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Isabel’s afternoon roundup
Thursday, Oct 23, 2025 - Posted by Isabel Miller
For working families across our state, delivery is a lifeline, NOT a luxury. From groceries and meals to essential household items, people from all walks of life depend on delivery services to make ends meet, save time, and stay safe. A new delivery tax would hit seniors, individuals with disabilities, and working parents juggling multiple responsibilities. It’s a burden Illinois families simply cannot bear. Learn more today about how a delivery tax could impact your household. * Crain’s | Banks push for end to Illinois law reducing credit card processing fees: “Interchange is compensation because they are taking on the risk of fraud, they are monitoring for fraud, they are managing card accounts,” Charlotte Taylor, a lawyer with Jones Day representing the bankers, said in court. “Those are dollars where you are taking an equal risk of fraud, but you are not going to get compensated for that.” But lawyers for the state argued those risks were covered by other parts of the bill. * Center Square | Illinois treasurer promises to pass nonprofit legislation vetoed by Pritzker: Pritzker vetoed the bill during the summer, saying it could allow extremist groups to exploit state services and resources. […] In Chicago Tuesday, at the state treasurer’s award ceremony to celebrate LGBTQ+ History Month, Frerichs told The Center Square that his office would not give up. “We’re working with legislative leaders and with the governor to see what’s the best way to move this forward, either with an override or working together next spring to address some of the governor’s concerns and pass something,” Frerichs said. * WTTW | Johnson’s 2026 Budget Sets Aside Just $82.5M to Resolve Police Misconduct Lawsuits, Even Though Chicago Has Already Spent $90M: Chicago taxpayers have spent at least $267 million to resolve lawsuits alleging Chicago police officers committed a wide range of misconduct — including wrongful convictions and improper pursuits — so far this year, according to an analysis of city data by WTTW News. That tally does not include the $90 million the City Council agreed to pay to 180 people who spent a combined nearly 200 years in prison after being wrongfully convicted based on what they allege was fabricated evidence gathered by Watts, who was convicted in 2013 of taking bribes, and other officers. * Illinois Answers Project | Calls For ‘Belt-Tightening’ in Chicago Budget Face Hurdles Amid Few Options for Pain-Free Cuts: “The message to the mayor and his team has been very simple: if you want us to consider new revenue streams … you need to show some good faith to the taxpayer that you’re going to tighten the belt,” Ald. Brendan Reilly (42nd) said in an interview Tuesday. “And this argument that you can’t tighten your belt anymore when the city budget has ballooned during this administration and the previous doesn’t pass the smell test.” Specifically, Reilly said, Johnson needs to “let go of program expansion and hiring that was done with federal bailout ARPA money that’s no longer available.” * Tribune | Mayor Brandon Johnson’s political fund returns $120K from PACs connected to city vendors: Mayor Brandon Johnson’s campaign last quarter returned $120,000 from two political action committees both led by developers with active city contracts, the latest instances of his political fund giving back money amid ethical and accounting issues. At the end of August, Johnson’s campaign fund gave back $71,000 to Leaders for Tomorrow and $48,500 to ZPACT, according to the latest round of state elections filings that were due last week. That’s almost a full refund of what both groups gave, but came about 10 months after their latest contributions to the mayor’s campaign committee were reported, meaning Johnson’s campaign had access to that cash for that duration. * WTTW’s Heather Cherone…
* Sun-Times | Federal agents detain Little Village high school student, deploy tear gas in faceoff with protesters: Baltazar Enriquez, president of the Little Village Community Council, said federal immigration agents seemed to have arrived in the neighborhood with “no plan,” trying to enter the discount mall before turning around when they realized it was closed. That’s when they were confronted by residents who quickly mobilized, he said. Agents detained at least two teenage boys, two women and a man before putting them into vans and driving off. A woman told a Chicago Sun-Times reporter that she was a U.S. citizen before she was put into a van. * South Side Weekly | Migrant Shelter Residents Were Disproportionately Arrested for Domestic Violence: Residents of Chicago’s migrant shelters were arrested more often than average when police responded to domestic violence calls there, despite having a lower rate of incidents than the citywide average. Records reviewed by the Weekly show that in 2023 and 2024, police arrested residents in 33 percent of domestic violence responses at migrant shelters, nearly double the 18 percent arrest rate citywide during the same period. The city has since closed migrant-only shelters, but questions remain about how domestic violence is handled in its new unified shelter system. * Chicago Mag | “We Won’t Survive if You Don’t Support Us”: Sunday brunch at La Catedral in Little Village often requires a two-hour (or longer) wait. These days, though, guests can arrive and be seated immediately. Since President Trump announced “Operation Midway Blitz,” business has plummeted. “It’s very unusual to see empty tables here,” says Ulises, a restaurant employee who did not provide his last name. “This started at the beginning of September.” * Fox Chicago | Former Mayor Lightfoot announces project to ‘unmask’ federal immigration agents: Former Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot said she and other attorneys are creating a nonprofit called “The ICE Accountability Project.” Lightfoot said the organization will serve as a website and “central repository” for any alleged illegal actions taken by federal immigration officials during the execution of Operation Midway Blitz. “We want to create a centralized archive of all the purported criminal actions of ICE and CBP agents,” Lightfoot said. “We want to create a portal where what’s happening real time can be centralized and put out for the public to view.” * Block Club | Chicago-Area Companies Raked In Millions From Feds As Operation Midway Blitz Intensified: Chicago-based real estate company Reliance Relocation Services was awarded $7.3 million to relocate U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement employees over a four-month period. Those contracts ended the same day the Department of Homeland Security announced its operation in Chicago. Lake Forest weapons manufacturer United Tactical Systems was paid nearly $1.5 million over a two week period in September to supply federal agents with pepper balls and air-powered guns. More than $1 million of that money was contracted just two days before agents escalated its use of the weapons, shooting protesters and journalists with pepper balls. * Crain’s | Expect more flight delays like O’Hare disruption if U.S. shutdown continues, Duffy warns: More than 13,000 air traffic controllers and 50,000 Transportation Security Administration agents are being forced to work during the shutdown without pay. During past shutdowns, that’s often led in an increase in employees calling out sick — a trend that appears to be continuing with the latest funding lapse. Duffy has said that normally flight delays caused by air traffic controller staffing shortages are about 5% but that figure has grown to more than 50% since the shutdown began. Disruptions due to staffing have been reported at airports across the US, including Chicago, Dallas, Nashville and outside Washington, DC. * Crain’s | Now we know what United’s doing with those new O’Hare gates: United Airlines says it will add 10 new domestic routes, including six destinations not served by other carriers at O’Hare, as it takes advantage of new gates awarded earlier this month. The new routes from Chicago are to smaller markets, such as Eugene, Ore., and Rochester, Minn. With the addition of the new cities, by next summer United will serve 212 destinations from O’Hare, surpassing the pre-pandemic total of 208 in 2019. * Crain’s | Levy tapped to run restaurants, bars at Bally’s Chicago casino: Levy, based in Chicago, runs food and beverage at major stadiums and cultural institutions, including the United Center, The Art Institute of Chicago and the Chicago Botanic Garden. It has also handled dining at music events such as Coachella, as well as at ski resorts, horse tracks and more. * Block Club | Chicago’s 1st City-Backed Public Restroom Will Open In 2026, Alderman Say: Ald. Daniel La Spata (1st) confirmed this week that his years-long quest to provide publicly available toilet facilities in the city is finally moving forward — and it could be the first of more to come. The public restroom will come from JCDecaux, the company that provides street furniture like bus shelters as well as other services to the city. The restroom itself is free under the city’s existing contract with the company, La Spata said. * Block Club | Lollapalooza Raked In $480 Million For Chicago In 2025 — Biggest Impact Ever For Fest: The annual four-day music festival in Grant Park generated $480 million in overall economic activity in the city this year, the founders of C3 Presents, Lollapalooza’s parent company, wrote in a letter to City Council members Wednesday. That’s about $40 million more than 2024, and it comes alongside more than $10 million paid by organizers to the Chicago Park District in rent, $7.2 million in city amusement taxes and $1 million in park restoration fees this year, plus overtime costs for city workers. * Tribune | ‘Yoko Ono: Music of the Mind’ at the MCA upends assumptions: But on Dec. 1, on the opening date of her “show,” Ono had a man wearing a sandwich board parade in front of the museum, explaining: Ono released thousands of flies in MOMA, each one scented with a perfume worn by the artist; a photographer has also been tasked with documenting the path of the flies. This was not a prank. Ono had indeed released a jug of flies at MOMA, albeit outside, in the sculpture garden out back. * WBEZ | Clergy say religious rights are under attack inside and outside the Broadview ICE facility: The NDS require detention centers to provide detainees with the opportunity to practice their faith, the ability to observe important religious holy days, a chaplain, adequate space for religious activities and resources for community groups and volunteers that provide religious services not provided by the chaplain or facility. According to several sources familiar with the Broadview facility, there is no chaplain in the building. Between 2010 and 2020 at the start of the pandemic, Sisters Persch and Murphy and other volunteers had an arrangement with ICE to go inside the facility each week to talk and pray with immigrants and their families. Even as recently as February, Persch said she was able to work with ICE officers to advocate for the removal of an ankle monitor for an immigrant. * Daily Southtown | Cook County District 130 custodial workers call for superintendent’s removal: Custodians and maintenance workers for Elementary District 130 serving Alsip, Blue Island, Crestwood and Robbins are calling for the removal of the district’s superintendent and assistant superintendent of human resources as they work to negotiate their union contract. SEIU Local 73 said the district has canceled two contract bargaining sessions since negotiations started in the summer, but union conflict with Superintendent Colleen McKay and Assistant Superintendent of Human Resources Carrie Tisch dates back to 2022. * Crain’s | Nurses union sues over pandemic bonus pay at St. Joseph in Joliet: However, the complaint said, requests in January and February 2022 by INA resulted in Ascension’s director of labor relations, Kathy Bouma, in February 2022 sending a “proposed Letter of Agreement for an incentive significantly less than what was promised through the CEO’s November Incentive Pay communication.” The complaint went on to state the hospital was giving non-union employees the November incentive pay but not giving it to union employees. * Daily Herald | Unique home for trafficked teen girls opening soon in Palatine: The first DCFS-approved home for younger survivors of trafficking in Illinois, the 12-bedroom facility in a wooded area on the village’s north side will hold its grand opening Dec. 17. It will provide home for trafficking survivors aged 12-18 for six to 24 months. The project is the product of a partnership among Shelter Youth & Family Services, Housing Opportunity Development Corp., S.I. Container Builds Inc. and V3 Companies Ltd. * Daily Herald | New pedestrian bridge in Streamwood will link paths divided by Route 59: Total cost was $12 million, with 80% of it funded by grants and other sources from outside the village, Caddigan said. The rest was gradually saved for in anticipation of the construction without the need for additional resources. “It’s a really cool engineering project,” she said. “What you see driving on Route 59 is the bridge structure. We’ve had some great engineers. It’s a wonderful community amenity.” * Daily Herald | East Dundee continuing interest in multifamily housing for former factory site: Some of the units would be restricted to households making no more than 60% of the Chicago area’s median income. Others would be set aside for households making no more than 30% of the area’s median income. Some would rent at market rate. The state standard of “affordability” calls, in general, for spending no more than 30% of household gross income on housing. In the case of rentals, that includes utility payments. * Illinois Times | Mental health center to open: Chicago-based nonprofit Envision Unlimited will be hosting a grand opening for its Springfield community mental health center, at 1306 S. Sixth St., Oct. 30. Services offered are geared toward people with mental health challenges and disabilities. The center will accept both Medicaid and Blue Cross patients. Envision Unlimited already owns and operates the Hope Springs apartment complex at 1135 N. Ninth St. that provides supportive services to residents with developmental disabilities but this will be the first time the nonprofit has offered outpatient services in the state capital. * WCIA | Ford Co. village working to reduce arsenic levels in water: After a Ford County village found higher levels of arsenic in one of its wells than what was allowed by the EPA, one village official said more tests are coming — but also added that there is no danger to public health. Tyler Martin is the Water Super for the Village of Elliott. He said that routine testing in one of their wells found slightly higher arsenic levels than what was allowed on Sept. 30. * Illinois Times | Blind mother seeks right to care for her son: As part of the legal battle for custody, Richardson took a Zoom parenting class and completed CPR training to prove her competency to care for her son. “But it was just never enough, it seemed, to have Elijah in my care unsupervised,” Richardson said. In January, a Sangamon County Circuit Court judge awarded Richardson increased weekly parenting time, giving her the right to supervised time with her son two nights a week. An hour and a half of that time could be spent unsupervised. * NYT | Amazon Plans to Replace More Than Half a Million Jobs With Robots: Amazon’s U.S. work force has more than tripled since 2018 to almost 1.2 million. But Amazon’s automation team expects the company can avoid hiring more than 160,000 people in the United States it would otherwise need by 2027. That would save about 30 cents on each item that Amazon picks, packs and delivers to customers. * AP | NBA head coach and player charged in sprawling sports betting and Mafia-backed poker schemes: Portland coach Chauncey Billups was charged with participating in a conspiracy to fix high-stakes card games in Las Vegas, Miami, Manhattan and the Hamptons that were backed by La Cosa Nostra Crime families. Heat guard Terry Rozier was accused in a second scheme to concoct fraudulent bets by exploiting confidential information about NBA athletes and teams. The indictments unsealed in New York create a massive cloud for the NBA — which opened its season this week — and show how certain types of wagers are vulnerable to massive fraud in the growing, multi-billion-dollar legal sports-betting industry. * Politico | Kristi Noem pledged to boost the nation’s cybersecurity. She gutted it instead.: But over the last nine months, a key cybersecurity agency under Noem’s command has had its staffing slashed by more than a third, axed funding for election security programs and scaled back its support to state and local governments to protect against cyber threats. “There’s a real disconnect between the public messaging about cybersecurity and the reality on the ground,” said an employee of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, which is housed under DHS. This person, like others interviewed for this article, was granted anonymity for fear of retribution.
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Roundup: Trial begins for deputy accused of killing Sonya Massey after she called 911 for help
Thursday, Oct 23, 2025 - Posted by Isabel Miller * The Tribune…
Grayson, if convicted of murder, faces 45 years to life in prison. He has pleaded not guilty. * Yesterday, jurors were shown the body camera video. WBEZ’s Mawa Iqbal…
* AP…
* SJ-R…
* NBC Chicago…
* The trial continues today. From the Independent…
* More from Capitol City Now…
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Keeping up with the congressionals
Thursday, Oct 23, 2025 - Posted by Isabel Miller * Evanston Now…
* From the polling memo…
Cross-tabs for the poll have not been released. * Evanston Roundtable covered the most recent 9th CD forum held by Citizens Action Illinois… Though the forum was free of direct call-outs or rebuttals, a few candidates appeared to take indirect shots at one of the race’s leading candidates, researcher and former journalist Kat Abughazaleh. * Junaid Ahmed picked up an endorsement from progressive US Rep. Delia Ramirez…
* Cook County Commissioner Kevin Morrison announced former Rep. Joe Walsh has endorsed him for the 8th CD…
* Republican Senate Candidate Don Tracy…
* More…
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Critical 340B Program Needs Federal Reforms
Thursday, Oct 23, 2025 - Posted by Advertising Department [The following is a paid advertisement.] A federal program created in 1992 to support safety-net clinics with the care they provided to uninsured patients is being abused by for-profit pharmacies and large hospital systems. The 340B program has become a cash cow with profits flowing away from the very patients and communities the program was meant to help. Reform at the federal level is critical to ensure that the 340B program works as it was intended by providing necessary funds to safety-net clinics that serve some of the neediest patient populations in Illinois and across the country. Multiple investigations have found that the program has created perverse incentives for hospitals to prescribe more and higher-cost medicines, as well as buy up smaller independent clinics and practices to benefit from their prescriptions as well. Meanwhile for-profit pharmacies are making millions of dollars off hospitals, with no requirements to provide low-cost medicines to patients. Sisters Working It Out supports reforms that increase transparency and improve oversight to help return 340B to its original purpose of helping low-income patients and the safety-net clinics they rely on. Congress must act to reform this critical federal program.
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Pritzker forms commission to document immigrant enforcement abuses (Updated)
Thursday, Oct 23, 2025 - Posted by Rich Miller * WTTW…
* ABC 7…
* From the press release…
The full EO is here. …Adding…Leader McCombie…
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What Illinois Can Learn From Texas On Battery Energy Storage
Thursday, Oct 23, 2025 - Posted by Advertising Department [The following is a paid advertisement.] As Illinois confronts skyrocketing electric bills, legislators are on the hunt for solutions that provide relief as quickly as possible. Battery energy storage is our best and most cost-effective solution. But last session— without evidence —opponents attempted to claim that battery energy storage wouldn’t work. Try telling that to Texas, where the rapid deployment of battery storage has already prevented blackouts and saved consumers billions. Called “Ground Zero for the US Battery Boom” by Bloomberg, Texas added enough storage in 2023 to power 3 million homes and drop grid emergency risk during peak hours from 16% to less than 1%. The result? Storage saved consumers an estimated $750 million in 2024. Texas has proven that storage is the quickest, cheapest, most reliable way to get consumers relief from skyrocketing, demand-induced price spikes. Storage is a nimble way to address growing populations, power-hungry data centers, and meet other electrification-related power needs. These are benefits Texas saw from storage even as the state reduced its gas generation capacity by 166 MW last year. Illinois lawmakers should follow Texas’s lead and pass the Clean and Reliable Grid Act this fall to deploy 6GW of energy storage by 2035. Click here for more information.
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Responses to the terrible loss for Darren Bailey’s family (Updated)
Thursday, Oct 23, 2025 - Posted by Rich Miller * Isabel had this in her morning update, but I think it deserves its own post. It’s so difficult to imagine the depth of this loss…
* AP…
* Bailey’s running mate Aaron Del Mar talks about what happened… * ILGOP…
* Gov. JB Pritzker was asked about the tragedy today…
This post will be updated as we receive other responses. …Adding… Illinois Democratic County Chairs association…
* US Rep. Mary Miller…
* Chicago Teachers Union…
* IL House GOP…
* IL Federation of Teachers…
* US Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi…
* House Speaker Chris Welch…
* US Rep. Darin LaHood…
* Ted Dabrowski…
* US Rep. Robin Kelly…
* Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton…
* Don Tracy…
* Treasurer Michael Frerichs…
* SEIU Local 73…
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Today’s quotable
Thursday, Oct 23, 2025 - Posted by Rich Miller * Journalists and others report the locations of government police operations literally all the time. This is common and even mundane in a free and open society. From the Assistant Secretary of the US Department of Homeland Security…
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The Truth About 340B: Protecting Patient Access To Discounted Rx Drugs And Essential Healthcare Services
Thursday, Oct 23, 2025 - Posted by Advertising Department [The following is a paid advertisement.] Drugmakers are making it harder for patients and hospitals to access discounted medication through the federal 340B program, which requires pharmaceutical companies to lower the cost of certain drugs for hospitals caring for the state’s most vulnerable residents. The Patient Access to Pharmacy Protection Act (HB 2371 SA 2) will protect 340B and its positive impact on individual lives. The 340B program is critically important for Illinois’ Safety Net and Critical Access Hospitals that predominantly serve Medicare, Medicaid and uninsured patients. Of the 100 Illinois hospitals participating in 340B, 70% are Safety Net or Critical Access Hospitals. Instead of supporting patients, Big Pharma has been promoting false narratives about 340B. Here’s the truth:
• Big Pharma supported Congressional expansion of 340B in 2010. • Laws like HB 2371 SA 2 have passed nearly 20 states. • HB 2371 SA 2 does NOT require a state appropriation. • 340B providers must meet rigorous requirements and undergo regular audits. Because of drugmaker restrictions, hospitals operating on thin margins face cutting services unless action is taken by the General Assembly. Protect patient access to comprehensive healthcare services and discounted drugs. VOTE YES on HB 2371 SA 2! Learn more.
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Isabel’s morning briefing
Thursday, Oct 23, 2025 - Posted by Isabel Miller * ICYMI: Judge extends restraining order barring National Guard deployment in Illinois as Supreme Court decision looms. Tribune…
- The Supreme Court could decide any day to grant Trump’s request to stay Perry’s order, which would effectively allow the president to deploy troops as he pleases while the case is appealed. - In the event the Supreme Court ruling “alters the status quo,” [Christopher Wells, a lawyer for the Illinois attorney general’s office,] said, the state will be seeking either a fast-tracked injunction hearing or an expedited trial on the merits, either of which could happen as soon as next month and would involve live witnesses testifying in court. Sponsored by Ameren Illinois
* NBC Chicago | Illinois soybean farmers in limbo amid tariff-fueled trade dispute with China: “That’s a big deal,” said Chris Gould, a third-generation Illinois soybean farmer. “What we really need to do is let the free market sort this out, and the free market includes exports.” Illinois is the top soybean producing state in the country. Illinois farmers export more than $957 million in soybeans to China, according to the Illinois Dept. of Agriculture. “This trade disruption has some real impacts for rural America, so we’re hoping things get settled soon,” said Brian Duncan, president of the Illinois Farm Bureau. * Capitol News Illinois | Jeffries’ Illinois redistricting push meets cool reception in Springfield: U.S. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries’ push for Illinois Democrats to redraw the state’s congressional map as a counter to President Donald Trump’s mid-decade redistricting project in GOP-led states has met a cool reception with state lawmakers. “I think there is next to zero appetite to do it,” one House Democratic lawmaker told Capitol News Illinois. Another lawmaker said “there is no world where I see this happening.” * IPM News | Illinois teachers believe parents support teaching inclusive history, despite national divides: University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign researchers surveyed 1,550 social studies teachers and administrators over four years. “We were shocked to receive notice that approximately 87% of educators agree that parents were supportive of their approaches,” said report co-author Asif Wilson. Wilson, a curriculum and instruction professor in the U of I College of Education, said the findings push back against the idea that parents in the state’s more conservative areas do not want their kids to learn about race or gender. * CBS Chicago | Former IL Sen. Darren Bailey’s family members killed in Montana helicopter accident: In a statement, Bailey’s campaign said his son, daughter-in-law, and two of his grandchildren died in a helicopter accident in Montana. Bailey’s two grandchildren were 12 and 7 years old. The couple’s third child was not aboard the helicopter and is safe. His campaign said Bailey and his wife, Cindy, “are heartbroken by this unimaginable loss” and are “finding comfort in their faith, their family, and the prayers of so many who love and care for them.” * Tribune | Gov. JB Pritzker and GOP House leader bickered in texts after conservative influencer filmed Pritzker’s home: Instead, he and McCombie, who are typically cordial in texts to each other, exchanged heated messages as McCombie rebuffed the governor’s request and called out Pritzker for some of his previous comments about Republicans, with the governor shooting back, sometimes in all capital letters, that her response was “absurd” and that she was playing politics. “So you won’t condemn this guy coming to MY HOME (where my wife and children live) and calling me evil while encouraging people to ‘take action?’ GOT IT,” Pritzker wrote to McCombie. * WTTW | Illinois Lawmakers Head Back to Springfield With Transit Funding, Energy and Hemp Regulation on the Agenda: Rep. Kam Buckner (D-Chicago) proposed revenue streams to help fund transit, which have gotten pushback. Notably, imposing a delivery fee for online orders. “I’m super confident in the next few days that we’ll be able to find the right mix of revenue,” said Buckner. “Whether that is some delivery fee, whether that is a large ticket surcharge — to make sure we’re not being regressive and putting this on the backs of people who need this system the most.” * Press Release | Newly Elected IFT Officers, Educators, State Workers from Across IL to Head to Springfield in Veto Session Push for Promised but Undelivered Funds for Public Education and State Services: Hundreds of educators and state workers from the 103,000-member, Illinois Federation of Teachers will be joined by their newly elected Illinois Federation of Teachers (IFT) officers, President Stacy Davis Gates, Executive Vice President Cyndi Oberle-Dahm, Secretary-Treasurer Pankaj Sharma, and Membership Secretary John Miller to rally in Springfield during the fall veto session on Wednesday, Oct. 29. They will be calling on Governor JB Pritzker and lawmakers to counter Trump’s devastating cuts by closing the state’s own tax breaks for tech companies and the ultra-rich and investing in state services that finally deliver promised but not provided funds to public education and pull the state’s higher education system away from the fiscal cliff it is teetering on. * Press Release | Ald. Rodriguez demands release of members of aldermanic staff, other residents detained by ICE/CBP: “Today in the Little Village community, ICE/CBP detained at least 7 residents of our community. Several of those detained are U.S. citizens. In addition, they detained two members of my aldermanic staff, Jacqueline Lopez and Elianne Bahena, my chief of staff who also serves as an elected 10th District Police Commissioner. Both Ms. Bahena and Ms. Lopez are also U.S. citizens. “All residents have the right to peacefully observe ICE/CBP activity. The federal government continues to claim that those who exercise their rights are breaking the law – these claims have been repeatedly proven as false. * Sun-Times | Little Village residents urge Mayor Johnson to enforce order barring ICE agents from staging on city property: Mayor Brandon Johnson signed an executive order earlier this month prohibiting federal immigration agents from using city property to stage for raids. But residents in Little Village spotted agents staging in city Water Department parking lot at 3148 S. Sacramento Avenue around 3 p.m. Sunday, said Baltazar Enriquez, president of the Little Village Community Council. In a letter sent to Johnson’s office, Enriquez said he witnessed agents “putting on uniforms, face masks, and preparing for deployment into the Little Village community.” * Sun-Times | Drug kingpin Larry Hoover asks Gov. JB Pritzker for freedom: “To deny clemency now is not a neutral act,” attorney Justin Moore said in the petition. “It is a willful decision to let a 74-year-old man with significant health challenges die in a cage.” Among those supporting Hoover’s new clemency bid are Greg Mathis; Chance the Rapper; 16th Ward Ald. Stephanie Coleman; former U.S. Rep. Bobby Rush, D-lll.; U.S. Rep. Jonathan Jackson, D-lll.; the Rev. Jesse Jackson, the Rev. Al Sharpton; state Sen. Willie Preston, D-Chicago; and former Education Secretary Arne Duncan, according to the petition. * Tribune | After gate reallocation at O’Hare, United to add new routes next year: * Sun-Times | From Smithsonian to Chicago, new Adler CEO aims to usher in the future at nation’s oldest planetarium: Babcock worked at the Field Museum from 2002 to 2010 and most recently at the Smithsonian American Women’s History Museum in Washington, D.C. Nearly three weeks into her new role, Babcock shared her vision for the next era of the planetarium — which includes attracting a wider audience, offering a “revitalized” experience for adults who haven’t visited in years, elevating the institution as a world-class research hub and reinforcing the Adler’s status as a global organization. * Tribune | Blue Island renews controversial Flock Safety license plate cameras: City administrator Thomas Wogan said Thursday that a majority of the council agreed with the mayor, Police Department and city administration that the Flock Safety system continues to be a valuable tool in preventing, investigating and solving crimes within the community. But Ald. Joshua Roll said he is concerned that gathering and sharing data that can track residents’ whereabouts could be a risk to privacy, echoing the concerns of other suburban officials in Oak Park and Evanston. Those suburbs deactivated the cameras following a state audit that found Flock was sharing Illinois data with federal agencies. * Tribune | Oak Park leaders debate official response to federal immigration enforcement activity: Oak Park is poised to follow in the footsteps of Chicago and Evanston in adopting an ordinance or executive order prohibiting federal agents from using village property to help conduct immigration related law enforcement activity. Village officials have already been monitoring the Village Hall parking lot to make sure federal agents are not using it to gather as they were reported to have done one morning last month. The Village Board also wants to work with other units of local government to inform Oak Park residents of what they can do to protect people who might be targeted by federal immigration officers. * Daily Herald | ‘Less food for more people’: Thousands could lose SNAP benefits amid shutdown, advocates warn: Dawn uses the food pantry at Outreach House in Lombard to feed her four children and also depends on SNAP benefits, which pay for a week’s worth of groceries, to put meals on the table. “If she loses that one week, how could she cover the gap?” Outreach House Executive Director Catherine Lynott asked at a Wednesday roundtable organized by U.S. Rep. Sean Casten. Social service leaders from Cook and DuPage counties warned of “more people” and “less food” if Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) payments are halted in November as a result of the government shutdown. * Daily Herald | Naperville could apply food and beverage tax to drive-through-only chains, food trucks: Under a draft ordinance, the city would be “correcting that situation,” Mayor Scott Wehrli said. It would amend the city’s definition of a retail food facility to “establish clear and consistent application of the tax across the food and beverage industry,” the memo noted. “It’s certainly not fair, I think, to have brick-and-mortars that are not paying it just because they’re drive-through-only,” Councilman Patrick Kelly said. “So I think this is a needed update in that regard.” * WCIA | The Trial of Sean Grayson: Live Updates: The next witness to testify in the trial was Anthony Mayfield, the retired Sangamon County Sheriff’s Chief Deputy who conducted the internal investigation of the shooting for the Sheriff’s Office. Mayfield’s testimony was brief, as Milhiser did not have many questions and the defense had none. But Mayfield did provide some insight into what the internal investigation found, starting with the day he and two others in the Sheriff’s Office command staff saw the body camera footage for the first time. “It was so silent you could hear a pin drop,” Mayfield said. “Everyone was shocked.” * AP | Sheriff’s deputy got mad and fatally shot Sonya Massey without justification, prosecutor says: Earlier, Sangamon County State’s Attorney John Milhiser told the jury that the video would show Massey posed no threat when Grayson and fellow Sangamon County Sheriff’s Deputy Dawson Farley entered her home. Massey, who had mental health problems, had called 911 about a suspected prowler. “She’s a little scattered, but she’s nice and kind and talking to him and you’ll see that interaction,” Milhiser said during opening statements. “You will see what happens when the defendant gets mad at a woman who is in her kitchen and has called for help. He gets mad and shoots and kills her without lawful justification.” * WGLT | Lexington mayor calls on energy providers to settle dispute over planned subdivision: The mayor of Lexington is publicly calling for two utility providers in McLean County, Ameren Illinois and Corn Belt Energy, to resolve a dispute over their territories in a planned subdivision in the city. In an op-ed piece coauthored by Gov. JB Pritzker, Mayor Spencer Johansen said Ameren is standing in the way of one of Lexington’s most important projects. While Corn Belt has finished its portion, Ameren is requiring the subdivision developer to pay $530,000 to repair transmission lines in its portion of the subdivision. * WCIA | Danville’s former HR administrator files lawsuit against city, mayor: A former Danville employee who worked for the city for about 35 years has filed a lawsuit against the city and its mayor, alleging that she was wrongfully terminated and discriminated against. Before she was fired in February, Sandra Finch was Danville’s Human Relations Administrator. She handled employee relations, addressed complaints of discrimination, and investigated discrimination and housing-related complaints. * WCIA | Champaign Co. Board to discuss supporting reparations coalition: The coalition is asking for $25,000 from the county to put together a committee made up of community leaders whose job would be figuring out appropriate reparations for people in the Champaign-Urbana area. The City of Urbana has already allocated $25,000 to the cause, and the coalition is in active conversations with the City of Champaign and University of Illinois about funding as well, according to founder Jeffrey Trask. * WGLT | Rivian spinoff company Also unveils first e-bike and quad vehicles: The company also announced two four-wheel electric vehicles, or quads, that will be pedal-assisted and designed for bike lanes, while being able to carry significant loads. There will be both a commercial and consumer version of the quad, called TM-Q. No price was available. The TM-B bikes will be the first to hit the market, with first deliveries expected in spring 2026. Preorders for the TM-Bs are open now. * Chalkbeat | How free out-of-school therapy for Memphis teens strengthens MSCS mental health services: Youth Connect has provided free therapy outside of school to 345 young people in the Memphis area since it launched in May 2024. That is far fewer than Memphis-Shelby County Schools’ own mental health services, which serve over 6,000 students in group or individual therapy each year. But those who work in schools and with young people say Youth Connect is filling an important need, especially since a 2024 state law restricted certain kinds of mental health help schools can provide.
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Open thread
Thursday, Oct 23, 2025 - Posted by Isabel Miller * What’s going on? Keep it Illinois-centric please…
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Selected press releases (Live updates)
Thursday, Oct 23, 2025 - Posted by Isabel Miller
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Live coverage
Thursday, Oct 23, 2025 - Posted by Isabel Miller * Click here and/or here to follow breaking news on the website formally known as Twitter. Our Bluesky feed…
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Isabel’s afternoon roundup
Wednesday, Oct 22, 2025 - Posted by Isabel Miller * Sun-Times…
For working families across our state, delivery is a lifeline, NOT a luxury. From groceries and meals to essential household items, people from all walks of life depend on delivery services to make ends meet, save time, and stay safe. A new delivery tax would hit seniors, individuals with disabilities, and working parents juggling multiple responsibilities. It’s a burden Illinois families simply cannot bear. Learn more today about how a delivery tax could impact your household. * Click here for some background. WTTW’s Heather Cherone…
* Punchbowl News congressional reporter Ally Mutnick…
* Block Club | Border Patrol Agents Descend On Little Village, Sparking Fury, Fear In Neighborhood: Federal agents, including Border Patrol chief Greg Bovino, were spotted at various locations in Little Village and Cicero throughout the morning, making stops at a local Home Depot and laundromat. They caused at least two car crashes, said Rep. Edgar Gonzalez, one of many who came to the area to document the agents’ actions. At one point, agents, including Bovino, stopped near 26th Street and Cicero Avenue, where they faced off with neighbors and local officials. Locals recorded the agents as they held long guns and pepper-sprayed at least one man. * Sun-Times S| Immigration agents arrest CPS vendor outside North Side school: Decatur Classical School officials said no students witnessed the vendor being taken or interacted with federal agents, according to the email, which was sent at 1:39 p.m. Afternoon physical education classes were held indoors out of an “abundance of caution,” though after-school programming went ahead as planned. School officials emphasized CPS would not work with federal agents or let them inside school buildings unless they present a criminal judicial warrant. * Block Club | Weeks After Being Detained By ICE, Chicago Father Elects To Leave Country Voluntarily: The woodworker was arrested Sept. 22 at an I-94 weigh station in Chesterton, Indiana, while on his way to Michigan to deliver furniture. After a brief detention at the ICE facility in Broadview, he was transferred to southeast Texas near the border. Despite Jose and his family having legal status and a pending asylum application, Jose was charged under a provision of the Immigration and Nationality Act. Under that law, people who entered the United States without official approval — or at the wrong place or manner — can be denied a visa or an admission, said Kalman Reznick, an attorney who initially consulted with the family in the days following Jose’s arrest. * Crain’s | Trump can slow Red Line extension funding, but can he stop it? Maybe not: “They can delay it,” says Ray LaHood, former secretary of transportation in the Obama administration from 2019 to 2013. “Unless there’s a violation on the side of the CTA, some disagreement as to complying to what they agreed to, that money should be golden. They have a legal grant agreement with the CTA, and they’re obliged to comply with that, as is the CTA.” * Daily Herald | Carpentersville prohibits immigration agents from using village-owned property: Carpentersville trustees Tuesday unanimously approved the measure just days after immigration agents were in the village for days of enforcement activities, including some carried out in front of village hall without notice to Carpentersville officials. “I’m not happy about seeing masked people with guns,” said Jeff Frost, referencing immigration agents who were in Carpentersville last week. * Aurora Beacon-News | Batavia City Council approves 3.5% raises for some city employee positions: The city’s employee positions and their corresponding pay grades can be found in documents included in Monday’s agenda. They also outline the set wages for on-call members of the Batavia Fire Department and for Emergency Service Disaster Agency members of the department. On Monday, the council also approved removing the city’s Water and Wastewater Superintendent position, and changing the city job titled Software Deployment Analyst to Enterprise Application Specialist, per Bednarek’s memo. * Crain’s | Batavia’s fast-growing meal brand Factor is cooking up a retail move: This year, the Batavia-based company rolled out a rotating menu of 100 weekly meals, up from its previous 40 options, along with other customization additions such as smoothies, juices and health supplements. The expanded menu comes as it prepares to enter retail stores next year and boost the slumping sales of parent company HelloFresh. * WCIA | The Trial of Sean Grayson: Live Updates: he first witness to testify was called to the stand: Lieutenant Eric Weston of the Illinois State Police. A member of the Division of Criminal Investigations, Weston supervises criminal investigations in 23 Central Illinois counties, with specializations in narcotics, violent crime and officer-involved shootings. Weston told Milhiser that he’s investigated between 12 and 20 officer-involved shootings that he was either directly or indirectly involved with, and he explained how they are typically investigated. Agents obtain reports, search the scene for evidence and get body camera footage. * SJ-R | Jurors hear Sonya Massey’s 911 calls during Sean Grayson murder trial: Cathryn Barton, a Sangamon County dispatcher, gave a short testimony about 911 calls under examination by Sangamon County First Assistant State’s Attorney Mary Beth Rodgers. Sonya Massey’s 911 calls, which originated at 12:49 a.m. on July 6, 2024, was played. Barton, who has been with the agency now 7 1/2 years, verified that call was marked as “a prowler” outside of Massey’s house. Massey said on the call that it sounded like someone “was banging” on the side of her house. Barton, on the 911 call, asked if Massey had seen the person. * BND | Belleville alderman wants to bring back vacant property program that city ended: The Ward 4 alderman had initiated the pilot program in 2018. His goal was to reduce the number of vacant homes and other buildings by establishing a timeline for owners to register them, get them inspected and renovate or demolish them to avoid fines. Ovian argued that greater control over vacant buildings would also help alleviate problems with rental housing that was deteriorating under the ownership of what he called “slum landlords.” * Tri States Public Radio | A year after statewide picket, Galesburg prison still plagued by drugs, violence, understaffing: Illinois prisons are now scanning most physical mail and delivering it to incarcerated people electronically to prevent drug-soaked paper from entering the facilities. That’s after AFSCME reps and prison employees picketed across the state a year ago, demanding safer working conditions. But drugs and violence remain a serious concern inside Hill Correctional Center in Galesburg, with a series of major events inside the prison in a matter of days. * Capitol City Now | Another attempt to rein in landlords: Ald. Roy Williams is renewing an attempt to pass a landlord registration ordinance in the city of Springfield. He’s tried it before but said Tuesday he is upset it never got anywhere. “I call it a stall game,” he said, “and it makes them mad, but I’ll just say we haven’t produced as a council, and back then, people were here, saying they had a problem with their housing. So I would like for you to know that I’m submitting an ordinance, and you will be hearing from folks from here until we go through the process.” * WCIA | Champaign greenhouse ready for students to learn growing, harvesting, teaching skills: A Champaign teaching kitchen working with hundreds of students says that after two long years, they have a structure that will help them take their skills to the next level. Ann Swanson is a teacher with the READY program and partners with Prosperity Gardens to teach children how to grow, harvest and cook their own produce. But, they were limited in what they could do because they didn’t have a greenhouse. Now, Swanson says this building allows them to teach year-round with a 20° difference from outside temperature to inside the greenhouse. * Nature | People with some cancers live longer after a COVID vaccine: A vaccine that helps to fight cancer might already exist. People being treated for certain deadly cancers lived longer if they had received an mRNA-based vaccine against COVID-19 than if they hadn’t, finds an analysis of medical records. Follow-up experiments in mice show that the vaccines have this apparent life-extending effect not because they protect against COVID-19 but because they rev up the body’s immune system. That response increases the effectiveness of therapies called checkpoint inhibitors, the animal data suggest. * DW | AI chatbots fail at accurate news, major study reveals: DW found that 53% of the answers provided by the AI assistants to its questions had significant issues, with 29% experiencing specific issues with accuracy. Among the factual errors made in response to DW questions was Olaf Scholz being named as German Chancellor, even though Friedrich Merz had been made Chancellor one month earlier. Another saw Jens Stoltenberg named as NATO secretary general after Mark Rutte had already taken over the role. * Bloomberg | Rivian mobility spinoff readies $4,500 e-bike as first product: Called TM-B, the class 3 e-bike, which don’t require a driver’s license, will launch in spring 2026, offering riders pedal assistance up to 28 miles per hour and, where allowed, a throttle reaching 20 mph. The $4,500 Launch and Performance editions share features, while a cheaper standard model, priced below $4,000, will follow later next year.
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Judge wants lawsuit over troop deployment in Illinois to move forward as Supreme Court weighs case
Wednesday, Oct 22, 2025 - Posted by Isabel Miller * The Tribune…
* Sun-Times federal court reporter Jon Seidel…
* Back to the Tribune…
* More…
* Crain’s | Trump administration slams Illinois, says National Guard power is solely president’s: The Trump administration today fired back at Illinois and Chicago in a U.S. Supreme Court reply brief, calling one of their key arguments “outlandish” and saying the question of whether to call up the National Guard is “committed exclusively to the president’s discretion.” The reply comes one day after Illinois and Chicago urged the court not to lift an order blocking the deployment of Guard troops in the city or suburbs and arguing that state and local police have been able to handle “isolated” protests. * Capitol News Illinois | Trump agrees to extend judge’s block on deploying National Guard as Supreme Court weighs case: Lawyers for the state of Illinois shot back in its own filing Monday, citing two U.S. Supreme Court decisions from the last century, including one “invalidating presidential seizure of steel mills during the Korean War.” “Furthermore, ‘federal courts are fully empowered to consider’ claims ‘resulting from military intrusion into the civilian sector,’” lawyers in Attorney General Kwame Raoul’s office wrote, citing a 1972 decision. “There are numerous indications that the questions presented here … fall within this duty.”
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It’s Time To Bring Safer Rides To Illinois
Wednesday, Oct 22, 2025 - Posted by Advertising Department [The following is a paid advertisement.] Waymo is ready to bring safe, reliable, autonomous rides to Illinois – but we need your help! Waymo is designed to follow all traffic laws and obey speed limits, and the data shows Waymo’s autonomous vehicles are involved in five times fewer injury-causing collisions compared to humans (as of 6/2025, see waymo.com/safety). Let’s bring safer rides to Illinois.  Waymo’s autonomous vehicles can improve access to transportation for Illinois residents with travel-limiting disabilities like vision impairment, to reach medical care, groceries, and social activities. Waymo’s all-electric autonomous vehicles also provide a more sustainable way for people to get around, preventing 315+ tons of carbon emissions with every 250K trips provided through our ride-hailing service.
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It’s just a bill
Wednesday, Oct 22, 2025 - Posted by Isabel Miller * Rep. Kimberly Du Buclet filed HB4175 yesterday…
California Governor Gavin Newsom recently vetoed a bill that would’ve similarly banned personal care products with glitter. Newsom said in his veto message that the bill might also block biodegradable or natural alternatives. Rep. Du Buclet’s bill, though, clearly spells out what kind of glitter would be banned. * Another bill introduced by Rep. Du Buclet would bar state and local governments from meddling in museum exhibits or programming…
* WAND…
* Covers…
Rep. Didech added a few new co-sponsors to his bill, including Republicans John Cabello and Jeff Keicher and Democrats Larry Walsh Jr. and Katie Stuart. * Sen. Sara Feigenholtz…
* The Alton Telegraph…
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When RETAIL Succeeds, Illinois Succeeds
Wednesday, Oct 22, 2025 - Posted by Advertising Department [The following is a paid advertisement.] The Macomb square is home to Bird’s Nest Knit & More where owner Jackie Sullivan creates a welcoming hub of knitting and crafting supplies allowing hobby enthusiasts to share ideas and projects. Jackie stresses that lawmakers should know small retail is not trying to dodge laws but seek to provide needed products and comfortable spaces in communities. 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 Jackie are better equipped to meet local needs. We Are Retail and IRMA are showcasing the retailers who make Illinois work.
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Roundup: Pritzker on Mayor Johnson’s head tax, transit fix and the Bears stadium
Wednesday, Oct 22, 2025 - Posted by Isabel Miller * Bloomberg…
* Tribune…
* Crain’s…
* Daily Herald…
Thoughts? * More…
* NBC Chicago | Pritzker strongly opposes corporate head tax, key part of Johnson’s budget plan: Johnson’s proposal to reinstate the head tax, which former Mayor Rahm Emanuel got rid of in 2014, appeared to be on life support the day the mayor first proposed it. The governor’s opposition certainly won’t help. Johnson said his budget proposal avoids having to increase taxes for “working people” and instead would charge the “ultra-rich.” However, Pritzker sees it as antithetical to his economic goals for the city. “(The tax) penalizes the very thing that we want, which is we want more employment in the city of Chicago. And it makes it very hard to attract companies from outside of Chicago to come in to Chicago and harder for companies that are in Chicago to stay,” Pritzker said. * ABC Chicago | Gov. Pritzker says he opposes Mayor Johnson’s proposed Chicago corporate head tax: Former commerce secretary Bill Daley said he was surprised to hear Pritzker’s direct opinion. Mayor Johnson championed the head tax as a way to raise $100 million for anti-violence programs and youth summer jobs. Business groups are hoping the mayor heeds the governor’s concerns.
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Help Strengthen Illinois Healthcare: 340B Hospitals Benefit Communities Through Financial Assistance And Essential Services
Wednesday, Oct 22, 2025 - Posted by Advertising Department [The following is a paid advertisement.] Hospitals participating in the federal 340B program benefit patients and communities in numerous ways—from financial assistance and charity care to new services that enhance care for low-income residents. Illinois’ 100 340B hospitals contributed to $8 billion in community benefits last year. Illinois hospitals are having a positive impact on individual lives and the health and well-being of the communities they serve. Our state’s hospitals take their role seriously. They’re working to ensure all Illinoisans have access to care so they can achieve optimal health, no matter their income level. The 340B drug discount program requires drugmakers to sell drugs at a discount to healthcare organizations, including many hospitals. Yet Big Pharma in 2020 decided to change the rules. Since then, drugmakers have been limiting access to 340B drug discounts. As a result, hospitals that are themselves struggling financially are less able to pass medication discounts to their patients. Hospitals are also facing tough decisions on keeping programs made possible by 340B. Communities win when local hospitals are strong. Pass the Illinois Patient Access to Pharmacy Protection Act (HB 2371 SA 2) to strengthen Illinois healthcare. HB 2371 SA 2 will safeguard the 340B program and protect patient access to affordable care. Learn more.
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Isabel’s morning briefing (Updated)
Wednesday, Oct 22, 2025 - Posted by Isabel Miller * ICYMI: ICE agents accused of pointing gun at state Rep. Hoan Huynh in Albany Park. Sun-Times…
- He and the staffers drove to Montrose and Kimball avenues to warn others of the federal agents by honking and yelling when six agents in two vehicles blocked Huynh’s vehicle from the front and back. - Rep. Huynh said one of the agents pointed a weapon into the open passenger window and demanded they identify themselves as another agent threatened to break another window. He said he didn’t immediately take his phone out to record the incident fearing the agent would think he was reaching for a weapon and open fire. …Adding… Heather Cherone…
* Related stories… Sponsored by Ameren Illinois
* Tribune | Illinois elections board divided, meaning nearly $10 million fine against Senate President Don Harmon unlikely: The tie vote of the eight-member board — comprising four Democrats and four Republicans — left the issue of a $9.8 million fine levied against Harmon in limbo as his attorney, veteran Democratic Party attorney Michael Kasper, said state election law requires a majority of five votes to issue a final order. Such an order was required to make a finding that Harmon violated the law and to impose a fine, he said. Deadlocked board members ultimately agreed to hold the issue over until the board’s scheduled November meeting at the latest, as its legal staff and Kasper explored what, if any, past precedents provide guidance on the situation. * Capitol News Illinois | Illinois video gambling mogul to seek GOP gubernatorial nomination: Rick Heidner, a Barrington Hills real estate developer and the owner of Gold Rush Gaming, formed a gubernatorial campaign committee on Tuesday, according to a filing with the State Board of Elections. It comes less than two weeks before the petition filing deadline for the March primary. Candidates for governor must attain at least 5,000 signatures to secure a place on the ballot. Heidner’s running mate is Homer Glen Mayor Christina Neitzke-Troike, according to petitions being circulated. * Tribune | Republican race for Illinois governor already spiraling downward over questionable campaign tactics: At a brief news conference, GOP governor candidate Ted Dabrowski refused to discuss the public disclosure of a years-old draft harassment complaint involving rival Darren Bailey and his 2022 campaign. The allegations, stemming from Bailey’s failed 2022 bid for governor, were never formally filed in court and have not been verified, but were linked to a politically motivated news article shared online. * The family of former Governor George Ryan and First Lady Lura Lynn Ryan is liquidating their estate. Click here for more details. * Crain’s | City Council grills Johnson team on head tax, new revenue plans: Opponents of the mayor criticized the bevy of new taxes as either anti-business or unlikely to materialize in 2026 and supporters were careful not to commit their vote before ensuring their favored services are adequately funded. Budget Director Annette Guzman said the administration is open to discussions over how to tailor the head tax to focus on the city’s larger corporations. * Sun-Times | City pursuing the idea of installing slot machines at O’Hare and Midway airports, Council members told: “We’ve had a conversation with Bally’s about moving that forward. … We have been in conversation with them about investigating that. They have expressed interest,” Jaworski said. “There are some technical challenges that we have to deal with — ensuring that we’re complying with all the regulations that are at the airports. But those conversations have been ongoing. They have identified a site at Midway and we continue to work to move that forward.” * NBC Chicago | ‘Unbearable’: Katie Abraham’s mom pens op-ed on daughter’s role in immigration operation: “Losing a child unlocked a pain I never knew existed. Losing a child to a crime adds to the depths of despair. Having my child’s legacy be associated with a politically charged and controversial operation instead of the positivity and light she contributed to those within her community is simply unbearable,” Lorence wrote in an op-ed for the Chicago Tribune. The 20-year-old Glenview woman was killed alongside a friend in January in Urbana, Illinois, when the vehicle they were riding in was struck by a suspected drunk driver who was believed to be an undocumented immigrant. The alleged driver fled the scene of the crash and was later arrested by Urbana police and charged in connection with the crash. * Legal Newsline | Plaintiffs forfeit in face scan class actions vs Cubs: The Chicago Cubs appear to have quickly beaten class action lawsuits lobbed against them under Illinois’ biometrics privacy law, which had accused them and certain security contractors of improperly scanning the faces of people visiting Wrigley Field. On Oct. 8, attorneys representing plaintiffs in Chicago federal court filed a notice indicating they were withdrawing their legal claims against the Cubs and co-defendants Blue Star Security, of Rosemont, and Security Services Holdings, which does business as Protos Security. * Chicago Mag | A Sweeping Yoko Ono Immersion at the MCA: “It’s an Onopalooza here at the MCA,” says Museum of Contemporary Art senior curator Jamillah James. The museum’s new exhibition, Yoko Ono: Music of the Mind, opens October 18 and runs through February 22, 2026 — its exclusive U.S. appearance. […] “The exhibition will really open a lot of eyes, so people will realize how much Yoko Ono has done for the arts,” says Tatsu Aoki, a Chicago-based musician, filmmaker, and School of the Art Institute professor who has collaborated with Ono. “I felt the same way about the David Bowie exhibition the MCA had [in 2014]: People didn’t know that David Bowie was also a designer, a painter — so much besides pop music. I think Music of the Mind will awaken people like that.” * ABC Chicago | Family fights for man’s release from ICE custody, details conditions at Broadview facility: In the surveillance footage shared with the ABC7 Chicago I-Team, federal agents dressed in fatigues exited the van, talked to Cabrera and his nephew, and, in less than three minutes, the men were escorted to the van, which drove off. The Cabrera family found themselves in the same situation as many families of loved ones caught up in “Operation Midway Blitz,” the administration’s codename for increased immigration enforcement happening across the Chicago area. * The Triibe | ‘Chiraq Team 2’: Oak Park attorney catches glimpse of federal agents’ group chat during arrest: Ten days later, Sakiyama ended up in the back of a vehicle used by federal immigration agents himself. The masked agents detained him at gunpoint on the morning of Oct. 20 and brought him to the same Broadview ICE facility. He sat in the vehicle with agents for about a half hour outside the facility before another agent gave him a citation for impeding a federal officer. They then returned him to his own car and wished him a good day, he said. The federal agents’ actions, Sakiyama said a day later, left him shaken. * Tribune | Amid criticism of police tactics, Broadview protesters begin appearing in court: So far, Illinois State Police, the Cook County sheriff’s office and the Broadview Police Department have arrested around 70 people at the protests, which have happened periodically since the September launch of “Operation Midwest Blitz.” The majority of the initial charges have been for resisting arrest, misdemeanors that at least on paper could mean a short amount of time in custody. At least three cases have been filed as low-level felonies. At least four arrests are listed for battery or battery to a police officer, and other charges include disorderly conduct and disobeying a police officer. The majority of the arrests have been made by the Illinois State Police. * Daily Herald | Palatine cafe closes following repeated visits by immigration agents: The business has seen great success despite opening four years ago during COVID, said Judith Martinez, who owns the cafe with her husband, Omar Garcia. But things began to change about three to four weeks ago, when federal agents arrived and started to approach customers, she said. Two masked agents encountered customers while they were eating breakfast and asked to see their papers but took no one into custody. Agents visited about a week later. This time, Martinez locked the front door when she saw them driving around the parking lot. * ABC Chicago | Harvey residents react as suburb furloughs more than 40% of staff amid budget crisis: “It’s a disappointment,” Harvey resident Destiny Martin said. “I mean just look at the city of Harvey. We need every piece of work that we can get.”Days after Harvey city leaders said they were facing a financial emergency, dozens of city employees and first responders got notices they were out of the job, for now. * Daily Herald | Democratic incumbents dominating fundraising in suburban congressional races: In the 6th District, Democratic U.S. Rep. Sean Casten of Downers Grove is facing challenges from a member of his own party and two Republicans — and he’s leading in fundraising. Casten has raised nearly $1.2 million and spent $579,970 so far this cycle, records show. His campaign started the third quarter with less than $1.1 million and finished September with nearly $1.3 million in its war chest. Democratic challenger Joey Ruzevich of Chicago has raised just $5,501 and spent $6,175 since he started fundraising in August, finishing September in a $674 hole, documents show. * Daily Southtown | Orland Park touts emergency response drone program as it looks to expand eyes in the sky: The six drones in the police department’s arsenal are deployed to improve response times when emergency situations arise, such as missing persons cases and traffic crashes, allowing officers to assess situations from above. “So if we have a robbery in progress at a jewelry store, as soon as dispatch has information, they could hit a button and that drone launches and flies straight to the scene,” Rossi said. * Daily Southtown | Homer Township Civic Center future murky amid funding woes: ‘It’s haphazard at best’: The prior Township Board under former Supervisor Steve Balich began building the civic center, 15774 151st St., in August 2024. Balich previously said the multipurpose building would be ready for use by May or June 2025. About $2.3 million has been spent on the project so far. But the township does not have the money to finish the project, the new township administration said. The new township board, which ousted Balich’s administration and was installed in May, said at least $550,000 to $700,000 more will need to be invested in the civic center to complete it. * Crain’s | Amazon plans to add 1,200 warehouse jobs in the southwest suburbs: Amazon has leased a big warehouse in Bolingbrook with plans to add 200 jobs there by the end of next year and is poised to build a massive new sorting facility in far southwest exurban Wilmington that could bring upwards of 1,000 new hires to the area. The e-commerce giant confirmed it has inked a 10-year lease for 575,000 square feet at 775 Veterans Parkway in Bolingbrook, where it will open its fifth Chicago-area “sub same day” fulfillment center. Such facilities are designed to serve customers ordering things they need to be delivered within a few hours rather than a day or two. * CBS Chicago | Jury chosen in murder trial of former Illinois sheriff’s deputy who killed Sonya Massey: By 5 p.m., a panel of 12 jurors and three alternates had been chosen. The main jury consists of nine men, and three women; 11 of them White, one of them Black. Opening statements have been set to begin at 9 a.m. Wednesday. The case is likely to rely heavily on body camera footage that captured what occurred in the early morning hours of July 6, 2024. * WGLT | McLean County Board approves long-delayed 2024 audit at special meeting: Val Laymon, who chairs the county board’s finance committee, recommended the county take action after sharing several complaints about how the elected auditor, Michelle Anderson, runs the auditor’s office. “Not only putting in place target dates for basic actions of the office, but also seeing an increased level of accountability and pride in doing the great work for the people of McLean County so we do not experience the same conversation in nine months time,” Laymon told the board. * WICS | Mayor Buscher to unveil community project funded by opioid settlement: The event will take place on Tuesday, Oct. 21, 2025, at 4:30 p.m. at Fire Station 1, located at 825 E. Capitol Ave. The announcement will be made alongside city dignitaries and local community partners, including Fire Chief Nick Zummo, Police Chief Joe Behl, and Ethan Posey, director of community relations. * WMBD | Landmark agreement signed between local fire departments to improve public safety: Brimfield, Yates City, Farmington, Elmwood and Williamsfield fire departments signed a joint agreement on Tuesday to expand their work relationship and reduce their response time. Called the Heartland agreement, the five volunteer fire departments will work together in joint training sessions, share high-tech equipment and share in bulk purchases. * AP | Anti-science bills hit statehouses, stripping away public health protections built over a century: More than 420 anti-science bills attacking longstanding public health protections – vaccines, milk safety and fluoride – have been introduced in statehouses across the U.S. this year, part of an organized, politically savvy campaign to enshrine a conspiracy theory-driven agenda into law. An Associated Press investigation found that the wave of legislation has cropped up in most states, pushed by people with close ties to Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. The effort would strip away protections that have been built over a century and are integral to American lives and society. Around 30 bills have been enacted or adopted in 12 states. * WGN | What happened to focusing on ‘the worst of the worst?’: Pressed to provide the data, Homan made another claim: “Nearly 70-percent of everybody ICE arrests are either public safety threats or national security threats.” However, 71-percent of people currently in ICE detention have no criminal convictions, according to data obtained by tracreports.org, which gathers and tracks government immigration data. * Modern Healthcare | Politics puts a target on the AMA and its role in medical billing: Kennedy has long been a critic of the AMA’s role in medical coding, and so has Sen. Dr. Bill Cassidy (R-La.), who chairs the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee. Cassidy wrote a pointed letter to the AMA demanding the group justify its monopoly on medical billing codes and reveal how much money it earns from licensing CPT codes to users. But Cassidy also labeled the association “anti-patient, anti-science” because it opposes policies to bar access to gender-affirming care for children and supports diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives.
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Good morning!
Wednesday, Oct 22, 2025 - Posted by Rich Miller * I’ll be out of the office most of the day today, so be nice for Isabel… Kindness don’t ask for much but an open mind
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Protected: SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - Supplement to today’s edition
Wednesday, Oct 22, 2025 - Posted by Rich Miller
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Protected: SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - Today’s edition of Capitol Fax (use all CAPS in password)
Wednesday, Oct 22, 2025 - Posted by Rich Miller
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Selected press releases (Live updates)
Wednesday, Oct 22, 2025 - Posted by Isabel Miller
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Live coverage
Wednesday, Oct 22, 2025 - Posted by Isabel Miller * Click here and/or here to follow breaking news on the website formally known as Twitter. We’re experimenting this week with a new app which feeds Bluesky posts. Still tweaking it…
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