* ICYMI: How two fights over drug prices are taking shape in Springfield. Crain’s…

- In the wake of the Illinois Prescription Drug Affordability Act passed last year, debate will continue over providers’ use 340B drug discounts, along with legislation calling for a state board that could adopt Medicare-negotiated drug prices as the next step toward reining in rising prices.
- Progressive public advocacy group Citizen Action/Illinois is backing state legislation that would set up a prescription drug cost board that it says could save some $190 million in high drug costs. Opponents of the bill say Illinois doesn’t need another board setting pricing policy.
- At the same time, PhRMA has a full-court press on in Illinois and nationally to dismantle, at least partially, the federal 340B Drug Discount Program, in which eligible safety-net hospitals and clinics buy hugely discounted drugs and are able to charge full reimbursement rates, pocketing the difference.

************** Advertisement **************
Sponsored by the Association of Safety-Net Community Hospitals:

Our Healthcare Backbone At Risk.

Safety-net hospitals are the backbone of Chicago’s Black and Brown communities. They provide emergency and lifesaving care for families who rely on them. They also support thousands of good, local healthcare jobs, serving as economic anchors in neighborhoods that have faced decades of disinvestment.

With federal support being reduced, safetynet hospitals need more resources – not less – to avoid further strain that could irreversibly damage local health systems and weaken the essential services our communities rely on.

Now, these hospitals are under threat.
The so-called Safety Net Moonshot would close or shrink hospitals in Black and Brown communities, cutting access to care and putting thousands of healthcare workers at risk. Fewer hospitals means longer wait times, overcrowded emergency rooms, reduced services, and worse health outcomes for vulnerable patients.

This is not reform. It is a sell-off of community healthcare, driven by outsiders – not by the needs of patients, workers, or neighborhoods.

Save safety-net hospitals. Protect our care, our jobs, and our communities.

************************************************

* At 11 am, Governor Pritzker will announce the Prairie State Access Fund, a new initiative to strengthen reproductive and sexual health care access in Illinois. Click here to watch.

*** Isabel’s Top Picks ***

* Tribune | Public school advocacy groups urge Gov. JB Pritzker to opt out of federal voucher program : Supporters say the program will expand parental choice, and allow low-income students to receive a better or specialized education outside of their neighborhood school. But critics argue that the program pulls money away from public schools, and undermines the tradition of American public education. Dozens of public school advocates gathered outside of the governor’s office in the West Loop Tuesday morning, demanding that Pritzker choose not to participate.

* Capitol News Illinois | Illinois sees its worst flu season in recent years as vaccine skepticism grows: At least 100 people have died from the flu this season in Illinois, with 77 of those deaths occurring this month alone, according to the Illinois Department of Public Health. Children and the elderly have been the most-affected age groups. So far, there have been three pediatric fatalities in Illinois this flu season, IDPH reports. IDPH reported this month that flu activity in the state has climbed to “very high,” the most severe of five categories of respiratory illness, as defined by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The 2009-10 season was the last time the state reached such high numbers of cases.

*** Statehouse News ***

* WGLT | Illinois lawmakers look for solutions as farmers see financial troubles due to tariffs and inflation: Democratic state Sen. Dave Koehler of Peoria said it is important to continue supporting family farms by raising the estate tax exemption — even with demands for additional revenue during a tight budget year. He plans to push for the legislation during the spring session. Previous efforts have failed. “I don’t know what that means for any of our programs because we’re going to have to cut somewhere,” Koehler said. “But this is an important one if we want to preserve the character of family farms in Illinois.”

* WGN | A look at Republican candidates challenging Gov. J.B. Pritzker: Among them is the presumed front-runner and 2022 Republican nominee, Darren Bailey. WGN’s Tahman Bradley met him at his farm in Xenia to talk about his chances this time around. Others in the field are still working to introduce themselves to governors.

* Tribune | Anti-transgender Democrats sue Illinois over law requiring political party approval for nonprofit names: A California-based organization calling itself Democrats for an Informed Approach to Gender hoped to file as a nonprofit in Illinois, but instead they filed suit Tuesday against Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias over the right to use the word “Democrat” in its name. The newly filed federal lawsuit highlights a little-known provision of Illinois law barring organizations from incorporating under names containing the words “democrat,” “democratic” or “republican” without the consent of the corresponding party’s state central committee.

* Austin Weekly News | Mitts, Harrell lead in endorsement and cash in 8th IL House race: Mitts, a community activist and daughter of long-time alderwoman Emma Mitts, and Harrell, a community activist and pastor to congregations in both Chicago and Proviso Township, appear to have the broadest bases of political support, with numerous endorsements and hefty contributions from numerous unions. However, the other two candidates — Bush, the director of community engagement for 29th Ward Alderman Chris Taliaferro, and Shantel Franklin, a real estate agent and former legislative liaison for Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul — have their supporters and power bases as well.

*** Chicago ***

* WGN | Mayor Johnson pushes progressive revenue plans, including a millionaire’s tax: On Tuesday, the top Chicago leader spoke more about his push. The union activist turned mayor says it’s the right moment for Illinois to tax millionaires more and create a tax on digital advertising. House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch has indicated he, too, would like to raise revenue, but the votes may not be there yet. It’s not just Speaker Welch, according to Mayor Johnson. Others in the General Assembly are signaling support. The mayor said he has discussed the ideas with Senate President Don Harmon.

* Tribune | Mayor Brandon Johnson defends aide’s involvement in Texas US Senate race: Asked whether Jason Lee should be spending time on an out-of-state political campaign given all the pressing issues facing Chicago, Johnson said the nation and its third-largest city need Crockett in the U.S. Senate. “I’m grateful that there are volunteers across this country and across the state of Texas that have aligned themselves with congresswoman Crockett, because I do believe she is absolutely what this country needs in this moment,” Johnson said at a City Hall news conference. “I recognize as mayor of the city of Chicago that we’re going to need … people who are close to me that will support and endeavor for a woman like Jasmine Crockett to become a United States senator in the state of Texas. Could you imagine the power that that would provoke?”

* Crain’s | Trump factor looms as Johnson questions Chicago’s shot at 2028 DNC: “There’s no secret here that the Democratic National Convention would take place at a time in which the Trump administration is going to be in charge. And what we’ve seen in cities across America, and more recently in Minneapolis, to turn over the security of our city to the Trump administration,” Johnson said during a press availability today. “It’s not just me, but there are a number of us that have profound concerns about that.”

* Crain’s | Inside Johnson’s $3.2B parking meter gamble — and why he walked away: Despite making the high bid, Johnson decided in recent weeks not to move forward. Had the deal proceeded, the framework would have gone to the City Council in January. The administration determined the $3.2 billion price tag would have required the city to issue bonds with a 40-year maturity date, primarily backed by future revenue from the parking meters. That would dedicate the annual parking meter revenue to service debt for decades rather than providing a lifeline for Chicago’s structurally unbalanced budget.

* WTTW | Key City Panel Advances Plan to Give COPA Power to Probe Chicago Police Conduct During Immigration Raids, Protests: A joint session of the Immigrant and Refugee Rights Committee with the Police and Fire Committee voted 19-3 to advance a measure that explicitly gives the Civilian Office of Police Accountability the authority to investigate whether CPD officers have violated the Welcoming City ordinance, which prohibits all city employees from helping federal agents enforce immigration law in nearly all cases.

* Crain’s | Loop retail vacancy drops for the second year in a row: The Loop retail vacancy rate was 28.53% in 2025, compared with 29.76% in 2024, according to a report from Chicago-based retail brokerage Stone Real Estate. The numbers show the market is getting back up after the “knockout punch” of the COVID-19 shutdown nearly six years ago, Stone Principal John Vance said.

*** Cook County and Suburbs ***

* WTTW | Cook County State’s Attorney Reverses Course, Diverts Nonviolent Gun Cases to Restorative Justice Courts: The move comes nearly a year after O’Neill Burke instructed her office not to divert gun possession cases to the RJCC. That gutted the RJCC caseload, 82.8% of which had been dedicated to adjudicating gun possession cases, according to the Chicago Appleseed Center for Fair Courts, which advocates for equitable legal systems. “We believe in RJCCs; we want them to be successful,” said Yvette Loizon, chief of policy and external affairs for the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office. “We recognized that by not putting gun cases in the RJCCs, we were restricting their workload significantly.”

* Click here for some background. From the Fritz Kaegi campaign…

After Assessor Fritz Kaegi called out his opponent Pat Hynes for being bankrolled by property tax attorneys on Monday, the Pat Hynes campaign responded with a bald-faced lie that the Kaegi campaign has also taken money from property tax lawyers.

The claim is as bold as it is false. Since his first campaign in 2018, Assessor Kaegi has never taken a dime from property tax attorneys and never will.

The two individuals the Hynes campaign labeled as “property tax attorneys” are not property tax attorneys at all — one isn’t even a lawyer. […]

Hynes’ own campaign has received significant funding from property tax attorneys who stand to benefit financially from a more favorable Assessor’s office.

…Adding… The Hynes campaign…

Fritz Kaegi can try to spin this however he wants, but the facts are clear. His campaign takes money from real estate interests, attorneys, and developers who benefit from the assessment system his office controls. He said it himself just a few days ago.

At the same time, his campaign is fabricating claims about Pat Hynes’ supporters, falsely labeling people as “property tax attorneys” who simply are not, such as firefighters, longtime family friends, and individuals with no connection to property tax law at all. His opposition research is as incompetent as his leadership in the Assessor’s office where Cook County residents are living with the consequences of his record, including property tax assessment shifts under his watch that have fallen hardest on South and West Side homeowners, deepening inequities and leaving working families to shoulder a disproportionate burden of those shifts.

* Press release | Hynes Campaign Launches First Broadcast Ad: Today, the Pat Hynes for Cook County Assessor campaign announced the launch of its first broadcast ad of the Democratic primary, Sounding the Alarm on Fritz Kaegi. The ad is part of a significant six-figure advertising buy across broadcast television and streaming platforms. “Cook County can’t afford to get Fritz’d again,” said Allison Schraub, Campaign Manager for Pat Hynes. “Pat has spent his career working as a tenacious advocate for taxpayers and making sure assessments are fair, accurate, and transparent. That’s the leadership this office needs.” Click here to watch the spot.

* Subscribers know more. ABC Chicago | Illinois Racing Board suspends Hawthorne Race Course’s license, putting future in jeopardy: The Illinois Racing Board suspended its harnesses racing license. In a letter sent Monday to Hawthorne’s president and general manager, the state agency said the track failed to prove its financial integrity. Jeff Davis, president of the Illinois Harness Horsemen’s Association, says the past two months have been rough. “We don’t really know details, but what we do know is people have not been paid since before Christmas,” Davis said.

* Daily Herald | Lake Zurich takes $52 million step to bring Lake Michigan water to town: Village officials last week authorized revenue bond issues of $42 million and $10 million to secure low-interest loans from the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency as part of the transition to Lake Michigan water. The first loan is in the application process and expected to be submitted to the IEPA in coming months. The first phase of that work involves a reservoir and receiving station in the village with construction expected to begin near the year end.

* Riverside Landmark | Former Riverside police chief honored by conservative advocacy group: “Chief Tom Weitzel is a proven leader who has lived the realities of policing every day,” Awake Illinois founder Shannon Adcock said in the press release announcing Weitzel’s new unpaid position. “In a time when too much discussion is driven by ideology instead of facts, Tom’s credibility, experience, and courage make the perfect addition. We are thrilled to have him as a Fellow, regular voice on Awake and Armed, and contributor to our blog—helping deliver the truth Illinoisans need for safe communities and stronger policing.”

* WBEZ | After Trump’s deportation blitz rips apart a Chicago-area family, a school official steps up: “My role is supporting our newcomers,” says Rivera Courington, assistant superintendent for English learners in a suburban school district that covers Westmont. “We get to know who they are, where they have come from, what their needs are. We find out what they’ve been through in the process of getting here.” But when Diego, 14, and his sister Rosa, 13, opened up about what drove them from central Mexico in September 2023, their story caught Rivera Courington off guard. They had lost their mother after a years-long battle with lung cancer. More recently, they had lost their father, who was gunned down while picking up the boy from school.

* Tribune | Federal immigration agents arrest man at Bolingbrook police station: Bolingbrook police in a news release said federal agents were conducting “targeted immigration enforcement” at a home on Hywood Lane in the southwest suburb when they came in contact with a 40-year-old man sitting in a nearby pickup truck. Agents relayed to police that the man was ordered to identify himself and exit the car. But the man proceeded to “drive through the grass before intentionally ramming an agent’s vehicle head-on, while it was parked with its emergency lights activated,” police said, citing agents. The man then fled in his vehicle and drove to the Bolingbrook Police Department to report the encounter, per authorities.

* Naperville Sun | Amazon Fresh’s two stores in Naperville to close as company shuts down Amazon grocery stores nationally: There are 57 Fresh and 15 Go stores across the country, with 13 in Illinois. In addition to the Naperville locations at 3116 Route 59 and 1351 E. Ogden Ave., there are stores in Arlington Heights, Schaumburg, North Riverside, Oak Lawn, Tinley Park, Morton Grove, Bloomingdale, Norridge and Chicago. The last day the stores will be open is Sunday, Feb. 1. While some locations may be converted into Whole Foods stores, another chain owned by Amazon, the company released no information on where that might happen. Naperville has a Whole Foods at 2607 W. 75th St.

* Daily Southtown | Cancer center to open at UChicago Ingalls in Harvey, funded by Ralph Lauren grant: The grant to the University of Chicago Medicine Comprehensive Cancer Center will establish the UChicago Medicine Ralph Lauren Center. The center’s first location will be in the outpatient cancer facility at Ingalls Memorial. The second location will be in the AbbVie Foundation Cancer Pavilion planned to open on UChicago Medicine’s main campus in Hyde Park in April 2027, the news release said. Both locations plan to offer cancer prevention, detection and treatment services.

*** Downstate ***

* WCIA | EIU discusses college merger, campus improvements: The Eastern Illinois University President discussed plans to merge the College of Education and the College of Health and Human Services Tuesday morning. President Jay Gatrell delivered the university’s annual spring update to students, faculty and staff that were gathered inside Dvorak Concert Hall, at EIU’s Doudna Fine Arts Center. In a news release sent out later via email, EIU said Gatrell provided an update on EIU’s “academic footprint moving forward.”

* WCIA | Ordinance regulating public camping is one step closer to passing in Jacksonville: The city council passed the first reading of the proposed Public Camping Ordinance. Angela Salyer, city clerk, said a proposal must pass two readings before it becomes an ordinance. And, the council will discuss the proposal further, and likely make more amendments, before the second reading. The earliest date the second reading would take place would be at the Feb. 9 meeting, Salyer said. If it passes, then it will take effect immediately. But, Salyer added that there is a chance the council could take longer to amend the proposal and schedule the second reading for a later date.

* WGLT | United Airlines restores Bloomington service with daily flights to Chicago: The airport will offer four daily flights, seven days a week, between Bloomington and Chicago. That’s in addition to the twice daily flights American Airlines already offers between CIRA and O’Hare. Central Illinois Regional Airport Authority Chair Alan Sender said the service will provide regional passengers with more scheduling options and access to United’s broader network, making travel from CIRA more convenient.

* WSIL | SPARK 618 Launches Pre-Apprenticeship Program in Southern Illinois with $325,000 Grant: A Carbondale nonprofit is already moving forward after receiving a $325,000 grant through the Illinois Works Pre-Apprenticeship Program. This funding aims to enhance job training programs in the region. Spark 618 Executive Director Erin Ashley said she and two instructors are traveling to Naperville for required program training, preparing to launch the organization’s first pre-apprenticeship session in mid-March.

* WCIA | Champaign Co. Clerk stresses urgency among mail-in voters: Champaign County Clerk Aaron Ammons is stressing urgency to avoid receiving ballots that are postmarked after Election Day. He said if you have to vote by mail, don’t wait until the last second because he can’t accept a ballot that’s marked a day late.

* 25News Now | ‘American Truck Simulator’ to feature Central Illinois cities: He added that Peoria’s downtown is too large for the scale of their game, but locals will recognize the hospitals along Interstate 74, the Riverfront Trail, and the Twin Towers. When selecting cities, Dubsky said he and the others at SCS consider visual interest, cultural flavor, and distance from highways. That is why Bloomington also made the cut.

*** National ***

* AP | Amazon cuts about 16,000 corporate jobs in the latest round of layoffs: The company did not say what business units would be impacted, or where the job cuts would occur. The latest reductions follow a round of job cuts in October, when Amazon said it was laying off 14,000 workers. While some Amazon units completed those “organizational changes” in October, others did not finish until now, Galetti said.

* NPR | CBP has a history of excessive force. Critics say they were unprepared for Minnesota: Vega studied the attitudes of Customs and Border Protection officers regarding use of force, a project that involved interviewing more than 90 officers. The CBP appears to make up the largest contingent of the roughly 3,000 agents deployed to Minnesota. “They saw themselves as very different,” she says. “They would tell me that they were trained to hike in the desert. They often told me about arresting 10, 15 people who were very compliant.”