206 show Giglio was placed on paid administrative leave for an investigation on the same day the district was served with a lawsuit, May 14, 2024. The school board voted to terminate his employment July 8, 2024. In February 2021, a person stating they were a parent of a Bloom Trail student sent the district an anonymous email listing concerns with Giglio’s behavior. The parent claimed to have contacted Bloom Trail Principal Glynis Keene with concerns in December 2020 and wanted to know why Giglio was still teaching.

* Daily Herald | Hoffman Estates approves $385,000 purchase of TIF-funded land: The redevelopment includes the land on the southeast corner of Barrington road and the Interstate 90 tollway which is adjacent to the village’s public works maintenance garage. Although 11 acres of land were purchased, not all are usable, which resulted in the affordable price, according to village manager Eric Palm.

* Daily Herald | Indivisible Elk Grove Township’s inaugural event draws 6,000: One of the Indivisible Movement’s newest chapters, Indivisible Elk Grove Township, hosted their first event on June 14 in Arlington Heights to join with millions of protesters nationwide who gathered on Flag Day to demand an end to executive overreach and to reclaim a country that is governed according to the Constitution by We the People. Lynne S, the Indivisible Elk Grove Township chapter’s founder, attributes the overwhelming success of this event to many factors. “We had an incredible lineup of speakers headlined by U.S. Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi and including state Rep. Mary Beth Canty (54th), state Rep. Nicole Grasse (53rd), County Commissioner Kevin Morrison (15th) and Jesse Rojo (Illinois Veterans for Change) among others.”

* Daily Herald | Ex-chief to get $99,210 from Wheeling in separation deal: Former Wheeling Police Chief Jamie Dunne will receive more than $99,200 from the village when he officially retires in a few weeks. Dunne will get a one-time, lump payment of nearly $86,305 within 14 days of his July 4 retirement, documents indicate. He’ll also receive a $12,905 payment for his employee-sponsored retirement account. Additionally, Dunne is due unspecified payment for earned but unused vacation time and personal time. The payments are part of a separation agreement approved by the village board Monday night. The deal was authorized without public discussion as part of the consent agenda, which is reserved for routine matters.

*** Downstate ***

* WGLT | Bloomington looks to adopt new housing rehabilitation strategy: The proposed Housing Rehabilitation Program, part of a larger neighborhood revitalization effort, was presented publicly for the first time during Monday’s Committee of the Whole meeting. Cordaryl Patrick, the city’s community impact and enhancement director, said estimates indicate Bloomington has about 300-400 properties that are currently vacant and derelict and would be targeted by the initiative.

* Capitol City Now | District 186: Scope makes progress: The rising cost of before- and after-school care in District 186 is a concern administrator Terrance Jordan is feeling. The popular Scope program now must be self-sufficient, after the administration’s attempt to transfer it to the YMCA failed. “Currently, if they don’t receive CCC, which is Community Child Care Connection, that price is $115 per child,” said the district’s Terrance Jordan, “and we have received emails from concerned parents about that increase and how it may be pricing them out.”

* WSIL | T-Mobile grant to enhance safety and access in Carbondale: The City of Carbondale has been awarded a $46,000 Hometown Grant from T-Mobile. This makes Carbondale one of just 25 communities nationwide and one of two in Illinois to receive this grant in the latest funding round. […] The grant will fund the installation of decorative wayfinding signage along the Downtown-Campus Connector and decorative alleyway lighting in three key downtown locations. These improvements will enhance connectivity and safety between Southern Illinois University (SIU) and downtown Carbondale.

* WCIA | Vehicle drives into Baskin-Robbins in Springfield; two hospitalized: In a Facebook post Tuesday afternoon, Springfield Fire Fighters Local 37 said they responded to a vehicle impacting the Baskin-Robbins at the intersection of S MacArthur Blvd. and W Laurel St. As a result, two occupants of the vehicle were taken to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries. Additionally, nobody inside of the Baskin-Robbins nor the neighboring business were hurt in this incident, and everyone involved has been accounted for.

* WSIL | Anna, IL to boost accessibility with $2.1M transportation grant: “We’re pleased to receive this money from ITEP and excited to put these dollars to work in our community,” said City Administrator Dori Bigler. “The multi-use path to Walmart will improve accessibility while increasing safety for residents and visitors alike.” The path will extend from the intersection of Springfield Avenue and East Vienna Street to Walmart. Anna is among 66 projects statewide receiving funding, with a total of $139.2 million awarded through the Illinois Department of Transportation.

*** National ***

* Lexis Nexis | Will Genetic Privacy Concerns Raised by 23andMe’s Collapse Last?: In the wake of 23andMe’s bankruptcy announcement, attorneys general in Alabama, Arizona, California, Kentucky, New Hampshire, North Carolina and Texas all issued warnings to their residents about the company’s collapse and encouraged them to delete any genetic data held by the company. In the wake of 23andMe’s bankruptcy announcement, attorneys general in Alabama, Arizona, California, Kentucky, New Hampshire, North Carolina and Texas all issued warnings to their residents about the company’s collapse and encouraged them to delete any genetic data held by the company. […] This month, 27 states and the District of Columbia filed a lawsuit seeking to prevent 23andMe from selling customers’ genetic data without obtaining their “explicit consent” first.

* Nielsen | Streaming Reaches Historic TV Milestone, Eclipses Combined Broadcast and Cable Viewing For First Time: Streaming reached a historic milestone in May as its share of total television usage outpaced the combined share of broadcast and cable for the first time ever, according to Nielsen’s monthly report of The Gauge™. Streaming represented 44.8% of TV viewership in May 2025, its largest share of viewing to date, while broadcast (20.1%) and cable (24.1%) combined to represent 44.2% of TV.

* TPM | Senate Republicans Propose Gutting Medicaid Further To Make Trump Tax Cuts Permanent: Committee Republicans propose steeper cuts to certain programs, including Medicaid and the Child Tax Credit, in order to make President Donald Trump’s 2017 tax cuts permanent. The panel has also proposed a slower phase out on the Biden-era clean energy tax credits, though experts point out the overall effect would still be equal to gutting the clean energy incentives. Many Senate Republicans have vocalized issues with a handful of provisions in the House version of the bill — Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) has warned against a “full-scale repeal” of current energy tax credits; Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MS) has made some noise about cutting Medicaid; Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) goes back-and-forth daily about whether he’s content with the federal spending cuts outlined in the bill.

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Today’s must-read

Tuesday, Jun 17, 2025 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Janelle O’Dea at the Illinois Answers Project…

[Cahokia Heights] is among five dozen communities in Southern Illinois and the Metro East that account for a third of sanitary sewer overflows reported to the state of Illinois within the last decade, according to data from the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency. Unless authorized by a permit, sewer overflows into U.S. waters are violations of the U.S. Clean Water Act, which the Illinois EPA enforces. […]

As of 2020 when an engineering report on sewer repairs was completed, Cahokia Heights needed to repair or replace at least 800 feet of sewer pipes, six sections of water main, 19 fire hydrants, eight lift stations, and more than 50 pump stations according to grant applications submitted the following year.

The estimated cost: more than $24 million.

A third of the majority-Black population of Cahokia Heights lives below the poverty line. The community’s median household income is $37,975 — less than half of the state’s median.

Infrastructure repairs are just crazy expensive in this country, partly because of the paperwork…

When applying for a grant, cities have to provide information about how the money will be spent and preparing those plans isn’t cheap. For example, preliminary engineering on two parts of the sewer system over the last two years cost the city more than $400,000, according to invoices from Hurst-Roche, a Hillsboro-based engineering firm.

* And in this case, they may be throwing good money after bad…

The sewer system in Cahokia Heights as a whole is still broken and the overflows happen despite repairs. Attorneys with Equity Legal Services, who represent citizens of Cahokia Heights in multiple lawsuits, said residents report that repairs are made but fail within weeks or months.

Other repairs made flooding worse in some residents’ yards and houses.

Last summer during a storm, Norris’ house was surrounded by water for six weeks, and another resident was without hot water for over two weeks after the flood destroyed her hot water tank, according to the complaint filed by attorneys. Within a week, St. Clair County, where Cahokia Heights is located, was declared a disaster zone by the U.S. government.

Lots, lots more, so go read the rest.

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Trump official: Chicago is next for militarized immigration crackdown ‘if they go too far’

Tuesday, Jun 17, 2025 - Posted by Isabel Miller

* Earlier this week, President Trump directed ICE to expand deportations in Chicago, and other Democratic-run cities. Block Club Chicago…

Trump’s order comes at an already tense time: Chicago saw tens of thousands of people march against the president and his anti-immigrant policies at Saturday’s No Kings rally, local leaders are bracing for more immigration raids, Mayor Brandon Johnson has called on Chicagoans to “resist” immigration enforcement and local officials question the legality of recent detainments of immigrants.

Trump praised Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents while ordering them to “expand efforts to detain and deport Illegal Aliens in America’s largest cities,” which he called “the core of the Democrat Power Center.” […]

It is unclear just how many people locally have been affected by the Trump administration’s raids and detainments, as ICE has refused to provide accurate data or respond to various records requests.

* Rolling Stone…

As President Donald Trump calls on Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to ramp up arrests and deportations in America’s biggest cities, because they are the “Democrat Power Center,” he and his administration are eyeing Illinois for the next militarized crackdown.

“Chicago is next, if they go too far,” a senior Trump administration official tells Rolling Stone. “The second they do, the president is prepared to prove that nobody is above the law.”

Senior administration officials are “closely monitoring” the anti-Trump and anti-ICE protest movement in Chicago, according to two Trump officials and another source familiar with the matter. The administration is reviewing federal intelligence memos and informal law enforcement reports about activities on the ground. Officials say they are also focused on developments since the city’s progressive mayor, Brandon Johnson, told citizens to “rise up” against the president’s immigration crackdowns. […]

Mayor Johnson responded to Rolling Stone questions with a statement defending the “tens of thousands of Chicagoans” who joined last weekend’s peaceful protest of “the authoritarian tactics of the Trump administration.” He insisted that Trump’s “twisted and depraved mandates” to meet “arbitrary” deportation “quotas” have nothing to do with Chicago’s security. “Ripping families apart and disappearing people do not make our cities safer,” Johnson said. “These unconstitutional actions incite fear in our immigrant communities and cause more problems than they solve.” He continued: “Chicagoans know that immigrants are a critical part of the rich social fabric of our city. We will always fight for the rights and dignity of all Chicagoans [and] continue to work with community-based organizations and legal groups to ensure that all Chicagoans know their rights.”

* Alice Yin asked Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson about the threat earlier today…

Yin: The senior Trump official in Rolling Stone said Chicago is next if they go too far. How are you interpreting that and what would be your administration’s plan of action if Trump makes good on his threat to send the military here?

Johnson: I’m not going to speculate what someone means. I don’t think that would be responsible. I can only control the things that I have jurisdiction and purview over. Standing up for civil rights in the city of Chicago is a long tradition in history. Just a few feet away from this room, Dr. King and Al Raby looked right into the eyes of Richard J. Daley and challenged him to do more around housing. Protest is something that has allowed for this room to exist, Black, Brown, White, Asian, women. So we have to go as far as necessary to protect our Constitution and our democracy.

And so whatever is necessary, we should all be committed to doing just that, anything short of protecting our democracy would really be a poor display of our appreciation of our ancestors.

As far as what this administration has been allowed to get away with we have put forth lawsuits, of which we’ve seen some success there. We will continue to move policy that protects the interests of working people, and we’ll make sure that the people of this city know their rights.

It’s clear that the Trump administration expects people to behave ignorantly. That’s not who we are, and so whether it’s making sure that our residents know what their constitutional rights are, moving policy or moving at the legal level in the courts, we’ll do whatever is necessary to ensure that the sensibility of our democracy is still intact.

Yin: Last week, your Law Department said the city did hand over some documents to ICE as part of its subpoena on streets and [sanitation] seeking employment eligibility records. Did these records contain any personal information?

Corporation Counsel Mary Richardson-Lowry: We received two requests on that through administrative warrants.

What we said was, with respect to City Key that we decline to provide documentation.

There was another administrative warrant category for streets and [sanitation], where, under federal law, we had an obligation to at least provide a listing, and that information was provided without the kind of detail that you just referenced.

* WGN’s Courtney Spinelli sat down with Sam Olson, field director of Chicago’s ICE field office yesterday…

When asked what Chicago ICE officials have been directed to do and what people can expect to see, Olson said officers will be in the streets, seven days a week, working to enforce immigration law.

“We have, unfortunately, a lot of targets to go after. There’s a lot of people who are here, that are here illegally with criminal convictions, here with final orders of removal and our officers are out there daily,” Olson said. […]

Spinelli: “Border czar Tom Homan initially said it was a priority to go after dangerous criminals, but we have seen some examples, like the enforcement and detentions at ISAP check-ins, people who activists claim were not doing anything wrong, that were already under supervision. What’s the response to that, and why now with those folks that may not have a criminal history?”

Olson: “With immigration, like I said, there’s a lot of people that we have the ability to target; our authorities are kind of wide-ranging. While we’re focusing on a lot of the criminals, there are a subset of those who are here illegally that have final orders of removal that were maybe on some type of reporting procedure, but at some point, they’ve already been already ordered removed by a judge, so again, we’re just enforcing that order.” […]

Olson was asked whether people who have no orders of removal need to be worried, especially if they are being notified of ISAP check-ins.

“I can’t tell people how to be worried, the idea is that everybody probably knows what their status is in the U.S.,” Olson said. “If you’re here without status, but you’re going through a process, the issue is we’re not going to remove somebody who is not amendable to removal, right, we have to follow that law, how we do these removals.

* Governor Pritzker was asked about Trump’s order yesterday during a press availability. NBC Chicago…

“We do know ICE is coming once again in force to cities across the country, so we expect to see them in Chicago. I don’t know exactly how big the force will be, but I do know he has used other law enforcement along with ICE to carry out his ill-conceived mission to go after people who frankly are paying taxes and they’re law-abiding and they’ve been here for many, many years,” [Pritzker] said.

Despite claims by the Trump administration, enforcement operations have not been focused on those with criminal records. According to data obtained by NBC News, of the more than 51,000 migrants currently in ICE detention, less than 30% had criminal convictions on their records. Roughly half of the individuals deported by the U.S. in the month of February had no criminal charges or convictions, and more than half of individuals currently detained in the U.S. have not been charged or convicted with a crime.

Being in the United States without legal status is a civil infraction, not a criminal one, according to the American Immigration Council.

“Those are the wrong people to be going after,” Pritzker said of detaining those without criminal charges or convictions. “We ought to go after the violent criminals. People who get convicted of violent crimes who are undocumented should be thrown out of this country, and that’s not what they’re doing.”

* If you watch the video, you’ll see at least three FBI special agents were involved in this arrest…

'Neighbors were crying': Video shows federal agents struggling to pull man from vehicle during ICE arrest on residential Elgin street. https://t.co/R3NN3dxgqi pic.twitter.com/QhBRubErkg

— Eric Horng (@EricHorngABC7) June 17, 2025

According to news reports, the arrested man’s family claims he had no criminal record.

…Adding… South Side Weekly…

In the morning of Wednesday, June 4, immigrants arrived at the Intensive Supervision Appearance Program (ISAP) office in Chicago’s South Loop after they received an unexpected notice to appear for a check-in appointment. Apparently, it was a trap.

These ten people, who had been complying with ICE surveillance, according to advocates and attorneys, were detained on the spot by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) officials in what witnesses described as a chaotic scene. […]

This new enforcement tactic comes as the Trump administration set goals for ICE to make an increasing number of daily arrests. These heightened enforcement actions that include the deployment of the National Guard in California and threats by the administration to deploy them in Illinois, contributed to sparking mass protests across the country demanding an end to deportations and detentions. […]

ICE claimed the ten individuals they detained at ISAP had final orders of removal, meaning an immigration judge has determined a non U.S. citizen must leave the country. However, Xanat Sobrevilla from OCAD said otherwise.

“It’s a lie. The people here are all not in final orders of removal. They are folks that were complying. They are not the people they are trying to paint,” she said.

* Related…

ABC Chicago | Video shows federal agents rip Elgin man without criminal record from pickup truck, his partner says:

* WTTW | Chicago to Stop Accepting Online Applications for Municipal IDs After ICE Subpoena, City Clerk Says: Chicago will no longer allow residents to apply online for a municipal identification card after U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials subpoenaed records identifying applicants for the ID, known as the City Key, City Clerk Anna Valencia announced Saturday. “This was a tough decision as this program serves a number of vulnerable populations that rely on the accessibility of City Key, and ultimately, that’s also the reason I’m pausing our online platform,” Valencia said in a statement.

* WTTW | Chicago Immigrant Advocates Demand End to ‘Deceptive’ ICE Raids, Reminds Communities to Know Their Rights: “As news spreads about militarized ICE teams carrying out Trump’s agenda of hate on the streets of Chicago, so too does the fear among our community members,” ICIRR Executive Director Lawrence Benito said during the Thursday news conference. Mayor Brandon Johnson’s chief of staff Cristina Pacione-Zayas said during a Wednesday news briefing the mayor’s office has received word that federal immigration agents have been told to be ready to deploy, with ICE tactical units expected to target workplaces in Chicago this week.

* WTVO | Mayor McNamara urges calm amid possible ICE presence in Rockford: In a recorded video posted to the City’s Facebook page, McNamara said, “We’ve reached out to every law enforcement agency that we possibly can. right now, we have no agency confirm that they have been part of the activity that took place this morning in southwest Rockford.”

19 Comments

Roundup: Pritzker signs FY26 budget

Tuesday, Jun 17, 2025 - Posted by Isabel Miller

* Capitol News Illinois has a solid budget story…

Gov. JB Pritzker signed Illinois’ fiscal year 2026 budget into law Monday, taking shots at President Donald Trump’s budget management to defend hard choices state lawmakers were forced to make this year.

The $55.1 billion spending plan set to take effect July 1 is the largest in state history and is supported by $55.3 billion in anticipated revenue, including more than $700 million in new taxes and more than $500 million in one-time revenues. […]

The budget’s passage came after months of discussion about closing an initially projected $3 billion deficit and growing concerns about Trump’s treatment of state funding in Washington. Pritzker, a possible 2028 presidential candidate, used Monday’s budget signing ceremony in Chicago as an opportunity to draw a contrast between his and Trump’s budgets. […]

Pritzker and other Democratic leaders acknowledged that crafting the FY26 budget was challenging but continues to make investments Democrats believe are priorities. Discretionary spending will increase by less than 1% in FY26, Pritzker said. Despite the minimal increase, the FY26 budget still spends about $2 billion more than FY25.

* Sun-Times…

Those decisions included some $400 million in cuts to state programs, with wholesale slashing of immigrant health care spending, while squeezing big corporations, online sportsbooks and nicotine users for more tax revenue.

But the state is still managing to increase K-12 education funding by $307 million, go beyond its required pension payment, add to the state’s “rainy day” fund and maintain “core investments for Illinois families, without raising their taxes,” Pritzker said.

“That’s hard to do while balancing the budget, but we did. Not everyone can say that,” Pritzker said before signing the budget package at a West Loop state office. “The Trump administration is spending wildly on tax cuts for their wealthy friends, while the Republicans in Congress are voting to gut health care and food assistance for working parents, for seniors and children.

“The Trump slump is affecting the entire nation,” Pritzker said. “You’re seeing red states and blue states across the country struggle this year, forced to grapple with lagging national economic growth estimates due to high tariffs and bad policy choices in Washington.”

* Some context from the Kaiser Family Foundation on the “Trump slump” Pritzker referenced…

Last month House Republicans passed a sweeping legislative package that combined tax cuts with other legislative priorities of President Trump. Known as the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” the tax and budget bill contains health care provisions which include significant changes to the Medicaid program and the Affordable Care Act (ACA). […]

While the legislation continues to be debated as the debate moves from the House to the Senate, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) released their report estimating the legislation would increase the number of adults without health insurance by more than 10 million and reduce federal spending on Medicaid by almost $800 billion. In addition, several Republican Senators have said they oppose the provision in the House-passed legislation that freezes states’ provider taxes at their current rate and prohibits states from establishing new provider taxes because of the negative impact it may have on rural hospitals.

Reflecting these ongoing discussions, public attitudes towards the legislation are dynamic and can shift after hearing some of these details. For example, public support for the legislation drops 14 percentage points to 21% after hearing that the legislation would decrease funding for local hospitals. In addition, three-fourths of the public (74%) have an unfavorable view of the legislation after hearing that the bill would increase the number of people without health insurance by about 10 million.

On the other hand, hearing that the bill would reduce federal spending on Medicaid by more than $700 billion seemingly has no impact on public opinion with two-thirds still holding unfavorable views of the bill after hearing this.

* Crain’s…

Illinois would see a decrease in health care spending of $22.2 billion over 10 years under the budget reconciliation measure, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, passed by the U.S. House and now before the Senate, according to an analysis by the Urban Institute and Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

In addition to the impact to people on Medicaid and Affordable Care Act policies, the blow to hospital and other provider revenue will be drastic, the analysis predicts.

The Illinois breakdown among health care sectors shows hospitals in the state would see $9.2 billion less in the next decade, physicians would see a $2.2 billion decrease and federal payment for prescriptions would fall $5.2 billion, with another $5.7 billion split among other categories.

Of the $797 billion in reductions in the federal bill over the next decade, the report said, Illinois is one of nine states that would see a drop of more than $20 billion.

* Back to Capitol News Illinois for more on Illinois’ budget…

The largest sum of new taxes – $336 million – are on businesses outside of Illinois that lawmakers call “leveling the playing field” and will require businesses to pay more income tax to the state on their profits.

Consumers will face new taxes on specific items, including taxes on tobacco, vaping and other nicotine products, which are increasing to 45% to raise $50 million. An existing telecommunications tax will also rise from 7% to 8.65% and raise $49 million to fund the statewide 988 hotline.

A new tax on sports bets will charge betting sites 25 cents for the first 20 million wagers and 50 cents for each bet following that. It’s projected to raise $36 million. Sports betting sites FanDuel and DraftKings have both announced they will implement 50-cent transaction fees on Illinois customers in response to the tax.

Short-term rentals will have to begin paying the state’s hotel operator’s tax. The charge is already applied to hotels in the state, and Airbnb already pays it voluntarily, but more companies like Vrbo will now be required to pay the tax expected to raise an additional $10 million.

A pair of tax amnesty programs are expected to raise $228 million. Those programs are meant to incentivize taxpayers to pay overdue taxes.

* Tribune…

Barring a decision to convene this summer, state lawmakers aren’t scheduled to return to Springfield until their annual fall session, when they could address the transit fiscal cliff. Depending on the outcome of the federal budget currently being negotiated by Republican lawmakers in Washington, Illinois legislators may also need to discuss changes in federal funding to the state or impacts to Illinoisans, such as potential cuts to Medicaid.

The budget package signed by Pritzker after passage by Democratic allies in the legislature included funding for a number of capital projects. Despite the fiscal challenges, the plan includes $8.2 billion in new spending on infrastructure projects, which are separate from the operating budget and funded by dedicated taxes and borrowing.

Republicans, none of whom voted for the budget package, again complained that they received nowhere near the money for large projects accorded their colleagues across the aisle.

* More…

NYT | Senate Bill Would Make Deep Cuts to Medicaid, Setting Up Fight With House:

* Patch | Rep. Spain: Dem Budget Sets Table for More Tax Hikes: “The FY 26 state budget package was passed in the middle of the night after Democrats once again conspired behind closed doors. Their process was so opaque, the Democrats presenting the budget bills couldn’t even answer more than a dozen questions. How are the people of Illinois expected to trust that the government is spending their tax dollars wisely when the process is so lacking in transparency that even the sponsors don’t know critical information?

* WRAM | Hammond Statement on Gov. Pritzker’s Budget Signing: “The tax-and-spend budget that Governor Pritzker just approved is completely irresponsible. It’s a $55 billion budget that relies on $1 billion in new taxes and fund sweeps and hundreds of millions of dollars in Road Fund diversions. What’s in this budget? Pay raises for politicians. Nearly $250 million in pork projects for Democratic legislators aka the ‘Democratic Majority Slush Fund’ and an additional $100 million slush fund for the Governor.

* Center Square | Enacting largest IL budget ever with tax increases, Pritzker criticizes Trump: Meeting with the leader of the G7 Monday, President Donald Trump was asked about immigration enforcement and paused to criticize Pritzker. “I look at Chicago and you’ve got a really bad governor in Chicago, and a bad mayor, but the governor is probably the worst in the country, Pritzker,” Trump said.

* NBC Chicago | As Pritzker signs Illinois budget, here’s what’s in, what’s out and other notes: Pritzker used reduced appropriations in one of the budget bills as a corrective measure, saying that the amounts had been duplicated. That move reduced the amount of spending in the final budget agreement by just over $161 million. The series of bills also called for a deposit of $161 million in the state’s “rainy day” fund, which Pritzker says will contain nearly $2.5 billion by the end of the next fiscal year.

* Journal Courier | Governor signs next budget, JDC demolition money is included: Among many items in the budget is the inclusion of $300 million that will be split among five dilapidated, state-owned sites, including Jacksonville Developmental Center, which has been abandoned since 2012. Since its closure, the 134-acre property has been host to fires, vandalism and complaints about its appearance.

* Daily Herald | Illinois’ $55.2 billion budget ‘incomplete,’ Civic Federation president says: “It’s an incomplete budget,” Civic Federation President Joe Ferguson told Capitol News Illinois. “It does not add in any meaningful way to discuss any structural issues the state has. It’s a maintenance budget.” Ferguson said a key reason for that is at least $271 million in fund sweeps used to balance the general revenue fund. Fund sweeps occur when lawmakers dip into lesser-known and underutilized funds outside the main general fund to use as a source of revenue for the fiscal year. This year’s budget also pauses several transfers to keep certain dollars available in the general fund for use this year.

9 Comments

It’s just a bill

Tuesday, Jun 17, 2025 - Posted by Isabel Miller

* Illinois Drivers Alliance…

In a historic breakthrough to transform the rideshare industry and to improve the lives of drivers across the state, the Illinois Drivers Alliance – a coalition powered by drivers and anchored by SEIU Local 1 and IAM Local 701 – announced on Monday that it will file legislation that will at last secure bargaining rights for the more than 100,000 estimated rideshare drivers who reside in Illinois. At the same time, the coalition also announced that after years of grassroots pressure and mobilization, including many protests and rallies aimed at the largest companies in the rideshare industry, Uber has now agreed not to oppose bargaining rights for rideshare drivers in Illinois.

For years, rideshare drivers in Illinois have been united in their demand to have the right to form a union and to bargain with rideshare industry giants. Thousands of drivers have attended rallies, protests, and regular events and meetings organized by SEIU Local 1, IAM Local 701, the Chicago Gig Alliance, among others. Many of these demonstrations and protests, some outside Uber headquarters and others at key rideshare locations like the airport, have been focused on demanding that the companies agree to respect the rights of workers to unionize and bargain for better wages and stronger working conditions.

The victory for drivers in winning such a condition from the company follows another major victory for drivers in Massachusetts, where rideshare drivers secured bargaining rights by passing a ballot referendum in November 2024. That referendum was backed by thousands of rideshare drivers who had been organizing with SEIU and the IAM. It drew support not only from a majority of voters but also countless community and religious allies who understood that workers could not wait any longer to gain the right to unionize in the rideshare industry.

The breakthrough is partly the result of years of organizing by the members of the Illinois Drivers Alliance and the Chicago Gig Alliance to advance the Chicago Rideshare Living Wage and Safety Ordinance, which, until now, had been set to face a vote in the City Council this week.

Due to loopholes and restrictions in current federal labor regulations, state-level legislation needs to be passed in order to allow rideshare drivers to bargain to improve pay and working conditions.

“This breakthrough would not have been possible without the courage and efforts of drivers shining the light on their safety and working conditions. The Illinois Drivers Alliance, the Chicago Gig Alliance, and their many allies, along with Workforce Committee Chair Ald. Michael Rodriguez (22) laid the groundwork by pushing the envelope at the city level. That forced the largest rideshare company in Illinois to begin reckoning with the fact that opposing bargaining was an untenable position in our city and our state,” said Illinois Drivers Alliance leader and IAM Midwest Territory Special Representative Ronnie Gonzalez. “Ald. Rodriguez’s dedication to improving the lives of workers was essential in paving the way for this unprecedented agreement and the path to union rights for rideshare drivers.”

“This is a historic day for Illinois rideshare drivers, not just in Chicago but all across Illinois who are leading the fight to unionize, which would improve their working conditions, pay standards, and give them a voice on the job,” said Illinois Drivers Alliance leader and SEIU Local 1 President Genie Kastrup. “With state legislation, we will be able to reach beyond city limits to lift up hundreds of thousands of drivers across Illinois. Real change can only happen when workers have a union and a voice at the table. We’re ready to take this fight to Springfield and win the future of rideshare.” […]

Rideshare drivers with the Illinois Drivers Alliance, the Chicago Gig Alliance and their allies will now work to advance legislation in Springfield that secures union rights for drivers and establishes a statewide framework for bargaining in the rideshare industry.

While the details of the bargaining bill are being finalized, the bill is expected to draw some inspiration from reforms recently passed by ballot referendum in Massachusetts, where drivers won the right to a union in November 2024.

Click here for some background on the Massachusetts ballot referendum.

* Sun-Times…

The deal was announced Monday morning, hours before Rodriguez was set to call a vote on an ordinance that would have required drivers to be paid anytime they were logged into the app, and not just when a passenger was in the car.

But the passage of Rodriguez’s bill was not certain. He had delayed a vote on the ordinance last week to allow Council members to ask questions of representatives from Uber, Lyft and the unions.

Some alderpersons supported the ordinance they said would give drivers a living wage. Others opposed it out of fear that the price of trips would rise for hospitality workers downtown. Uber warned that the bill would have pushed the company to lay off 10,000 drivers.

Rodriguez had been negotiating for months with the unions and ride-hailing app companies over language in the ordinance. Those negotiations will now move to Springfield.

* Crain’s…

Marc Poulos, executive director for labor management relations with the Local 150, said he helped convince some aldermen to oppose the city ordinance by arguing it was a bad deal.

“Some of the drivers would have liked it and some of them wouldn’t — 15% to 20% of the drivers would have been laid off. They would have foreclosed an opportunity to get a lot more things they could have otherwise gotten,” he said.

The Local 150 will also support state legislation allowing drivers to unionize. Poulos said it’s unlikely a bill will move quickly because of the complications of imposing regulations on an industry without strict labor standards.

He also said he’s surprised Lyft has not signed the same deal as Uber, but isn’t worried about the company being able to scuttle the unionization bill.

* Tribune…

Because they are classified as independent contractors, gig drivers are excluded from the right to unionize under the National Labor Relations Act, the law that protects the right of private-sector workers in the U.S. to form unions, bargain collectively and organize without retaliation from their employers.

The kind of legislation proposed by the Drivers Alliance would allow the drivers to form a union and engage in collective bargaining, but would not go so far as to classify them as employees. Details were not yet available Monday about exactly how the workers’ union rights would be structured under such a law. […]

“There’s a split in the labor movement over those kinds of deals,” said Gali Racabi, a professor at Cornell’s School of Industrial and Labor Relations. On the one hand, Racabi said, some view the abandonment of the fight for full employee classification — and the benefits that come with it — as an unacceptable concession. […]

However, efforts to reclassify gig drivers as employees have largely failed. To supporters, deals such as the one proposed in Illinois are a recognition that “half a loaf is better than no loaf,” he said.

Thoughts?

14 Comments

Unsolicited advice

Tuesday, Jun 17, 2025 - Posted by Rich Miller

* This is a story an activist who has never been to Springfield would, and did, write. StreetsBlog Chicago…

Uber and the road construction lobby just killed Illinois’ transit funding bill, and your lawmakers let them

After months of negotiations, hearings, and community organizing, the most ambitious transit funding and reform bill Illinois has seen in decades was quietly killed. Not by voters, not by public outcry, but by notifications from Uber and Lyft.

It happened like this. Local 150 — the powerful private construction union that benefits from Illinois’ road-building contracts — which said it had “partnered” with the transit unions on funding, insisted that no toll revenue be used to support public transportation. That demand helped stall negotiations for weeks.

On May 31, in the final hours of the spring legislative session, the construction union only came on board after a last-minute addition to the transit funding bill introduced a $1.50 fee on some deliveries and a 10 percent ride-hail tax. These aren’t radical ideas. States across the country are already successfully using similar tools to support their transit systems. The fee didn’t apply to groceries, and most people already paying for delivery probably wouldn’t even notice the extra cost.

But then Uber and other gig economy giants went on the offensive anyway. Uber immediately blasted customers with a fear-mongering push notification: “SECRET tax hike… Act NOW.” [Emphasis added.] In other words, your pizza will cost more! Downstate Illinoisans will subsidize Chicagoland!

Um, no.

* The Senate Democrats were flat-out told by organized labor that a tollway surcharge would never be acceptable, and the SDems did it anyway. The idea was dropped almost immediately and replaced by a tax on deliveries, which StreetsBlog ridiculed…

"Sorry folks, we'd have liked to have picked another way to raise money for Illinois transit besides the widely reviled 'pizza tax' that didn't pass the House, but we couldn't think of any other funding sources… Wait, what?!"
🍕💰 –> 🛣️💰https://t.co/zubKrMRVf8 @capitolfax pic.twitter.com/la0pflWPVf

— Streetsblog Chicago (@streetsblogchi) June 7, 2025

* Kristine Kavanagh, Communications Director, IUOE Local 150 replied to the StreetsBlog story…

Local 150 is committed to the future of public transportation in our region. We have collaborated with over 30 labor unions and state legislators for nearly a year supporting labor-backed legislation aimed at addressing public transit’s fiscal challenges and ensuring a smarter, safer transit system. Despite reforms being introduced close to the deadline, revenue discussions were lacking, particularly in the House. Local 150 is equally disappointed that the General Assembly failed to pass the legislation. We continue to advocate for better solutions alongside LAPT and emphasize the importance of adhering to the Safe Roads Amendment to prevent critical infrastructure funding diversions. Utilizing road funds in this manner would simply shift the crisis to highways and bridges, resulting in a scenario where we once again confront deteriorating infrastructure characterized by crumbling bridges and pothole-ridden roads.

Furthermore, any attempt at diverting funding from roads and bridges shows a lack of understanding of Illinois’ public transportation system. Nearly 55% of our public transit system operates on roads and bridges rather than rails. The time for Illinois Legislators to act is now, so we can find innovative solutions that ensure a robust public transportation system and maintain the integrity of our state’s infrastructure.

* House Speaker Chris Welch weighed in during a press conference yesterday…

From day one, we have said that reforms have to come before funding. The House has been insistent that reforms have to come before funding. And we are close on reforms, but we’re not there yet, and so we don’t want to continue to talk about this in five years, in 10 years and 15 years, because the system continues to be a failing system.

The House didn’t take up the Senate bill because, as Welch previously said, the bill was dead on arrival…

“In the House, we have not talked about a way to fund the transit system because we were committed to reforms first,” he said. “The Senate knew the bill they were proposing would be dead on arrival because we haven’t even discussed funding sources in the House.”

The House Democrats took this position despite the fact that organized labor, including Local 150, was fully on board with the Senate bill. And Uber’s astroturf lobbying was just not a factor. It wasn’t moving anyway.

* Gov. Pritzker yesterday…

I’d also like just to point out that there are a lot of contributors to the solution here. I know there are people who say, ‘Well, this is the cliff, and here’s the amount of money, and what is the state going to do to fill that gap?’ And the answer is not that the state is solely responsible for filling that gap. There are lots of sources right, the counties where their residents were affected, the City of Chicago, Cook County, too, and the riders themselves, as well as the efficiencies that need to be brought to the system.

And you have to put all of that together and determine how much money that the state should be putting forward. And I think that, you know, I just want to point out that everybody’s focusing only on the state, when actually there’s a whole lot to put together here.

Unsolicited advice: If you’re an activist, get your best deal on reform and then take the revenue that’s offered.

40 Comments

Why Are Tax-Exempt Hospitals Getting Rich?

Tuesday, Jun 17, 2025 - Posted by Advertising Department

[The following is a paid advertisement.]

Across Illinois, big hospital systems and PBMs are abusing the 340B drug discount program – making massive profits while patients drown in medical bills. One whistleblower called it “laundering money.”

Here’s how the scam works: big hospitals buy discounted 340B drugs, bill patients full price, then split the difference with for-profit pharmacies and PBMs.

340B was meant to help Illinois communities in need. But there are no rules requiring hospitals and PBMs to pass savings on to patients. No transparency. No oversight. Just higher costs for working families, small businesses, and taxpayers.

Meanwhile, tax-exempt hospitals cash in – and PBMs get a cut too.

Comments Off

Open thread

Tuesday, Jun 17, 2025 - Posted by Rich Miller

* AP…

The Rolling Stones’ Mick Jagger sings in swaggering French. Louisiana native Lucinda Williams delivers a slow, slinky, swamp pop sound. Steve Earle, Taj Mahal, Jimmie Vaughan, Charley Crockett and more energize Creole classics from accordionist and pioneer Clifton Chenier, the late King of Zydeco.

Chenier, who died in 1987 due to diabetes-related kidney disease, would’ve turned 100 on June 25. To celebrate his centennial, Valcour Records founder Joel Savoy and Los Lobos’ Steve Berlin teamed up with executive producer John Leopold to produce “A Tribute to the King,” out June 27.

Savoy’s primary role was to assemble the local backing band to support these artists — and to spotlight “the Zydeco legacy families,” he said. “My job was to help create a house band paired with the best accordion players representing Clifton’s style and the appropriate people for this project.”

* The Atlantic…

As Landry remembers it, he first met Jagger at a Los Angeles house party following a Philip Glass Ensemble performance at the Whisky a Go Go. The next night, as luck would have it, he saw Jagger again, this time out at a restaurant, and they got to talking. At some point in the conversation, “Jagger goes, ‘Your accent. Where are you from?’ I said, ‘I’m from South Louisiana.’ He blurts out, ‘Clifton Chenier, the best band I ever heard, and I’d like to hear him again.’ ”

“Dude, you’re in luck,” he told Jagger. Chenier was playing a show at a high school in Watts the following night. […]

As the final addition to the album lineup, the Stones were the last to choose which of Chenier’s songs to record. Looking at the track listing, Jagger noticed that “Zydeco Sont Pas Salé” hadn’t been taken. “Isn’t that, like, the one?” Adcock recalls him saying. “The one the whole genre is named after? If the Stones are gonna do one, shouldn’t we do the one ?” […]

The Stones’ version of “Zydeco Sont Pas Salé” opens with St. Julien, Chenier’s longtime drummer, playing a backbeat with brushes. He’s 77 now, no longer the young man Jagger saw in Watts in 1978. “I quit playing music about 10 years ago, to tell the truth,” he said when we spoke this spring, but you wouldn’t know it by how he sounds on the track. Keith Richards’s guitar part, guttural and revving, meets St. Julien in the intro and builds steadily. The melody is introduced by the accordionist Steve Riley, of the Mamou Playboys, who told me he’d tried to “play it like Clifton—you know, free-form, just from feel.”

It’s strange that it doesn’t feel stranger when Jagger breaks into his vocal, sung in Creole French. His imitation of Chenier is at once spot-on yet unmistakably Jagger.

* The original Zydeco Sont Pas Salé…

Stay tuned.

5 Comments

Isabel’s morning briefing

Tuesday, Jun 17, 2025 - Posted by Isabel Miller

* ICYMI: Gov. JB Pritzker signs budget amid federal funding uncertainty, unaddressed transit issues. Tribune…

* Related stories…

∙ NBC Chicago: As Pritzker signs Illinois budget, here’s what’s in, what’s out and other notes
∙ Sun-Times: Gov. JB Pritzker blames ‘Trump slump’ for difficult budget year
∙ Center Square: Enacting largest IL budget ever with tax increases, Pritzker criticizes Trump
∙ Capitol News Illinois: Pritzker signs $55.1B state budget reliant on $700M of new taxes

*** Isabel’s Top Picks ***

* Daily Herald | Mount Prospect chief meeting with legislators amid license-plate reader controversy: Eterno told village officials at Saturday’s Coffee With Council he has spoken with State Rep. Nicolle Grasse, a Democrat from Arlington Heights. Grasse also spoke with officials in Arlington Heights, Mount Prospect and Rolling Meadows, she said. She and Eterno are meeting this week with state Sen. Mark Walker, also an Arlington Heights Democrat. Mount Prospect was at the center of the issue when Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias announced last week that 46 out-of-state agencies were blocked from accessing Flock Safety’s Automated License Plate Reader (ALPR) system after reports they had been used in searches related to abortion and immigration.

* Crain’s | Chicago Fire, Related Midwest reveal details of South Loop stadium plan: Renderings and site plan documents showcase more details of the $650 million stadium set to be bankrolled privately by billionaire Fire owner Joe Mansueto, as well as new and tweaked public infrastructure projects Related Midwest would finance and be reimbursed for with future property tax revenue generated by the project. Among other soccer-facing revelations: The stadium in the north central portion of the long-fallow, 62-acre site would feature 50 suites, 500 “Loge seats” and 3,500 “Club seats” — including some with access to exclusive clubs, the team said — as well as a dedicated supporter section with a capacity for about 2,000 die-hard fans.

*** Statehouse News ***

* NBC Chicago | Pritzker discusses Trump’s decision to send National Guard into Los Angeles: Immigration protests have remained largely peaceful in Chicago, with just one arrest reported during a “No Kings” march on Saturday, but Pritzker was asked whether he believed Trump would activate the Illinois National Guard to support law enforcement in Chicago. “I do not believe he will call out the National Guard. He has seen this has not gone well for him politically, and he’s all about the politics,” Pritzker said during a press conference Monday. “What he’s done in California has really hurt him politically, so I don’t think he’ll do that in other places.”

* WCIA | Changes coming to Illinois after Pritzker signs multiple bills: Governor Pritzker signed HB742 on Monday. According to his office, this will delay the date the Interchange Fee Prohibition Act would be enforced until July 1, 2026. The Interchange Fee Prohibition Act would ban banks or credit card companies from charging businesses a fee for the tipped or taxed portion of a transaction.

* WMBD | On the Record: Breaking down the $55 billion budget with state Senators Koehler, Arellano: “Overall, I think its a fair budget,” said state Sen. Dave Koehler (D-Peoria). “But you can look through the budget and you’ll find areas where things made you satisfied or things didn’t make you satisfied. But that’s what the budget process is.” […] On the other side, state Sen. Li Arellano took issue with the budget saying it was unduly burdensome on taxpayers. He voted against the “reckless” budget plan, he said.

*** Chicago ***

* WBEZ | Fiscal watchdog says state financial oversight for CPS is worth exploring: With Chicago Public Schools grappling with a $529 million deficit and no clear way to balance its budget for the fall, the state might want to take over the school district’s finances — a move that could open up new revenue opportunities, but also force CPS to make cuts that school board members and the mayor oppose. That’s according to a new report by the nonpartisan financial watchdog group, the Civic Federation.

* Tribune | Maps show neighborhoods where environmental justice zoning ordinance would benefit residents most: As communities are urging their representatives to support an environmental ordinance introduced in April to the City Council, a neighborhood group released maps showing large swaths of land across the city are currently zoned for commercial warehouses and industrial manufacturing that don’t require public notice or city approval to be developed. Wards with the most land where this kind of use is permitted include the 10th Ward on the city’s Southeast Side, the 11th and 12th Wards on the South Side, the 25th Ward on the Lower West Side, and the 27th Ward on the Northwest Side.

* WTTW | Ald. Jim Gardiner Won’t Have to Pay $20K Fine After He Is Cleared of Violating Ethics Ordinance: After an appeal by the two-term Far Northwest Side alderperson, an administrative hearing officer overturned the Chicago Board of Ethics’ October 2023 determination that Gardiner committed 10 total violations of Chicago’s Governmental Ethics Ordinance, five violations of his fiduciary duty to the city and five violations for unauthorized use of city property after a probe by Inspector General Deborah Witzburg. The Chicago Board of Ethics voted unanimously Monday evening to clear Gardiner of those violations.

* Crain’s | American Bar Association sues Trump over alleged ‘intimidation’ of law firms: “The result of the Law Firm Intimidation Policy has been a pervasive fear within the legal community and the justice system at large,” the complaint reads. “Many attorneys are no longer willing to take on representations that would require suing the federal government because doing so poses a serious risk of becoming the next target of the administration’s devastating sanctions.” The ABA is represented in the complaint by Susman Godfrey, one of four law firms, along with Chicago-based Jenner & Block, that opted to fight the administration in court rather than reach a deal to avoid an executive order targeting its operations. Jenner won a ruling last month permanently blocking the order.

* Crain’s | Chicago garners two wins at the Beard Awards, the Oscars of the restaurant biz: First up was the West Loop Japanese bar Kumiko, which won in the Outstanding Bar category. Created by Julia Momosé, Kumiko is both a bar and dining experience, combing the two in a very intimate setting at 630 W. Lake St. The restaurant calls itself a “a dining bar” where “food and drink are expertly intertwined” with an emphasis on Japanese ingredients, craft cocktails and saké. Diners can grab a snack with their cocktail or enjoy a tasting menu.

* Chicago Mag | Peering Inside Chicago’s Original Art Colony: Graff was beginning to understand why the Chicago Tribune originally described it as a “magnificent palace” when the edifice first opened in 1885. Designed by Solon Spencer Beman, it served as the showroom for the Studebaker Carriage Company before the business moved. After a renovation that expanded the structure from eight floors to 10, it reopened in 1898 as “the first art colony of Chicago.” Among the many music teachers, theater companies, and literary groups, the storied list of artists-in-residence includes architect Frank Lloyd Wright, sculptor Lorado Taft, and illustrators W. W. Denslow (The Wonderful Wizard of Oz) and J.C. Leyendecker (The Saturday Evening Post cover artist).

*** Cook County and Suburbs ***

* Aurora Beacon-News | With $771 million budget gap for transit looming, suburban officials and activists still waiting on reform: In Kane County, the failure to pass the Senate funding proposal was met with some optimism from local officials seeking greater suburban influence over the transit agencies. At a county board meeting on June 4, Kane County Board Chair Corinne Pierog reiterated interest in greater oversight for the collar counties on the region’s transit agencies. “That was our big fight, and we were able to, altogether, with our senators … postpone this for another day, and a much more thoughtful, I hope, less rushed conversation,” Pierog said.

* Shaw Local | Residents express opposition to proposed day care center near Downers Grove: “I am not against day care,” said Ozzello, a working mom who in the past struggled to find day care for her children. “I understand the need for reliable and affordable, trustworthy childcare. I am all for building another day care in another location that makes sense.” But not on a residential lot, she said.

* Aurora Beacon-News | Aurora considers water rate increase: Aurora is considering raising the water and sewer rate by 6% each of the next two years, which city staff members say would mean about a $3.30 monthly increase for the average residential water user each year. If the city were to keep rates the same, it would face a roughly $2.8 million budget deficit in the Water and Sewer Fund. That’s according to Jason Bauer, the interim director of Public Works, who gave a presentation to the Aurora City Council’s Committee of the Whole about the proposed increase earlier this month and then formally proposed the increase at a City Council Finance Committee meeting last week.

* Shaw Local | Which northern Illinois towns have enacted a 1% grocery tax? Check our list: Illinois communities that want to keep a 1% grocery tax after the state’s tax expires have to act soon to put their own laws on the books. More than 200 communities in the state already have chosen to do so, with many more considering it.

* NBC Chicago | Residents, activists blame ‘festering’ antisemitism for Highland Park incident: A Highland Park family is speaking out after receiving a threatening, antisemitic letter at their home — a disturbing incident that has drawn swift condemnation from the community and prompted an investigation involving local police, the FBI, and a hazardous materials team. The letter, which targeted the family for displaying pro-Israel signage in their yard, included antisemitic rhetoric and a reference to a toxic substance. The material was ultimately found to be non-toxic, but the threat was taken seriously.

* Daily Southtown | Federal court filing seeks to bar Dolton from buying pope’s boyhood home: A former Dolton village employee is trying to block the village from using taxpayer money to acquire the childhood home of Robert Prevost, now Pope Leo XIV. Lavell Redmond, who has an ongoing lawsuit against Dolton alleging wrongful termination in 2022, is asking a federal judge for a temporary restraining order. The motion, filed Sunday, alleges the village, in seeking to buy the home, is engaging in an “endeavor with substantial cost to taxpayers with no compelling governmental necessity.”

* Daily Herald | Fire departments are handling more false alarms, so why isn’t there more concern?: “I’d rather the system let us know something’s wrong accidentally than it not work at all when we need it to,” said Arlington Heights Fire Chief Lance Harris. “Usually it’s letting the building owner know something needs fixing.” The vast majority of false alarms aren’t malicious or pranks, but rather a warning that maintenance is required on the building’s alert or suppression system, fire officials said.

*** Downstate ***

* Illinois Answers | Wasted Waters: How Southern Illinois is Coping with Decades of Sewage Flooding… and Why it Still Isn’t Solved.: Five dozen communities in Southern Illinois account for a third of the reported sanitary sewer overflows in the state in the last decade. But with low revenues, population declines, and bureaucratic delays, solutions are hard to come by. Meanwhile, residents face property damage flooded yards and basements and governments that still haven’t fixed the problem.

* WCIA | Herff Jones expanding corporations in Arcola, leaving Champaign: The Herff Jones Plant in Champaign will be closing down but expanding operations in Douglas County. The company will be phasing out of Champaign over the next few months and transitioning employees to Arcola and Indianapolis to work. Management said an estimated 90 jobs will be impacted like supervisor and distribution roles. Executive Vice President Andy Penca said the Champaign building has lasted for a half a century, and leaving the city they love is disappointing.

* WGLT | Contacts to statewide domestic violence hotline rose 26% last year — with sharpest increase in Central Illinois: A new report says contacts to the Illinois Domestic Violence Hotline rose 26% compared to 2023, with the greatest change registered in Central Illinois. According to data compiled by the statewide domestic violence advocacy group The Network, the hotline received 16 contacts [via phone, text or chat] from Logan County, up 81% from 2023. Livingston County contacts increased from 23 to 30 [77%]. And there were two contacts from Piatt County, compared with none the previous year.

*** National ***

* Axios | Scoop: Colorado pauses campaign finance database after Minnesota shootings: The state’s Transparency in Contribution and Expenditure Reporting database, known as TRACER, posts candidate filings that often include home addresses and personal phone numbers. Elsewhere in the system, it lists campaign contribution data that requires donors — including lawmakers — to list their names, full addresses and occupations. Secretary of State Jena Griswold ordered the removal after consultation with state and legislative leadership, a spokesperson said.

* WaPo | Trump officials reverse guidance exempting farms, hotels from immigration raids: Officials from Immigration and Customs Enforcement, including its Homeland Security Investigations division, told agency leaders in a call Monday that agents must continue conducting immigration raids at agricultural businesses, hotels and restaurants, according to two people familiar with the call. The new instructions were shared in an 11 a.m. call to representatives from 30 field offices across the country.

* NYT | Inside DOGE’s Chaotic Takeover of Social Security: So far the agency’s core functions — like sending monthly checks to 74 million Americans — have remained largely intact. But under pressure from Mr. Musk’s team, nearly half of the Social Security Administration’s 140 senior executives, and thousands of employees overall, have taken buyouts or retired. As many as 12 percent of staff members, out of a bureaucracy that numbered around 57,000 people, are expected to depart their jobs as part of DOGE’s cost-cutting plan.

* NPR | Press group sues L.A., alleging police abuse of reporters at ICE rallies: Press advocates say such episodes have been common at the often charged and sometimes violent protests that have played out in Los Angeles over the past 10 days. They say law enforcement officials at the protests have not always demonstrated restraint or distinguished between people who pose a threat and others who are reporting on developments. On Monday, the Los Angeles Press Club and the investigative reporting site Status Coup filed a lawsuit against the city of Los Angeles and the chief of the Los Angeles Police Department in federal court, alleging that officers at the demonstrations are routinely violating journalists’ rights.

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Selected press releases (Live updates)

Tuesday, Jun 17, 2025 - Posted by Isabel Miller

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Live coverage

Tuesday, Jun 17, 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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