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Tuesday, Mar 11, 2025 - Posted by Advertising Department

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Tuesday, Mar 11, 2025 - Posted by Isabel Miller

As state lawmakers once again consider proposals to regulate or ban hemp-based beverages, craft brewery owners and operators from across Illinois gathered Tuesday in Wheeling to discuss options they hope will allow them to keep making — and pouring — the intoxicating drinks.

The conclave — dubbed the inaugural Hemp Beverage Brew Day — was held at District Brew Yards, 700 N. Milwaukee Ave. It drew about 60 people from the brewing and hospitality industries. In addition to discussions about the business and legislation, they were treated to a brewing demonstration. […]

A different bill is more popular with Stout and his cohorts. It would establish a tax and assorted regulations for hemp beverage manufacturers, distributors and retailers, including rules for labeling, testing and advertising.

“We like this bill,” [Ray Stout, the executive director of the Illinois Craft Brewers Guild] said. Even so, he added, “there are plenty of opportunities for improvement.”

* WGN…

The Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) announced Tuesday that Phase 3 of the rehabilitation of Interstate 94 from the Edens Expressway junction to Ohio Street will resume on Monday — weather permitting.

IDOT encourages the use of alternative routes and public transportation during this time.

This week, motorists should expect various overnight ramp and lane closures on the outbound Kennedy and the reversible lanes, between Ohio Street and Montrose Avenue, from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m.

Starting next Tuesday, the reversible express lanes will remain open in the outbound direction, with two mainline outbound lanes closed at a time.

*** Statewide ***

* Center Square | Transportation Security Agency workers in Illinois, elsewhere lose union: Travelers see Transportation Security Agency checkpoints at airports all around Illinois, from Chicago to the Quad Cities to the Metro East, but now a change at the federal level is affecting those workers. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security said it is ending the collective bargaining agreement with the union representing nearly 50,000 workers, in effect declaring the TSA screener union contract null and void. Department spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said the agency will immediately cease using its payroll system for collecting union dues.

*** Chicago ***

* Crain’s | Johnson’s labor liaison to leave City Hall: Bridget Early, Chicago’s deputy mayor for labor relations, has resigned her position effective March 15, according to an email to colleagues obtained by Crain’s. The position was created by Johnson, a former organizer with the Chicago Teachers Union, when he first took office with a promise of increased outreach to the city’s labor partners.

* Tribune | Anthony Quezada front-runner for 35th Ward seat as Mayor Brandon Johnson outlines selection process: As Mayor Brandon Johnson’s administration details his process for picking a new alderman to represent Logan Square and other Northwest Side neighborhoods, all signs point to one politician: Cook County Commissioner Anthony Quezada. The progressive 29-year-old walked into the United Neighbors of the 35th Ward endorsement meeting Sunday alongside outgoing Ald. Carlos Ramirez-Rosa, his former boss. An hour later, the front-runner walked out with the group’s unanimous blessing after some in the crowd had chanted his name.

* Tribune | Real ID ‘supercenter’ opens in Loop this week to handle rush ahead of May 7 deadline: The eleventh-hour rush has overwhelmed DMVs across the state, slowing the process for others services such as drivers license and vehicle plate renewals, and Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias said he’s treating the situation like a “mini emergency.” “We’re seeing appointments that are opening up and they’re gone in like milliseconds, and at our walk-in facilities, we’re seeing unprecedented lines,” Giannoulias said. “We’re trying to attack this problem, which actually has nothing to do with us. This is a federally mandated program that we’re being tasked with overseeing.”

* Block Club Chicago | Bally’s Chicago Doubles Down On Chinatown Shuttle Service As Casino Struggles Financially: The temporary casino has operated shuttle services to Chinatown since it opened in October 2023. But today, buses make 30 daily trips from two stops on South Wentworth Avenue to the casino’s front door. That’s up from the 13 daily runs it initially operated, according to a copy of the shuttle schedule provided by Grace McKibben, executive director of the Coalition for a Better Chinese American Community.

* Block Club Chicago | Jerry Garcia-Inspired Venue Opens This Month After Years Of Delays: First announced in 2019, Garcia’s will honor the late Grateful Dead guitarist and vocalist. Block Club Chicago confirmed plans for the venue after Amplify magazine reported that promoter Pete Shapiro was working with Garcia’s estate to open “a seated jazz and jam venue in the heart of the West Loop.” Located at 1001 W. Washington Blvd., formerly home to Wishbone restaurant, the 300-seat concert venue and restaurant will officially open March 21 with a show by Grahame Lesh & Friends, featuring special guests Daniel Donato and Nicki Bluhm, according to a press release.

*** Cook County and Suburbs ***

* Block Club Chicago | County Commissioner Paid Over $30,000 As Consultant At Harvey Library Where Husband Serves As Board President: A newly minted county commissioner has brought in tens of thousands of dollars working at the library where her husband now serves as board president. In October 2023, the Harvey Public Library District board voted to give Kisha McCaskill, wife of then-treasurer Anthony McCaskill, a six-and-a-half-month consulting contract, compensated at $2,000 per month, working 20 hours a week. The contract for her company, KHM Consulting Group Incorporated, expired in May 2024.

* Shaw Local | 2 former clerks, 1 newcomer seek election to DeKalb’s long-suffering City Clerk’s Office: DeKalb voters in November backed keeping the Clerk elected, the third such failed referendum since 2006. And this spring, they’ll get a chance to do just that. The catch? None of the three candidates’ names will appear on the ballot. No one’s name will be on the clerk’s ballot, in fact. Not a single person filed for the seat before the window closed in November.

* Daily Herald | ‘The place to be’: Barrington state of the village reports highlight current, future successes: Barrington Village President Karen Darch and Village Manager Scott Anderson delivered the annual state of the village address at Monday’s village board meeting. This was Darch’s final state of the village address after 20 years as village president. She is not seeking reelection April 1. Darch highlighted major transportation initiatives, including the Route 14 underpass, safety improvements at railroad crossings and the Hillside Avenue Reconstruction.

* Daily Herald | DuPage County to pay $11 million to settle lawsuit over detainee’s death in jail: DuPage County is going to pay $11 million to the family of an Addison woman who died in the county jail to settle a lawsuit that claims jail medical personnel and corrections officers did not provide adequate medical and mental health care. […] “This was a horrific tragedy and an example of a perfect storm of failures,” DuPage County Board Chair Deborah Conroy said on Tuesday. “Too often, people like Mrs. Hurtado wind up being incarcerated. Too often, there are long waits for the few beds in publicly funded hospitals to accept people who need mental health treatment. And too often, mental health crises lead to physical crises that become life-threatening.”

*** Downstate ***

* WCIA | Illinois State Police hope to hire more women with all-female recruitment event: Illinois State Police hope to increase the number of female police officers, and to do that, they’re hosting their first ever all-women recruitment event. The State Police Academy in Springfield will be open to the public on March 18 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. During the event, Illinois State Police will share employment information and offer opportunities to meet with professionals specializing in forensic science, investigations, telecommunications, crime scene services and patrol.

* WIFR | Rockford’s deteriorating Singer Mental Health Center could be torn down under Illinois budget proposal: The abandoned Singer Mental Health Center at 4402 N. Main St. could soon be torn down to make way for new business under a state proposal. As part of the “Surplus to Success” plan within his proposed Fiscal Year 2026 Budget, Gov. JB Pritzker wants the state to invest $300 million to remediate and repurpose state-owned sites. The sites would then be used to attract more large-scale business operations and “increase local revenues by adding the properties to the local property tax rolls,” according to the Pritzker administration.

* WGLT | Bloomington council approves new water filtration unit, previews 2026 budget: Water director Ed Andrews said unseasonably high algae growth in lake sources was proving too much for the current filtration system, noting 15 of the system’s possible 16 filtration beds are now active. “We have one more bed that we can open up, but we’re not going to get there trying to knock taste and odor back at these levels with just 16 filter beds,” Andrews said.

* WCIA | Acting Provost named for Eastern Illinois University: EIU officials announced Monday that Dr. Holly Farley will assume duties as the acting Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs starting June 1. […] Farley’s appointment comes after the previous provost, Ryan Hendrickson, announced he will become the president at University of St. Francis in Joliet. The national search for a permanent provost will start in the summer, officials said.

*** National ***

* Bloomberg | Trump DEI Purge Hits Affordable Housing Groups: The canceled awards include ongoing projects in more than 1,000 communities to address homelessness, disaster recovery, persistent poverty and other housing issues, according to a list seen by Bloomberg CityLab. The terminations came in February, after staff from the Elon Musk-led DOGE directed HUD to draw up letters informing the nonprofits that their “operations and performance in connection with the subject awards is not in compliance with the Executive Order titled ‘Ending Radical and Wasteful Government DEI Programs and Preferencing.’”

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Pritzker criticizes USDA axing of program that buys food from local farms and ranches (Updated)

Tuesday, Mar 11, 2025 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Politico…

The Agriculture Department has axed two programs that gave schools and food banks money to buy food from local farms and ranchers, halting more than $1 billion in federal spending.

Roughly $660 million that schools and child care facilities were counting on to purchase food from nearby farms through the Local Food for Schools Cooperative Agreement Program in 2025 has been canceled, according to the School Nutrition Association.

State officials were notified Friday of USDA’s decision to end the LFS program for this year. More than 40 states had signed agreements to participate in previous years, according to SNA and several state agencies.

The Local Food Purchase Assistance Cooperative Agreement Program, which supports food banks and other feeding organizations, has also been cut. USDA notified states that it was unfreezing funds for existing LFPA agreements but did not plan to carry out a second round of funding for fiscal year 2025.

In a statement, a USDA spokesperson confirmed that funding, previously announced last October, “is no longer available and those agreements will be terminated following 60-day notification.”

* The Hill…

Democratic governors are also objecting to the cuts, saying they will impact students and farmers alike.

“Cutting funds for these programs is a slap in the face to Illinois farmers and the communities they feed,” Gov. JB Pritzker said.

“The Trump Administration’s refusal to release grant funds doesn’t just hurt farmers in the program, it devastates our most vulnerable, food-insecure communities relying on meat, fresh produce and other nutritious donations.”

I asked and the governor’s office said the Illinois portion of this is roughly $27 million.

* The House Agriculture & Conservation Committee is having a hearing about this topic today in Room 115…

Investigating the negative impact of the USDA funding freeze, tariffs, and the delayed farm bill on Illinois Agriculture

…Adding… Illinois Department of Agriculture…

Illinois Department of Agriculture (IDOA) Director Jerry Costello II, along with key stakeholders representing farmers, research institutions, and food banks, appeared before the General Assembly’s House Agriculture & Conservation Committee hearing to discuss federal funding cuts and tariffs – which amount to taxes on working farmers.

Costello’s testimony in Springfield focused on several agreements between USDA and IDOA, including the Local Food Purchase Assistance Program (LFPA) and the Resilient Food Systems Infrastructure Program (RFSI). Illinois was the only state in the nation to prioritize socially disadvantaged farmers. These same farmers will lose over tens of millions of dollars in fair market value payments for crops and livestock they are currently raising as well as the ability to invest in infrastructure for growth and sustainability.

The purpose of the LFPA program is to “maintain and improve food and agricultural supply chain resiliency.” The cooperative agreements between USDA and states allow states “to procure and distribute local and regional foods and beverages that are healthy, nutritious … and meet the needs of the population.” The program was intended to serve “food banks and organizations that reach underserved communities” and would help “build and expand economic opportunity for local and underserved producers.”[1] The intent of the program is to target socially disadvantaged farmers.[2]

“LFPA was designed to support both ends of the food chain – farmers and those they feed. Cutting the funding leaves farmers on the hook for expenses they incurred believing they would be reimbursed and leaves our most vulnerable, food-insecure communities without meat, fresh produce and other nutritious donations they were promised,” said IDOA Director Jerry Costello II. “The federal government broke its promise, and the people of Illinois are paying the price.”

IDOA announced on January 17, 2025, an additional $14.7 million was awarded by the federal government for this program. The USDA recently announced the funds were terminated.

The purpose of the RFSI program is “to build resilience in the middle of the food supply chain, to provide more and better markets to small farms and food businesses. The RFSI program requires farmers to make upfront investments in input costs with the promise of grant dollars to reimburse them. Without those federal funds, the program is unable to operate.

The RFSI program would have provided $6.4 million in grant funds to build resilience in the middle of the food supply chain, supporting activities that happen after harvest and prior to retail such as processing, storing and transporting Illinois products. In recent surveys of Illinois farmers, infrastructure and equipment were identified as the greatest obstacle to creating local food systems.

“Governor Pritzker called the move ‘a slap in the face to Illinois farmers and the communities they feed’ and I couldn’t agree more,” Costello said. “These are federal funds that were passed by Congress, a coequal branch of government, signed into law, and promised to Illinois farmers. They have been cut with no explanation or timeline, and farmers are left to deal with the consequences.”

Other federal funding sources of concern are the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP) which launched the successful Conservation Planner program creating a talent pipeline attracting a workforce to implement boots on the ground conservation measures; Specialty Crop Block Grants which funded research to increase the state’s competitiveness in the industry; the I-COVER program, a three-state initiative to encourage cover crop adoption and technology advances; and the agreement for state inspectors to ensure food safety at more than 190 meat and poultry processing plants in Illinois.

In addition to federal funding cuts, Costello explained to the committee the impact of Trump’s tariffs on Illinois farmers before testimony from industry groups and others.

Three countries – Canada, China and Mexico – account for 48% of all US agricultural exports, $91 billion of the total $191 billion exported annually.

Illinois is the third largest exporter of agricultural products in the nation. Illinois farmers export $2 billion in products to Canada; $2.9 billion to Mexico and $1.9 billion to China.

“These tariffs are an attack on Illinois farmers. Countries forced to pay them may simply find new trade partners beyond the U.S.,” Costello said. “Illinois farmers are then left to struggle with shrinking markets on top of rising costs and declining crop prices.”

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Stop Credit Card Chaos In Illinois

Tuesday, Mar 11, 2025 - Posted by Advertising Department

[The following is a paid advertisement.]

A last-minute provision called the Interchange Fee Prohibition Act (IFPA) was snuck into the budget process last May and will create chaos for small businesses and consumers across Illinois if it takes effect on July 1, 2025.

The IFPA gives corporate mega-stores like Walmart and Home Depot — who pushed for this backroom deal — millions more in profits, while small business owners get new expenses and accounting headaches. What’s more, consumers could be forced to pay for parts of their transactions in cash if this law moves forward.

A recent court ruling in the litigation challenging the law suggests IFPA is likely pre-empted by federal law for national banks and will only apply to credit unions and local Illinois banks, putting local banks at a disadvantage against their national competitors.

Illinois lawmakers should repeal the IFPA and focus on protecting small businesses and consumers across the state — not lining the pockets of corporate mega-stores.

Stop the countdown to chaos by supporting a repeal of this misguided and flawed policy. Learn more at https://guardyourcard.com/illinois/

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It’s just a bill

Tuesday, Mar 11, 2025 - Posted by Isabel Miller

* The Senate Transportation Committee is holding subject matter hearing on transit bills SB 5 and SB 1938…

Click here to watch.

* House GOP…

Assistant Minority Leader CD Davidsmeyer (Murrayville) and State Representatives Jennifer Sanalitro (Hanover Park) and Bill Hauter (Morton).

What: House Republican members will discuss Democrats’ bad bills and misplaced priorities amid the ongoing challenges the State of Illinois faces.

When: 3:00pm on Tuesday, March 11, 2025

Where: Capitol Blueroom, Springfield

* Sportsmen Alliance…

Tuesday, March 11, the House Sales Tax Subcommittee is scheduled to hear a bill to add an additional “sin” tax on firearms and firearm component parts. A “sin” tax is levied on specific goods believed to be harmful to society and gun-control advocates are not shy about blaming sportsmen and gun owners for the state’s violent crime issues.

If passed by the subcommittee, it could be heard by the full House Revenue & Finance committee the same day. If not, it is already scheduled for Thursday, March 13.

House Bill 1177 imposes an additional 3.75% surcharge tax on purchase of each firearm and each firearm component part.

* Farm Week Now…

Senate Bill 2160, sponsored by state Sen. Patrick J. Joyce, D-Kankakee, would give landowners more tools to manage deer populations on their farms, encourage hunters to pursue more antlerless deer during regular hunting seasons and expand venison donations to Illinois food banks.

The legislation was officially introduced at the end of February but has been a continual initiative of Illinois Farm Bureau following reports of escalating crop damage from IFB members.

“Everything in Senate bill 2160 is a direct reflection of issues that members brought up at meetings or even the solutions that they brought with them,” said IFB Assistant Director of State Legislation Anna McKinley, explaining that this legislation reflects the grassroots efforts of county Farm Bureaus contacting their legislators and organizing deer informational meetings.

One major issue heard from farmers and landowners was the Deer Removal Permit (DRP) process. McKinley told FarmWeek long and varying wait periods to get ahold of a wildlife biologist can be frustrating.

* Advantage News…

House Bill 1616 amends the Employee Blood and Organ Donation Leave Act to allow both full time and part-time employees to use up to 10 days of leave within a 12-month period for organ donation.

The bill, sponsored by state Rep. Jay Hoffman, D-Swansea, requires employers to calculate and compensate part-time employees for organ donation leave based on their daily average pay from the previous two months of employment. […]

Hoffman explained the mandate would apply to businesses with 51 or more employees and that the part-time employee would have to be employed for at least six months in order to receive the benefit. […]

The bill passed out of the House Labor and Commerce Committee 18 to nine and can now be considered on the House floor.

* The Illinois Family Institute’s list of opposed bills…

HB 1708 – Illinois State Representative Kam Buckner (D): The horrible bill allows election authorities to print/mail “Special Write-in Vote by Mail Voter’s Blank Ballots” if they run out of regular mail-in-ballots for a federal election. It also creates a new method of voting – ranked choice voting – where voters rank candidates in order of preference: first, second, third, and so on, instead of casting one vote for one candidate. Write-in candidates would not be allowed. Vote tallying would proceed in rounds until a candidate receives the majority. All candidates would appear on a primary ballot and with ranked choice voting, two candidates from the same party could go on to the general election. Regular mail-in-ballots and ranked choice ballots would both be mailed to a voter. This is a ridiculous bill that greatly endangers our elections and opens the door to more fraud. *OPPOSE* Hearing in the House Ethics & Elections Committee, Tuesday, March 11, 2025, 2:00 PM, Stratton Building, Room D-1. […]

HB 2493 – Illinois State Representative Nicole Grasse (D): Allows people to get married over a Zoom call. Gives a whole new concept to “shotgun” weddings. Hearing in the House Judiciary – Civil Committee, Wednesday, March 12, 2025, 8:00 AM, Room 114 Capitol Building. […]

HB 3049 – Illinois State Representative Tracy Katz Muhl (D): Damages the solemnization of marriage by allowing parties to marry themselves without an officiant. *OPPOSE* Hearing in the House Judiciary – Civil Committee, Wednesday, March 12, 2025, 8:00 AM, Room 114 Capitol Building.

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Open thread

Tuesday, Mar 11, 2025 - Posted by Isabel Miller

* What’s going on in your part of Illinois?…

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Isabel’s morning briefing

Tuesday, Mar 11, 2025 - Posted by Isabel Miller

* ICYMI: Illinois schools turn to retirees, substitutes, outsourcing & state grants to combat prolonged teacher shortage. Capitol News Illinois…

* Related stories…

∙ Capitol News Illinois: Rural schools face unique challenges filling positions
∙ WTTW: New Surveys Show Signs of Progress in Illinois’ Teacher Shortage

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

* Governor Pritzker is in Texas for the SXSW festival at 11:30 am. At 1 pm, the governor will join IBM CEO Arvind Krishna for “From Sci-Fi to Society: The Next Era of AI and Quantum Computing” panel at SXSW. Click here to watch.

*** Isabel’s Top Picks ***

* Sun-Times | Federal jury awards $120 million to 2 men falsely convicted in 2003 murder: It’s one of the largest total awards for a wrongful conviction in U.S. history — larger than the $50 million awarded to Marcel Brown, a Chicago man who was wrongfully convicted in a murder and served 10 years. John Fulton and Anthony Mitchell, who were 17 and 18 when they were arrested in 2003, were each sentenced to 31 years in prison following their 2006 convictions for the murder of Christopher Collazo. No physical evidence or eyewitnesses tied either man to the crime.

* Chicago Mag | How Much Sanctuary Can Chicago Really Offer?: Under Chicago’s Welcoming City law, local officials aren’t allowed to inquire about or investigate a person’s immigration status, at least in most cases. Police also can’t arrest or detain someone solely for being in the country illegally. ICE is still free to conduct immigration enforcement in the city, and the ordinance does not stop Chicago police from cooperating with the agency in criminal matters, such as when a judge issues a criminal warrant. The way ICE typically operates, it asks local law enforcement around the country to detain those suspected of violating civil immigration laws for up to 48 hours beyond their scheduled release, which gives federal agents time to pick them up. Chicago refuses to participate in this practice.

*** Statehouse News ***

* WAND | McClure, Rosenthal tour damage at Lincoln’s New Salem, urge action for critical investments: “It’s in very bad shape. It should probably have a debris net under it, honestly,” said New Salem Lincoln League President Gina Gillmore-Wolter. “There are boards missing that have fallen down on the highway below it. Some of the steel girders don’t even tough the concrete pads that support it. They shoved two-by-four shims in there, which are rotting and falling out.”

* David Blake Starrett: David Blake Starrett, 68, of Springfield, passed away Friday, February 28, 2025. He was born on January 18, 1957, in Chicago, IL, son of Robert and Jeanette Moore Starrett. […] David was a resident of Springfield for 40 years. He had a passion for politics and the State House. David was a lobbyist at the State House and retired after 40 years. Throughout his life , he enjoyed fishing and scuba diving. He loved sharing his cooking talent with his family and friends. He was also an avid fisherman and a talented amateur writer. David recently joined the Vinegar Hill Association in Springfield.

*** Chicago ***

* WTTW | Mayor Brandon Johnson Opens City Hall Gift Room to Cameras, Promises to Donate Items to Charity: Under new rules announced Monday, members of the public will be allowed to sign up for a 15-minute slot to inspect the gift room once every three months. Those spots will be awarded on a first-come, first-served basis, officials said. The first opportunity will take place in April, officials said. After members of the public get a chance to see the gifts, the “items will be donated to local Chicago charities,” according to the statement from the mayor’s office.

* Tribune | CPS chief Martinez seeks to disqualify law firm over alleged conflict of interest: Martinez’s lawyer, William Quinlan, filed a motion March 4 to “disqualify the law firm of Cozen O’Connor LLP.” Cozen serves as counsel for seven board members named in the lawsuit between the district’s outgoing chief executive officer and the Chicago Board of Education. Martinez filed the lawsuit against the school board after he was fired Dec. 20 to block the then seven-member body from stripping him of his duties, including his involvement in contract negotiations with the Chicago Teachers Union. Several days after Martinez’s firing the board members attended ongoing contract negotiations with CTU on a new four-year contract that has yet to be settled. Martinez’s tenure as CPS chief will conclude in June.

* Tribune | Housing authorities look for solutions as voucher recipients fail to lease units with rental subsidies: Voucher recipients get 120 days to lease a unit, per HUD policy, with extensions granted on a case-by-case basis, according to the housing authorities that spoke with the Tribune. While the agencies keep lists of available units and can recommend outside organizations that can help with housing searches, the authorities themselves do not have enough staff to aid all voucher recipients in their search, they said. Nina Chalmers, executive director of the North Chicago Housing Authority, said low lease-up rates are becoming an “epidemic” across the country.

* Sun-Times | Chicago Ukrainians fear deportations as Trump considers revoking legal status: ‘Everyone’s scared to death’: Others could lose their legal status even sooner — perhaps as early as May — if Trump shuts down temporary protections issued by former President Joe Biden that have allowed 240,000 Ukrainians fleeing the war to come to the U.S. The deportation threat has loomed for Ukrainians — and many other immigrant groups — since Trump issued an executive order the day he was inaugurated requiring the Department of Homeland Security to wind down many parole programs.

* Sun-Times | Chicago’s ex-police oversight chief slams push to fire her as ‘inherently unfair’: Andrea Kersten announced her resignation as chief administrator of the Civilian Office of Police Accountability on Feb. 13 — the same day she slammed the Community Commission for Public Safety and Accountability for conducting an “inherently unfair” inquiry into allegations of misconduct lodged by a group of current and former staffers.

*** Cook County and Suburbs ***

* Tribune | Federal warning to Northwestern: Protect Jewish students or face funding cuts: The threat of funding cuts so far hasn’t affected other local colleges. Southern Illinois University, the University of Illinois Chicago, DePaul University and the University of Chicago could not confirm any announcement or update relating to federal funding cuts connected to antisemitism.

* Sun-Times | Cook County Clerk Monica Gordon announces new DEI initiatives: Cook County Clerk Monica Gordon said her office is reinforcing its diversity, equity and inclusion measures amid “threatening rhetoric and cruel policies” from the federal government that are creating uncertainty for marginalized communities. That uncertainty has led to a surge in requests this year for vital records, particularly birth certificates and marriage licenses, Gordon said at a news conference Monday marking her 100th day in office at the Cook County office building in the Loop.

* Crain’s | Wirtz family renews talks with Mundelein schools over impact of Ivanhoe Village: The team working on the Wirtz family’s proposed Ivanhoe Village development is going back into negotiations with local school districts, whose officials had claimed they were being sidelined in discussions of the impact fees the developers should pay. The Mundelein Village Board announced it has pulled two agenda items from its meeting tonight, one covering a proposed terms sheet on the fees to be paid and another to consider an ordinance that would codify a formula for calculating impact fees.

* Daily Herald | How much is enough?: Glen Ellyn village president candidates address housing density in downtown: Once Glenwood Station — the latest apartment development — comes online, “I don’t think we’re going to need any more density downtown. I think that’s going to max us out,” says James Burket, a former village trustee who is seeking the top leadership post in next month’s election. Burket and his opponent, sitting village Trustee Gary Fasules, were asked about the pace of development downtown and whether it needs more apartments during a recent joint interview with the Daily Herald Editorial Board.

* Evanston Now | District 65 gets some good financial news: The outside expert who once warned District 65 that it could have faced a takeover by the state now says that some tough budget cutting decisions have helped brighten the financial outlook. Robert Grossi told the Board of Education on Monday that while D65 is far from out of the fiscal woods, staff cuts and purchasing reductions have led to more money coming in, and less money going out.

* Daily Herald | Why one suburb is banning EV chargers from public parking garages: The local prohibition, perhaps the first approved by a municipality in Illinois, is tied to the vehicle fire that took place Jan. 18, 2024, on the first floor of the Fashion Outlets of Chicago parking garage. It took the placement of a special weighted blanket — and nearly five hours — for the blaze to be fully extinguished by firefighters and a hazardous materials response team, and resulted in closure of a portion of the garage.

*** Downstate ***

* WSIL | Section of I-57 southbound to close starting Tuesday evening in southern Illinois: The Illinois Department of Transportation stated they will be shutting down southbound I-57 between Exit 30 and Exit 45. This will take place starting at 7 p.m. on March 11, with an expected opening by 7 a.m. on March 12. During this 12-hour closure, road crews will make emergency repairs on the pavement and on guardrails.

* WGLT | Animal rights group files federal complaint against Illinois State University: Stop Animal Exploitation Now [SAEN] filed the complaint with the U.S. Department of Agriculture [USDA] in late February. The complaint stems from a noncompliance report ISU filed with the Office of Laboratory Animal Welfare [OLAW] in July. OLAW is a division of the National Institutes of Health tasked with ensuring animals used in federally funded research projects are treated humanely and ethically.

* WGIL | $1.5M from Illinois EPA funding new public water well project in this Knox County village: The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency announced Monday the Village of Yates City will use the money to drill a new public water supply well. The village will receive $999,028 in disadvantaged community principal forgiveness and $408,054 in One Well Critical Review principal forgiveness to cover the entirety of the loan.

*** National ***

* NYT | Kennedy Links Measles Outbreak to Poor Diet and Health, Citing Fringe Theories: In a sweeping interview, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the health and human services secretary, outlined a strategy for containing the measles outbreak in West Texas that strayed far from mainstream science, relying heavily on fringe theories about prevention and treatments. He issued a muffled call for vaccinations in the affected community, but said the choice was a personal one. He suggested that measles vaccine injuries were more common than known, contrary to extensive research.

* Reuters | Media Matters accuses Musk’s X of ‘abusive’ tactics in new lawsuit: U.S. media watchdog group Media Matters sued Elon Musk’s X on Monday, accusing it of bringing “abusive,” costly and meritless lawsuits to punish Media Matters for its reporting on advertising on X after Musk bought the social media platform. Media Matters’ lawsuit, opens new tab in federal court in San Francisco asked a judge to block two cases that X filed in Ireland and Singapore against the watchdog.

* SCOTUS Blog | Supreme Court takes up challenge to Colorado ban on “conversion therapy”: The case was filed by Kaley Chiles, a licensed counselor and a practicing Christian. She sometimes works with clients who want to discuss issues such that, she says, “implicate Christian values about human sexuality and the treatment of their own body.” And although Chiles “never promises that she can solve” issues relating to gender identity, gender roles, and sexual attraction, “she believes clients can accept the bodies that God has given them and find peace.” She contends that the law violates her First Amendment rights to free speech and to freely exercise her religion.

* NYT | A Simple Way to Check Police Corruption? Parking Tickets: All over the city, New York Police Department officers and other staff members start their workday by disregarding the law. They park their personal vehicles at bus stops, on sidewalks and in crosswalks, in turning lanes and no-standing zones. Jessica Tisch, who became Mayor Eric Adams’s fourth police commissioner last November, may have bigger problems to fix than her officers’ parking practices. She has focused her tenure on cleaning up after Mr. Adams, a former police captain who suffused the department with a culture of impunity while accusations of corruption spread and quality-of-life concerns persisted.

* Sun-Times | Pritzker to speak to New Hampshire Democrats about dangers of second Trump administration: The Democratic governor has not yet announced whether he’ll seek a third term for governor, and he has consistently tamped down talk of his presidential aspirations. But for now, Pritzker is depicting himself as a leader of the Democratic resistance against Trump, and his national appearances have focused on standing up to authoritarianism.

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Protected: SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - Today’s edition of Capitol Fax (use all CAPS in password) (Updated)

Tuesday, Mar 11, 2025 - Posted by Rich Miller

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Selected press releases (Live updates)

Tuesday, Mar 11, 2025 - Posted by Isabel Miller

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Live coverage

Tuesday, Mar 11, 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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