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Reader comments closed for spring break
Friday, Mar 27, 2026 - Posted by Isabel Miller * In honor of all the dead bills that may not be dead yet… See you on April 6!
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Isabel’s afternoon roundup
Friday, Mar 27, 2026 - Posted by Isabel Miller * WBEZ…
* MediaIte…
* Tribune | Illinois farmers brace for another bruising season as Iran war spikes fertilizer prices: Roughly 20% of Illinois’ nitrogen fertilizer is imported from countries such as Russia and Saudi Arabia and passes through the strait, said Illinois Farm Bureau President Philip Nelson. “The more we can do domestically I think is in the best interest of everybody, from the consumer to the farmer,” he said. “So when you come into a conflict like this, you’re not as dramatically impacted.” * ABC Chicago | $59B wagered on sports in Illinois since legalization, raising concerns for youth: What used to be a trip to the casino can now happen from your couch, on your phone. The I-Team and ABC News found that in Illinois alone, almost $60 billion have been wagered since legalized sports betting began six years ago. The numbers are raising concerns about young people getting hooked. * Sun-Times | Convicted cocaine cash launderer is a key figure in legal Illinois cannabis empire: David Berger, who was convicted of laundering more than $300,000 for a reputed Mexican cocaine-trafficker, is closely associated with Ivy Hall, a chain of social equity marijuana dispensaries. Berger, who grew up in Northbrook, “can still benefit from the industry. I think that’s wrong,” state Rep. La Shawn Ford says. * CBS Chicago | Property tax bill to help Chicago Bears build Arlington Heights stadium won’t get vote for at least 2 weeks: The Chicago Bears will have to wait until at least April for action on a property tax bill that would boost their efforts to build a new stadium in Arlington Heights, as the Illinois House is set to adjourn Friday. Top House Democratic negotiator State Rep. Kam Buckner confirmed to CBS News Chicago that the bill won’t move before the House adjourns Friday for two weeks. They are set to return to session on April 7. * McHenry County Blog | Looking Like Max Solomon Will Get 5,000 Write-In Votes, Putting Him on the Republican Ballot for State Treasurer: Again, assuming 50% of the write-ins for State Treasurer went of Solomon in Will County, he may well have gotten the 5,000 required write-ins there, because there were 10,062 write-ins cast in the State Treasurer’s race. * K-12 Drive | 21 states sue USDA over funding conditions they say would threaten school meal programs: The Democrat-led plaintiff states said they stand to collectively lose at least $11.6 billion in Child Nutrition Program funds under these requirements — and “the consequences would be grave.” Millions of children could lose access to nutritious meals, hindering their ability to learn and harming their health, the lawsuit said. * Sun-Times | Mayor Johnson’s veto over freezing tipped minimum wage divides restaurant industry: Some restaurant owners and servers say Chicago’s hotly debated law to increase the tipped minimum wage harms workers and the industry, following Mayor Brandon Johnson’s veto of the City Council’s vote to freeze tipped workers’ hourly pay. Supporters of the ordinance want better pay and conditions for workers. Chicago’s law went into effect in 2024 to increase the tipped minimum wage to parity with the city’s standard minimum wage over five years. * Crain’s | Ariel names new president as Hobson, Rogers relinquish parts of their portfolios: Ariel Investments promoted chief administrative officer Emma Rodriguez-Ayala to president as part of a management shakeup that saw longtime firm leaders Mellody Hobson and John Rogers hand over some of their responsibilities. The move reflects the Chicago-based firm’s patient investment strategy, a slow-and-steady, low-turnover approach to stock picking despite increasing market volatility that has resulted in some choppy returns for the firm in recent years. * WBEZ | ‘Korean National Treasures’ exhibit at the Art Institute spans 2,000 years of art: The collection consisted of more than 23,000 works of Korean antiquities, ceramics, furniture, sculpture, paintings, books and myriad other objects — from 6th-century Buddhist figurines to contemporary art. The historic gift came a year after the death of Samsung chairman Lee Kun-hee. The family, facing an inheritance tax of $11 billion, effectively reduced the value of the estate with the record-setting donation. * Crain’s | West Suburban blames billing system failure as officials air frustration over closure: West Suburban’s owner, CEO Manoj Prasad of Resilience Health, announced yesterday morning the hospital’s emergency department would shut down that afternoon, and patients would be transferred out of inpatient rooms to other hospitals by the end of the week. The Illinois Department of Public Health said in a statement: “We are disappointed by the lack of advance notice and clear communication from hospital leadership. Transparency and advance notice are essential in order to safely transition and protect patients, staff and the communities it serves.” * Daily Southtown | Former Tinley Park political operative Timothy Pawula found not guilty of sending obscene text messages: A former Tinley Park political operative was found not guilty Friday of electronic harassment and transmitting obscene text messages after a trial that included testimony from state Rep. Robert “Bob” Rita, D-Blue Island, and Sen. Michael Hastings, D-Frankfort. Timothy Pawula, a former political ally of Tinley Park Mayor Michael Glotz, was charged in October 2024 with the misdemeanor charges that carry a maximum sentence of 180 days in jail and an up to $1,500 fine. But Cook County Associate Judge Mohammad Abedelal Ahmad said Friday she had doubts about the state’s investigation into Pawula’s conduct, remaining unsure whether a phone seized and searched by Illinois State Police was Pawula’s personal phone or belonged to the political consulting firm he worked for at the time, Big Tent Coalition. * Quality Magazine | QT9 Software Announces New Global Headquarters in Historic Downtown Batavia: QT9 Software announced plans to relocate its global headquarters from Aurora to a newly redeveloped campus in downtown Batavia, Illinois. The former Pamarco factory, a 100-year-old industrial building along the Fox River, will be transformed into a modern, approximately 40,000-square-foot office environment that preserves the site’s historic character while creating a new hub for technology, innovation, and collaboration. The headquarters project is part of a $12 million adaptive reuse initiative led by Manhattan Real Estate Ventures, LLC, under a Redevelopment Agreement authorized by the Batavia City Council. The investment will rehabilitate a long-neglected riverfront property into a state-of-the-art workspace designed to support QT9 Software’s continued global growth, while aligning with the City of Batavia’s Downtown Plan for sustainable revitalization and historic preservation. * Crain’s | North Shore’s luxury condo market grows as Lake Bluff racks up $2M sales: In Lake Bluff, the top end of the condo market has long been in the $200,000s, but it has quickly jumped into the $2 million range with a recent flurry of sales in a new-construction building, making it the latest North Shore suburb with a high-end condo market. Since March 18, four units at a building under construction on Scranton Avenue have sold for prices from just below $1.7 million to $2.1 million — and those prices are for unfinished space. * Capitol News Illinois | MidAmerican Energy proposes rate hike for 85K customers in northwest Illinois: MidAmerican Energy Company is seeking to raise electricity and gas rates for roughly 85,000 customers in northwest Illinois by almost $300 a year by 2028. The Iowa-based gas and electric utility company serves the Quad Cities and Rock Island, Henry, Mercer, and Whiteside counties. The March 20 rate request filing is under review by the Illinois Commerce Commission and, if approved, the price increase wouldn’t start to take effect until 2027. * WGLT | 11th Judicial Circuit Chief Judge Casey Costigan plans to retire: Costigan heard major felony cases in McLean County for nearly a decade, including high-profile cases such as a 2018 triple homicide and a 2021 murder trial held without the defendant. Costigan has served on numerous statewide committees, including acting as a judicial liaison implementing the Pretrial Fairness Act and the Illinois FAIR Act, two big-swing pieces of legislation transforming bail and public defense in Illinois. * Muddy River News | Water rate increase expected on Quincy City Council Agenda Monday, March 30: Alderman Greg Fletcher (R-Ward 1) offered the following impact in terms of numbers to Muddy River News Thursday. “It’s supposed to just approximate at $2.00 a month and another $2.00 next year and so forth for 9 years,” Fletcher said. “Keep in mind, we have a federal mandate to replace all of the lead water lines. As of now, we have only 9% done. * Rockford Register Star | Ticks in Winnebago County test positive for rare Powassan virus: Ticks in Winnebago County have tested positive for the Powassan virus for the first time, according to a community announcement. The virus can lead to serious health complications affecting the heart, skeletal, and nervous systems. There is no vaccine for Powassan virus, making prevention of tick bites crucial. * WGEM | Macomb city officials break down proposed sports complex, residents voice concerns: Macomb residents voiced numerous concerns about a potential sports complex on the far east side of town. The conference room at the Spoon River College Outreach Center was filled with about 100 residents Thursday night as the City hosted its first Q&A styled community meeting. The meeting also featured a presentation by Mayor Michael Inman and municipal financial consultant John Hansen. “If we don’t have a developer, it’s not going to work,” Inman said. * Reuters | Constellation exec says grid operator told company Three Mile Island can’t connect until 2031: U.S. grid operator PJM has told Constellation Energy (CEG.O) that the former Three Mile Island nuclear power plant in Pennsylvania likely will not be able to connect to the grid until 2031, four years later than planned, the company said at the CERAWeek energy conference in Houston on Thursday. Constellation is working to resume operations at the nuclear power plant, which is being renamed the Crane Clean Energy Center, to supply electricity to Microsoft (MSFT.O) data centers. * Chalkbeat | Trump pressured states to limit undocumented high school students’ access to career education programs: In Virginia, nearly every school district quietly agreed to exclude undocumented students from participating in certain federally funded career-and-technical education programs, according to records obtained by Chalkbeat. It is not clear how many undocumented students actually lost access to programming. But at least one school district in Virginia was denied $150,000 in federal funding because it didn’t agree to exclude those students. * Tribune | In the wake of US social media verdicts, a look at what limits other countries have imposed for kids: In 2024, Australia became the first country to kick kids under 16 off social media. The law makes platforms — including TikTok, Facebook, Snapchat, Reddit, X and Instagram — liable for fines of up to 50 million Australian dollars ($34 million) if they fail to prevent children younger than 16 from holding accounts. While many parents have cheered the move, some experts have questioned the efficacy of their age estimation methods (the platforms are not required to ask users for government-issued IDs) and their effects on young people’s free speech, social connections and privacy. Critics also fear that the ban will impact the privacy of all users who must prove they are older than 16. * The Atlantic | The Very Powerful Men Who Think Introspection Is Dumb: That thesis received further confirmation earlier this month when the venture capitalist Marc Andreessen said that he engages in “zero” introspection—or at least “as little as possible.” Andreessen, a billionaire AI evangelist, was speaking to the podcaster David Senra, who enthusiastically approved. Senra explained that he had learned introspection was useless by reading 410 biographies of entrepreneurs. “Sam Walton didn’t wake up thinking about his internal self,” Senra said, referring to the Walmart magnate. “He just woke up like, I like building Walmart; I’m gonna keep building more Walmarts, and just kept doing it over and over again.” * The Intercept | How Does TrackAIPAC Actually Track AIPAC?: Tali deGroot, J Street’s vice president of political and digital strategy, was frustrated by her group’s conflation with AIPAC, calling TrackAIPAC “intellectually dishonest” for the distance between its name and its methodology. TrackAIPAC does label the specific sources of pro-Israel funding that make up its sums on its website, along with a list of organizations it tracks in addition to AIPAC, but they seldom appear on the red cards that circulate on social media. Some critics have labeled this blurring of lines sloppy or confusing, while others on the left and right have accused the group of antisemitism over its generalized “pro-Israel” language. “I think the candidates and members should be held to account for taking AIPAC support,” deGroot said, “but the way that [TrackAIPAC] is going about it is doing so much harm.”
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Protected: SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - Supplement to today’s edition
Friday, Mar 27, 2026 - Posted by Rich Miller
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Credit & Debit Cards May Not Work For Tips, Starting July 1
Friday, Mar 27, 2026 - Posted by Advertising Department [The following is a paid advertisement.] The IFPA—the Credit Card Chaos law—could hurt Illinois’ tipped workers. Servers, stylists, rideshare drivers and other gig workers who rely on tips could see their income drop if customers can’t tip on cards and are limited to the cash they carry. Before chaos hits on July 1, lawmakers should reverse course and repeal the Interchange Fee Prohibition Act.
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It’s just a bill
Friday, Mar 27, 2026 - Posted by Isabel Miller
* Subscribers know more. Capitol News Illinois…
* Tribune…
* WGLT…
* More… * Injustice Watch | Steps Illinois lawmakers could take to reform the state’s tax sale laws: Under the most sweeping of the three bills, SB3940, sponsored by state Sen. Celina Villanueva, D-Chicago, private investors would no longer be able to purchase tax debts in Cook County; instead, the county would be required to sell tax-delinquent properties at auction to collect taxes and return any proceeds that remain to homeowners. Other counties would also be allowed — though not required — to hold similar auctions. Villanueva’s bill, which is awaiting a committee hearing, was introduced in February, two months after a U.S. District Court judge ruled that the tax sale system in Cook County violated the rights of homeowners by allowing private investors to seize more than what the owners owed. * WAND | IL Senate passes bill allowing not-for-profit fire departments to receive state grants: This plan allows the State Fire Marshal to create and award grants for not-for-profit fire departments and protection districts across the state. “My expenses are the same as everybody else. I have to pay the electric bill. I still have to pay Renew Apparatus,” said Signal Hill Fire Chief Tom Elliff. “I pay for the maintenance of the building. It’s the same throughout every other fire department in the state of Illinois.” * WAND | IL Senate passes bill increasing awareness of ag education programs: Senate Bill 3326 now moves to the House for further consideration. The House companion bill passed unanimously out of the House Education Policy Committee last week and awaits action on the House floor. * WGN | Illinois lawmaker proposes renaming portion of I-57 to Rev. Jesse Jackson Sr. Expressway: Buckner issued the following statement on his Instagram page regarding HJR 58. […] “We’re naming the Cook County portion of I-57 the Reverend Jesse L. Jackson Sr. Expressway. Not a memorial. Not a marker. A full name – joining Dan Ryan, Dwight D. Eisenhower, John F. Kennedy, and Bishop Louis Henry Ford on the green signs that define how we move. And that matters, because I-57 doesn’t just cut through land – it connects communities. The South Side. The South suburbs. Places where Rev. Jackson didn’t just visit, he organized. He marched. He preached. He built coalition. He fought for dignity, for jobs, for access, for people who too often felt like the system was designed to move past them instead of with them.”
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When RETAIL Succeeds, Illinois Succeeds
Friday, Mar 27, 2026 - Posted by Advertising Department [The following is a paid advertisement.] Hello Tokyo in Niles brings the fun and charm of Japanese dollar stores to Chicagoland. Owner Jin Park, inspired by his love of family and Japanese culture, modeled the store after popular 100-yen shops. With over 10,000 products starting at $1.99, shoppers can explore snacks, toys, kitchenware, stationery, beauty items, and a wide variety of unique Japanese-themed goods. Findings of a recent economic study are clear: the retail sector is a cornerstone of the state’s economy and crucial to our everyday lives. Retail in Illinois directly contributes more than $112 billion in economic investment annually – more than 10 percent of the state’s total Gross Domestic Product. Policies that support small businesses help communities thrive as retailers like Jin in Niles are better equipped to meet local needs. We Are Retail and IRMA are showcasing the retailers who make Illinois work.
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Isabel’s morning briefing
Friday, Mar 27, 2026 - Posted by Isabel Miller * ICYMI: Ex-federal prosecutors in Chicago taking on Trump’s ‘troubling’ DOJ: ‘We feel compelled to speak and act.’ Sun-Times…
- “As lawyers who cherish the role DOJ should play in our criminal justice system, we feel compelled to speak and act against the troubling events underway at the Department,” the email states, “and we invite you to participate in those efforts.” - Their efforts could involve litigation aimed at protecting the “integrity of elections” and a push to ensure federal prosecutors can still be held accountable for misconduct, according to the email. * Shaw Local | ‘Nobody wants to live in data center row’ - Residents speak out after Yorkville approves 540-acre data center: Hour after hour, Yorkville residents spoke before the City Council on March 24 asking members to put a moratorium on approving data centers, all the while saying they knew the city would not go along with their wishes. Few of the residents in attendance said they were surprised when a four-hour meeting concluded with city approval for the annexation, rezoning, and PUD for the 540-acre Project Steel data center, with 16 two-story warehouses. The near unanimous vote came after little discussion by any aldermen. * AP | Senate approves funding for TSA and most of Homeland Security, but not immigration enforcement: The deal, which the Senate approved unanimously without a roll call, next goes to the House, which is expected to consider it Friday. “We can get at least a lot of the government opened up again and then we’ll go from there,” said Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D. “Obviously, we’ll still have some work ahead of us.” * Sun-Times | Chase Meidroth, Munetaka Murakami mash — but Brewers smash White Sox’ Opening Day hopes 14-2: Chase Meidroth sent the White Sox’ good vibes soaring to a new stratosphere Thursday with a 417-foot laser over the left-field wall at American Family Field, slugging the first Opening Day leadoff home run in franchise history — and stoking hope for a big step forward for his rebuilding squad. * Legal Newsline | Mom of boy killed by ex-boyfriend released from prison early drops lawsuit vs IL: According to court documents, Smith told both police and a Cook County judge of Brand’s threats against her. However, on March 12, the IPRB nonetheless released Brand from custody after a hearing. According to court documents, Brand reportedly again lied at the IPRB hearing about going to Smith’s home. And according to court documents, the IPRB reportedly “accepted his version of events,” never following up on Smith’s allegations against him, including declining to ask Smith to testify and tell her account of the events. * Journal & Topics | Del Mar Steps Down From Local GOP Leadership To Focus On Statewide Bid: In the race to succeed Del Mar as Palatine Township Republican committeeman, David Prichard defeated George Tuhowski III. Prichard earned 3,375 votes (75%) to Tuhowski’s 1,129 votes (25%). Though Prichard was not Del Mar’s preferred candidate, Del Mar said he is working with him to ensure a smooth transition. * Block Club | Watchdog To Host Hearing With Top Cop On Whether Chicago Police Helped ICE Agents * Newsline | Chicago can’t ditch airlines’ suit vs ‘disruptive’ paid sick leave rules: “When one flight attendant calls in sick on short notice, for example, their unavailability plausibly affects the operation of an entire flight crew and flight, not to mention every subsequent connecting flight and the flights of any other employees who need to be rerouted as replacements,” the judge said. * WBEZ | CPS Board selects Macquline King as permanent CEO, will vote on her contract Monday: The proposed contract would be effective July 1 through June 30, 2029 — meaning she would lead the district well past the transition to a fully elected school board. If approved, King’s salary will start at $380,000, more than former CEO Pedro Martinez was offered. He was paid $340,000 per year on a five-year contract. This brings to the end a protracted search for a new CPS leader that started last year after Martinez was fired. * Block Club | New City Effort Will Bring Pop-Ups, Other Resources To West Side Retail Strips Hurt By Flooding: The city selected four agencies to administer the program in those neighborhoods, with the groups charged with identifying move-in ready vacant storefronts and hosting five pop-up activations, Mayor Brandon Johnson’s office announced. The groups will also provide assistance to small businesses, including help with marketing, operational planning and securing leases, all with a goal to provide stability for entrepreneurs. * Sun-Times | Johnson devising strategy to tackle pension crisis that includes ‘deferred retirement option’: Cash-strapped Chicago is crafting a plan to chip away at its $35.8 billion pension crisis that is likely to offer city employees the option of buying out a portion of their future pension benefits in exchange for a lump-sum payment upfront. Acting Chief Financial Officer Steve Mahr said Thursday he expects the so-called “D.R.O.P or deferred retirement option” to be one of “roughly a dozen or more ideas” that will “set the city’s agenda” for the next decade. * WGN | Funeral for fallen Chicago firefighter postponed after widow goes into labor: Services for firefighter/EMT Michael Altman were scheduled to take place on Friday morning, but officials announced on Thursday that they had been postponed after Altman’s wife went into labor. Thursday afternoon, officials announced his wife gave birth to a baby girl named Evelyn Rose. * Block Club | Mike Pence To Speak At UChicago’s Institute Of Politics In April: Pence, who served during President Donald Trump’s first term, will discuss populism, religion, bipartisan lawmaking and the executive branch in a student-moderated panel. The April 28 event is free and will be open to the public. Registration starts Friday via the Institute of Politics website. * Pioneer Press | West Suburban Medical Center closure leaves patients, workers scrambling: A hospital employee who asked to remain anonymous said workers were told via an email from Manoj Prasad, the owner of West Suburban Medical Center, that the hospital would be closing. Other than that, Prasad has not communicated with staff at the hospital, the employee said. Like McCullough’s doctor, many West Suburban health care providers were busy taking care of appointment disruptions and lining up destination hospitals for their patients before they could consider their own employment status. On Thursday afternoon, some patients were still finding out about the closure. * Daily Herald | Elgin council gives staff more time to develop inclusivity and diversity ordinance: What started in December as an idea to declare Elgin a “welcoming city” for immigrants and migrants has expanded well beyond that scope. The 20-page ordinance would codify existing policies on local cooperation with federal civil immigration enforcement. Other measures include establishing an immigrant legal defense fund, creating a municipal ID program, addressing language access, and developing an inclusive procurement plan. * Tribune | Buyer who paid $9.5M for Michael Jordan’s Highland Park mansion has a new plan to convert it into a museum: John Cooper, a Lincolnshire resident, brought a concept for the plan to Highland Park leaders in December, and he now has fleshed it out with specifics involving his business plan, access to the property, parking and economic impact. Calling the 37,700-square-foot mansion Champions Point — for promotional reasons, Cooper doesn’t directly refer to Jordan because of potential trademark or right-of-publicity claims — Cooper told the Tribune he envisions tours of the mansion and its surrounding property as a way for people “to have introspection.” * WGLT | Bloomington resumes search for new water sources: The City of Bloomington is engaged in a significant planning effort to find ways to expand its drinking water supply, with water director Brett Lueschen saying the city will likely need more water in the future. “We’ve seen some growth within Bloomington, and we want to make sure that we have a good water supply to be able to plan for the future,” said Lueschen. He said the city will likely issue a “request for qualifications,” or RFQ, to find an outside firm to help. * The Southern | Saline County Board meets in lobby after courtroom ban: The Saline County Board held its first meeting outside the courtroom Thursday, moving just steps away to the courthouse lobby after a judge barred its use of courtroom space. The board gathered in the lobby for the meeting, marking its first session since the change took effect. The move came after Resident Circuit Judge Jayson M. Clark ordered the board to stop holding meetings in courthouse courtrooms. * BND | Bullying allegations at metro-east high school spark petition, district response: Mascoutah community members and school district officials addressed allegations of bullying and inadequate intervention circulating on social media at Tuesday night’s school board meeting. The district largely reiterated that it takes bullying seriously and takes action against it, but that student privacy laws prohibit much information from being disclosed. Meanwhile, community members said they still have concerns. Namely, they said they find it troubling that speaking out led to court orders against two students. […] The petition called for action regarding alleged bullying by a specific group of high school students. It said these accused students, who were named in one version of the petition, took place in-person on school grounds and on digital platforms. * WGLT | Normal announces Route 66 commemorative projects: Projects include a 1950s-themed picnic at One Normal Plaza on June 7, a commemorative logo and a mural at Sprague’s Super Service. “Route 66 is more than just a road or stretch of pavement. For our community, it’s a symbol of progress, connection and hospitality,” said Mayor Chris Koos. A grant from the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity will allow the Town of Normal to refurbish Sprague’s Super Service, a historic landmark on Pine Street, with a mural. The mural portrays a night in Normal. The grant was secured by VisitBN and will support enhancements to attractions and visitor experiences throughout McLean County. * AP | Illinois clamps down on Houston for a 65-55 March Madness win to reach Elite Eight: In the Sweet 16 for a seventh consecutive time, the second-seeded Cougars (30-7) were thrilled to be playing just over two miles from their campus. But their poor shooting gave Houston fans little to cheer about and delighted the orange-clad Illini faithful who made the long trip to Texas. “At the beginning of the game Houston fans were a little louder, but as game was going, (our fans) started being louder in their city,” Mirkovic said. “So it’s just really important for us, I would say just like a wind to our back. They pushed us and thanks for them.” * WREX | Rockford Vintage Fest returns amid rising demand for vintage finds: As vintage markets started popping up more in cities like Chicago, he realized Rockford was missing something. “The reception was great. The people here in Rockford were just so happy,” Smiley said. “Usually you have to travel to Chicago to go do something like this, so to have it in Rockford, it did great. And I was like, well, I just got to keep doing this here.” * NPR | A $50 billion fund to help rural hospitals could actually lead to service cuts: That’s because the five-year federal program focuses on new, creative ways to improve access to rural health care, not on directly funding services and renovations. And Montana is one of at least 10 states whose leaders say projects launched under the federal program could lead rural hospitals to cut services so they can continue to afford to offer emergency and other essential care. * NYT | Sheriff in California Seizes More Ballots, Ignoring State Attorney General: Chad Bianco, the sheriff of Riverside County, seized 426 boxes of ballot materials on Tuesday, adding to the even larger tranche of 650,000 cast ballots he took last month, according to a lawsuit filed Thursday by California’s attorney general, Rob Bonta, a Democrat. Mr. Bonta petitioned the court to halt Mr. Bianco’s investigation, which he said has not identified any crimes. * ABC | Hotel and stadium workers can refuse work if ICE is present, union says as World Cup approaches: UNITE HERE Local 11, the union that represents 32,000 workers in Southern California and Arizona, said that the presence of federal immigration agents creates “unusually dangerous conditions” and under existing collective bargaining agreements, employees have the right to refuse to work. This comes as the FIFA World Cup 2026 approaches. Inglewood’s SoFi Stadium is set to host eight games this summer.
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Good morning!
Friday, Mar 27, 2026 - Posted by Isabel Miller
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Protected: SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - Today’s edition of Capitol Fax (use all CAPS in password)
Friday, Mar 27, 2026 - Posted by Rich Miller
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Selected press releases (Live updates)
Friday, Mar 27, 2026 - Posted by Isabel Miller
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Live coverage
Friday, Mar 27, 2026 - Posted by Isabel Miller * Click here and/or here to follow breaking news on the website formally known as Twitter. Our Bluesky feed…
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Isabel’s afternoon roundup
Thursday, Mar 26, 2026 - Posted by Isabel Miller
* The Tribune…
* A City That Works | Transit reform now hinges on who sits on the board: Asian boards are loaded with transit experts and heavy-hitting complementary skills. Hong Kong’s MTR, for example, includes eight engineers, multiple former partners at big major audit firms, along with legal and finance experts. More than half of the board of the Tokyo Metro has direct expertise working in transit; other board members include the former CEO of Mizuho Financial Group, one of the country’s largest banks, and a former executive vice president at Sony. Both European and Asian boards have far more engineers than the U.S. ones. The eight engineers on Hong Kong MTR’ board have a mix of transit and non-transit backgrounds. Berlin’s 16-member board includes three engineers, plus a professor at the German Aerospace Center. I count just two board members with an engineering background across the entire set of American transit agencies. * Tribune | Chicago school board to vote on interim CPS CEO Macquline King as permanent leader: The Chicago Board of Education will vote Monday on whether to hire interim CEO Macquline King permanently, concluding a monthslong national search for the school district’s next leader. If approved, her contract will be effective July 1 through June 30, 2029, according to an agenda posted on the board’s website Thursday. Her salary will start at $380,000. King, a Chicago native, has risen through the ranks of Chicago Public Schools, beginning her career as a teacher and later as a principal. She has helmed the district since June, following the December 2024 firing without cause of former CEO Pedro Martinez. * Sun-Times | Work starts on the $1.2 million restoration of landmark Pullman church’s troubled but iconic bell tower: The project is the first substantial exterior repair the building has seen since its 1882 construction. “I’m just so thrilled to have it kicking off,” Greenstone’s pastor, the Rev. Luther Mason, said. “It’s been a long time.” Oddly enough, the bell tower doesn’t actually have a bell inside. “We think there was one in there at one time,” Mason said. “I was told a long time ago that there was somebody who supposedly had the original bell or had a bell that they were willing to donate. But it would be lovely to get a bell in there.” * Sun-Times | Congo Square ensemble members say in letter that the prominent Black theater was quietly dissolved: Congo Square Theatre Company, a prominent Black ensemble theater group that has produced work in Chicago for a quarter century, has quietly been dissolved by its board of directors, according to an open letter posted on Facebook Sunday by the ensemble. Ensemble members confirmed the authenticity of the letter to WBEZ/Sun-Times and said they were prompted to write it, in part, after learning through lawyers that $240,000 of company money allegedly had gone to another local theater company: Victory Gardens. That alleged donation is at the center of a breach of trust lawsuit filed in December by ensemble members against members of the board in Cook County Circuit Court. * Daily Herald | Affordable housing in St. Charles? Apartment developer cites ‘revenue gap’ if units set aside: A 29-acre site in St. Charles — one of the last remaining open properties in town for residential development — is becoming a flashpoint for housing affordability in the city. With a new proposal on the table, some city officials are requesting affordable units while the project’s developers argue it would hurt their private equity-backed bottom line. * Aurora Beacon News | Aurora sets special liquor rules for new Hollywood Casino resort: The Aurora City Council has approved special rules around the sale of liquor and other alcohol at the new Hollywood Casino resort, which is still under construction. The Farnsworth Bilter Entertainment District, which only includes the casino and resort site, has its own unique liquor licenses that restaurants, bars and other locations within the casino can apply for. These licenses are different than others given by the city, for instance, by allowing patrons to take their drinks with them if they stroll to another part of the resort. * WGLT | A shelter village provides a bridge to permanent housing: Home Sweet Home Ministries was in an ideal position to provide an alternative, Burgess said, because it had been serving people living on the margins of society in Bloomington for more than one hundred years. Burgess came up with the idea for The Bridge after researching four communities, which had built shelter villages to combat homelessness– Burlington, Vermont; Denver, Colorado; Missoula, Montana and Austin, Texas. * WCIA | Pre-enrollment one week away for cover crop program in Central Illinois: The program was paused last summer because of federal funding questions, but now a $7 million federal grant is bringing it back. “There are challenges to adopting cover crops and that’s why we have these programs,” said Abigail Peterson, Illinois Soybean Association agronomy director. “When these opportunities come around, farmers need to take advantage of them.” * WGLT | Judge reverses pretrial release for former McLean County staffer accused of viewing child porn at work: A former McLean County staffer charged with viewing child pornography at work will now remain in jail awaiting trial. […] Chambers saw no possible conditions of pretrial release were likely to mitigate the threat Beyer poses to the community, noting that treatment takes time and the state Office of Pretrial Services’ ability to monitor his devices is limited. Chambers said Beyer is “not unsophisticated” with computers, having once pursued a computer science degree, and that avoiding contact with minors, another condition of his release, doesn’t preclude him from continuing the behavior. * WCIA | U of I’s Snyder Hall relocation nearly complete: Nearly all of the 450 students living at U of I’s Snyder Hall have been relocated after the building’s main water line burst two Sundays ago and flooded the dormitory’s basement. It rendered the basement’s electric, water and data systems useless, according to University Housing Executive Director Alma Sealine. 11 students’ belongings remain in their dorm rooms at Snyder, according to Brooke Feeney, Associate Director of Marketing and Communications for University Housing. She said those students have not returned to campus from spring break. * KFF | Inside Medicare Advantage ‘dark money’ group’s campaign to win bigger payments to insurers: Judging by more than 16,400 comments recently posted on a federal government website, you’d think there was a groundswell of older Americans demanding that federal officials hike payments to their Medicare Advantage health insurance plans. Yet about 82% of the comments are identical to a letter that appeared on the website of a secretive advocacy group called Medicare Advantage Majority, a data analysis by KFF Health News has found. The “dark money” group — which doesn’t make public who its funders are or much else — says it’s “dedicated to protecting and strengthening Medicare Advantage” and is “powered by hundreds of thousands of local advocates nationwide.” * Good Morning America | Expert suggests book airfare now as United CEO warns prices will keep rising due to cost of jet fuel: Airlines have warned that airfare prices could continue to soar due to the war in Iran and rising oil prices, so travel experts suggest now is the best time to book summer flights and navigate any fare adjustments down the road. Amid the ongoing Middle East conflict, United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby told ABC News that ticket prices will need to go up 20% to help cover the surging cost of jet fuel which is now up more than 70% since the start of the war. Kirby also said that travelers should lock in any planned trips at current airfare rates now. * CBS | Justice Department tells judge it incorrectly used ICE memo to justify immigration court arrests: The government attorneys told U.S. District Court Judge Kevin Castel that they erroneously cited the memo in monthslong litigation challenging the courthouse arrests because of a “regrettable error” by an “agency attorney,” presumably at ICE. “We deeply regret that this error has come to light at this late stage, after the parties have expended significant resources and time to litigate this case and this Court has carefully considered Plaintiffs’ challenge to the 2025 ICE Guidance,” the Justice Department lawyers said in their letter. * AP | Former umpires not keen on ABS system, fearing robots will embarrass umps: ‘Nobody likes to be humiliated’: “I think it’s embarrassing, embarrassing to the umpires that are calling the game. Nobody likes to be humiliated in front of 30,000, 40,000 people,” said Garcia, a major-league umpire from 1975-99. “What Major League Baseball is saying is: I don’t trust the umpire’s strike zone, so I’m going to use something that’s going to be operated by some computer geek that knows nothing about baseball, and he’s the one that’s going to measure this and measure that because he’s got a Ph.D. in physics or whatever the hell he’s got a degree in.”
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Question of the day
Thursday, Mar 26, 2026 - Posted by Rich Miller * Opening day thoughts?
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HB 3799 Raises Premiums And Destabilizes A Stable Insurance Market
Thursday, Mar 26, 2026 - Posted by Advertising Department [The following is a paid advertisement.] Illinois’ competitive system protects consumers and keeps carriers investing here—let’s not break what works. Independent research shows slow, uncertain rate reviews push insurers out and costs up. HB 3799 was already defeated in Veto Session—keep it that way. Vote NO. Protect affordability. Vote NO on HB 3799.
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Rate the Bailey video
Thursday, Mar 26, 2026 - Posted by Rich Miller * Here you go…
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Protected: SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - Political updates (Updated)
Thursday, Mar 26, 2026 - Posted by Rich Miller
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Support 340B Legislation This Spring: NO Budget Appropriation, NO Cost To Taxpayers
Thursday, Mar 26, 2026 - Posted by Advertising Department [The following is a paid advertisement.] When it comes to healthcare, what’s at stake this legislative session? It’s the health of Illinois communities, large and small, urban, suburban and rural. Hospitals and Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) serve communities throughout the state, with FQHCs providing essential primary care and hospitals providing lifesaving care around the clock. Yet they face increased costs—from supplies to staffing—just like everyday Americans challenged to make ends meet. What’s more, H.R. 1 will strip Illinois of up to $57 billion in federal Medicaid dollars over 10 years. The federal government created the 340B Drug Pricing Program to help hospitals and FQHCs serving many uninsured and low-income patients expand access to care and provide more comprehensive healthcare services. Recent drugmaker restrictions are making it difficult for hospitals and FQHCs to offer the services historically marginalized communities deserve. Hospitals and FQHCs invest 340B savings in free lifesaving health screenings, critical healthcare services in underserved communities, free transportation to medical appointments, mobile clinics, new freestanding clinics and more. Legislator support is critical to ensuring 340B survives and communities thrive. Stand with Illinois hospitals and FQHCs for 340B. Vote YES on House Bill 2371 SA 2—at NO cost to taxpayers and with NO budget appropriation. Learn more.
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It’s just a bill
Thursday, Mar 26, 2026 - Posted by Isabel Miller * Crain’s…
The Illinois Restaurant Association…
* Illinois Education Association…
* WTTW…
* Crain’s…
* WAND…
* WCSJ…
* Politico…
* Sun-Times…
* Press release…
* The Illinois Manufacturers’ Association…
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Credit Unions Step Up: Support After Disaster
Thursday, Mar 26, 2026 - Posted by Advertising Department [The following is a paid advertisement.] When a devastating tornado struck a local Illinois school district last spring, the community lost far more than a building. An elementary school was destroyed, leaving students, teachers, and staff without supplies, classrooms, or basic essentials. Amid that crisis, Area Educational Credit Union showed what the credit union difference truly means. “Our credit union was able to be responsive very quickly,” Jeremy Dougherty, member of Area Educational CU’s Board of Directors shared. The credit union immediately sent funds, allowing teachers to purchase replacement materials right away. The credit union also offered meaningful financial relief. “We were able to defer payments for that district,” Jeremy explained. “I’m proud to be part of a credit union that can do that.” Teachers, aides, and staff who lost workdays were granted payment extensions, easing stress during an already overwhelming time. This captures the heart of what Illinois credit unions stand for: people helping people, especially when it matters most. Learn more about people helping people at https://betterforillinois.org/ Paid for by Illinois Credit Union League.
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Isabel’s morning briefing
Thursday, Mar 26, 2026 - Posted by Isabel Miller * ICYMI: Lawmakers advance Pritzker’s cell phone ban, social media regulations. Capitol News Illinois…
- A House education committee unanimously approved the latest version of a bill that would require school boards to prohibit public school students from using their cellphones in the classroom. - The House Executive Committee unanimously OK’d an amended version of legislation authorizing Illinois community colleges to offer four-year bachelor’s degree programs in high-demand fields — another Pritzker initiative. * BlueRoomStream.com’s coverage of today’s press conferences and committee hearings can be found here. * Sun-Times | Foundation’s role a mystery as Lincoln artifacts are poised to be auctioned off: These items were once owned by wealthy West Coast historian and Lincoln collector Louise Taper, who sold her collection in 2007 to what now is the Lincoln Presidential Foundation for $23 million with hopes her artifacts would become state property and forever displayed at the state-run presidential museum in Lincoln’s hometown. Instead, many of her iconic pieces of Lincolniana have landed in the hands of unknown buyers after an auction last May raised nearly $8 million, and more may be going that way imminently. Taper was sharply critical of that last auction, which included the sale of blood-stained gloves from Lincoln’s coat pocket the night he was assassinated. She said she was “appalled” at the foundation’s willingness to sell off pieces of her prized collection. * Tribune | Reginald ‘Reg’ Weaver, first Black president of the state’s largest teachers union, dies at 86: “Reg was a pioneer in many ways. He led the way for people of color to see themselves in leadership at the state and national level. He was a mentor to so many state and national leaders. He created pathways to leadership and made room for folks when they arrived,” Karl Goeke, the current president of the state teachers union, said in a statement. “He was kind, generous, and humorous. He always had a story to tell with a light in his eyes. He made people feel welcome, supported and valued.” * Sun-Times | More César Chavez murals, memorials taken down as Illinois Senate honors Dolores Huerta: The Illinois Senate adopted a resolution Wednesday honoring Huerta and declaring April 10 as “Dolores Huerta Day” in Illinois. “In recent months, Dolores Huerta has shown profound resilience and courage in sharing her own experience of harm, doing so in order to uplift the stories of countless women whose voices were overlooked or silenced,” the resolution states. One of the resolution’s sponsors, State Sen. Celina Villanueva, D-Chicago, said she is also working on a plan to rescind César Chavez Day, which is next week on March 31st. * Patrick Hanley | Ranked choice voting is a better way to make votes count: I’m the Democratic nominee for the Illinois state Senate’s 9th District. My own race, thankfully, offered voters a straightforward choice between two qualified candidates. The 9th Congressional District election did not. […] In a crowded field, our current system rewards whoever can lock down a narrow slice of the electorate, not whoever can build a majority coalition. It pressures voters into defensive choices: Not who do you want, but who can win? Strategic voting was a defining feature of the 9th Congressional District race. Some progressives pushed hard for voters to fall in behind Abughazaleh. Others made impassioned arguments for Biss to block her. Compelling candidates such as Simmons or Andrew or Amiwala competed for attention in a system that prizes viability, which is another way to say funding. * WMBD | Pritzker hosts Bloomington roundtable to tackle high housing costs: Gov. JB Pritzker came to Bloomington on Wednesday to discuss with advocates and leaders his proposals to bring down the cost of housing. “People cannot afford to pay rent, and they cannot afford to build or own a home,” Pritzker said. Bloomington is at the forefront of high prices in Central Illinois. According to Realtor.com, the median listing of a home in Bloomington is up $150,000 from 2016-2025. * Tribune | Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson vetoes tipped wage freeze, setting up City Council showdown: With Johnson’s veto — the third he has made in less than two years, after the city went nearly two decades with none — the mayor and backers of the “One Fair Wage” ordinance are slated for a showdown against a City Council majority fiercely backed by the Illinois Restaurant Association. But to overturn the veto, the mayor’s opponents will need at least 34 aldermanic votes, four more than last week’s count and a larger-than-it-looks challenge in a council increasingly defined by hard-set sides. * Block Club | Alderperson Closes Office After ‘Threats Of Violence’ Following Loyola Student’s Killing: “My comments were never intended to blame the victim or imply that Sheridan should not have been out enjoying the park or that it was her fault that she was shot,” the alderwoman wrote. “In the interview, I tried my best to share what limited information I had with our community as fast as possible while helping to address the fears people had about the shooting. I sincerely apologize for any additional pain that my comments may have caused. The fact that some media outlets are intentionally creating sound bites to misconstrue my words during this tragedy is also unfortunate,” Hadden said. * ABC Chicago | Chicago’s Jewish community concerned about fallout after human relations commissioner resigns: Andrade declined ABC7’s request for an interview Wednesday. The only hint she gave of any frustrations was in a written statement where she said her resignation relates to the oath she took as an attorney and as commission to uphold the values of the office as well as a strict code of ethics. * Sun-Times | DePaul and Loyola accused of pushing low-income families toward hefty loans while favoring wealthier students: Loyola University Chicago and DePaul University were named in a report released Thursday by the progressive think tank New America, alleging they are among 41 colleges nationwide that push a large share of lower-income families to take out hefty loans to cover college costs while offering attractive scholarships to wealthier families with high-achieving students. The schools in the report have a high percentage of lower-income families taking out loans they often can’t afford to pay back, according to the report’s author Steven Burd, a senior writer and editor with the education policy program at New America. The amount parents take out in loans is sometimes more than their annual earnings, the report found. * Tribune | Wildfires, dust storms and traffic made Chicago the 3rd-most polluted major US city in 2025, report finds: The average concentration of small particulate matter in the city last year was 9.7 micrograms per cubic meter of air — almost double the World Health Organization’s recommended limit of 5 micrograms per cubic meter, and a more than 15% increase from 2024, when Chicago dropped to seventh place among the most polluted major cities in the country. It was second in 2023. Smaller communities in the Joliet area — Ingalls Park, Lockport and Crest Hill — recorded the highest concentrations in the state, and all averaged above 10 micrograms per cubic meter. * Sun-Times | Opening Day starts clock on White Sox GM Chris Getz to move from rebuild to results: So after an astounding 223 losses — 243, if you don’t want to give him a pass on those last few miserable weeks of ’23 — plus bursts and starts of incremental progress that have frustrated a beleaguered fan base, the clock on Getz’s front-office tenure starts in earnest Thursday in Milwaukee. “What we’re doing is headed in the right direction,” Getz said Wednesday during the Sox’ final workout before the season begins. “As the season progresses, much like the second half last year, there’s going to be stretches where, wow, we’re really starting to be competitive on a regular basis and win series against clubs that are at the top of the division or top of the league. * Tribune | Visit Norwood Park! Or Englewood! Chicago artist creates and sells tourism posters for city’s neighborhoods: “Just based on doing the logos, it became obvious that people have so much pride in their neighborhoods,” he says. “And it’s a nice way to feature neighborhoods that don’t ever get featured. There’s a lot of Chicago art out there, but so much of it is based on downtown or the lakefront or any of the hip neighborhoods. But somebody in North Lawndale? They’re probably happy they live there and would appreciate seeing it represented on a poster. I’ve been selling these since 2012, so I know if a certain neighborhood poster is not going to sell. But I’ll still do it because one, it’s creatively fulfilling, and two, it’s really important for people to be seen. Every neighborhood is important, even if it gets dumped on by the media. And I want to create art that celebrates the city.” * Tribune | Aurora adopts strict new regulations on data centers: The regulations were approved by the Aurora City Council after roughly four hours of public comment and discussion at a meeting on Tuesday, ending a months-long pause on data center and warehouse developments in the city. Previously, Aurora categorized data centers as warehouses so had few restrictions around them, but an influx of data center proposals along with residents’ concerns about existing facilities prompted the city to stop accepting new applications until new rules could be developed. Under the city’s newly-passed rules, future data centers will be held to strict energy efficiency, water efficiency and noise emission standards, plus will be required to produce a number of studies and reports around these issues. Unlike before, City Council now has the ability to approve or deny proposed data center developments. * Oak Park Journal | Oak Parker Kaegi proud of work as assessor even in defeat : “We tried to make this campaign about how corporate tax breaks get shifted in to homeowners, but it’s hard to be the most visible person in the tax system and trying to explain how tax is spiked because another governing body that most people have never heard of,” Kaegi said. “It’s complicated and what could get lost is that I’ve been the guy who, more than anyone else, has been fighting for average homeowners against the interests that would like to shift more burden on to them. So you know they say in politics that if you’re explaining you’re losing and the system’s complicated.” * Sun-Times | Cold front will bring storms Thursday, potential for more tornadoes: Storms may reach father south, near Kankakee, in the late afternoon. That’s where there is potential for supercells to develop again with a tornado, hail and wind threat. “The setup for tomorrow is somewhat similar to what we had March 10, but not quite as conducive to track prolific tornadoes,” Ratzer said. “Though there certainly is a tornado threat.” * Muddy River News | QPS will introduce its new superintendent at a special noon meeting on Friday, April 17: School Board President Shelley Arns announced Wednesday night that the district will introduce the new superintendent at a special noon meeting on April 17 at district headquarters, 1416 Maine Street, where the official vote will take place. Arns said it was a relief after they had to extend the search when the intitial candidates took issue with the salary. “We had a very successful second round of interviewing,” Arns said. “We’re very happy with our candidate. In fact, we had a very hard time deciding. We felt we had two really great choices in the end.” * AP | Illinois State takes down Dayton 61-55 in the tournament quarterfinals: * IPM News | Thursday: Possible record heat followed by strong to severe storms in central Illinois: Much of the day today will be warm and breezy but otherwise quiet. Look for scattered storms to develop to our north late this afternoon and evening as a cold front approaches the area. A few strong to severe storms are possible across the area this evening into the first half of the overnight, or between roughly 6:00 p.m. and midnight. Large hail is the primary expected hazard with severe storms locally, but isolated instances of damaging winds and a tornado or two can’t be ruled out. Behind the cold front we turn much colder tomorrow and Saturday, but mild and stormy spring weather returns next week. * EFF | EFF Sues for Answers About Medicare’s AI Experiment: The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) today filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit against the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) seeking records about a multi-state program that is using AI to evaluate requests for medical care. “Tasking an algorithm with making determinations about treatment can create unwarranted—and even discriminatory—delays or denials of necessary medical care,” said Kit Walsh, EFF’s Director of AI and Access-to-Knowledge Legal Projects. “Given these serious risks, the public requires transparency that it hasn’t gotten. We’re suing to get badly needed answers about how Medicare’s AI experiment works.” * WaPo | Conservative activist convicted in voter-fraud case: Wait asked for the ballots to be sent to his home and then announced he had done so, saying he was highlighting a flaw in the state’s voting processes that bad actors could exploit to cast ballots for other people. The state Justice Department launched an investigation and charged Wait. One of the municipal clerks who received a request from Wait sent him a ballot; the other did not. Election officials have said that actions like Wait’s are extremely rare and that they would have quickly caught on to them even if he hadn’t disclosed what he did. The state tracks where ballots are sent and investigates when voters question whether someone tried to vote in their name, election officials said. * The Marshall Project | The Troubling Personal Side of Public Surveillance: On Wednesday, former Milwaukee police officer Josue Ayala pleaded not guilty to a misconduct charge accusing him of using the department’s Flock-branded Automated License Plate Reader system (ALPR) for personal reasons. He resigned from the department hours before his initial court appearance, according to local reporting. Ayala, 33, is charged with attempted misconduct in public office, a misdemeanor. Prosecutors say he used Flock’s plate-tracking platform to look up the location of a woman he was dating, as well as that of her ex-boyfriend, more than 170 times in total over a roughly two-month period. Ayala and his lawyer did not speak with reporters at his court appearance.
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Good morning!
Thursday, Mar 26, 2026 - Posted by Isabel Miller
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Protected: SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - Today’s edition of Capitol Fax (use all CAPS in password)
Thursday, Mar 26, 2026 - Posted by Rich Miller
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Selected press releases (Live updates)
Thursday, Mar 26, 2026 - Posted by Isabel Miller
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Live coverage
Thursday, Mar 26, 2026 - Posted by Isabel Miller * Click here and/or here to follow breaking news on the website formally known as Twitter. Our Bluesky feed…
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Isabel’s afternoon roundup
Wednesday, Mar 25, 2026 - Posted by Isabel Miller * Crain’s…
* Semafor | How a profane anti-Trump ad helped Stratton break through: “The wording was our way of capturing voter sentiment. Our opponent had been on air for eight and a half months before we were about to go up for the first time. How are you going to break through quickly? There is this large, empty lane for where the energy is in the Democratic Party.” * Press release | Former IEA President Reginald “Reg” Weaver, trailblazer for collective bargaining rights in Illinois, passes away at 86: Reginald “Reg” Weaver died Tuesday at age 86. Weaver was a lifelong educator and organizer who served as president of the Illinois Education Association from 1981 to 1987 and led the battle to ensure collective bargaining rights for Illinois educators. Weaver, who also spent 30 years as a teacher in the Harvey school system, was the first Black person to be elected president of the IEA. After his tenure at IEA, he went on to become the president of the National Education Association, from 2002 to 2008, and later went on to serve in the leadership of Education International, an organization representing 29 million teachers and education workers in 169 countries. * Tribune | Frankfort man charged with threatening Gov. JB Pritzker pleads to misdemeanor charge: A 71-year-old Frankfort man pleaded guilty Friday to misdemeanor phone harassment charges stemming from an Illinois State Police investigation of numerous voicemail threats to Gov. JB Pritzker’s office March 3. Timothy Shemitis was sentenced to 24 months of court supervision, fees and fines totaling to $525 and an anger management program, meaning a conviction will not be entered if he completes the supervision successfully, according to Will County court records. * WSIL | Illinois Flags to Fly at Half-Staff Honoring Fallen Chicago Firefighter: In a proclamation issued by Gov. JB Pritzker, the state will lower flags from sunrise Wednesday, March 25, through sunset Friday, March 27, 2026, to remember Firefighter/EMT Michael Altman of the Chicago Fire Department. Altman, 32, died on Tuesday, March 17, while serving his community. According to the proclamation, he had been with the department for nearly two years and was recognized as a dedicated and passionate public servant. * Sun-Times | Human Relations Commissioner Andrade resigns after concerns antisemitism report draft was ‘whitewashed’: Human Relations Commission member Dan Goldwin said the report triggered by a 58% rise in reported anti-Jewish hate crimes from 2023 to 2024 was completed and focused solely on the surge in incidents of antisemitism in Chicago — and what to do about it. But when the report was forwarded to the mayor’s office in November, a consultant was hired to alter the report and turn it into a broader document on all hate incidents, Goldwin said. “The mayor’s office sent back an edit of it that completely whitewashed it… They had just crossed off anything that had to do with anti-Jewish hate crime and just made it an all-lives matter” report, said Goldwin, who also serves as chief public affairs officer for the Jewish United Fund. * Sun-Times | Mayor Johnson vetoes plan to freeze subminimum wage for tipped workers: Mayor Brandon Johnson on Wednesday used his third veto to bury an ordinance that would have frozen the hourly pay of Chicago’s tipped workers at 76% of the minimum wage, and he’s likely to make it stick unless there’s a compromise to give struggling restaurants a short break. […] Illinois Restaurant Association President Sam Toia is targeting nine alderpersons who voted against the freeze despite having heavy concentrations of restaurants in their wards, in hopes of convincing at least four of them to change their votes and override the mayor’s veto. * Block Club | An AI School, With No Teachers, To Open in Chicago This Fall: Alpha Schools will open this fall at 350 E. South Water St. The school will serve 100 students in kindergarten through eighth grade, with plans to expand in the future, Price said in an interview. With tuition of $55,000 a year, it will be one of the most expensive private schools in Chicago. * Sun-Times | Cook County state’s attorney’s office training new prosecutor task force to focus on CTA crimes: A new internal transit crime task force will train more than 30 prosecutors and provide guidance on seeking court orders to restrict defendants from accessing parts of the CTA, according to State’s Attorney Eileen O’Neill Burke’s office. The prosecutors will receive enhanced training on CTA video evidence, serve as liaisons with Chicago police and CTA on transit-related cases, and track data on transit crimes. * Crain’s | Chicago Fire buys land for new stadium at the 78 for $69 million: An affiliate of the team paid $69.3 million to buy a parcel of land at 1331 S. Wells St. from developer Related Midwest, according to Illinois property records. The planned 22,000-seat venue will anchor the 78, Related’s 62-acre mega-development in the South Loop. The Fire and Related formally broke ground on the stadium earlier this month, after winning City Council approval for the project in September. The sale of the land to the team was part of the arrangement between the Fire and Related, and the developer will continue to own and develop ancillary uses and buildings around it. * WGN | Route 66 is getting a new starting point in Chicago: On Wednesday, city officials will formally designate Navy Pier as the new symbolic starting point of historic Route 66. Often called the “Mother Road,” Route 66 was one of the first major highways in the United States. Established on Nov. 11, 1926, the highway runs from Chicago to Santa Monica, California, crossing eight states in between.
* Crain’s | South Loop developer lands $83 million construction loan for long-planned Riverline project: The loan is notable in a downtown market where high interest rates, rising construction costs and difficulty attracting institutional investors have stalled many large projects, though a New York developer broke that dry spell last May with a $151 million construction loan for its high-rise project at 370 N. Morgan St. The total costs of CMK’s apartment project at 1010 S. Wells St., or whether the firm has received additional equity to back the development, wasn’t immediately clear. CMK didn’t respond to requests for comment. * ABC Chicago | Chicago weather: Drastic drop in temperatures Thursday; strong storms to bring hail, damaging winds: There could be a shower or thunderstorm overnight, but most areas will stay dry with temperatures dropping into the 50s. On Thursday, the forecast shows the storms will likely arrive to the Chicago area between 4 p.m. and 10 p.m. Some storms could be severe with large hail and wind as the main concerns. * Sun-Times | The last man at the shoeshine stand: Forty-dollar shoes. Thousand-dollar shoes. And everything in between. Steve Fullerton has cared for them all, the snap of his buffing rags echoing beneath the vaulted marble ceiling of the Cook County Building for the past 20 years. You can tell a lot about a person by how they treat their shoes, says the 57-year-old West Sider. “If you don’t care for your shoes, what other parts of your life aren’t you taking care of?” Fullerton says. “You only live once. God gave you two feet. Be good to them. They take you all over. They walk for you. They help you dance.” * Sun-Times | West Suburban Medical Center closing temporarily as it runs out of cash to pay employees: The hospital’s owner blamed the electronic medical record system for failing to bill for the hospital’s work. The closure comes months after West Suburban’s sister hospital, Weiss Memorial, shuttered in Chicago’s Uptown neighborhood. * Shaw Local | Will County prosecutors release termination letter on staffer after Illinois Attorney General weighs in: The Will County State’s Attorney’s Office released a termination letter regarding one of its employees after they were found to have violated a state transparency law. Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul’s Office issued a rare binding opinion on Feb. 10 that found State’s Attorney James Glasgow’s Office violated the Freedom of Information Act by improperly withholding the termination letter for Amy Burgett-Masse, 44, of Elwood. Burgett-Masse was a legal secretary for Glasgow’s office who was fired May 23, 2025. She faces charges of official misconduct and aggravated computer tampering. Her daughter, Ryane Burgett-Masse, 20, is also charged with aggravated computer tampering. * Evanston Roundtable | District 65 discusses report projecting $598 million in facilities spending over next 49 years: Board members posed questions to firm co-founder and project executive Patrick Callahan, and Marisa Urbina, the project manager, asking how they should interpret the report’s findings. “This is a tool. This is not a death knell,” Callahan explained. “… This is a set of variables that allows you to make decisions as you look at how students are educated and where they’re educated.” * CBS Chciago | Berwyn homeowners concerned about more flooding with severe storm risk this week: Repeated basement flooding and property damage is leading homeowners in Berwyn to fear every time it rains, with another severe weather threat on the way. Trucks pumping out sewers and catch basins are a necessary sight in the City of Berwyn. Resident Dave Levy said his basement continues to be ravaged by floods on and off over the past five years. He said that he and other homeowners were frightened to learn that there would be more rain in the forecast this week. * Illinois Times | New police chief for Leland Grove: The six members of the City Council unanimously voted to terminate the previous police chief, Dan Ryan, retroactively effective Feb. 24. Ryan, whose license was suspended on March 23, is awaiting trial for DUI. He has also been charged with violating open container laws and improper lane usage along with failure to use a turn signal. Mayor Mary Jo Bangert told Illinois Times after the meeting that she could not comment on the decision to terminate Ryan, due to his pending court case. * WCIA | Is it safe to track your period? U of I law expert collaborating with Cancer Center to establish ‘privacy safe guards’ for users: “From your period, from menopause management, it could be sexual health information, location data, etc. Here, it really depends on where you are living in the US. Unfortunately, so far, fewer than 20 states have comprehensive privacy laws,” Gerke explained. Illinois doesn’t have one yet. However, six bills were recently introduced and are now in committee. Gerke feels there is “some hope” if these are greenlit moving forward. * WAND | No injuries after small fire in Springfield IDFPR building: The Springfield Fire Department responded to a fire in the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation building Wednesday morning. The department told WAND News that firefighters responded to the building around 9:30 a.m. According to the department, there was a small fire in a storage closet on the 7th floor of the building. The fire is out and nobody was hurt. The cause of the fire is still under investigation. * AP | EPA approves sale of higher ethanol fuel to try to lower gas prices: The sale of E15 is typically discontinued in the summer because it can contribute to harmful air pollution. “President Trump is unleashing American Energy Dominance, and today’s action will directly lower prices at the pump and gives a clear demand signal to our domestic biofuels producers,” U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said in a statement. The summer waiver for E15 has become commonplace in recent years, and both Republicans and Democrats have called for it to become year-round and permanent to lower prices at the pump. In some states it’s already allowed. * Axios | Mysterious trading patterns follow Trump into war: On Monday, $580 million in oil futures flooded the market in a sudden spike — with no public news to explain it — roughly 16 minutes before Trump announced a pause in strikes on Iranian power plants. On the Friday before the war began, an unusual surge of more than 150 Polymarket accounts placed hundreds of bets predicting a U.S. strike on Iran by the next day, according to a New York Times analysis. On Jan. 2, a trader turned roughly $32,000 into more than $400,000 by betting on the capture of Venezuela’s Nicolás Maduro before it was announced the next morning.
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Community college baccalaureate bill finally starts moving
Wednesday, Mar 25, 2026 - Posted by Rich Miller * Some context from a column I wrote last year…
A retooled bill was sent to the House Executive Committee this year and it passed on a unanimous roll call this morning. Isabel wrote about the bill for subscribers earlier today. * From Illinois Community College Board Executive Director Brian Durham…
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It’s just a bill
Wednesday, Mar 25, 2026 - Posted by Isabel Miller * Economic Security Illinois Action…
* Rep. Tracy Katz Muhl’s HB5236 passed through committee yesterday…
* ACT Now Illinois…
* Rep. Murri Briel…
* The American Council of Engineering Companies of Illinois…
* Sen. Linda Holmes…
* More…
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I need a favor
Wednesday, Mar 25, 2026 - Posted by Rich Miller * A very long time ago, I took a hard look at my miserable life and realized that I had to somehow, finally find a way forward. I knew I could write, so I came up with a two-part plan. Part One was writing freelance stories for the Illinois Times in Springfield, where I had contributed a few pieces before. Part Two? Well, I was hoping for the best. Thankfully, it all somehow worked out in the end, but not before I wound up sleeping in a friend’s abandoned basement coal bin while living on $50 a week from the paper. My work has appeared in the IT off and on since 1986, with a string of stories in 1989-90 and then mostly “on” since 1999 via my weekly column and reports from Kosovo and Iraq. Springfield’s alt-weekly newspaper is close to my heart…
Many, many thanks to Bud Farrar (publisher) and Bill Furry (my long-ago editor). Without them, I wouldn’t be writing this today for you. * Please do me and the entire state a favor and click here to contribute. Thanks!
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Credit Unions: A Model Built For People, Not Profit
Wednesday, Mar 25, 2026 - Posted by Advertising Department [The following is a paid advertisement.] When you visit a credit union, you will see firsthand what makes our model fundamentally different from traditional banks. As Audrey Holocker, Branch Manager at Financial Plus Credit Union in Mendota, IL, often explains to new members, “I don’t know if you know the difference between a credit union and a bank…” — but that difference has a real impact. Banks operate with paid boards and profit-driven goals. Credit unions do not. “Credit unions are nonprofit. We’re here to serve you,” Audrey explains. When someone joins, they’re not just opening an account — “you become an owner of the credit union, and this is part of you.” That ownership structure means every dollar earned is reinvested into member value: lower loan rates, higher returns on savings, and fewer fees. As Audrey states, “What we make, we put back into the credit union to save you money.” This model supports financial stability, expands access to fair credit, and strengthens local economies. It’s why so many credit union employees like Audrey feel deeply connected to this mission. “I’m part of the movement… and I’m very proud to be a credit union member and employee.” Learn more at https://betterforillinois.org/ Paid for by Illinois Credit Union League.
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Thread! (Updated)
Wednesday, Mar 25, 2026 - Posted by Rich Miller * Background is here if you need it. The Tribune editorial board allowed a person who would not answer a Tribune reporter’s legitimate questions an opportunity to write his own op-ed, and that’s not sitting well with said Tribune reporter…
* More from the thread…
Discuss. …Adding… Jake’s claim that the crypto-backed Fairshake spent just $3.3 million is rightly challenged by a commenter…
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340B Hospitals Support Transparency Requirements – Pass HB 2371 SA 2 To Support Patients
Wednesday, Mar 25, 2026 - Posted by Advertising Department [The following is a paid advertisement.] Legislation to protect 340B, House Bill 2371 SA 2, contains NEW transparency requirements that Illinois hospitals agree with. Reporting and audits—from patient data to charity care—are normal activities in hospitals. Ensuring 340B program integrity is no exception. Illinois hospitals consider the federal 340B program a critical resource that helps provide lifesaving medications and critical healthcare services to low-income and uninsured patients. Hospitals and Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) invest savings from 340B discounted drugs into health services benefiting underserved communities. Many patients in Illinois need 340B to survive. The hospitals need it too, as they expect to lose up to $57 billion in federal Medicaid funding over the next decade. The federal Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) regularly audits 340B providers to verify program eligibility, internal controls and compliance. HRSA audits apply to drug manufacturers as well. They include determining “that the manufacturer provided 340B drugs at or below the 340B ceiling price to participating covered entities.” Yet drugmakers have been arbitrarily limiting hospitals and FQHCs to just one contract pharmacy. HB 2371 SA 2 strengthens transparency and accountability while protecting the care communities rely on, proving that Illinois hospitals support oversight and stand firmly behind supporting their patients so they can live healthier lives. Stand with patients, hospitals and FQHCs—Pass HB 2371 at NO cost to taxpayers and with NO needed budget appropriation. Learn more.
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Isabel’s morning briefing
Wednesday, Mar 25, 2026 - Posted by Isabel Miller * ICYMI: Estate tax reform ‘something that I could support,’ Pritzker says. Capitol News Illinois…
- “And so if we can put together a package that makes sense… then I do think it’s something that I could support as long as it includes the kind of tax break that I think is appropriate to preserving small farms and small businesses,” he said. - State Rep. Sharon Chung, D-Bloomington, the House sponsor, told us she’s “not quite sure the future of it,” considering the state’s tight revenue picture. She also said talk of a larger estate tax reform in the Senate could complicate things. * At 11:30, Gov. Pritzker will be in Bloomington for a roundtable discussion on advancing his Building Up Illinois Developments initiative. Click here to watch. * BlueRoomStream.com’s coverage of today’s press conferences and committee hearings can be found here. * Sun-Times | Judge orders federal government to unfreeze CTA funding for Red Line extension: U.S. District Judge Thomas M. Durkin granted the CTA’s temporary restraining order against the Department of Transportation, which had frozen the funds since last October while the federal government said it was reviewing CTA contracting practices for race- and sex-based discrimination. The CTA sued the Department of Transportation last week, arguing the funding freeze would soon halt the long-planned Red Line extension to 130th Street, as well as the almost-completed Red-Purple Line Modernization program. The CTA had secured a legal obligation for $2 billion in federal Red Line extension funds shortly before former President Joe Biden left office. * Daily Herald | ‘People are being evicted’: TSA union says shutdown is pushing workers to economic brink: O’Hare International Airport screening times have been relatively normal so far. “You’ve got to remember, O’Hare is a huge airport so there’s tons of employees and tons of checkpoints,” said Christine Vitel, a TSA officer and AFGE executive for Local 777. Also, “officers are coming in because of the fear getting put on us about disciplinary actions,” for absenteeism, she noted. * WAND | Pritzker says Bears megaproject bill is in hands of state legislature: “It is a pretty good deal that’s been put on the table that I think seems to have support broadly by the Bears ownership,” Pritzker said. “So, it really now is in the hands of the House of Representatives and then the Senate to get something done in a timely fashion.” * WAND | Farmers, students celebrate Illinois Agriculture Legislative Day: Over 650 FFA members gathered under the Capitol dome to meet with lawmakers and advocate for state investments. Illinois Department of Agriculture Director Jerry Costello said support for the industry continues to grow across the state. However, Costello said everyone must advocate for the year-round sale of E15 and expanding international markets for Illinois soybeans. * WTTW | Johnson Defends Proposal to Give Area Around United Center $55M Tax Break: “This is a project that is going to create thousands of jobs and opportunities for the people across the city, but particularly for development on the West Side,” Johnson said at a City Hall news conference. “This is a clear indication that the city of Chicago remains open for business, but we’re just not for sale.” With the support of 27th Ward Ald. Walter “Red” Burnett, Johnson asked the City Council to make the project eligible for $54.7 million in property tax incentives under Cook County’s Class 7b special assessment. Commercial properties in Cook County are typically taxed based on officials’ calculation of 25% of their value, records show. * WGN | WGN Investigates: ICE’s ‘security theater’ at airports: The armed federal agents lack an airport identification badge required of all other airport personnel, including law enforcement. The photo ID’s are meant, in part, to ensure imposters can’t defeat security measures by simply wearing a police uniform and walking with a gun through a checkpoint. The ICE agents seen at O’Hare don’t wear uniforms beyond a badge on their belt and bulletproof vest with a Velcro patch, signifying their agency. * Sun-Times | Finalist for CPS CEO courted controversy in past jobs, but defenders praise his bold vision: The other is Sito Narcisse, a former leader of Louisiana’s second-largest school district who has been linked to controversies in his previous roles, leading some to question how he made it to be a finalist to lead the third-largest school district in the country with many red flags. His work at times has been polarizing. In Baton Rouge, families sued him and the district over a controversial event he promoted. Early in his career in Boston, Narcisse was criticized for making sweeping changes at the school he led with little or no community input, a concern that would follow him. * WBEZ | CHA Commissioner Debra Parker accused of defrauding the public housing agency: Parker, who has participated in the government’s Housing Choice Voucher housing subsidy program since 2007, currently receives a subsidy to rent a four-bedroom home on the South Side, according to the records. But the decision indicates that Parker and her son — both who are supposed to be living at the South Side home — have actually been living with the commissioner’s fiancé, Charles Bell, in a luxury high-rise in River North. Parker was being picked up from Bell’s residence, and her board materials were being sent there, the hearing officer wrote. * Fox Chicago | Chicago mayor pushes back on claims from fired officials as City Hall shakeup continues: “I can’t speak to why someone makes a claim,” Johnson said. “As I’ve said repeatedly, the women and men who serve the city on the frontline deserve the ultimate respect, which is why I appreciate the work Superintendent [Larry] Snelling as well as [Fire Commissioner Annette] Nance-Holt have done to begin to restore relationships within community around our first responders. There’s no secret there has been some strain in the community, and it’s clear indication we’re moving in the right direction.” * Tribune | Chicago’s human rights commissioner resigns as Mayor Brandon Johnson defends public safety leaders’ firings: Human Relations Commissioner Nancy Andrade will resign effective Wednesday from her role overseeing enforcement of the city’s human rights and fair housing laws, Johnson spokesperson Erin Connelly confirmed Tuesday. Connelly did not offer a reason for the resignation. But Andrade said in a statement that she resigned to uphold the Chicago Commission on Human Relations’ efforts to give hope to those who have experienced hate and justice to people who experienced “the humiliation and trauma of discrimination.” She also said the CCHR is the “civil rights agency for ALL of Chicago. It is my sincere hope that the CCHR and its Board continue to focus on addressing the impact of antisemitism as well as all other forms of discrimination in our city.” * Sun-Times | Johnson says he wasn’t aware Gatewood filed IG complaint against top mayoral aides before firing him: Last week, he was summoned into a meeting with Johnson’s chief of staff Cristina Pacione-Zayas and senior mayoral adviser Jason Lee, and told the Johnson administration was “moving in a different direction.” Gatewood said Tuesday he filed a formal complaint with the inspector general’s office in October that is under investigation. He refused to discuss the nature of those allegations, but sources said the complaint accuses Lee and Pacione-Zayas of improper interference in City Hall’s contracting process. The sources also said Johnson was made aware of those contract interference concerns. * Press release | Gov. Pritzker and Mars Snacking Announce 600 New Jobs, Expansion of Global Headquarters in Chicago: Mars Snacking will open a new North America regional office hub in Chicago’s Fulton Market district, with capacity for more than 1,000 Associates. The Accelerator division will also establish a new global office hub in downtown Chicago, taking over the former Kellanova global and North America headquarters. Together, these moves reinforce Mars Snacking’s long-standing commitment to the Chicago region, where the company supports more than 4,000 Mars Snacking jobs, produces more than 20 iconic brands and anchors the company’s Global Innovation Center – a groundbreaking R&D hub. * WTTW | System Designed to Flag Officers With Multiple Complaints Won’t Be Ready Until 2027, Officials Say: Chicago police brass did not update Mayor Brandon Johnson and three City Council committee chairs about their progress in crafting the system until Feb. 18, two days after WTTW News reported they had failed to comply with a provision in the ordinance that implemented the city’s 2026 budget that requires monthly updates on the long-delayed efforts to craft and implement that system, according to records obtained by WTTW News through a Freedom of Information Act request. * CBS Chicago…
* Shaw Local | Ex-prosecutor sues Kane County, state’s attorney; claims firing was whistleblower retaliation: A former Kane County prosecutor is suing State’s Attorney Jamie Mosser and the county, alleging he was fired after exposing what the suit claimed was a common and longstanding practice of “backdating” criminal complaint filings. The whistleblower complaint, filed March 16 by former Kane County prosecutor Eric Walliser, asserts that he was trained by more senior prosecutors “to leave petitions or motions on the clerk’s desk … and the deputy clerk would process and file-stamp the document on the following business day using the prior business day’s date.” * ABC Chicago | 2 charged with vandalizing Arlington Heights Republican office, defacing Charlie Kirk’s image: Officers took Arlington Heights residents 72-year-old Brock McNerney and 69-year-old Moisette McNerney into custody on Monday. […] Arlington Heights police said the vandalism took place at about 11 p.m. on Sunday, Jan. 25 with a suspected marker at the Republicans of Wheeling Township Office. Surveillance video from the late evening hours of Jan. 25 shows a couple, a man in glasses and a woman, both dressed in black, drawing explicit words and what ABC7 Chicago has been told were several Nazi symbols over the face of Charlie Kirk on the windows in Arlington Heights. * Landmark | Hernandez takes narrow win in race for Cook County board: Riverside resident Miranda Hernandez has apparently won a tightly contested three-way Democratic primary race for a seat on the Cook County board. Since no Republican or Libertarian has filed to run in the 16th District the 34-year-old Hernandez appears set to join the county board after the November general election. The 16th District includes Riverside and Brookfield and runs from Cicero to Franklin Park and includes a very small slice of the city of Chicago. * Daily Herald | DuPage County approves $4.8 million to help food pantries, ‘Farm to Pantry’ program: DuPage County Board members have approved $4.8 million in funding to continue a fresh produce program for food pantries, to boost a farm-to-pantry pipeline of vegetables and to help the largest of them expand a food distribution hub. The county will provide $2.5 million to support the Loaves & Fishes “Hub 2.0” project. The county will also provide $2 million to the Northern Illinois Food Bank over the next two fiscal years for the purchase and delivery of produce and other commodities to its member pantries. In addition, the board approved the Conservation Foundation’s request for $322,000 over two years for the growth of a “Farm to Pantry” initiative. * Daily Herald | Family of early Schaumburg mayor applauds use of his name for updated municipal campus: The family of Schaumburg’s influential second mayor, Bob Atcher, have expressed their appreciation for the village board’s Tuesday decision to rename the 60-acre municipal campus after him. The unanimous vote of the trustees comes about a year after the demolition of the 52-year-old village hall he had once used, which was renamed the Robert O. Atcher Municipal Center around the time of his 1993 death. * PJ Star | Pekin reviewing real estate contract after scrapping data center: During Monday’s meeting, the council approved a resolution instructing city attorney James Vasselli to review the contract and present a memorandum on the city’s obligations, rights and contingencies by April 8. Vasselli noted that closing on the property sale was contingent on the developer obtaining zoning and site plan approvals, as well as a redevelopment agreement. “No one can site a data center at the property as currently zoned,” he said. “It is not permitted under county law, state law or local law.” * The Southern | Carbondale council discusses homeless meeting aftermath: During public comment, Beth Libby asked whether the city has a plan to address homelessness and whether there was interest in developing a forum to find solutions She suggested getting in touch with representatives from other cities in Illinois to determine what they have found to be effective in addressing the issue “It seems to me that that might be something we could take a look at,” Libby said. “To invite the mayors of some of these communities to see if we could have a joint meeting with the public, the council and our city manager, to see if some of these solutions could be useful in our community.” * IPM News | All top Champaign Unit 4 administrators asked to reapply for their jobs: Even interim superintendent Dan Casillas, who Board President Tony Bruno thanked for “righting the ship” between administrations, will return to the classroom unless he succeeds in winning a spot on the new cabinet. In an interview with the News-Gazette, Ponce said that he wants to create a smaller, more focused cabinet. “Dr. Ponce is the superintendent we have chosen to be here, and we are supporting his experience and his knowledge,” said Board Member Grace Kang. “He brings a wealth of that to the district. We’re supporting his vision, and this is part of his vision.” * WMBD | Free food truck licenses for Downtown Peoria approved by council: Mayor Rita Ali said she received messages from Caterpillar and the U.S. Postal Service to support bringing food trucks back to downtown. “They want these food trucks and I think whatever we can do to incentivize them to return to downtown is going to be good,” she said. 4th District Councilman Andre Allen said when he started working downtown in 2022, he would buy hot dogs from a hot dog cart. The business owner needed to sell 54 hot dogs to make a profit, reported Allen. * WCIA | Fighting-Illini-themed Hilton Hotel in Champaign one step closer to reality: Originally expected to be completed in 2027, “The Graduate” hotel will now be required to be completed by March of 2028. It is set to be built at the intersection of Neil and Hill Streets in downtown Champaign. “We did bump those completion dates to a more realistic timeframe,” said T.J. Blakeman, economic development coordinator. “It’ll continue to add to the vibrancy and the activity that we see in our downtown.” * WMBD | WIRL going off the air at the end of the month: On March 31 at noon, WIRL 1290 AM will no longer be broadcasting a radio frequency, nearly 78 years after it first went on the air. Mike Wild, vice president and general manager of Midwest Communications, the company that oversees the station, said the station just doesn’t have a sustainable following anymore. * WCIA | U of I assisting in IL Soybean Association challenge: The challenge has several state universities making proposals for new products made from soybean oil and soy protein. Helping with the process is the University of Illinois’ Associate Chancellor Kim Kidwell. * Reuters | Meta ordered to pay $375 million in New Mexico trial over child exploitation, user safety claims: In a second phase of the trial in May, Torrez said his office will ask the court to order Meta to make changes to its platforms to protect children and to impose additional financial penalties. […] The jury’s decision capped a six-week trial in Santa Fe. Torrez had accused the company of allowing predators unfettered access to underage users and connecting them with victims, often leading to real-world abuse and human trafficking. * NYT | Gregory Bovino reflects on final days with Border Patrol: ‘I wish I’d caught even more illegal aliens’: Over the past year, Bovino was caught on camera denigrating protesters and encouraging force. At one point, he told agents in Los Angeles to “arrest as many people that touch you as you want.” By the end of his national tour, one official said, Bovino was deliberately seeking out confrontations to get content for social media. Bovino said he had a master plan that was in motion before his exile back to El Centro. It would have neutralized protesters, he said, and made it possible to deport 100 million people. * Road Track | Your Tire Pressure Monitors Are Vulnerable to Easy Tracking, Study Finds: “Most vehicle tracking today uses cameras that need clear visibility and line-of-sight to a car. TPMS tracking is different: tire sensors automatically send radio signals that pass through walls and vehicles, allowing small hidden wireless receivers to capture them without being seen. Because each sensor broadcasts a fixed unique ID, the same car can be recognized repeatedly without reading a license plate,” the study reads. * AP | OpenAI pulls the plug on Sora, the viral AI video app that sparked deepfake concerns: OpenAI was forced to crack down on AI creations of public figures — among them, Michael Jackson, Martin Luther King Jr. and Mister Rogers — doing outlandish things, but only after an outcry from family estates and an actors’ union. Disney, which made a deal with OpenAI last year to bring its characters to Sora, said in a statement Tuesday that it respects “OpenAI’s decision to exit the video generation business and to shift its priorities elsewhere.”
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Good morning!
Wednesday, Mar 25, 2026 - Posted by Isabel Miller
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Protected: SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - Supplement to today’s edition
Wednesday, Mar 25, 2026 - Posted by Rich Miller
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Protected: SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - Today’s edition of Capitol Fax (use all CAPS in password)
Wednesday, Mar 25, 2026 - Posted by Rich Miller
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Selected press releases (Live updates)
Wednesday, Mar 25, 2026 - Posted by Isabel Miller
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Live coverage
Wednesday, Mar 25, 2026 - Posted by Isabel Miller * Click here and/or here to follow breaking news on the website formally known as Twitter. Our Bluesky feed…
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