Capitol Fax.com - Your Illinois News Radar

Tuesday, Mar 24, 2026 - Posted by Isabel Miller

* Subscribers were told about this last week. Capitol News Illinois…

Twelve of 36 seats on the Illinois Democratic State Central Committee were contested in Tuesday’s primary election. As expected House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch secured a spot on the committee, which serves as the governing body for the Democratic Party of Illinois. At the same time, embattled state Rep. Harry Benton, D-Plainfield, lost his race. […]

14TH: It’s still a mystery as to why Benton was booted from the House Democratic caucus. He was unopposed in his primary for state representative. But in the one race he faced an opponent, he lost. Wheatland Township Supervisor Michael Crowner (25%) defeated Benton (23%) by just under 1,500 votes to secure a spot on the DSCC. Incumbent Christine Benson (51%) didn’t face an opponent.

* Sun-Times…

Cook County’s top prosecutor argued Tuesday that a bid to name a special prosecutor to investigate the federal agents behind last fall’s Operation Midway Blitz amounts to a “frivolous” and “heavy handed” attempt to usurp her authority — and could come at a cost. […]

The commentary came in a 24-page response to the high-profile bid for a special prosecutor, launched earlier this month by a coalition of more than 200 elected officials, clergy, journalists and attorneys. They say O’Neill Burke has turned a “blind eye” to myriad crimes committed by federal agents during the Trump administration’s aggressive deportation blitz last fall. […]

“Petitioners are claiming that the state’s attorney has an actual conflict because she is not abdicating her prosecutorial discretion to elected officials and the public or succumbing to political pressure,” she argued in her filing.

O’Neill Burke again pointed to a 2017 Illinois Supreme Court decision she says limits her ability to investigate the agents. But coalition attorney Steve Art insisted that every special prosecutor “takes on the role of an elected state’s attorney and investigates and prosecutes” a crime.

*** Statehouse News ***

* Capitol News Illinois | Insurance bill combining homeowners and auto regulation passes House, awaits Senate action: Those two proposals, which started as separate pieces of legislation, were combined into a single bill that passed the House March 19. The combined bill now awaits Senate approval before being sent to Gov. JB Pritzker. Pritzker initially called for rate review authority over homeowners insurance last summer after Bloomington-based State Farm Insurance announced it was raising rates in Illinois an average 27.2%, citing losses it had incurred from weather-related disasters in the state.

* Tribune | Gov. JB Pritzker acknowledges ‘real failures’ in immigration system after Loyola student killing: “This has been a terrible tragedy, and I know that the Gorman family has suffered mightily…There have been real failures. Those failures, of course, extend beyond the borders of Illinois. That’s — they’re national failures, a failure to have comprehensive immigration reform, a failure of the president to follow his own edict to go after the worst of the worst,” Pritzker said at an unrelated event, referencing that the Trump administration stepped up immigration enforcement efforts last year in Chicago and other cities where he vowed to seek deportations of noncitizens with criminal records who are in the country illegally. […] On Monday, Pritzker said he has reached out to “local officials” who have talked to Gorman’s parents “to express my condolences, my wife’s condolences as well” but said it’s not the right moment to speak with them as they grieve.

*** Chicago ***

* WTTW | CPD Officer Accused of Repeatedly Violating Rights of Black Chicagoans Suspended Again: Officer Richard Rodriguez Jr., who was a member of the Near North (18th) Police District tactical team until he was stripped of his police powers last month, was suspended for at least 30 days after improperly searching a Black man just after 10 p.m. Sept. 25, 2023, by ripping the man’s pants and exposing his underwear, according to documents published Friday by the Civilian Office of Police Accountability. In all, Rodriguez has been suspended for at least 68 days in connection with seven incidents of misconduct, records show.

* Tribune | NBC Chicago downsizes in its namesake tower with new $70 million TV newsroom: “We have condensed our space, but it also feels like we’re in a bigger space,” Kevin Cross, 57, president and general manager of NBCUniversal Local Chicago, said during a recent tour of the new digs. “I think that’s a pretty cool thing to happen.” From a giant wall-to-wall video screen tracking weather, trending stories and reporter assignments to an illuminated ring orbiting an endless ticker above the center of the futuristic newsroom, NASA’s Mission Control doesn’t have much on the new NBC Chicago facilities. The downsized offices for NBC’s 200-plus employees also include studios with the latest in robotic cameramen, a game room, a lounge and panoramic views of Michigan Avenue and the Chicago River.

* Amtrak shifts Empire Builder onboard staffing to Chicago :KING5 | The Empire Builder rail service spans more than 2,200 miles, making it one of Amtrak’s iconic long-distance routes. King Street Station in Seattle serves as one of its anchors, a hub that hums with the steady rhythm of departing trains and boarding passengers. For crew members, the station has long been the center of their professional lives. In a statement, Olivia Irvin, a senior public relations manager for Amtrak, said the company is “streamlining onboard staffing on the Empire Builder to Chicago,” describing the consolidation as a measure designed to boost efficiency and strengthen long-distance service. Amtrak did not provide details on how many Seattle-based employees would be affected by the transition, nor did the company respond to requests about the timeline for the changes.

* Forbes | University Of Chicago Board Chair Gives The Institution $50 Million: David M. Rubenstein, Chair of the University of Chicago’s Board of Trustees, has given the institution $50 million, according to a university news release. The gift will be used to renovate and modernize Ida Noyes Hall, a well-known campus building constructed and opened in 1916, into a gathering place for students, visitors and the university community. In recognition of the donation, the new hub will be named the David M. Rubenstein Commons.

* Fox Chicago | Frank Thomas sues White Sox, retailers over jersey sales: Thomas filed the lawsuit March 19 in Cook County Circuit Court, alleging violations of the Illinois Right of Publicity Act. The complaint claimed companies including Nike, Fanatics and the White Sox sold “City Connect 2.0″ jerseys featuring Thomas’ name and his No. 35 beginning in April 2025 without his consent or compensation. According to the filing, the jerseys were marketed and sold with team branding while using Thomas’ identity for commercial gain.

*** Cook County and Suburbs ***

* Daily Southtown | Recently resigned Harvey Clerk Rosa Arambula appointed as alderperson: Former Harvey City Clerk Rosa Arambula was appointed 1st Ward alderperson Monday, filling the role left vacant by acting Mayor Shirley Drewenski. “I cannot think of one other better person, and I’m honored to call Rosa Arambula 1st Ward alderman,” Drewenski said. Arambula resigned from her position as clerk at the beginning of the year without public comment or explanation, something 2nd Ward Ald. Colby Chapman drew attention to ahead of the appointment.

* Daily Southtown | Will County committee OKs 2,400-acre solar farm in Crete unincorporated area: While members of the public were largely against the project when it was presented to the Crete Village Board March 9, feedback was more mixed at last week’s more than four-hour long meeting in Joliet. Earthrise Energy, based in Arlington, Virginia, received preliminary approval for a special use permit that allows it to construct a solar farm that will span about 1,900 acres of unincorporated Will County. Crete already annexed about 200 acres along the village’s boundaries and plans to annex 620 more acres.

* Daily Herald | DuPage Forest Preserve executive director leaving for city manager job in Florida: Friling announced Tuesday that she is leaving the top administrative post to become the city manager of Sarasota, Florida. Friling was hired as the conservation agency’s executive director in 2021. She will remain with the district through May to help with the leadership transition. “Serving the Forest Preserve District of DuPage County has been an incredible honor,” Friling said in a statement. “I have truly enjoyed my time here and am grateful to work alongside such a dedicated and talented board and staff. The District is a very special place with an important mission, and I am confident its work will continue to thrive.”

* Daily Herald | Barrington-Area Robotics Team advances to world championship: With the win, Stealth Robotics has qualified for the FIRST Championship, an international robotics competition taking place in Houston this April. The event brings together thousands of students from around the world to compete and showcase their engineering and programming skills. In addition to success in competition, the team has made a significant impact in the community. This season, Stealth Robotics helped launch two new FIRST robotics teams, an all-girls FIRST Tech Challenge team and a new FIRST LEGO League team, expanding opportunities for more students to explore robotics and engineering.

*** Downstate ***

* WICS | Sangamon County opens domestic violence court to speed up cases, support victims: The court officially opened in May of last year. Since its inception, the court has seen about 150 felony cases and 350 misdemeanors. According to the Sangamon County state’s attorney, John Milhiser, out of the 150 felony cases, 65 have been resolved. “That’s one of the main goals of the domestic violence court,” Milhiser said. “To get these done faster, so we can help the victim and also help the offender. Get them treatment if they have substance abuse issues or whatever else is going on in their life, get them the help they need.”

* WGLT | Bloomington Police unveils plans for $550K federal grant updating real-time crime data center: U.S. Rep. Darin LaHood, R-Dunlap, helped secure the $556,900 grant as part of a $19 million investment in community projects and infrastructure across his Central Illinois district that includes parts of Bloomington-Normal. LaHood toured the facility Monday morning and met with law enforcement and community leaders for a ceremonial check signing at the Bloomington Police Department [BPD].

* 25News Now | ‘Close, but likely not enough’: Peoria school board hopeful congratulates apparent winner: Doug Shannon posted a statement on his campaign’s Facebook page that his bid for a seat on the Peoria Public Schools’ Board of Education was “close, but likely not enough.” Monday, the Peoria County Election Commission said opponent Sarah Howard had a lead of 86 votes over Shannon in District 3, with an updated count of mail-in ballots expected on Tuesday. On election night, Howard’s lead was just 44 votes. Howard currently has 3,117 votes to Shannon’s 3,031.

* WSIL | Crews continue prescribed burns at Crab Orchard National Wildlife Refuge: Fire management teams have been conducting prescribed burns in the Crab Orchard National Wildlife Refuge throughout the month of March. These controlled fires restore ecosystems, support wildlife, reduce wildfire risk and manage vegetation. Crews were seen on Monday south of Highway 13 in Williamson County, burning sections between S. Greenbriar Road and S. Division Street.

* 25News Now | French Canyon access at Starved Rock closed for improvement project: Closures include the trailhead access to the top of French Canyon, the trails from the Starved Rock Lodge parking lot, and the trail leading to French Canyon from behind the visitor center. That includes parts of Brown Bluff and Campanula Trails. IDNR added that other existing closures include Tonti Canyon and Tonti Bridge, the trail from LaSalle Canyon to Tonti Canyon, and the staircase from the west entrance to the boat ramp area.

*** National ***

* Bloomberg | JPMorgan sees ‘national security risk’ in old grid networks: All of that adds up to “major tailwinds for grid investments,” Sarah Kapnick, author of the report and JPMorgan’s global head of climate advisory, said in an interview. It’s “a massive investment opportunity,” she said. On the one hand there’s artificial intelligence, electrification and the re-industrialization of developed nations, which on their own account for “massive growth in electricity demand,” Kapnick said.

* The Hill | Delta suspends special congressional services amid shutdown: Among the services being suspended are airport escorts and so-called “red coat” services. The Capital Desk, a reservations line, will remain open. The decision, first reported by the Atlanta-Journal Constitution, comes days after the Senate unanimously approved a proposal to end the preferential treatment lawmakers receive at airports, including allowing them to skip the line at security checkpoints.

1 Comment

There’s an argument to be made here, but the governor didn’t make it

Tuesday, Mar 24, 2026 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Isabel asked Gov. Pritzker today about how President Trump has canceled wind, solar and EV subsidies and has apparently agreed to pay a French company a billion taxpayer dollars not to build an off-shore wind farm and instead invest in fossil fuels. With energy prices rising during the war with Iran, Isabel wanted to know his reaction…

We need energy policies that actually support people, affordability, making sure that people can both preserve the environment, because lots of individuals out there in the world really want to do the right thing. And also we all collectively, I think, want to make sure that we’re preserving our planet, and electrification is an important part of that. This President obviously had some problem with electrification. It may have something to do with his dementia. He doesn’t understand that the world has changed and that we need to address this problem, and adding more fossil fuel pollution to the environment is very negative for not just us who are living in this moment, but also for our children, our grandchildren are going to have to live with the consequences of the policies that he’s rolled back. So meanwhile, here in the state of Illinois, we’re doing everything we can with the resources that we have to promote electrification and to promote clean energy, build more clean energy. Those are the things that I’ve been focused on, and I think will help us bring down costs for average families.

A much simpler response would’ve been: Spiking petroleum energy prices during yet another war in the most volatile part of the world clearly show why we need to diversify our own power supply, not narrow it. But, whatevs. He loves running up his word-counts.

* Pritzker did talk about Iran later…

And, you know, as was mentioned earlier, when oil prices and gas prices are going up, it hurts everybody, especially hurts people who live in rural areas, who have to travel by car much farther than everybody else [and that] costs and more. Who’s done that? Donald Trump. Donald Trump decided to go to war with Iran. They did not come after us. It was a decision by him to go after them, and we’re now in this war. I know he’s saying that there’s some kind of negotiation with Iranians, or denying that any of that is happening. And indeed, after he made that announcement, they attacked. So doesn’t seem like there actually is a peace that’s being talked about. But we need to get out of Iran. We need to get out of that conflict right now, in part because we need to bring our economy back, because he’s going to take us into a recession.

But he didn’t close the circle on energy diversification.

13 Comments

Pritzker backs Sacks, disagrees on AIPAC

Tuesday, Mar 24, 2026 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Michael Sacks writing in the Tribune: “Why I support AIPAC and a big tent Democratic Party”…

I am a proud Democrat, and I have always proudly supported Israel. And because I support Israel, I support the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, though my journey there has not been a straight line.

I was an AIPAC supporter from the late 1980s through 2017, when I stepped away over the organization’s opposition to President Barack Obama’s 2015 Iran nuclear deal. Whether it was my view of the agreement, the wisdom of challenging a president I supported or the way it strained relationships among Democrats and pro-Israel Americans, I quietly voted with my feet. I did not reengage until after Oct. 7, 2023.

In the immediate wake of Hamas’ terror attack, even before Israel responded, I watched anti-Israel sentiment accelerate within my party, including in Illinois.

We saw elected officials on Oct. 8 implying the Hamas attack was justified resistance. Two of the 15 Democrats who opposed or abstained from a congressional resolution standing with Israel were from Chicago. One was among eight Democrats who previously opposed Iron Dome funding — not long-range missiles or bunker busters, but a defensive system that protects civilians from rocket attacks. Having been in Tel Aviv in July 2014 through days of rockets targeting civilians, I witnessed its lifesaving value.

So I reached out to AIPAC asking how I could help ensure we didn’t send more people to Congress from Chicago who would deny Israel access to even essential defensive weapons.

* Gov. JB Pritzker was asked today whether a “big tent” Democratic Party includes AIPAC and candidates backed by AIPAC…

A big tent Democratic Party includes people who may have differences of opinion with one another, but who share in common the historical values of the Democratic Party. We’re the party of civil rights and human rights. We’re the party of Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security. We’re the party that stands up for the middle class, working class and the most vulnerable. And when it comes to the question of foreign policy, we’re also a party that stands up for peace and for security. And so I believe that what a lot of us share in common, and doesn’t mean everybody in the Democratic Party, a lot of us share in common, is a desire not only to have a peaceful and secure state of Israel, but also a Palestinian state that gets created. That’s been the position of the United States for many years now, from George HW Bush to Bill Clinton to George W Bush to Barack Obama. We need to focus on this concept of making sure that we have a peaceful homeland for Palestinians, as we do for Jews, becoming a witness test though.

Look, I mean, I think I’ve expressed myself about AIPAC. I really think the organization about more than 10 years ago became a kind of a right-leaning, Trumper-leaning organization. It was one that I just couldn’t continue to support. That doesn’t mean that others can’t do that. I just have felt like, as a Democrat, giving money - by the way, it was not a PAC that I want to make sure everybody understands. AIPAC, even though it’s got the words, the letters P, A, C in it means Public Affairs Council. They then went, I don’t know what year, but about 15, 16, 17, they became a political action committee, a super PAC, collecting money and then giving that money away. The concern about that, from my perspective, is when you give money to AIPAC, you’re then as a Democrat anyway, you’re giving money potentially, to Republicans. That’s not something that I would want to do, and certainly not under Donald Trump. And so that’s one of my differences with them.

Do I think that people who have supported AIPAC can be good Democrats? I can tell you Michael Sachs is a very good, decent, honorable human being who cares deeply about the Democratic values that I expressed to you just a moment ago. And I think it’s very unfair for people to have targeted him when what he believes is the same thing that I just expressed about the security of the State of Israel and the security of the Palestinian people at the very same time.

Please pardon any transcription errors.

* Back to Sacks…

I am staying in the Democratic Party and will continue supporting Personal PAC, Equality Illinois, Everytown for Gun Safety, Chicago Public Media, the Democratic National Convention Committee and, yes, AIPAC, when they seek local Democratic donors to support solid local Democrats.

Many pro-Israel, pro-two-state-solution Jewish Democrats don’t like the current Israeli government’s direction. Many of those same Democrats don’t like what’s happening in Washington. You might even share those views.

But ask yourself: Do you believe other countries should boycott, divest or sanction (BDS) American businesses, scientists, athletes or artists because of our government’s policies? Of course not. So why are some Democrats embracing BDS against Israel? If we don’t want others to hold all Americans responsible for the actions of our government, why are we holding all Israelis, and their supporters, responsible for the actions of theirs?

A bill to lift the state’s anti-BDS law has picked up several House co-sponsors, but is assigned to a subcommittee.

22 Comments

Pritzker publicly punts Bears issue to legislature

Tuesday, Mar 24, 2026 - Posted by Rich Miller

* From today’s press conference…

Q: The Arlington Heights Mayor recently said that they’re feeling like the bears will not wait till May 31 for a mega projects bill, or like a deal to come through that they want to get something done by the end of this month. Obviously both chambers are not in next week, like this is the last week they’re both in [this month]. So I guess one, do you feel pressure from the team to get something out by Thursday? And also, do you feel like that’s likely to happen?

Gov. Pritzker: I think we all feel like this needs to happen sooner rather than later, and it is in the hands of the legislature. As you know, we’ve done a lot of work in our administration to try to put something together that will work for both the state, the legislature and their concerns and the team itself. 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 and 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.

As subscribers know, Pritzker was much more nuanced about the responsibilities for passing bill during an interview with me last week. For broad public consumption, however, it’s “Legislators are now responsible.”

8 Comments

The Chicks booked for Illinois State Fair

Tuesday, Mar 24, 2026 - Posted by Isabel Miller

* Press release…

The Illinois State Fair announces Superstar Trio The Chicks to take the Illinois Lottery Grandstand Stage on Saturday, August 22, 2026, bringing their powerhouse vocals and award-winning catalog to an already stacked Grandstand line-up.

Earning universal recognition as the biggest-selling U.S. female band of all time, The Chicks have sold more than 30.5 million albums and are among an elite group of artists, and the only female group, to achieve multiple “diamond” selling (ten million copies) releases. The trio—Natalie Maines, Martie Maguire, and Emily Strayer—has received 13 GRAMMY® Awards, six Billboard Music Awards, four American Music Awards, and numerous Country Music Association Awards, among many other accolades throughout their groundbreaking career. Since their breakout album Wide Open Spaces, the band has delivered hit after hit, including fan favorites like “Cowboy Take Me Away,” “Landslide,” and “Not Ready to Make Nice.” Known for their tight harmonies, masterful musicianship, and powerful live performances, The Chicks continue to connect with audiences across generations.

“We’re proud to continue bringing top tier entertainment to the Illinois State Fair, and The Chicks are a fantastic addition to this year’s lineup,” said Illinois Department of Agriculture Director Jerry Costello II. “Their music has stood the test of time and continues to resonate with fans of all ages. We’re excited to welcome them to Springfield this August.”

After a nearly 14-year hiatus, The Chicks released their fifth studio album Gaslighter in July 2020 via Columbia Records. The 12-track record was co-produced by award-winning singer-songwriter and producer Jack Antonoff and has been hailed as some of the band’s most uninhibited, modern, progressive, and original work to date, reaffirming their place as one of the most influential groups in music.

“The Chicks are known for putting on an unforgettable show,” said Illinois State Fair Manager Rebecca Clark. “With a catalog of songs that so many people know and love, this will be a special night at the Grandstand that fairgoers won’t want to miss.”

Tickets for The Chicks will go on sale Saturday, March 28 at 10 a.m. via Ticketmaster.

Tier 3 - $88 / Tier 2 - $93 / Tier 1 - $113 / Track - $128 / Blue Ribbon - $168
*A $30 Pre-Show Party ticket is offered as an additional upgrade for all paid concerts.

6 Comments

Unclear on the concept

Tuesday, Mar 24, 2026 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Center Square…

Illinois plans to pump $5 million into alternative protein research at state universities, aiming to boost the plant-based and fermentation food-tech sector and make the state a hub for agricultural innovation.

But not everyone is on board.

State Rep. Chris Miller, R-Oakland, voiced skepticism about the initiative, questioning whether taxpayer money would be better spent supporting traditional farmers directly.

The state’s planning to spend $5 million? I wouldn’t be too sure about that since the bill in question was not even assigned to a Senate committee.

One of the reasons why I started doing the “It’s just a bill” posts is precisely because of goofy stories like this.

Not trying to say that the provision could be included in the final budget. Just saying there’s no evidence of that yet, so claiming that the state is planning to spend the money is ludicrous.

It’s. Just. A. Bill. Stuck. In. Committee.

19 Comments

HB 3799 Raises Premiums And Destabilizes A Stable Insurance Market

Tuesday, Mar 24, 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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It’s just a bill

Tuesday, Mar 24, 2026 - Posted by Isabel Miller

* Illinois State University…

Illinois State is again publicly supporting the proposed Public Higher Education Equitable Funding Formula legislation – Senate Bill 13 (SB 13) and its replica, House Bill 1581 (HB 1581), House Amendment 1.

The House bill is scheduled to be heard in a subject matter hearing in the House of Representatives Higher Education Appropriations Committee on Thursday, March 26, 2026, at 8 a.m. The legislation would revolutionize how public higher education institutions are funded through state allocation and significantly increase operational funding for Illinois State.

* Press release…

A coalition of Illinois public universities today released the following statement in support of legislation to provide equitable funding for public universities (SB13/HB1581), which may be heard in committee as soon as Thursday:

“Illinois public universities are the foundation of our state and regional economies, preparing the skilled workforce employers depend on, driving research and innovation, and fueling development throughout our communities. The future of our state depends on the strength of public universities and their ability to advance student and community achievement. For these reasons, we stand united in support of the equitable funding formula, which will provide stable, predictable funding for every public university. That stability will help ease pressure on tuition, strengthen recruitment and enrollment, improve student outcomes, increase graduation rates, and grow economic investment – all of which will lead to a stronger, more successful Illinois.”

- Zaldwaynaka “Z” Scott, JD, President, Chicago State University
- Dr. Jay Gatrell, President, Eastern Illinois University
- Dr. Joyce Ester, President, Governors State University
- Dr. Aondover Tarhule, President, Illinois State University
- Dr. Lisa C. Freeman, President, Northern Illinois University
- Dr. Katrina E. Bell-Jordan, President, Northeastern Illinois University
- Dr. Dan Mahony, President, Southern Illinois University System
- Dr. Kristi Mindrup, President, Western Illinois University

* ACLU Illinois…

More than 5,000 communities across the country – including hundreds here in Illinois – are using automatic license plate readers (ALPRs) to monitor cars moving throughout their community. ALPRs scan and store license plate data from thousands of cars each day in our state, allowing police and other government agencies to track people when they drive and wherever they go.

As we have learned over the past few months, federal agencies and out-of-state law enforcement officers can – and have – accessed ALPR data collected in Illinois to target immigrants, people seeking reproductive or gender-affirming care, and anyone else the government decides is a threat.

Currently there are no statewide standards for ALPRS and no regulations about the use of the data captured by the array of cameras in place across Illinois.
HB 5151– the ALPR Act – fixes this problem by creating statewide, common sense standards and regulations for when and how law enforcement agencies and government entities can use ALPRs.
The ALPR law sets standards for:

- When ALPRs can be used
- How long ALPR data can be retained
- Who can access ALPR data
- Minimizing warrantless surveillance
- Increasing transparency
- Vendor, law enforcement and government accountability

Many community groups across Illinois are working to cancel contracts with ALPR companies and remove them from their town or city. As those efforts continue, the ALPR law provides some basic safeguards and transparency around the use of this powerful surveillance tool.

* Illinois Environmental Council CEO Jen Walling…

Big Tech is coming to Illinois, and we’re not ready. The rapid expansion of data centers could derail our climate goals, pollute communities and strain already-stressed water resources.

Illinois has worked hard to position itself as a clean energy leader and recently passed the Clean & Reliable Grid Affordability Act to accelerate renewable energy development. But data centers pose a serious threat to that progress while also jacking up electricity rates for everyday Illinoisans. […]

The POWER Act proposes a commonsense solution: require data centers to pay 100% of the costs they impose on the grid. If a private corporation’s operations require expensive new infrastructure, Illinois ratepayers shouldn’t be stuck with the bill. Data centers must pay their fair share.

Unchecked growth also threatens Illinois’ climate commitments. Massive new electricity demand risks prolonging the life of expensive coal plants or spurring new methane gas facilities — locking in decades of additional carbon pollution. The POWER Act embraces a smarter path, built around the principles of Bring Your Own New Capacity and Clean Energy (BYONCCE), which ensures new data centers bring clean power online. Projects that do the right thing will be prioritized, giving data centers an incentive to bring more solar, wind and battery storage projects to our grid.

* Press release…

Small Business Owners, Advocates to Call for “APR for All” Legislation
Illinois small businesses lose $1.25 million per day as a result of non-transparent loans

WHO:
Mike Frerichs, Illinois State Treasurer
Mary Beth Canty, State Representative (D-Arlington Heights)
Horacio Méndez, President & CEO, Woodstock Institute
Andres Solarte, Government and Community Relations Director, Illinois Hispanic Chamber of Commerce
Geri Aglipay, Senior Fellow, Small Business Majority
Gloria Hicks, Community Organizing and Family Issues (COFI)
Nikki Bravo, Small Business Owner, Momentum Coffee

WHAT:
A press conference featuring small business owners, legislators and advocates calling on Illinois lawmakers to pass the Small Business Financing Transparency Act (HB744 HA #1), also known as APR for All.

The legislation would require non-bank lenders to disclose the Annual Percentage Rate (APR) of loans offered to small businesses, saving Illinois small businesses an estimated $1.25 million per day. APR is the gold standard for understanding the true cost of loans, allowing small businesses to make a clear apples to apples comparison between different loan products.

WHEN:
Tuesday, March 24, 2026
11-11:30 am

WHERE:
Illinois State Capitol Blue Room

* WCIA…

Illinois lawmakers are considering a proposal that would ensure law enforcement officers across the state have access to paid mental health leave following traumatic incidents in the line of duty.

State Representative Patrick Sheehan (R) introduced House Bill 4715, also known as the Law Enforcement Mental Health Leave Act, earlier this year.

“Law Enforcement officers see things every day that most people never have to experience in their entire lives,” Sheehan said in a news release. “When an officer goes through a traumatic event, we owe them the basic support needed to recover and continue serving safely. HB4715 is one way we can help protect the men and women who protect us.” […]

HB4715 would ensure that officers suffering from a mental illness as a result of a traumatic event would be granted five days of paid mental health leave during any 12‑month period. It would also require every law enforcement agency in the state to adopt clear mental health leave policy, including, but not limited to, the following:

* Capitol News Illinois…

[Sen. Jil Tracy’s (R-Quincy)] Senate Bill 2702 aims to expand the market for raw milk and allow sales at, for example, a farmers’ market. It hasn’t been assigned to a committee since she introduced it in October. Previous efforts to deregulate raw milk have also drawn little support in past General Assemblies.

Tracy said she sought the regulatory changes after speaking with a farmer in her district who was struggling with the restrictions placed on selling raw milk. Tracy said she is aware of the health concerns around raw milk but believes it can be sold safely in Illinois, comparing its risk to that of other farm products like vegetables. […]

Concerns about the safety of raw milk were amplified during a recent outbreak of Campylobacter infection in 11 people in Illinois that appeared to be connected to the consumption of raw milk. According to the Cleveland Clinic, symptoms of Campylobacter infection include diarrhea, stomach cramping, vomiting and fever. It can often be confused with food poisoning.

According to the USDA, raw milk consumption was linked to 3 deaths, 2,645 illnesses and 228 hospitalizations in the U.S. between 1998 and 2018.

12 Comments

Chaos Coming July 1: Illinois’ Radical Credit Card Law Could Upend Everyday Purchases

Tuesday, Mar 24, 2026 - Posted by Advertising Department

[The following is a paid advertisement.]

Starting July 1, Illinois families could face chaos when paying for everyday purchases like groceries, gas, or a dinner out because of a new state law that changes how credit cards work.

At the checkout line, shoppers may suddenly be told they cannot use their credit cards to pay for sales taxes or tips, forcing them to split payments or pay those portions in cash.

It is a radical change that only benefits corporate mega-stores, while small businesses, local banks, and consumers are left to deal with the fallout.

Experts who understand the global payments system have been sounding the alarm for months:

Before chaos hits on July 1, lawmakers should reverse course and repeal the Illinois Interchange Fee Prohibition Act.

Learn more at: guardyourcard.com/Illinois

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Surprise! Federal government’s accusatory fishing expedition on foreign CDL-holders apparently comes up empty

Tuesday, Mar 24, 2026 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Last month on Fox News…

Illinois could lose millions in federal funding if it does not clean up its driver’s licensing system after the U.S. Department of Transportation warned Democratic Gov. JB Pritzker and the state’s top licensing official that one in five commercial licenses issued to noncitizens were issued illegally.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy issued a written ultimatum to both the Hyatt Hotels heir and Kevin Duesterhaus, the state director of driver services under Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias, and listed several cases of drivers from El Salvador to Ukraine who were in violation of the law.

“I need our state partners to understand that they work for the American people, not illegal immigrants who broke the law illegally entering our country and continue to break it by operating massive big rigs without the proper qualifications,” Duffy said in a statement obtained by Fox News Digital. […]

“In addition, if the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) issues a final determination of substantial noncompliance, the agency may decertify Illinois’ CDL program,” Duffy wrote.

* Daily Herald…

On Thursday, [Illinois Secretary of State] Driver Services Director Kevin Duesterhaus said in a letter to FMCSA the state had followed federal rules and that nothing the government presented “would justify potentially cutting the $128 million in federal highway funding that Illinois receives.”

Federal regulators said the agency had issued commercial driver’s licenses to numerous people whose Employment Authorization Documents (EAD) allowing them to be in the U.S. had expired, and also had failed to verify if some applicants were in the country legally. […]

Secretary of state officials reviewed the 29 cases and responded that the government had ignored an exemption extending EADs for 540 days as a result of pandemic backlogs.

Regarding another allegation that the agency had not made copies of immigration documents presented by applicants, Duesterhaus said federal regulations at the time did not require such records.

* From the Secretary of State’s letter…

Every Non-Domiciled CDL applicant in Illinois presented validly issued immigration documents to SOS at the time of their Non-Dom CDL transaction. In addition, since the Entry-Level Driving Training (ELDT) requirement took effect in 2022, all first-time applicants have undergone the necessary federal training and testing required to drive a truck.

In addition, Illinois has not issued any Non-Dom CDLs since FMCSA issued its interim rule in September 2025. The goal of SOS is to continue to work collaboratively with FMCSA to promptly resume issuing Non-Domiciled CDLs. […]

Eleven Non-Dom CDLs correctly issued to persons presenting an EAD and an I-797C

FMCSA incorrectly asserts that SOS improperly issued Non-Dom CDLs to applicants who presented an Employment Authorization Document (EAD) and an I-797C, claiming their EAD was expired. […]

On November 18, 2016, due to extended processing times by USCIS for EAD renewal applications DHS published a final rule, effective January 17, 2017, that automatically extended certain categories of EADs for 180 days if the holder of the EAD filed a petition to renew their EAD prior to its expiration in the same category indicated on the face of the EAD. […]

DHS subsequently issued two temporary final rules increasing the 180-day extension to 540 days. On December 13, 2024, DHS published a final rule, effective January 13, 2025, that permanently increased the automatic extension from 180 days to 540 days.

Seven Non-Dom CDLs correctly issued to applicants with 1-94 Records

FMCSA identified seven records (WH, LNC, GVP, WS, RW, PVR, and IZ) where applicants provided an 1-94, but incorrectly asserts that SOS did not provide evidence that each applicant also presented an unexpired foreign passport to accompany the I- 946. The seven applicants presented an unexpired foreign passport at the time of the Non-Dom CDL transaction as required by federal regulation at the time. SOS policy has always required applicants to provide a foreign passport when an 1-94 is presented. […]

Two Non-Dom CDLs correctly issued to applicants presenting an EAD

FMCSA incorrectly asserts that two Non-Dom CDL applicants (MLC and DM) presented expired EADs and were issued Non-Dom CDLs. In both instances, the driver presented a valid and unexpired EAD for their respective transactions on February 26, 2025, and November 6, 2024, which was noted on their applications. Both applicants presented valid an unexpired EADs at the time of the transaction, which SOS documented in its records. However, SOS inadvertently provided FMCSA with expired EADs from a previous transaction in its initial response.

One Non-Dom CDL correctly issued to an applicant with an l-20 form (student application)

FMCSA incorrectly asserts that JY - a student - failed to submit an approved I-94 to accompany the passport or an unexpired EAD. An 1-94 issued to a student reflects an “admitted to” date of “D/S,” or Duration of Status, that allows them to stay in the U.S. during the duration of their academic program, and which the applicant supplied. Clearly, D/S is not an expiration date that can be printed on a Non-Dom CDL. An applicant admitted as a student is issued an I-20 which is the document that contains the student’s program or authorized practical training completion date. The student has 60 days from the program or authorized practical training completion date to depart the United States. In this instance, the applicant submitted an I-94 that indicated D/S and an I-20 that reflected the program completion date with copies retained by SOS. SOS conservatively tied the expiration date of the Non-Dom CDL to the program completion date, even though a student is authorized to remain in the United States for 60 days after program completion. As such, the Non-Dom CDL issued to JY was properly issued.

One Non-Dom CDL correctly issued a full-term credential as an asylee

FIMCSA incorrectly asserts that the expiration date associated with the Non-Dom CDL issued to ZAB (an asylee) was incorrect. ZAB presented an I-94 reflecting approved asylee status which authorizes ZAB to work incident to status. Had ZAB presented a valid foreign passport the expiration date of the Non-Dom CDL would not be tied to the passport as the passport does not indicate the length of authorized stay. ZAB was correctly issued a full-term credential based on the approved asylee status.

Emphasis was in the original. I added links to explain some terms.

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‘Why Risk It?’ 340B Bill Helps Patients And Providers, NO State Funding Needed – Pass HB 2371 SA 2

Tuesday, Mar 24, 2026 - Posted by Advertising Department

[The following is a paid advertisement.]

Seven in 10 patients of Sinai Chicago are covered by Medicaid. Looming federal funding cuts in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act are expected to leave 10-15% of Illinois Medicaid patients without coverage. When people lose Medicaid, they often go without needed prescription drugs and healthcare. Passage of House Bill 2371 SA 2 is urgently needed, said Sameer Shah, PharmD, President of Mount Sinai Hospital, to restore the 340B program in Illinois after five years of unlawful restrictions imposed by drugmakers.

“Our job and our mission is to take care of the communities we serve,” said Shah, noting those without insurance have few options. “They come to the hospitals. They come to the health system. They come to the clinics. It’s our responsibility to make sure the patients leave the hospital and are set up for success with their medications.”

Sinai Chicago is one of Illinois’ largest safety net providers. 340B has meant it can offer low-income patients discounted medication. It has also helped the health system expand clinical services and invest in meeting the community’s growing and diverse healthcare needs.

Hospitals and Federally Qualified Health Centers will lose a vital lifeline for their patients—and face additional financial challenges—unless House members pass HB 2371 SA. “Given all the curveballs coming our way and all the cuts, why risk it? Let the 340B program continue to work the way it was designed.”

Stand with patients and providers: Vote YES on HB 2371 SA this legislative session. Learn more.

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Isabel’s morning briefing

Tuesday, Mar 24, 2026 - Posted by Isabel Miller

* ICYMI: Suburban counties lose bid to blame Illinois for unconstitutional property tax sales. Crain’s…

* At 9 am, Governor JB Pritzker will give remarks at Illinois Agriculture Legislative Day and announce the 2026 Illinois State Fair headliner. Click here to watch.

*** Isabel’s Top Picks ***

* Press release | ICC 2025 Supplier Diversity Report shows robust investment from Illinois’ largest utilities: The Illinois Commerce Commission’s (ICC) Office of Diversity and Community Affairs’ (ODCA) 2025 Annual Report shows the state’s largest investor-owned utilities’ diverse spending remains robust at over $1.7 billion. The 2025 report, which covers data from the 2024 calendar year, found that Illinois’ six largest utilities averaged nearly 35 percent of their total spending with diverse suppliers, including minority, women, veteran, and small business enterprises, with some utilities reaching as high as 43 percent total diverse spend.

* Press release | CTU: Gov. Pritzker Needs to Lead Decisively, Not Leave Room for Mendoza’s MAGA Privatization Plan in School Voucher Fight: A statement from the Chicago Teachers Union Executive Vice President Jackson Potter on Governor JB Pritzker’s inaction and Comptroller Susana Mendoza’s support for a MAGA private school voucher scheme “At a time when working families in our city are demanding affordability, stability and investments in their neighborhoods, it is deeply disappointing to see Governor Pritzker hesitate while other governors–including Democrats like Andy Beshear in Kentucky—have drawn a clear line against Trump’s schemes that would siphon public dollars into the hands of privatizers.”

*** Statehouse News ***

* Journal & Topics | Chicago Voters Prove Tough Task For Walker In State Central Committeeman’s Race: Outgoing Wheeling Township Democratic committeeman and State Sen. Mark Walker (D-27th) lost in his bid for the 5th District state central committeeman’s seat on Tuesday. Voters were asked to vote for two in a three-way race among Democrats, which saw John Cullerton and Margaret Croke elected to the party post. The role of a party state central committeeman is like that of a party township committeeman: to work to see candidates successfully elected to office from their party.

* TSPR | WIU advocates to rally for equitable higher ed funding in Springfield:
“It doesn’t matter whether the governor is Democratic or Republican. What we’ve seen in the state of Illinois for the last 23 years is a steady decline in state funding for higher education, and that needs to turn around now,” said Merrill Cole, president of the Western Illinois University chapter of the University Professionals of Illinois, which represents faculty at WIU. The Coalition for Transforming Higher Education Funding hopes to convince lawmakers to turn around funding for the state’s public colleges and universities. The organization will hold a Higher Education Advocacy Day in Springfield on April 16. It expects to draw hundreds of advocates from across the state.

*** Chicago ***

* Fox Chicago | Fired top aide to Chicago mayor alleges Brandon Johnson has ‘hostility’ toward law enforcement: Whitfield was fired alongside then Deputy Mayor Garien Gatewood, with senior Johnson staff members claiming they wanted to go in a different direction. Whitfield said some of the discord stems from the fact that he and Gatewood placed an employee on probation for poor performance and failure to show up for work. Whitfield said that the employee is close with the mayor and senior leadership and was placed on a performance improvement plan with the Department of Human Resources. But instead of disciplining the employee, Whitfield said he and Gatewood were fired instead.

* Sun-Times | Top business leader demands end to stalemate over City Council’s pick for Zoning chair: Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce President Jack Lavin said more than 40 development projects have been stalled by City Council’s failure to agree on new permanent chair for the powerful Zoning Committee. He wants Mayor Brandon Johnson to forge a compromise to break the stalemate.

* Sun-Times | United Center owners’ massive 1901 Project could get nearly $55 million property tax break: Mayor Brandon Johnson has proposed a nearly $55 million property tax break for the United Center’s 1901 Project — a benefit the arena’s owners say is an essential piece to get their self-funded $7 billion project underway. Johnson introduced the estimated $54.7 million in property tax incentives to the City Council on March 18. Under Cook County’s Class 7b special assessment, the project’s property tax rate for the first phase would be 10% for the first 10 years, 15% for Year 11, then 20% for Year 12. The 1901 Project’s first phase is valued at $500 million. Projects must be valued at $2 million or more to be eligible for Class 7b incentives, according to the city.

* WTTW | Chicago Taxpayers Have Spent $1.76M to Defend Officer Who Shot 13-Year-Old Boy Without Justification, Leaving Him Paralyzed: The Civilian Office of Police Accountability determined that Officer Noah Ball’s decision to shoot the boy was unjustified, a conclusion endorsed by Chicago Police Supt. Larry Snelling, records show. Cierra Corbitt, the boy’s mother, has sued the city, alleging Ball “recklessly, callously, and wantonly” shot her son — identified in court records by his initials, A.G. — in violation of his civil rights as he obeyed officers’ orders to surrender after a brief foot pursuit near Chicago and Cicero avenues in Austin on May 18, 2022.

* Sun-Times | Bears QB Caleb Williams moves to trademark ‘Iceman’ moniker: A search of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office shows Caleb Williams Inc.’s “Iceman” applications for sporting goods, footballs, sweatshirts, T-shirts, hats, jerseys, jackets, vest, water bottles, mugs, bags, backpacks, luggage, sunglasses, posters and downloadable trading cards. Williams has already filed trademark applications for his name, initials, bear claw logos and other quarterback images.

* Sun-Times | Chicago women embrace ‘Hot Girl Walk’ trend to build confidence, community: Lind said she hopes women continue the Hot Girl Walk movement beyond the meetups. “If we’re only bringing this positivity to the world at our events, then we’re not doing our jobs,” she said. “We want to carry that momentum of women supporting women, whether that means giving a girl a compliment on her shoes as she’s walking by, or giving your barista an extra tip.”

* WBEZ | Axolotls! Where to see the TikTok famous amphibians in Chicago: And at the Brookfield Zoo, which began displaying one axolotl in a habitat last year, it’s an even bigger hit than the penguins right across from it, said Mike Masellis, lead animal care specialist for aquatics. “It’s fun to see someone look at a penguin and then scream about an axolotl,” he said. Last year, the Brookfield Zoo took in 20 rescued axolotls after they were confiscated by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service as they were illegally brought through O’Hare from Indonesia.

*** Cook County and Suburbs ***

* Shaw Local | Yorkville could approve 2 more data center projects, including 540-acre Project Steel: The city of Yorkville has two more large data center projects on the agenda for its Tuesday meeting, this coming on the heels, of a near six-hour meeting over the of the 1,034-acre Project Cardinal data center. Both the 540-acre Project Steel data center and the recently downsized, 80-acre Meyer data center campus could take significant steps forward with City Council approval. The planning and zoning commission on Jan. 14 unanimously voted to not recommend the Meyer data center for approval.

* Daily Southtown | Will County judge orders former Homer Township collector to pay $45,901 in damages: A Will County judge awarded $45,901 in damages to a Homer Glen woman who said Homer Township collector Michael Gondek harassed her by falsely suggesting she was celebrating Donald Trump’s 2024 assassination attempt. The case is likely the first of its kind to reach a verdict under the Civil Liability for Doxing Act, which took effect Jan. 1, 2024. Ellen Moriarty said Gondek spread a doctored image attributed to her that claims she was celebrating the July 2024 assassination attempt on Trump at a campaign rally in Pennsylvania, when Trump was a former president campaigning again for the office.

* Daily Herald | Former Hersey High School coach resigns from teaching job amid wrestling program probe: Former John Hersey High School wrestling coach Joe Rupslauk — who had already been stripped of his coaching responsibilities amid a probe into residency and recruiting violations — has resigned from his teaching position at the Arlington Heights school. Rupslauk’s resignation from his special education teaching job took effect last Friday, following approval of personnel actions by the Northwest Suburban High School District 214 school board Thursday.

* Daily Herald | College of DuPage board approves another tuition increase: The COD board of trustees has authorized a $4-per-credit-hour increase for students who live within the community college district. Those students will end up paying $160 per credit hour, including fees, starting with the fall 2026 term. The Glen Ellyn-based school will charge Illinois students from outside the district $368 per credit hour, up from $359.

* Shaw Local | Driver sues over Cary police pursuit that led to crash, serious injuries: The lawsuit, filed Friday in McHenry County court, claims willful and wanton conduct against the village of Cary for the police pursuit on July 8, 2025, that started in the village and led to a crash at the intersection of Route 31 and Three Oaks Road in Crystal Lake. The driver who filed the lawsuit, Munividyasgar Mokkala, cited “personal injuries” in the crash, which have resulted in both past and future damages, including but not limited to medical expenses, lost wages and earning potential, loss of normal life, disability, disfigurement and pain and suffering,” according to the complaint. Mokkala is seeking over $50,000 in damages.

*** Downstate ***

* SJ-R | Emotional plea helps lead to data center vote being tabled: The vote to table it came after an emotional plea from Sangamon County board member Craig Hall, whose district the proposed data center would fall in. “We’re not for sale; I would like to ask this board to listen tonight and I would like to ask if we could take another vote to table this… please.” A rally of cheers and equally dismayed faces washed over environmental advocates who went home cheering at the decision to table the vote. It is unclear if the board will vote on the data center during its next meeting April 7.

* WGLT | Residents bring objections to the idea of a data center to Bloomington City Council: Ten of the 11 people who spoke during the public comments portion of Monday’s Bloomington City Council meeting voiced opposition to a perceived possibility of a data center development on 375 acres south of the intersection of Ireland Grove Road and Abraham Road. “Basically, data centers have never been profitable. They don’t create significant numbers of long-term jobs,” said Katherine Scheck. “That’s not a long-term investment, and it’s going to ruin our community in the process.” At the outset of the meeting, Mayor Dan Brady said the item authorizing a three-party agreement between the city, Central Illinois Regional Airport and CES Farm, LLC, was removed from the night’s consent agenda.

* WMBD | The effort to stop O’Brien Steel’s purchase of Detweiller Marina: It’s a battle between industry development and green space priorities, as O’Brien Steel Service Company is moving to purchase most of the park area around Detweiller Marina. Opponents to the move said there has been little transparency around the potential purchase, only learning about it in a Peoria Park District meeting in March. An issue that even has state Sen. Dave Koehler concerned. “This is exactly the way you don’t want to do any kind of development in the community,” said the Peoria Democrat.

* WGLT | Bloomington OKs revised development plan for former State Farm building downtown: The Bloomington City Council on Monday approved revisions to an existing agreement with UEP Bloomington on a $68 million project to convert the former State Farm office building along East Street into a mixed-use residential and commercial center called “G.J. Lofts.” “As is the case with projects of this size and scope, they sometimes change over time. Financial markets change, constructions costs change, etc, etc.,” Senior Deputy Assistant City Manager Billy Tyus told the council during the 95-minute meeting.

* IPM News | Vanderbilt eliminates Illinois women’s basketball from the March Madness Tournament: Once the second quarter began, Illinois began to crumble as it missed consecutive shots and repeatedly turned the ball over. This led Vanderbilt to go on a 10-point run and grab an 11-point lead heading to halftime. Vanderbilt maintained the momentum in the second half. Illinois sophomore guard Berry Wallace tried to get the team back in the game as they were able to cut the lead back into single digits.

*** National ***

* Politico | It’s 3 times harder for blue states to get disaster funding under Trump: He approved just 23 percent of disaster funding requests from states with a Democratic governor and two Democratic senators since returning to office 14 months ago. For states with a Republican governor and two Republican senators, it’s the opposite — Trump has approved 89 percent of their requests.

* NPR | Despite state bans and restrictions, the number of abortions in the U.S. holds steady: Since the reversal of Roe v. Wade in 2022, anti-abortion rights advocates have continuously pursued laws and court cases to make access to abortion more difficult. A report published Tuesday finds those efforts haven’t worked in one basic way: The number of abortions in the country hasn’t budged. “There were an estimated 1,126,000 abortions provided by clinicians in the U.S. in 2025 — that’s pretty much unchanged from 2024,” says Isaac Maddow-Zimet, data scientist at the Guttmacher Institute, a nonprofit research organization that supports abortion access.

* NYT | Trump, Who Calls Mail-in Voting ‘Cheating,’ Just Voted by Mail: According to voter records on the Palm Beach County Supervisor of Elections website, Mr. Trump voted by mail in Palm Beach County, home to his Mar-a-Lago Club. Records show he has been registered to vote there since 2019 — and that he mailed his ballot at least one other time, in 2020.

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Good morning!

Tuesday, Mar 24, 2026 - Posted by Isabel Miller

* Joan Baez…

* What’s going on?

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

Tuesday, Mar 24, 2026 - Posted by Rich Miller

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Selected press releases (Live updates)

Tuesday, Mar 24, 2026 - Posted by Isabel Miller

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Live coverage

Tuesday, Mar 24, 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

Monday, Mar 23, 2026 - Posted by Isabel Miller

* Associated Press…

The Supreme Court’s conservative majority sounds skeptical of state laws that allow the counting of late-arriving mail ballots, a persistent target of President Donald Trump.

The court was hearing arguments Monday in a case from Mississippi that also could affect voters in 13 other states and the District of Columbia, which have grace periods for ballots cast by mail. An additional 15 states that have more forgiving deadlines for ballots from military and overseas voters also could be impacted.

A ruling is expected by late June, early enough to govern the counting of ballots in the 2026 midterm congressional elections. […]

California, Texas, New York and Illinois are among the states with post-Election Day deadlines. Rural Alaska, with its vast distances and often unpredictable weather, also counts late-arriving ballots.

* Attorney General Kwame Raoul…

Attorney General Kwame Raoul, with California Attorney General Rob Bonta, Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell and Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul, led a coalition of 21 attorneys general in suing the Trump administration over its unconstitutional and unlawful attempt to impose conditions on U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) programs, grants, cooperative agreements and mutual interest agreements.

In their lawsuit, Raoul and the coalition assert that USDA has threatened harsh penalties if states do not comply with the agency’s vague and expansive funding conditions relating to immigration, diversity, equity and inclusion, and gender identity, which are unrelated to the purpose of USDA funding. The lawsuit asks the court to block USDA from imposing these illegal funding conditions, including on critical USDA programs such as the school lunch program; Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC); the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP); The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP); and the Volunteer Fire Capacity Program. The programs provide basic, essential services for millions of Illinois’ most vulnerable children, working families, senior citizens and rural communities. […]

In Illinois, one in 20 residents receive TEFAP food, which delivers nutritious, locally sourced, minimally modified foods across the state, including in rural areas where farmers and agricultural workers supply a large volume of Illinois’ agricultural products, yet too often have no access to nutritious food to feed their families.

*** Statehouse News ***

* Axios | Pritzker tries to put past donations to AIPAC behind him: Pritzker and aides have said publicly in recent weeks that he previously supported AIPAC, but Pritzker’s team declined to tell Axios how much he gave to the group. […] The foundation gave to the group until at least 2020, but Pritzker’s team told Axios he stepped away from the foundation in 2017.

* WBEZ | Can replacing Illinois’ toxic lead pipes lead to a workforce boom?: A recent report proposes a plan to replace the state’s staggering inventory of toxic lead pipes and create tens of thousands of jobs. To do so, the analysis calls on state and local officials to fast-track pipe replacements for communities that have suffered from the most lead exposure and to use the projects to build a more diverse local workforce. It also urges the Illinois General Assembly to help plug a multibillion-dollar budget gap for lead pipe replacements.

* Crain’s | AI data center boom drives surge in Great Lakes water use: Part of that collaboration involves sharing insights across jurisdictions. Last year Minnesota passed a law that establishes a framework for data center developments, including mandating that proposed projects route through a state-level clearinghouse instead of proceeding directly to local governments. Now other regional leaders are considering Minnesota’s legislation as they debate similar regulations. In February, Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker proposed suspending the state’s data center tax incentives, a move intended to slow development and give the state time to flesh out its regulatory approach. Last year’s Ohio budget includes a similar suspension of tax incentives, but Gov. Mike DeWine vetoed the provision. State legislators are now considering a push for an override.

* Crain’s | Six years on, Illinois builds defenses for the next pandemic amid federal retreat: Illinois is stockpiling medical supplies, joining international disease-tracking networks and forming alliances with other states to prepare for the next pandemic — steps driven by what public health officials describe as a hostile and hollowed-out federal public health infrastructure under President Donald Trump. The state’s go-it-alone planning comes six years after Illinois shut down to battle COVID-19, which, between 2020 and 2023, killed nearly 42,000 Illinoisans.

*** Chicago ***

* Center Square | Judge declines CTU’s motion to dismiss financial audit lawsuit: A Cook County judge on Monday denied a Chicago Teachers’ Union motion for summary judgment and granted plaintiffs’ request to compel discovery in a case over the union’s lack of releasing financial audits to its members. “The court saw through CTU’s effort to avoid scrutiny,” Sara Albrecht, chair of Liberty Justice Center, the nonprofit law firm representing union members who filed the lawsuit, said in a statement. “Simply posting documents after being sued doesn’t erase legal obligations. With discovery now moving forward, we intend to get a full accounting of whether CTU has complied with its duties to its own members.”

* Crain’s | WBBM vows to fill the void from CBS News Radio closure: When CBS News Radio shuts down for good in two months, local Chicago affiliate WBBM Newsradio will continue broadcasting diligently, just with less national material from its longtime and storied partner. WBBM’s two local stations — 780 AM and 105.9 FM — will broadcast that much more local material from Chicago-area journalists, the station said in a press release. “CBS News Radio service is shutting down, but WBBM Newsradio is here to stay,” the station posted March 20 on X, in response to the CBS news.

* Block Club | Chicago Is Hemorrhaging Breweries — Is There A Way To Stop It?: In Chicago, while overall retail sales of beer haven’t seen a huge dropoff, package sales of craft beers have plunged. While Chicago stores sold $824 million worth of beer and other alcoholic beverages like hard seltzers in the 12 months ending in early March — a 1.1 percent decrease from the same period last year — craft beer sales dropped 8.3 percent in that time, to $76.9 million, according to Circana, a market research company. Craft sales are down 17 percent from three years ago. Although the data doesn’t capture everywhere craft beer is sold at the retail level in Chicago, it’s indicative of the trend.

* WBEZ | Steppenwolf Theater receives Sondheim Foundation grant to restart program for new plays: Chicago’s Steppenwolf Theatre will reboot a program that supports new plays after receiving a grant from the Stephen Sondheim Foundation, an organization established under the will of the revered composer-lyricist. The foundation has announced an inaugural round of cultural grant funding. Neither Steppenwolf Theatre nor the Sondheim Foundation would disclose the amount of the grant.

*** Cook County and Suburbs ***

* Daily Herald | Cook County Assessor Fritz Kaegi lost big where property taxes in city, suburbs soared: Even more stark was the 35,000-vote gap between Kaegi and Hynes in the suburbs, where property tax increases were even more pronounced, and where Hynes markedly outperformed Kaegi. In the county’s North suburbs, where homeowners picked up 60% of the new tax burden, property taxes grew by 3.7%, compared to a 3.1% increase in the south suburbs, according to the treasurer’s office.

* NBC Chicago | Court awards nearly $46k to Will County election worker in doxing case: “This verdict is important not just for Ellen Moriarty, but for anyone who has been targeted by false online attacks,” said attorney Joe Giamanco, counsel for Moriarty and managing partner of Giamanco Law Partners, Ltd. in a statement. “People cannot manufacture or spread fake content, try to destroy someone’s livelihood, and then expect to walk away without accountability. Keyboard warriors should pay attention to this verdict and think twice before they go on the attack.” The law, that took effect at the start of 2024, creates a civil cause of action for anyone harmed by doxing. Under the statute, “doxing” includes intentionally publishing another person’s identifiable information (including social media profiles) without consent with the intent to harm or harass someone and that leads to harm of that person, including economic injury, mental anguish, fear of serious bodily injury or death, or a substantial life disruption.

* Aurora Beacon-News | Batavia delays new downtown TIF district plans: At a meeting last week, the City Council opted to temporarily pause moving forward on the creation of the new TIF District 7, which is set to include a segment of Batavia’s downtown, largely west of the Fox River. The proposed redevelopment area generally includes property south of Wilson Street, north of Union Avenue, west of South River Street and east of South Lincoln Street. A TIF district is a sort of economic development tool that essentially freezes the amount of property tax revenue each taxing body receives from an area at the point at which the TIF is instituted. The extra or “increment” taxes created by the development of the property go into a special fund used to pay for costs related to improving the area.

*** Downstate ***

* WICS | Sangamon County to vote on CyrusOne data center Monday: But Monday night starting at 6pm, Sangamon County board members will finally vote on the project’s permits. Sangamon County board members, unions, and residents for and against a potential data center will flock to the BOS center in downtown Springfield. The Sangamon County data center would be located in an agricultural zone, in the southwest corner of the county.

* WCIA | What to know for spring trout fishing season in Illinois: More than 80,000 rainbow trout are being released into 58 bodies of water where fishing is permitted during the spring fishing season. The season starts on April 4, but anglers can start fishing Saturday at select sites as long as they release the fish they catch. At other sites, anglers are not allowed to fish at all before April 4, and anyone attempting to harvest fish before the legal harvest season opening will be issued citations.

* PJ Star | ‘Truly honored’: Illinois Central College names next president: Jamonica Rolle, who holds a Doctor of Education degree in higher education administration, will assume the position on July 1. “I am truly honored and excited to serve as Illinois Central College’s sixth president, and I extend my sincere gratitude to the Board of Trustees, the search committee, and the entire ICC community for this opportunity to serve,” Rolle said in a news release. “ICC is a thriving college with deep community roots and a proud record of student success. I look forward to working alongside faculty, staff, students, and community partners to advance student learning, expand life outcomes, and continue driving innovation and opportunity throughout the region.”

* Tribune | Illinois big men rediscover their nastiness in advancing to the Sweet 16: ‘That’s a recipe to win for us’: Whether it was their size advantage against the lower-seeded teams or Underwood’s challenge in the days after, the Illini, particularly their big men, showed the nastiness is still there. “I think we’ve had them,” Underwood said. “I think they’re maybe just a little refocused on the importance of being that. And that’s going to have to continue throughout.” The Illini have bigger challenges ahead against second-seeded Houston in the Sweet 16 in Houston on Thursday.

*** National ***

* The Atlantic | How the Midwest Became the Place to Move: Particularly attractive are towns that are near a big city but have much smaller price tags. Take Rockford, the most popular housing market from the Zillow report. Although it’s within easy driving distance of Chicago, the average home value is about $170,000, to Chicago’s $300,000. A hybrid worker could conceivably work from Chicago a day or two a week while paying much less for a house than if they lived in the city. The same goes for Milwaukee, which is also an hour and a half from Chicago. As more people have moved there, midwestern home values have also risen: Rockford’s home prices are up nearly 10 percent year over year, compared with 3.9 percent in 2020, for example. But because they started at a much lower price point, these homes still seem affordable compared with houses in, say, Miami or Austin.

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Protected: SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - Campaign stuff

Monday, Mar 23, 2026 - Posted by Isabel Miller

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The best Statehouse advice also apparently applies to baseball

Monday, Mar 23, 2026 - Posted by Rich Miller

* I flipped to a White Sox game last night and I believe shortstop Chase Meidroth was being interviewed. Whoever it was, the team is apparently taking Dave Sullivan’s sage advice…

Transcript…

Just stick to the process. It’s a long year. Lot of ups and downs. You can’t ride the rollercoaster.

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Your occasional state budget/revenue reminder

Monday, Mar 23, 2026 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Ralph Martire…

Start with the canard that Illinois has a priorities problem. The FY 2027 budget proposal appropriates a total of $39.8 billion to fund services, 95 percent of which are targeted to the core areas of education, healthcare, social services, and public safety. Those four core categories have always accounted for anywhere from 93 percent to 95 percent of total General Fund spending on services, irrespective of which party controlled the governor’s office or General Assembly.

So if the priorities getting funded in FY 2027 are somehow wrong, they’ve been wrong for generations, and neither party has seen fit to change them. Better yet, perhaps Bailey could enlighten the rest of us as to which core service area — education, healthcare, social services or public safety — shouldn’t be a priority.

The second prevarication that has to be dispelled once and for all is the contention Illinois has a “spending” rather than a “revenue” problem. All the data say otherwise. If the FY 2027 budget passes as proposed, spending will increase on a year-to-year basis by roughly $600 million. That’s a mere 1.5 percent more than last year, if you ignore inflation. But just like the private sector, inflation drives up the cost of funding services in the public sector. After adjusting for inflation, proposed spending on the four core services in FY 2027 is actually 1.5 percent less than this year.

Of course, scrimping on core service expenditures is nothing new in Illinois. In fact, after inflation, spending on the four core services would be 13 percent less under Pritzker’s FY 2027 proposed budget than actual spending was under Republican Gov. George Ryan back in FY 2000. […]

Moreover, Illinois’ General Spending is also relatively low when compared to other states. According to the Bureau of Economic Analysis, Illinois ranked 39th in per capita general fund spending in 2024 (the most recent year for which complete data is available). It strains credulity to claim the sixth most populous state ranking 39th in per-capita spending is a high spending state.

Discuss.

26 Comments

Report: ICE agents at TSA checkpoints in O’Hare Airport, 12 others

Monday, Mar 23, 2026 - Posted by Isabel Miller

* First, some background from the Associated Press…

A bill to fund the Department of Homeland Security failed to advance Friday in the Senate amid growing concerns about long lines to get through screening at some of the country’s biggest airports.

Democrats declined to provide the support needed to move the funding measure toward final passage. Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said he would offer an alternative measure Saturday to fund just the Transportation Security Administration, which screens passengers and luggage for hazardous items. That too is likely to fail as lawmakers hold a rare weekend session.

Behind the scenes, work toward resolving the standoff intensified Friday as White House border czar Tom Homan met for the second consecutive day with a bipartisan group of senators. Democrats are demanding changes to immigration enforcement practices by federal agents following the shooting deaths of Alex Pretti and Renee Good in Minneapolis.

* The reforms being pushed by US House and Senate Democrats…

- Targeted Enforcement – DHS officers cannot enter private property without a judicial warrant. End indiscriminate arrests and improve warrant procedures and standards. Require verification that a person is not a U.S. citizen before holding them in immigration detention.

- No Masks – Prohibit ICE and immigration enforcement agents from wearing face coverings.

- Require ID – Require DHS officers conducting immigration enforcement to display their agency, unique ID number and last name. Require them to verbalize their ID number and last name if asked.

- Protect Sensitive Locations – Prohibit funds from being used to conduct enforcement near sensitive locations, including medical facilities, schools, child-care facilities, churches, polling places, courts, etc.

- Stop Racial Profiling – Prohibit DHS officers from conducting stops, questioning and searches based on an individual’s presence at certain locations, their job, their spoken language and accent or their race and ethnicity.

- Uphold Use of Force Standards – Place into law a reasonable use of force policy, expand training and require certification of officers. In the case of an incident, the officer must be removed from the field until an investigation is conducted.

- Ensure State and Local Coordination and Oversight – Preserve the ability of State and local jurisdictions to investigate and prosecute potential crimes and use of excessive force incidents. Require that evidence is preserved and shared with jurisdictions. Require the consent of States and localities to conduct large-scale operations outside of targeted immigration enforcement.

- Build Safeguards into the System – Make clear that all buildings where people are detained must abide by the same basic detention standards that require immediate access to a person’s attorney to prevent citizen arrests or detention. Allow states to sue DHS for violations of all requirements. Prohibit limitations on Member visits to ICE facilities regardless of how those facilities are funded.

- Body Cameras for Accountability, Not Tracking – Require use of body-worn cameras when interacting with the public and mandate requirements for the storage and access of footage. Prohibit tracking, creating or maintaining databases of individuals participating in First Amendment activities.

- No Paramilitary Police – Regulate and standardize the type of uniforms and equipment DHS officers carry during enforcement operations to bring them in line with civil enforcement.

* CNN…

Thirteen US airports will see Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents at Transportation Security Administration checkpoints on Monday, a source with knowledge of the plans told CNN.

The 13 airports include:

- Chicago-O’Hare International Airport
- Cleveland Hopkins International Airport
- Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport
- Houston’s William P. Hobby Airport
- John F. Kennedy International Airport (New York)
- LaGuardia Airport (New York)
- Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport
- Luis Munoz Marin International Airport (San Juan, Puerto Rico)
- Newark Liberty International Airport
- Philadelphia International Airport
- Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport
- Pittsburgh International Airport
- Southwest Florida International Airport (Fort Myers, Florida)

The list is subject to change and different plans have been made for how to utilize the agents at each airport, the source said. For example, some ICE agents may monitor lines of passengers while others help with bins.

* One thing working in O’Hare’s favor is that its security lines haven’t been nearly as long as those in Houston, Atlanta and San Diego. On Air Parking estimates passengers spend about 45 minutes on average getting through security. Reddit users have been reporting quick lines.

* NBC Chicago…

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson confirmed that the Department of Homeland Security was deploying ICE officers to several U.S. airports, including O’Hare.

O’Hare Airport was expected to see an estimated 75 officers over numerous shifts starting Monday, Johnson said, expressing “concerns about the deployment.” Midway Airport was not expected to see such deployments.

“We will closely monitor the deployment and use every tool we have to ensure that people, no matter their immigration status, can travel to and from Chicago safely and without harassment from the federal government,” Johnson said in a statement.

* Sun-Times…

Everett Kelley, the national president of the American Federation of Government Employees, which represents TSA agents and other federal workers in Illinois and Wisconsin, said with the agents’ deployment raises security concerns for passengers.

“Our members at TSA have been showing up every day, without a paycheck, because they believe in the mission of keeping the flying public safe,” Kelley said in a statement. “They deserve to be paid, not replaced by untrained, armed agents who have shown how dangerous they can be.”

Darrell English — president of AFGE Local 777, which represents Chicago TSA workers — said the danger also extends to the agents’ lack of training regarding aviation security. Adding ICE agents to the mix could slow the screening process for travelers, since they lack the seven months of training TSA agents go through before screening solo, according to English.

“It’s always concerning when you hear language like that in terms of changing the security that’s being implemented,” English said. “It leaves a hole… TSA understands the threat to aviation and the flying public, and it also takes years of understanding that to be efficient and secure.”

* More…

* Block Club | ICE Agents Working At O’Hare Airport Monday As Feds Seek To Shorten Long TSA Lines: The agents seen working at O’Hare Airport wore masks, despite Trump saying in a social media post that he’d “greatly appreciate” if the agents didn’t wear masks while working at airports. Many federal immigration agents wore masks and sought to remain anonymous during major immigration programs — including Operation Midway Blitz — in recent months.

* NYT | ICE to Aid Airport Security Amid Partial Shutdown, Border Czar Says: The agents are expected to conduct tasks to free up Transportation Security Administration agents to handle processing travelers, according to an official from the Homeland Security Department, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the location of ICE agents.

* The Hill | Homan: ICE officers will not assist with airport security scanning amid TSA staffing shortage: White House border czar Tom Homan said Sunday that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers will not be directly involved in security scanning measures at airports, a day before agency officials will begin assisting Transportation Security Administration (TSA) employees. “Wherever we can provide extra security, I don’t see an ICE agent looking at an X-ray machine, because we’re not trained in that,” Homan told host Dana Bash on CNN’s “State of the Union.”

* CBS Chicago | ICE agents seen at Chicago O’Hare International Airport amid long TSA wait times and lines: A passenger who had just arrived at O’Hare said he saw agents “just hanging around.” “Talking. They were just in the exit area, not even the TSA area per se. I guess guarding people where you would see them if they went in the wrong directions,” the passenger said. A TSA worker by baggage claim identified a man dressed all in black inside a security exit downstairs as an ICE agent. That man did not have any insignia identifying him as an ICE agent.

* NBC Chicago | Chicago travelers prepare as Trump pledges to place ICE agents at airports: According to officials, more than 400 TSA workers have left their posts since the partial government shutdown began in February, leading to long lines and canceled flights at airports across the U.S.

* The Hill | Republicans reject Democrats’ effort to pay TSA by suspending Senate rules: Senate Republicans on Saturday voted against an unusual procedural gambit by Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (N.Y.) to suspend the Senate rules and advance a bill through the Rules Committee to fund the Transportation Security Administration (TSA). The motion failed by a party-line vote of 41 to 49. It needed 60 votes to succeed.

* Fox Chicago | Spring break travel surges at Chicago airports as TSA staffing concerns grow: According to the Chicago Department of Aviation, more than 3.76 million people are expected to pass through security checkpoints at O’Hare and Midway, between Thursday, March 19 and Monday, March 30. TSA recommends getting to the airport two hours early for domestic flights. For those traveling internationally, it’s recommended you get to the airport at least three hours in advance.

25 Comments

It’s just a bill

Monday, Mar 23, 2026 - Posted by Isabel Miller

* 25News Now…

Last week, the Illinois House approved Senate Bill 1486 which would “hold insurance companies accountable and help make coverage more affordable,” said Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias, who has attached his name to the legislation. […]

The measure includes a requirement that insurers provide at least 60 days’ notice before increasing premiums by 10% or more. It would also give the Illinois Department of Insurance the power to review rate hikes, hold hearings, determine if rate increases are unfair, and order rebates to its customers. […]

A State Farm spokesperson released the following statement to 25News this weekend:

“We are disappointed by the outcome of the Illinois House vote. This state has had the most competitive and stable insurance market in the country for more than 50 years. We believe this action will undermine auto and homeowners’ insurance rate predictability, market stability, and reduce competition while ultimately leading to higher insurance prices for Illinois residents.

State Farm is committed to continuing to work with lawmakers and the Department of Insurance to address the issues within the legislation and to support real solutions that tackle the root causes of rising homeowners’ insurance rates. Meanwhile, State Farm recently announced that it has lowered auto insurance rates in 40 states over the past year, including Illinois.”

The Illinois Public Interest Research Group…

The Illinois House passed legislation Thursday that will empower the Illinois Department of Insurance to reject excessive homeowner and auto insurance rate hikes, starting in July, 2027. A similar bill, which did not cover car insurance, passed the Illinois Senate last fall. Today’s legislation will have to go back through the Senate for concurrence. […]

In response, Illinois PIRG Director Abe Scarr made the following statement:

“This bill is an important step forward for Illinois insurance customers. If the bill becomes law, it will finally be illegal to charge excessive or unduly discriminatory home and auto insurance rates in Illinois. Residents of every other state enjoy these basic consumer protections, which are long overdue in Illinois.

“Along with our coalition partners, we will continue to advocate for stronger policies, including doing more to empower the Department of Insurance to reject or modify excessive rate hikes, and to address the growing risks from extreme weather that are driving up homeowners insurance premiums.”

More react…

The Illinois Insurance Association (IIA), the American Property Casualty Insurance Association (APCIA), and the National Association of Mutual Insurance Companies (NAMIC) today issued the following joint press release opposing Senate Bill 1486 - Amendment 2 after its advancement through the House Executive Committee and then passage in the House of Representatives. The groups warn that the bill represents one of the most sweeping and harmful insurance regulatory overhauls in state history – one that will likely raise premiums, reduce consumer choice, and destabilize Illinois’ insurance market.

“Illinois families are already facing an affordability crisis with property taxes, gas, grocery, and utility bills all rising. Inflation is squeezing household budgets from every direction. At a moment when lawmakers should be laser-focused on affordability, the General Assembly is instead advancing radical legislation that would make both auto and homeowners’ insurance more expensive for nearly every Illinois household. These are added burdens Illinoisans simply cannot afford. We urge Illinois lawmakers to protect the individuals and families who rely on a competitive and stable insurance market by rejecting SB 1486 – Amendment 2.”

Key Concerns

If enacted, SB 1486 Amendment 2 is likely to:

• Cause homeowners insurance premiums to increase up to 20% or $230 on average. Auto insurance premiums are also likely to increase.
• Reduce consumer choice as insurers scale back or leave the state.
• Inject politics into rate decisions, slowing filings and delaying needed adjustments.
• Destabilize a market that has historically been one of the most competitive markets in the nation, offering Illinoisians many options to shop around for a policy that fits their needs and budget.

* Daily Herald…

Two bills that would transfer oversight of state-run charter schools to local school boards and emphasize accountability are making their way through the Illinois Senate, causing concern for two suburban charter schools that fought hard to exist. […]

Senate Bill 4040, sponsored by state Sen. Cristina Castro of Elgin, would cede control of any state-authorized charter school back to the local school boards for oversight and eliminate the ISBE appeals process for approving or renewing charters.

A separate Senate Bill 3391, sponsored by state Sen. Celina Villanueva of Chicago, would require charter school operators to execute renewal agreements within 90 days of approval and establish stronger financial safeguards to protect students, staff and public resources if a charter school closes. […]

SB 4040 would eliminate two protections for families and schools that have been part of Illinois’ charter school law for nearly 30 years: a statewide authorizer and an independent appeal process, [Andrew Broy, president of the Illinois Network of Charter Schools,] said.

Both bills have passed out of committee.

* Press relase…

Today, the Greater Chicagoland Black Chamber of Commerce, Illinois Black Chamber of Commerce and Illinois Hispanic Chamber of Commerce sent the following letter to the Illinois General Assembly in support of APR for All legislation that would save Illinois Small Businesses more than $1.25 million every day:

“There is a straightforward solution to a problem that costs Black and Brown small businesses in Illinois at least $118 million every year. The solution would cost taxpayers nothing and would help stem the tide of increased prices for consumers.

“HB 744 HA #1 (Canty-Mayfield) would require nonbank lenders to disclose to small businesses the annual percentage rate (APR) of the loans being offered to them. This would enable small businesses to shop for the best price when seeking financing.

“Currently, lenders use different sets of terms and fine print that make it impossible to compare the cost of different loan products. The millions of dollars saved by small businesses who are empowered to shop for the best deal would be reflected in customer prices because the cost of financing is already passed on to customers. In this way, this bill would help to address the affordability crisis for all of us, not just for small businesses.

* Rep. Marty McLaughlin…

On Friday, State Rep. Martin McLaughlin (R-Barrington Hills) and Chairwoman, State Rep. Joyce Mason (D-Gurnee) worked in bipartisan fashion to unanimously pass HB2190 through the Illinois House of Representative’s Child Care Accessibility and Early Childhood Education Committee.

The bill seeks to protect children in Illinois daycare centers by requiring at least two adults certified in CPR and the Heimlich maneuver to be present in facilities with more than 12 children.

During his testimony, the lawmaker from Barrington Hills said: “As someone who has worked with children for more than 22 years and coached young women in athletics, it was always a minimum requirement to have two people CPR-certified and trained at every athletic event. When we discovered that was not a minimum requirement in daycare centers, we were surprised. What we are attempting to do here is apply a minimum safety standard for children in daycare centers, and that is the impetus for this bill.”

Representative McLaughlin was joined by Felicia Walters, the mother of a 23-month-old toddler who was found unresponsive only an hour after being dropped off by his parents at daycare. “We would never again see our son’s eyes open, hear his laugh, or hold him without cords and wires. The love of our lives was taken from us in an instant. Not everyone at Callum’s daycare was CPR-certified and fully equipped to care for children, and precious time was wasted. We are fighting to make this change so that no other parent has to endure the heartbreak we live with every day.” said Walters.

McLaughlin concluded his committee testimony by saying: “We are going to be referencing this as ‘Callum‘s Bill’ in honor of Callum. Together we can show the public it’s possible to produce important legislation without political division. Please join me as we move forward on this legislation so it can become ‘Callum’s Law’ by the end of this session and help to protect children all across Illinois.”

* More…

WAND | IL bipartisan bill could ban indirect quotas for police:

* Press release | Ortíz Advances Proposal Looking to Make Community College More Affordable for Adult Learners: Ortíz’s House Bill 5135 removes the maximum reimbursement rate per credit hour for community colleges, allowing for more tuition assistance to flow to in-state adult learners pursuing their education. Currently, state adult education fund rules unnecessarily follow federal requirements found in the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act and other regulations. Ortíz’s plan would remove the state from this self-imposed restriction, providing greater flexibility to prioritize adult learner funding.

* Press release | IL State Rep. Du Buclet’s Advances Legislation to Expand Youth Civic Engagement in Illinois: House Bill 4339, also known as the Jesse Jackson Sr. Young Voter Empowerment Act, passed the House Ethics and Elections Committee with unanimous support. The legislation ensures that all public high schools offer students of voting age the opportunity to register during the school day in a safe, accessible, and nonpartisan environment. Too often, voter registration efforts are tied to political campaigns or outside organizations that may influence how someone votes. This bill removes that pressure and ensures young people have a first-time voter experience rooted in trust, education, and independence.

* Press release | Rep. Sheehan Introduces the Law Enforcement Mental Health Leave Act to Support Officers After Traumatic Events: HB 4715 establishes a statewide standard granting officers five days of paid mental health leave within a 12‑month period when they experience a mental illness resulting from a traumatic event. The bill requires every law enforcement agency in Illinois to adopt a clear, confidential mental health leave policy and prohibits retaliation against officers who use the leave they are entitled to. This bill also extends these protections to campus police officers, Department of Corrections and Department of Juvenile Justice employees, and local correctional staff who routinely face high‑stress, high‑risk situations.

* River Bender | Harriss Pushes Bill Requiring Solar Developers to Cover Cleanup Costs: Senate Bill 3953 would require companies seeking to construct commercial solar facilities to secure a surety bond before receiving county approval. The bond must be sufficient to cover the full cost of decommissioning the facility and address any environmental damage caused during construction or operation. “Taxpayers should not be forced to clean up after private energy companies,” said Senator Harriss. “This legislation ensures that those who profit from these developments are also responsible for properly maintaining and ultimately removing them.”

* WCIA | Illinois lawmakers propose new kratom regulations: If passed, the bill would set boundaries for what can be sold or consumed. Last year, Monticello banned the sale of kratom products in the city, and supporters of that move said they’re on board with this one too. “The problem is, it’s kind of the Wild West. There’s absolutely no regulation for kratom right now, the synthetic or the purely,” said Piatt County Board member Michael Beem. “And I feel like any substance can be synthesized and made into something more dangerous. There needs to be stopgaps in place.”

11 Comments

Money can’t buy me love

Monday, Mar 23, 2026 - Posted by Rich Miller

* My weekly syndicated newspaper column…

One of the biggest stories to come out of election day was that several candidates with the most money came up short.

The obvious example is the race for U.S. Senate, where U.S. Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi reportedly spent $29 million on TV ads and benefited from another $10 million spent by the crypto industry against Illinois Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton. Stratton was the beneficiary of a lot of money as well, including from Gov. JB Pritzker, but she started relatively late and never came close to matching Krishnamoorthi’s total spend. Even so, she prevailed. Pritzker’s very public endorsement and independent expenditure support clearly helped get her in position. She got a late start, and it was touch-and-go for a long time.

The dynamic played out in some U.S. House races as well. The underfunded state Rep. La Shawn Ford, D-Chicago, eked out a victory in the 7th Congressional District primary over a candidate supported with huge outside money. Ford was endorsed by retiring U.S. Rep. Danny Davis. And despite an absolute flood of money from outside groups opposing him, Evanston Mayor Daniel Biss won the 9th Congressional District primary.

As Pritzker, a billionaire, told me in a postelection interview, “A whole bunch of money does not a good candidate make.”

Let’s look at some state legislative races.

Rep. Jaime Andrade, D-Chicago, lost his primary by 12 points, 56-44. Andrade benefited from more than $840,000 in independent expenditures from groups run by DraftKings and Meta, as well as the Michael Sacks-fronted Common Ground Collective. Andrade raised $1.1 million on his own this calendar year, on top of the $214,000 he had in the bank. That’s more than $2 million in all.

He was vanquished by Chicago Teachers Union-backed Miguel Alvelo-Rivera, who raised $237,000 this year on top of the $31,000 he had on hand on Dec. 31. It was enough to get his message out — and part of that message was that Andrade was completely mischaracterizing the progressive immigrant rights organizer as pro-ICE. Also, he had a ton of foot soldiers and ran a very tight campaign.

DraftKings also spent $476,000 on Aja Kearney in retiring Rep. Nick Smith’s Chicago-based district. Meta spent another $96,000. Kearney raised $148,000 this year, much of it from the CTU. All told, she had $752,000. But Kearney was absolutely stomped by Cleo Cowley 59-41.

The pro-charter school INCS Action spent $68,000 on Cowley, and she raised just $27,000 this year after closing out last year with $13,000. This race was decided in the streets and with a highly effective ad by INCS Action. Sen. Elgie Sims, D-Chicago, deserves a huge amount of credit, but Cowley worked it hard. Rep. Marcus Evans, D-Chicago, supported Kearney. Evans did breeze past Sims in his state Democratic central committeeman race, however.

DraftKings and Meta spent a combined $474,000 backing Adam Braun in the 13th House District, and DraftKings shelled out another $310,000 for attack ads against the opposition (mainly James O’Brien but also Demi Palecek) on behalf of its former Statehouse lobbyist. Braun ended last year with $242,000 in the bank and raised another $211,000 this year. That’s $1.2 million.

At last check, Braun was in fourth place in a five-person race with a mere 11%. Demi Palecek was the going-away winner with 42%. She had just $14,000 in the bank at the end of last year, then raised $147,000 this year, most of it from progressive Democrat David Hogg’s committee.

Palecek appeared to be an authentic person and had captured the moment by declaring she wouldn’t deploy as a National Guard member to assist ICE. And, while it’s not fair, lobbyists have a horrible public reputation, and that hurt Braun. This was a gigantic upset, and the Illinois Women’s Institute for Leadership has another legislator.

Republican Josh Higgins had nowhere near the resources as incumbent Deputy Minority Leader Norine Hammond, but the Illinois Freedom Caucus-supported candidate had a message that resonated with MAGA primary voters. Higgins breezed to victory by 25 points in a three-way race. He raised a total of $54,000. Hammond had essentially unlimited resources at her disposal. This win is going to further divide the HGOP caucus. The far right lost every other legislative primary, but this was the top prize.

Appointed Rep. Margaret DeLaRosa, D-Glen Ellyn, had just $33,000 in the bank last year and raised a mere $50,000 this year. House Speaker Chris Welch refused to get involved in the race, and DeLaRosa was not the choice of some powerful local politicos or organized labor, but she nuked Lynn LaPlante 59-41. LaPlante, a DuPage County board member, raised $211,000 this year.

24 Comments

When RETAIL Succeeds, Illinois Succeeds

Monday, Mar 23, 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

Monday, Mar 23, 2026 - Posted by Isabel Miller

* ICYMI: AIPAC funded secretive super PACs that hid contributors and spent big in Democratic primary, new records show. Tribune…

* Governor JB Pritzker is in California today to participate in a panel at the Common Sense Summit on Kids and Families.

* At 1:15 pm, Attorney General Kwame Raoul will hold a virtual press conference to announce new legal action to federal funding that supports multiple programs. Click here to watch.

*** Isabel’s Top Picks ***

* Daily Herald | English learner programs in Illinois schools face uncertainty amid federal funding cuts: At the start of this school year, most districts around the country had payment of their Title III funds delayed by about two months and were left unsure whether they would receive them at all. “These are very uncertain times for many schools,” said Theresa Guseman, superintendent of Joliet Township High School District 204, where almost a quarter of the student population are English learners. “We’re expecting continual government cuts, but we don’t know what they’ll be yet. It’s hard to plan not knowing what’s coming, so we’re budgeting very conservatively to remain in a strong financial place.”

* Tribune | In texts, Gov. Pritzker, Comptroller Susana Mendoza split over Trump-backed school tax credit program in Illinois: Pritzker sent the lengthy message to Mendoza last month after she wrote an opinion piece in the Chicago Tribune urging Illinois to join the federal program. In the text, the governor warned Mendoza that the incentives could support schools that “teach values that are racist or antisemitic or Anti-American.” “State/federal tax credit dollars would go to support schools that teach children that gay people are evil, that ‘the KKK was fighting against the decline of morality,’ that white supremacy is God’s will — and other crazy notions,” Pritzker texted Mendoza.

* Capitol News Illinois | Regulators OK ComEd’s plan to increase deposit costs for large-load projects like data centers: The ICC called the approval of ComEd’s June request an “important first step.” But consumer and environmental advocates sought broader protections that the commission ultimately determined were out of scope for the proceedings. The ICC did, however, direct its staff to initiate new proceedings next month to investigate the unaddressed issues and adopt new ratepayer protections, recognizing what it called “significant reliability, affordability and policy risks” caused by large-load projects in ComEd’s territory.

*** Statewide ***

* Pretty cool…

*** Statehouse News ***

* Legal Newsline | Google Gemini face scans violate IL biometrics law: Class action: Google has been hit, again, by a class action lawsuit under Illinois’ stringent biometrics privacy law, this time accusing the tech giant of allegedly illegally scanning the faces of people pictured in photos uploaded to be edited through the company’s Gemini A.I. Attorneys with the firm of McGuire Law P.C., of Chicago, filed suit in Cook County Circuit Court against Google, accusing the company of allegedly violating the Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act (BIPA.) The lawsuit was filed on behalf of named plaintiff John Adams, identified only as a resident of Illinois.

* Sun-Times | Pritzker quips on weight loss, Rahm and 2028 buzz in Washington speech: Pritzker, who is widely seen as a Democratic contender for the 2028 presidential primary, addressed the speculative chatter during a quippy, joke-filled 13-minute address and did little to squash it. His appearance capped a big week of wins for the governor, who just won his third primary with no opposition and is being credited with helping Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton win her Democrtic primary bid for the U.S. Senate. Pritzker’s popularity among Democrats in the state helped boost Stratton’s numbers — and the governor also doled out millions to a pro-Stratton PAC to help her run ads. “As far as my own plans for 2028, here’s what I’ll say right now, I’m 100% focused on the people of Illinois,” Pritzker said. “That’s not just me talking. That’s also a 2006 quote from Barack Obama.”

* WAND | Illinois Secretary of State warns residents about surge in text message scams: The Secretary of State’s Office said the messages threaten vehicle registration suspension, license penalties or other enforcement actions if someone does not click a link or pay an alleged fine. According to the office, scammers have recently improved their tactics, crafting messages that look more official by referencing fake regulations, deadlines or penalty commencement dates. “These text messages look legitimate and are designed to frighten people into acting quickly before they have time to think,” said Giannoulias. “Our office will never send a text message demanding payment or threatening to suspend someone’s license. If you receive a message like this, remember it’s a scam – plain and simple.”

* Capitol News Illinois | ‘Illinois farmers can feed Illinois’: State grant program offers assistance: Illinois food producers and businesses can apply for a share of $3.6 million in state grant funding through March 27 as part of a program to reduce Illinoisians’ reliance on food from out of state. The Local Food Infrastructure Grant program, through the Illinois Department of Agriculture, supports small agricultural operations and food producers working with cold storage, processing equipment, refrigerated transportation and distribution systems.

*** Chicago ***

* Block Club | Feds Froze $3.1 Billion For CTA Because Of ‘Political Retaliation,’ Suit Says: In a Friday news release, the CTA said the agency responded to federal officials right away and submitted more than 1,000 pages of information to the department on Oct. 21. The CTA said the feds requested more information on Dec. 1 — which the agency provided on Dec. 10. The CTA said it has not received any communication from the department since that time. On Friday, it filed a 51-page complaint in U.S. District Court that accused the federal government of trying to “hold hostage billions of dollars in federal grants for crucial infrastructure projects” in Chicago, which the CTA said violates federal law and the constitutional separation of powers.

* Fox Chicago | Community honors fallen Chicago firefighter Michael Altman: Murguia said, “Seeing the support the community come around to support the whole city of Chicago, really, come out and remember Mike and remember him for the great human he was the great friend he was, the great father, he was, husband.” They hope Altman’s family sees the red ribbons and roses placed in tribute to a hero who put others’ safety ahead of his own. Sullivan said, “Hopefully they know they’re loved people care, we support ‘em.”

* Sun-Times | Transportation department’s changes to federal diversity program risks hurting Chicago’s small businesses: The DOT has called the Chicago Transit Authority’s diversity programs “discriminatory” and has said it’s reviewing the $5.7 billion Red Line Extension and Red and Purple Modernization projects “to determine whether any unconstitutional practices are occurring.” It froze the remaining federal funding for both projects, totaling $2.1 billion. It also put under review New York’s Second Avenue Subway and Hudson Tunnel projects. “Illinois, like New York, is well known to promote race- and sex-based contracting and other racial preferences as a public policy,” the DOT said.

* Sun-Times | Chicago seeks to make the West Side’s Madison Street shine again: “Madison [is] probably the most visible and historically significant commercial corridor on the West Side,” Chicago Department of Planning Supervising Planner Brian Hacker said of the Madison Street Corridor Study. “We’re looking at the levers that we can pull as a city planning department — zoning, regulatory, environmental … to facilitate development.” It’s not a bad time to rethink Madison Street, particularly within the study’s boundaries that include the Near West Side, East Garfield Park and West Garfield Park. East of the study area, construction will soon begin on the 1901 Project, a $7 billion effort by the Reinsdorf and Wirtz families to turn those barren parking lots around the United Center, 1901 W. Madison St., into a new neighborhood and entertainment district.

* Sun-Times | Park District paints over César Chavez mural as calls grow to rename public buildings in Chicago: On Friday a Sun-Times reporter observed fresh green paint covering a part of the mural where Chavez’s face had previously been before. Other historical figures on the mural including Mexican artist Frida Kahlo, Malcolm X, Rosa Parks, and the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. remained visible. A Park District spokesperson confirmed that they had removed Chavez from the mural, saying in a statement: “The Chicago Park District takes recent allegations of misconduct by Cesar Chavez seriously … and are conducting a district-wide review of any other park features that may honor him. Where appropriate, we will take further action consistent with our values and standards.”

*** Cook County and Suburbs ***

* Tribune | Aurora’s proposed data center regulations head to final vote: The Aurora City Council on Tuesday is set to consider regulations on data centers that officials say would be among the most strict in the country. Data centers are currently considered warehouses under Aurora’s city codes, so they have no special requirements and can be built in certain areas without Aurora City Council approval. The proposed changes would give the City Council the ability to approve or deny proposed data center developments, plus would set requirements around energy use, water use, noise and other emissions. “What is being recommended by staff is, as far as we can tell, the most restrictive zoning ordinance in Illinois for sure, and very much so among those nationwide,” said Aurora Corporation Counsel Yordana Wysocki, who later called it “the first of its kind.”

* Sun-Times | Judge rules Broadview protest curfew violates First Amendment: Judge Edmond Chang said Broadview’s daily curfew “cannot stand under the First Amendment,” but the village is allowed to maintain the “free speech zones” and can enact a curfew in specific circumstances.

* Sun-Times | Suburban couple wants Will County prosecutors investigated for seizing their Ford Broncos, retirement savings: The criminal case against Regnier and Keranen is still in court. But, in a dramatic twist, the couple has beaten a separate attempt by Will County prosecutors to seize millions of dollars in investment accounts and six vehicles under Illinois’ civil asset forfeiture laws. Two of those vehicles — late-model Ford Broncos — prompted a blistering rebuke to prosecutors from a Will County judge who ordered the SUVs returned in January. “The money-laundering statute is not a catchall for all things that the state cannot find in a legitimate way to seize,” Judge Brian Barrett wrote.

* Daily Herald | ‘Billions of dollars in savings’: Argonne unveils giant ‘treadmill’ to test and improve truck efficiency: Road-hogging, diesel-guzzling, pavement-shaking trucks may hardly seem candidates for scientific breakthroughs. But researchers at Argonne National Laboratory in Lemont would disagree. A team at Argonne’s Heavy-Duty Vehicle Dynamometer Test Facility is eager to debut new technology they expect will improve energy efficiency and move goods more economically. “Anything that you consume is delivered by truck,” Argonne Transportation and Power Systems Division Director Thomas Wallner said during a facility tour Thursday. “And, transportation is probably 10% of gross domestic product, so it’s a huge piece of the U.S. economy and growing, with e-commerce. The importance of delivering goods quickly and efficiently has become even more important.”

*** Downstate ***

* 25News Now | State official ‘disappointed’ ISU did not send out emergency alerts after mass shooting: Woodruff is responding to criticism from Illinois Comptroller Susana Mendoza who said she has a “personal connection” to an ISU freshman who was one of the victims. Mendoza said in a Facebook post that she was shocked by the violence that happened about 2:40 a.m. in the 700 block of Franklin Avenue, just south of campus. “I am also disappointed that apparently ISU did not issue an emergency alert as administrators have done in other shooting incidents near campus,” Mendoza said.

* WGLT | Why ISU opted against sending an emergency alert after a mass shooting near campus: As a matter of practice, ISU issues campuswide alerts when they are threats to public safety, but Woodruff said those are determined on a case-by-case basis. Woodruff said Normal Police officers responded when they heard reports of gunfire but were initially unable to pinpoint a location. “We were getting some conflicting information about where it was and so by the time they sorted it out — the location and what had occurred — that imminency had kind of passed,” Woodruff said, adding that at least some of the victims were not on scene when police arrived.

* Capitol News Illinois | Carterville coach at center of sexual abuse investigation has history of disciplinary action: In an eight-count “notice of charges,” the district at the time also accused him of drinking in front of students before driving to catch the bus headed for a football game that he helped coach. It also said that he let students remain in his home unsupervised. He did not face criminal charges. Wakey joined the Carterville district in the fall of 2003, days after he ended court supervision for a misdemeanor conviction for providing liquor to minors earlier that same year in Coles County, about 150 miles north of Carterville, court records show.

* WREX | Boone County Board Member to be reprimanded after theft charge: On March 10, 2025, Thornberry was charged with theft after being accused of stealing a $20 bill from a donation envelope at a Belvidere church. The local government said Thornberry intended to permanently deprive the church of that money. On March 9, 2026, Thornberry pleaded guilty to one count of attempted theft. Boone County Government said his actions betrayed the public’s trust.

* Illinois Times | Leland Grove police chief’s license to be suspended: Starting March 23, Leland Grove Police Chief Dan Ryan will not be able to drive a motor vehicle while he’s awaiting trial for driving under the influence. At a March 20 court appearance, Ryan’s attorney asked for a continuation of the hearing related to an automatic license suspension, which was granted by Sangamon County Judge Rudolph Braud. The statutory summary suspension is a state penalty that automatically suspends anyone who refuses to test, or tests over legal limits, for substance impairment while driving a motor vehicle. The law, which is a civil penalty rather than a criminal charge, automatically leads to a driver’s license suspension for a minimum of one year should the driver of a motor vehicle refuse chemical DUI testing.

* Legal Newsline | Female prison workers can sue IDOC over inmate ‘masturbatory attacks’: In an opinion filed March 10, U.S. District Judge Jonathan Hawley, of the U.S. District Court for the Central District of Illinois, granted a motion to certify the complaint as a class action seeking “relief for themselves and other female medical and mental health employees of IDOC and Wexford at Pontiac for allegedly being forced to endure exposure to masturbation and other vulgarities and sexual harassment on a regular basis as a term and condition of their employment.” According to the complaint, the reported incidents occur nearly daily. Workers accused the defendants of opting against corrective action and affirmatively acting to cause or increase attacks. The women say the situation constitutes violations of Civil Rights Act Title VII protections against sex discrimination and hostile work environments.

* WGLT | More McLean County defendants are using ChatGPT as their lawyers. It’s not going great:
Associate Judge Amy McFarland said she’s seen a growing number of pro se litigants using artificial intelligence to assist them with preparing documents and verbal arguments. “I have, on occasion, admonished defendants that ChatGPT didn’t go to law school,” she said. “If you’re going to use that, you’d better understand what it says and be prepared for that. “Attorneys are getting sanctioned for using AI and having hallucinations [give] incorrect information. I’m not going to sanction a defendant for using that, but [want them] to be aware that what they’re getting is not what they think they’re getting.”

* SJ-R | Springfield nonprofit loses state funding amid fraud claims: A Springfield nonprofit has had state grant funding frozen by the state, limiting HIV testing and other essential programs. The Phoenix Center has been under investigation from Illinois agencies for more than two years and is now losing funds. In January of 2024, the Illinois Department of Public Health investigation began an investigation into the Phoenix Center grant use, funded through the department. The investigation in conjunction with Illinois State Police has led to all previous grants the nonprofit received, including HOPWA, the John Pritzker Family Fund, to freeze according to the center.

* WAND | U of I Board of Trustees approves engineering technology degree at UIS Springfield: The U of I System said the major will help meet employers’ and the state’s need for engineering technologists across the engineering field. The major will debut in the fall 2027 semester. According to UIS News, the 120-credit-hour degree will prepare students for careers in manufacturing, technical management, automation and other industries.

* Sun-Times | Illinois’ NCAA path blocked by Houston, a powerhouse that will be hard to handle in Sweet 16: Seven more Sweet 16 matchups were to be determined Sunday, but by the end of tournament play Saturday, the only one set was Illinois-Houston — and, at least for those on the outside looking in, it felt almost as big as it gets. The No. 3-seeded Illini have arrived as a tournament regular under ninth-year coach Underwood and clearly possess the talent and size to have a shot at the Final Four. The Elite Eight in 2024 is the furthest the program has gone since the national championship near-miss of 2005.

*** National ***

* Post-Tribune | Experts: SAVE America bill would require more documentation to vote: Driver’s licenses in many states would not be enough. The legislation says that the identification must be compliant with new REAL ID rules and also indicate that the applicant is a citizen of the United States — which few state licenses do. Trump also wants new provisions added to the bill, including a ban on most mail-in ballots and a ban on trans women competing in women’s sports.

* LA Times | More than half a million ballots seized by top GOP candidate in California governor’s race: Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco, a leading Republican candidate for governor, has seized more than 650,000 ballots from last November’s election to determine, he says, whether they were fraudulently counted. “This investigation is simple: Physically count the ballots and compare that result with the total votes recorded,” Bianco said at a news conference Friday. The unusual probe drew a sharp rebuke from California Atty. Gen. Rob Bonta, who said in a statement that it is “unprecedented in both scope and scale” and appears “not to be based on facts or evidence.”

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Good morning!

Monday, Mar 23, 2026 - Posted by Isabel Miller

* The Carter Family…

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

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

Monday, Mar 23, 2026 - Posted by Rich Miller

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Selected press releases (Live updates)

Monday, Mar 23, 2026 - Posted by Isabel Miller

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Live coverage

Monday, Mar 23, 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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Reader comments closed for the weekend

Friday, Mar 20, 2026 - Posted by Isabel Miller

* Miss Jenny and the Howdy Boys…

Miss Jenny is a southern Illinois music icon. Definitely been missing her since she moved out to North Carolina.

Get outside and enjoy the weather!

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Isabel’s afternoon roundup

Friday, Mar 20, 2026 - Posted by Isabel Miller

* Crain’s…

The Illinois House approved a bill empowering the state Department of Insurance to reject excessive increases in home and auto rates. […]

Under current law, insurers most provide notice about rate hikes, but the Department of Insurance does not have the power to cap increases. Legislators voted 66-40, with two present, yesterday to approve the bill after amending it to also cover the car insurance market. It now must be approved by the Senate.

“This bill is an important step forward for Illinois insurance customers,” said Abe Scarr, director of the consumer watchdog Illinois Public Interest Research Group. “If the bill becomes law, it will finally be illegal to charge excessive or unduly discriminatory home and auto insurance rates in Illinois.”

Insurers warned the measure would raise prices by discouraging competition. The Illinois Insurance Association and the National Association of Mutual Insurance Companies said it would add $230 to the average homeowner’s premium, based on average prices in states where regulatory approval is required to raise rates.

*** Statehouse News ***

* The Daily Egyptian | Doody gets GOP nomination for 118th Illinois House seat: The former radio host of the “Working Man Show” said he felt hesitant to enter the race because he’s not a politician. However, after his campaign manager, Murphysboro Mayor Will Stephens, asked him to think it over, he was ready for the task, he said in a February interview. Doody said his main goals are to give back to his community by rebuilding infrastructure and promoting tourism. “I know the territory, I know the geography, I know the people. I identify with them,” Doody said in the interview. “When you’re in the super minority like the Republican Party is, then you’ve got to play three-dimensional chess all the time.”

* Chicago Reader | The fight over Illinois’s data center boom is coming to a head: The POWER Act would require data centers to bring their own clean energy, ensuring Illinois can meet its climate goals and that everyday ratepayers are not footing the bill for the industry’s electricity use. Consumers in the sprawling PJM market—the largest electric grid operator in the U.S., responsible for delivering power to 65 million people from Illinois to New Jersey—will collectively pay $9.3 billion for energy used by data centers between 2025 and mid-2026, according to the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis.

* Press release | Ness, COWL to Hold Literacy Forum in Springfield Tuesday: “This is a great opportunity to hear from subject matter experts on issues they’re seeing in education and explore ways we can better equip both educators and students to improve literacy rates in areas across the state,” said Ness. “This information is invaluable as we get into the thick of budget negotiations and debate what money goes where to get the best deals for our residents and our local schools.”

*** Chicago ***

* Crain’s | Johnson proposes $55M tax break for Bulls, Blackhawks 1901 development: With both the administration and local Ald. Walter “Red” Burnett, 27th, in support, the incentive for what’s been dubbed The 1901 Project is likely to be approved as soon as next month, but the tax break raises eyebrows when both a cash-strapped city and Chicago Public Schools rely heavily on property taxes. The potential tax abatement is the first disclosure of public dollars being tapped to support the $7 billion redevelopment of surface parking lots surrounding the United Center into a mixed-use campus featuring a 6,000-seat music hall, 233-room hotel, public parks and up to 9,463 residential units.

* Sun-Times | Chicago Park District pays more than $2 million to ‘sexually exploited’ lifeguard: The toxic workplace culture that once festered at Oak Street Beach led the Chicago Park District to pay more than $2 million to a female former lifeguard there — bringing the total legal tab for the sexual misconduct scandal at the city’s public beaches and pools to more than $8.7 million. The misconduct in the latest case included “grooming, exploitation and sexual assault” by park district supervisors that began when the plaintiff was still a “minor,” according to court records.

* WTTW | Chicago Appeals Order Requiring Officials to Destroy Millions of Police Body-Worn Camera Videos: Requiring the city to delete those videos could complicate efforts by a team appointed by a federal judge to assess the city’s compliance with the federal court order known as the consent decree, which requires CPD to overhaul the way it trains, supervises and disciplines officers while weakening “oversight by limiting the development of accurate, evidence‑based assessments of how policing is actually carried out,” according to the statement. The city has never destroyed even a single video captured by a CPD officer’s body-worn camera, according to evidence presented to Mullen during the court case brought by the Fraternal Order of Police, Lodge 7.

* Tribune | Campfire Milkshake is back for more at Chicago White Sox games. And it’s bringing some new friends.: “We’re introducing our Campfire Milkshake 2.0,” Nick Toth, executive chef at Rate Field, said with some measure of pride while he stood in front of all the new offerings. The 2.0 version of the shake is not all that different from the original, but “we twisted it up a little bit,” Toth said, “to make it shareable for two guests.” On the field, the Sox have not done a lot of things all that well in recent years. Eleven of the past 15 seasons have ended with losing records. They’ve lost at least 101 games in each of the past three seasons. Hope has dimmed amid the losses, and good seats are regularly available at Rate Field, and usually on the cheap through third-party ticket vendors.

* Block Club | DePaul Faculty, Artists Put Pressure On University To Save Art Museum: In an open letter penned by philosophy professor Sean Kirkland and fellow faculty, thousands of DePaul community members, artists, curators and more signed on to oppose the museum’s closure. Since its publication Feb. 28, the letter has received nearly 3,800 signatures. The closure, slated for June 30, “appears to us short-sighted, wrong-headed and grounded in some deeply disappointing principles of prioritization,” the professor wrote.

*** Cook County and Suburbs ***

* Daily Herald | Elgin police officer fired for social media posts about immigration enforcement: It’s the second time Lentz has been fired over social media posts. In September 2014, he was terminated by the department after Facebook posts that appeared to have racial connotations. An arbitrator ruled that the termination should be reduced to a six-month suspension after a grievance was filed by the police union.

* Daily Herald | ‘It’s very bittersweet for me’: Hollywood Blvd. Cinema to auction decades of movie memorabilia to fund makeover: Some 600 items reflecting decades of accumulated memorabilia, decor, fixtures, and furnishings will be on the block when Donley Auctions holds “The Redesign Auction” for Hollywood Blvd. Cinema. […] “I know we do need to be updated,” she said. “All of the funds are going right back into the building. Nothing will be kept, it’s just to get the new chairs, to do all the updates we’re planning, whole new menu, new rewards program.”

* Crain’s | Amazon wants to eat Costco’s lunch in Chicago’s suburbs: With two test case stores opening in Chicago’s suburbs, Amazon is picking a deliberate fight with the likes of big box retailers Costco and Walmart that promises to be a “battle to watch,” analysts predict. The stores mark Amazon’s latest attempt to crack the notoriously difficult grocery market and compete head-on with established players in brick-and-mortar retail — a space where the e-commerce giant has struggled despite its 2017 Whole Foods acquisition and subsequent experiments with smaller-format stores.

* Neil Steinberg | Definition of a company man? Calbert Wright, who’s been working at Ford’s Chicago Heights plant since 1963: When Wright began work at the age of 23 at Ford, John F. Kennedy was president. Henry Ford still ran the business — albeit Henry Ford II, grandson of the man who founded the automobile manufacturer in 1903. That means Wright, who prowls the floor today checking that workers on the line have enough parts to keep the robots busy — and takes their place when they go on bathroom breaks — has worked for Ford a little more than half the 123 years since the company sold its first car, a two-cylinder, two-passenger Model A, in red, the only color available, for $850 to Ernest Pfennig, a dentist on Clybourn Avenue.

*** Downstate ***

* IPM News | University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign students to pay more for campus health insurance in fall: Champaign-Urbana undergraduates will pay $30 more a semester, starting in the 2026-2027 school year. Graduate students will pay $37 more. Nicholas Jones is the vice president of the University of Illinois System. He told the University of Illinois Board of Trustees Academic and Student Affairs Committee on Wednesday that costs are increasing because prescriptions are getting more expensive and more students are needing more mental health care. […] Costs are also going up in Chicago and decreasing in Springfield. Chicago students have the highest dollar increase, but will still have the lowest total cost at $753 a semester. Springfield students will pay $1,110 a semester.

* WCIA | Champaign Co. evaluating year-long moratorium on mega data centers: Thursday night, the Champaign County Zoning Board of Appeals looked at a year-long moratorium stopping construction on any data center larger than 10,000 square feet. Also part of the conversation was the public. They let the board know how they felt about moving forward. Director of Planning and Zoning John Hall said the county would put together a task force to look into what guardrails they need in place for these centers. Thursday night, the Zoning Board of Appeals decided whether or not to take the next step, and it was a packed house, filled with people eager to let them know that they want this passed.

* WCIA | NJCAA basketball tournament brings $1 million economic impact to Danville: The City of Danville is seeing a boost in business this week as the National Junior College Athletic Association hosts its Division II men’s basketball tournament there. Danville Area Community College is serving as the host site for the tournament. The Danville Area Visitors’ Bureau said these games can bring more than $1 million into Danville. Hotels are sold out, and visitors are packing restaurants each night.

* WSIL | Shawnee Forest to burn 869 acres at Sulphur Springs today: Officials evaluated weather conditions before the burn. If conditions were not favorable, they were prepared to cancel the activities. Residents were advised they might experience smoke during the burn. “When driving, slow down and turn on your headlights when you encounter smoke on the road,” an advisory stated.

*** National ***

* AP | Judge rules US government overreached with transgender health care declaration: The ruling grants preliminary relief to health professionals who provide the treatments. The judge also denied the government’s motion to dismiss the case. “Today’s win breaks through the noise and gives some needed clarity to patients, families, and providers,” Letitia James, the Democratic New York attorney general who led the lawsuit, said in a statement Thursday. “Health care services for transgender young people remain legal, and the federal government cannot intimidate or punish the providers who offer them.”

* AP | CBS News shutters its storied radio news service after nearly a century, ending an era: When it went on the air in September 1927, the service was the precursor to the entire network, giving a youthful William S. Paley a start in the business. Famed broadcaster Edward R. Murrow’s rooftop reports during the Nazi bombing of London during World War II kept Americans listening anxiously. Today, CBS News Radio provides material to an estimated 700 stations across the country and is known best for its top-of-the-hour news roundups. The service will end on May 22, the network said Friday.

* WaPo | Teens allege Musk’s Grok chatbot made sexual images of them as minors: Police alleged a person arrested in December had used Grok, xAI’s chatbot, to edit photos, including one from the teen girl’s Instagram account, removing a blue bikini from one image to “depict her without any clothes,” according to a lawsuit filed Monday. The teen is suing xAI as part of a group of Tennessee teenagers who allege the company’s AI tools were used to create nude images of them by editing photos in which they were clothed. The edited photos spread across Discord and Telegram in recent months, and some were bartered for other child sexual abuse material in online chatrooms, according to the complaint, which was first reported by The Washington Post.

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Protected: SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - Invite

Friday, Mar 20, 2026 - Posted by Rich Miller

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Credit Unions: Long-Term Financial Empowerment

Friday, Mar 20, 2026 - Posted by Advertising Department

[The following is a paid advertisement.]

Credit unions play a major role in housing stability, financial wellness, and long-term financial empowerment. Programs generally include:

✔ Certified financial counseling
✔ HUD‑certified housing guidance
✔ Homebuyer education and down payment assistance
✔ Debt management & budgeting support
✔ Community financial education workshops

These programs reflect the People Helping People cooperative philosophy—helping members build financial security and achieve homeownership.

Great Lakes Credit Union Foundation’s Executive Director, Matthew Rizzie speaks to their financial education and counseling program, stating that “every year we work with more than 1,000 individuals and members that need help with looking at their budget, looking at their savings plan, developing a plan to improve their credit. In the last year, not only did we work with more than 1,000 people, we’ve been able to save more than $7 million in homes that would have gone into foreclosure. And in the past 3 years, we’ve saved more than $50 million in homes that would have gone into foreclosure with the work that we’re doing”.

Learn more at https://betterforillinois.org/

Paid for by Illinois Credit Union League.

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Question of the day

Friday, Mar 20, 2026 - Posted by Isabel Miller

* 25News Now…

An advisory question on the [Peoria County] ballot asked if Illinois should lower the bar for independent and third-party candidates. Currently, those candidates often have to collect up to 20 times more signatures than Republicans or Democrats to get running. […]

Supporters said making the requirements equal would increase competition and give voters more options at the polls.

Opponents argued the current system ensures candidates have serious backing before joining a race.

The ballot measure passed, with 83% of voters supporting the new requirement.

* The advisory referendum’s full language…

Should the State of Illinois adopt fair and achievable signature requirements for independent and new-party candidates, making them equal to requirements of Republican or Democratic party candidates (rather than the current requirements that are up to 20 times greater) for County, State and Federal elections, in order to increase ballot access for potential candidates?

Both Ald. Byron Sigcho-Lopez and Mayra Macías will need to collect at least 10,816 valid signatures to run as independents against Patty Garcia, who secured the Democratic nomination after Rep. Chuy Garcia dropped his reelection bid at the last minute. Patty Garcia only needed 697 signatures, according to the State Board of Elections.

For US Senate, independents face a much higher bar, they must gather signatures equal to 1 percent of the vote in the last statewide general election, or 25,000 valid signatures. Democratic and Republican candidates only need a minimum of 5,000.

And in the race for Sen. Dale Fowler’s seat, independent candidate William Lo will need at least 3,973 valid signatures to get on the ballot. His opponents, Republican Rep. Paul Jacobs and Democrat Tamiko Mueller, only needed 1,000.

* The Question: Should Illinois lower signature requirements for independent and third-party candidates to equalize them with major party candidates? Take the poll and then explain your answer in comments, please.

online polls

38 Comments

It’s just a bill

Friday, Mar 20, 2026 - Posted by Isabel Miller

* National Association of Social Workers - Illinois…

The Illinois primary is over, and the good news is that crypto companies, online gambling giants, and social media platforms are apparently doing just fine.

Fairshake, the PAC backed by Coinbase, Ripple Labs, and Andreessen Horowitz, spent more than $10 million in Illinois races, including a single $10 million push to defeat one Senate candidate. DraftKings and FanDuel’s PAC spent $2.5 million across 10 Chicago-area state legislative races. Meta’s PAC threw in hundreds of thousands more. Total outside spending in Tuesday’s primary topped $50 million. In a primary.

These are not struggling industries. These are industries spending lavishly to make sure the people writing Illinois tax law stay friendly. So, General Assembly, here is NASW-Illinois’s humble suggestion: raise their taxes and fund school social workers with the revenue.

The logic is not complicated. The same social media platforms profiting off teen anxiety and the same gambling apps targeting young adults are now funding campaigns to make sure nobody in Springfield makes them pay for the damage. Most Illinois schools do not have a single licensed mental health professional for the general population of students. The youth mental health crisis is only getting worse, and thanks to Tuesday’s primary, we finally know which industries have the money to help fix it.

These industries have made abundantly clear they have money to spare. The General Assembly has the power to redirect some of it toward the kids paying the price. Using tax revenue from the industries creating this problem to hire school social workers is, frankly, the least they can do.

Apparently finding money for school based mental health is hard. Finding $50 million to influence a primary is not. The General Assembly should correct that imbalance and raise taxes on these industries to fund school social workers

* WTVO…

Illinois lawmakers are working to sharply restrict how police and other law enforcement use biometric technology, a bill that privacy advocates say could become one of the strongest surveillance-limiting laws in the country.

House Bill 5521, introduced by Rep. Kelly Cassidy, creates the Illinois Biometric Surveillance Act, which would prevent law enforcement from accessing, obtaining, or using any biometric identification system.

Under the bill, law enforcement agencies would be prohibited not only from using biometric tools directly but also from partnering with outside vendors, government entities, or federal agencies to obtain biometric data. […]

The bill would also amend the Illinois Identification Card Act and the Illinois Vehicle Code, preventing the Secretary of State from using facial-recognition search services except for when verifying someone’s identity to issue a mobile driver’s license or ID.

* WTVO…

Rep. Marcus C. Evans, Jr. (D-33rd) introduced HB4737, the Illinois Kratom Consumer Protection Act, which would create statewide standards for labeling, testing, and selling kratom products. The bill would also repeal the state’s existing Kratom Control Act and replace it with significantly stronger consumer protections.

Under the proposal, kratom retailers would be prohibited from selling any product intended for ingestion if it contains:

- More than 2% 7‑hydroxymitragynine in its alkaloid composition,
- Synthetic kratom compounds,
- Any controlled substance,
- Products marketed in ways “attractive to children,”
- Or forms that are combustible, injectable, or designed for vaporization. […]

Violations would carry penalties ranging from civil fines of $5,000 to $10,000, escalating to a two‑year ban from selling kratom after multiple offenses. Sales to anyone under 21 would become a misdemeanor, while selling kratom mixed with a controlled substance could result in a Class 4 felony.

HB4737 has been assigned to the House Cannabis & Intoxicating Products Subcommittee.

* Center Square…

An Illinois proposal would require shelters and rescues to register pet microchips in a national database before dogs and cats are adopted.

Microchips are already a standard requirement for pets adopted from shelters and rescue organizations in Illinois. Animals must be implanted with a microchip before leaving the facility, and adopters typically pay the cost as part of the adoption fee. […]

The bill’s most debated provision would bar shelters from adopting out dogs previously deemed dangerous by animal control or ruled vicious by a court. Opponents have largely focused their concerns on that restriction. […]

Lawmakers advanced the bill from committee with the understanding that supporters and opponents would work on possible amendments.

* Canary Media…

Illinois could soon follow in the footsteps of Utah and Virginia with a law allowing plug-in solar arrays, often called “balcony solar.”

A bill that would make it simpler to install plug-in solar passed out of the state legislature’s Senate Energy and Public Utilities Committee on March 12. It’s now scheduled for a hearing in the full Senate, and a House committee on utilities is also considering the bill. Advocates are hopeful that the measure will pass both Democratic-controlled chambers this legislative session, which runs through the end of May, and then be signed by the state’s Democratic governor, JB Pritzker. […]

Despite the fast-growing enthusiasm for plug-in solar, some bills, like one in Wyoming, have failed. Utilities have raised safety concerns, such as danger to lineworkers if the arrays don’t shut off during power outages and continue sending electricity onto the grid, or a home’s electric system becoming overloaded. […]

In Illinois, utilities have thus far not raised opposition. ComEd spokesperson David O’Dowd said the utility does not have a position on the bill. Ameren did not respond to a request for comment.

* WAND…

A bill moving in the Capitol could increase awareness of agriculture education programs.

The Illinois State Board of Education would be required to submit a report on the status and availability of ag education programs on or before March 1, 2027. […]

This bill passed unanimously out of the House Education Policy Committee and now moves to the House floor.

Sen. Doris Turner (D-Springfield) is the sponsor of the same bill in her chamber. Senate Bill 3226 passed unanimously out of the Senate Education Committee March 3 and awaits further action.

* Fox Chicago…

Former Chicago Bulls All Star Joakim Noah stood alongside community leaders Thursday to push state legislation aimed at expanding housing support for people returning from prison, arguing stable housing can shape whether someone successfully rebuilds their life.

Advocates with the Home for Good Coalition gathered at the National Public Housing Museum to raise awareness of the proposal, which would increase funding for rental assistance and wraparound reentry services across Illinois.

Supporters say the timing matters. Some housing programs already exist, but strict funding limits cap how many people they can help. As more people leave prison each year, advocates say the gap between need and available support continues to grow. […]

Advocates say the legislation would expand rental subsidies and strengthen partnerships between housing providers and service organizations. Supporters argue that could help stabilize people during the critical months after release, when recidivism risks are often highest.

* WAND…

A new bill in Springfield could ban the sale of DIY machine guns in Illinois.

The proposal would prohibit the future sale of semi-automatic handguns that can be easily converted into fully automatic weapons using switches. […]

“It’s not just about Chicago. We’re seeing these incidents all throughout the state,” said Rep. Justin Slaughter (D-Chicago). “In 2023, a 19-year-old outside of East St. Louis was charged with illegally trafficking switches from China to St. Clair County. In Peoria, teenagers have been arrested for possessing and trafficking 3D printed switches.” […]

House Bill 4471 is assigned to the House Firearm Violence Prevention Committee. The deadline to pass House bills out of committee is March 27.

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Protected: SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - Supplement to today’s edition

Friday, Mar 20, 2026 - Posted by Isabel Miller

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Isabel’s morning briefing

Friday, Mar 20, 2026 - Posted by Isabel Miller

* ICYMI: Illinois lawmakers plan to rescind Cesar Chavez Day. WGN…

*** Isabel’s Top Picks ***

* Tribune | ICC approves ComEd proposal requiring multimillion dollar deposits for new data center projects: The new tariff provisions are “an important first step” to addressing the impacts of large demand project applicants and customers (LDPAC) on the grid, ICC Chairman Doug Scott said during the ruling Thursday. The modifications include requiring scaled-up application deposits starting at $1 million per data center project, as well as larger deposit requirements – often in the tens of millions of dollars – for infrastructure buildout such as new substations and transmission connections.

* SJ-R | Postmaster General says Illinois is USPS’ ‘biggest problem’ area: He said the district is “right, dead in the center of the heart of where our biggest problem is. Right down the center of America, from Chicago to St. Louis to Memphis.” Steiner added he believes problems in central and southern Illinois to be more of a staffing problem than a network problem. “My understanding is it’s a staffing problem. That it is hard to get employees to work in the plants where we need them to work, and we don’t have a lot of flexibility to give retention bonuses … because of the way our union contracts work. But that area, I can promise you, is looked at by us – not just every week – every single day, and the numbers are getting better. They absolutely are not there yet,” Steiner told Budzinski.

* Block Club | Chicago Women Outvoted Men By 23% In Tuesday’s Primary Election, Data Shows: Unofficial results from the Chicago Board of Election Commissioners showed women cast 223,376 ballots and men cast 171,385 — a difference of about 23 percent. Those numbers will change somewhat as final votes are tallied, but they fall in line with historical turnout: Women in Chicago outvoted men by about 23 percent in June 2022’s primary and 19 percent percent in March 2018’s primary, according to data from elections board spokesperson Max Bever. “Election after election in Chicago, female voters outpace men every single election,” Bever said. “There’s generally more female registered voters in Chicago, and they also turn out at better rates election after election.”

*** Statewide ***

* Crain’s | Illinois high court finds employers could be on the hook for time worked outside normal hours: Although federal regulations exclude that requirement, the court found Illinois’ wage law does not include any similar provisions. That means employers could be required to compensate employees for required activities outside of the normal work day. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit asked the state’s high court to decide if state law includes the federal regulation found in the Fair Labor Standards Act. The question originates from a civil suit brought against Amazon by two former employees, although the court’s ruling is not an official ruling in that case.

* Tribune | Planned Parenthood of Illinois agrees to pay $500K over allegations of discrimination against white employees: Staff were required to regularly attend the DEI training sessions or “affinity caucuses” that were racially segregated, according to the EEOC. Planned Parenthood of Illinois also gave Black employees greater access to time off than white workers, the EEOC alleged. Planned Parenthood of Illinois “took action to remove the manager responsible for the misconduct uncovered by the investigation,” according to the EEOC.

*** Statehouse News ***

* Oak Park Journal | Franklin dominates field in State House 8th District primary: While her 20% winning margin may have been a surprise to some, it wasn’t to Franklin, who said her victory was the result of old school political leg work in the precincts, and networking with people.  “It was important to me, as a new face, to not be outworked by anyone,” she said on the day following the election.  “Building trust with voters really started when I gathered petitions (in August),” she said. “My strategy was ‘get your (butt) on those doors.’ I knocked on over 25,000 doors. 

* CNI | Christian Mitchell sizes up the Pritzker vs. Bailey rematch: “I absolutely view Darren Bailey and Aaron Del Mar as real opponents for a couple of reasons,” Mitchell said. “One is they’re on the ballot, and they’re going to be running hard, and there’s going to be a lot of money probably coming in from the outside in opposition. And I think that at the end of the day, they have a very extreme agenda that would take Illinois backward.”

* NBC Chicago | Illinois’ film industry sets new record for production spending:
Illinois’ film industry set a new record last year, with production companies spending $703 million: the highest total in state history, Gov. JB Pritzker announced. “Fourteen years ago today, actually, we were filming the pilot of Chicago Fire in these very streets,” said actor Joe Minoso at a news conference Thursday at Cinespace Studios Chicago.

* CNI | Margaret Croke wins Democratic primary for Illinois comptroller: “Thank you to the voters across Illinois for putting their trust in me to serve as the Democratic nominee for state comptroller,” Croke said in a statement Thursday. “I am running for this office to be a fiscal watchdog who will protect taxpayer dollars, ensure transparency in how our state spends money, and pay bills on time. I am incredibly grateful that my message is resonating with so many people across our state.” Results of the closely contested race as of Thursday afternoon show Croke receiving 34.6% of the vote with 92% of precincts across the state reporting. The race was too close to call on Tuesday night as Sen. Karina Villa, D-West Chicago, trailed by a few points.

* CNI | ‘Illinois farmers can feed Illinois’: State grant program offers assistance: Illinois food producers and businesses can apply for a share of $3.6 million in state grant funding through March 27 as part of a program to reduce Illinoisians’ reliance on food from out of state. The Local Food Infrastructure Grant program, through the Illinois Department of Agriculture, supports small agricultural operations and food producers working with cold storage, processing equipment, refrigerated transportation and distribution systems. The grant program is currently open for applications, and applicants must complete a pre-registration before applying. Funds will be distributed in June.

*** Chicago ***

* Tribune | Mayor Brandon Johnson fires community safety chief: Gatewood said he received little explanation from other top administration leaders when he was fired, but was told in a meeting by Johnson’s senior advisor Jason Lee that the administration hoped to focus more on policy in place of his on-the-ground approach. Gatewood served as a key liaison between Johnson’s City Hall team and the Chicago Police Department. Leading the office created by Johnson, he became a regular at neighborhood safety meetings, heated protests and crime scenes.

Fox Chicago’s Paris Schutz interviewed Gatewood last night. Click here to watch.

* Chalkbeat Chicago | Meisha Ross Porter, former NYC schools chief, drops out of the running for Chicago Public Schools CEO: That leaves two finalists: interim CEO Macquline King and Sito Narcisse, former superintendent of East Baton Rouge Parish schools. The Chicago Tribune first reported that Porter had withdrawn. Porter had not yet met with Mayor Brandon Johnson or a community panel, meetings expected to happen this week with all the finalists.

* Sun-Times | Brandon Johnson’s budget director got illegal property tax breaks for five years: Guzman and Kaegi say that, until asked by a Chicago Sun-Times reporter about the tax breaks, they were unaware she was violating state law by collecting the homeowner exemption on her investment property and also her Bronzeville home. Illinois law allows homeowners one such exemption every year and requires them to live in the home. Now, Kaegi’s staff has canceled the homeowner exemption on the investment property and ordered Guzman to repay $2,071.89 in tax breaks she got — not what she wrongfully failed to pay for the past five years but just for the past three years. Kaegi also waived any interest payments.

* Sun-Times | CPS revokes Aspira’s ability to operate charter schools in Chicago in rare move: Aspira’s two high schools started the school year with about 600 students, but the campuses are being emptied out. Aspira’s leaders said the organization didn’t have enough money to continue operating through the end of the school year, while the district said state law forbade it from continuing to float Aspira as much cash as it needed. Board members did not comment before they canceled Aspira’s contract, but in the past, several said Aspira’s poor financial management necessitated the closure. They also said they felt terrible about the students having to transition midyear.

* ABC Chicago | Some question if Chicago school should be renamed after César Chavez sex abuse allegations: At the Haymarket Memorial that commemorates labor struggles through the years, a plaque that honored Chavez is now covered over with black tape. And in the Southport Corridor, a mural outside Cafe Tola honoring Chavez will be repainted with a picture of Dolores Huerta, according to the restaurant’s head of operations.

* Tribune | Chicago schools, parks consider renaming César Chavez monuments after bombshell sexual abuse allegations: The reaction to Wednesday’s story was swift and immediate as activists, elected officials and other leaders across the country began talking about changing institutions named in Chavez’s honor. On Thursday, Chicago Public Schools said in a statement that it has begun the process to consider a name change for César E. Chavez Multicultural Academic Center in the Back of the Yards neighborhood. The district said it will begin to solicit feedback from the school community and bring recommendations to the school’s Local School Council for review.

* WBEZ | Obama Presidential Center is taking a big swing at contemporary art: When you think about presidential libraries, you probably don’t picture fine art. Among the 13 institutions in the United States dedicated to a more recent slate of presidents, only one features a notable commission: an expansive mural created in 1960-61 by regionalist Thomas Hart Benton for the lobby of the Harry S. Truman Presidential Library and Museum in Independence, Missouri. Chicago will be the exception, keeping with President Barack Obama’s vision for a presidential center that veers far from the conventional approach to presidential libraries. Obama and his wife, Michelle, envisioned art as being a fundamental part of the $800 million Obama Presidential Center when it opens on Juneteenth after 10 years of planning and construction.

*** Cook County and Suburbs ***

* WGN | Joliet City Council passes 795-acre AI data center development project: JCC passed the A.I. data center development project on an 8-1 vote Thursday evening, moving forward with a project to construct the largest data center in the State of Illinois — roughly the size of New York City’s Central Park. The project is set to construct 24 two-story buildings on the 795-acre campus of the “Joliet Technology Center” near South Rowell and West Bernhard roads, just south of the Chicagoland Speedway. Developers said the project will unfold in four phases across 5-7 years, with each phase including the construction of six two-story buildings and a power substation to tap into high-power electricity resources on the local grid.

* Pioneer Press | Glencoe Library $17.5 million referendum passes; will add 4,000 square feet: Glencoe residents easily approved the $17.5 million advisory bond referendum for the library at 320 Park Ave., which has not undergone a major renovation since opening in 1941. The measure received 1,168 votes in support and 590 opposed, according to results posted on the Cook County Clerk’s website. “We were so happy the community came and supported the renovation plan,” Library Director Andrew Kim said.

*** Downstate ***

* WCIA | UIS union employees authorize strike amid contract dispute: Union leaders said negotiations have stalled for months, with little progress since talks began last summer. Faculty and staff said they are particularly frustrated with a salary proposal from UIS Chancellor Janet Gooch and school administration. According to union officials, they were offered a one percent raise, amounting to 16 cents more per hour for some employees. Thomas Gebhardt, support staff president for University of Professionals Illinois, said offers like these undermine the value of workers to the university.

* Fox Chicago | Takeaways as Illinois basketball dominates Penn to open the NCAA Tournament: The No. 3-seeded Illini pulled away from the Ivy League champ and No. 14-seeded Penn with an epic presence in the post and beyond the arc. Learn More The Illini pasted Penn 105-70. It was the kind of win that gets Illinois over a collapse in the Big Ten Tournament.

*** National ***

* NPR | The Postal Service may be out of cash in 2027 without Congress’ help, postmaster says: The warning is the latest development in longstanding money troubles at USPS — a unique federal government agency that relies on stamps and service fees, not tax dollars, to deliver mail and packages six days a week to every address in the country. “I am not sure that the American public is aware that the Postal Service is at a critical juncture. I know that I wasn’t aware of the extent of it before I took on this role, but at our current run rate and if we continue to pay our required obligations in the same manner as we have done in recent years, then we will be out of cash in less than 12 months,” Steiner, who joined USPS last July, said in a written statement released ahead of a House Oversight subcommittee hearing on Tuesday.

* Crain’s | Billionaires Uihlein and Thiel pump millions into Republican PAC: The Restoration of America PAC, largely funded by Lake Forest billionaire Richard Uihlein, also gave an additional $2.5 million last month to the super PAC arm of the Club for Growth, which advocates against high taxes and government regulation. Uihlein and his wife Elizabeth contributed $72 million to federal candidates and political groups during the 2024 election cycle, making them the biggest Illinois givers on a ranking compiled by Open Secrets, a nonprofit that tracks money in U.S. politics. The Uihlein family run Uline, a privately held distributor of office supplies and packaging materials based in Pleasant Prairie, Wis.

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Good morning!

Friday, Mar 20, 2026 - Posted by Isabel Miller

* Today we have the largely unknown pioneer of electronic music, Daphne Oram…

* Stylist…

Composer and innovator Daphne Oram was a pioneer of electronic music. As the first person to design and build an electronic musical instrument, she created the blueprint for modern music. […]

Not only was Oram among the first to experiment with electronic sounds, she defied the double-barred boys’ club of both the BBC and the electronics industry to do it.

At one point the BBC told Oram to take six months off work as they were concerned about effects of radiophonic sound waves on the female body. In response Oram quit and set up her own studio in Kent, where she built the groundbreaking Oramics machine, a sound synthesizer which turned pictures into sound. The composer drew on film strips to create electrical charges controlling amplitude, timbre, frequency and length of sound.

Oram continued to produce soundtracks and incidental music until ill-health forced her into retirement  in the Nineties. She died in 2003, aged 77.

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

Friday, Mar 20, 2026 - Posted by Rich Miller

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Selected press releases (Live updates)

Friday, Mar 20, 2026 - Posted by Isabel Miller

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Live coverage

Friday, Mar 20, 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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