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Isabel’s afternoon roundup
Tuesday, Oct 14, 2025 - Posted by Isabel Miller * WCIA…
 Illinois families are already stretched thin and a delivery tax would push them even further. For Illinois residents, delivery services are essential, not optional. Working parents, seniors, and those with limited mobility rely on them for groceries, meals, and everyday needs. Now, a proposed delivery tax threatens to raise costs on the families who can least afford it. Learn more about the impact of a delivery tax and why we MUST stop it. * Tribune…
* Shaw Local | ‘The government came down with a hammer’ - Immigration crackdown fears impacting Illinois restaurant industry: “They also have other jobs and they’ve watched the agents come in and take their co-workers away,” she said. One staff member is a college student from South America, who, “doesn’t go anywhere without her papers,” Gillespie said. Her papers – meaning her passport – she said. She said she could understand if they were criminals. But these are people “who have a right to be here,” Gillespie said. * Crain’s | Opinion: Illinois can’t let this law stall our future: The Biometric Information Privacy Act may have had good intentions when passed nearly twenty years ago, but it has been marked by controversy since. It was initially intended to keep Illinoisans’ sensitive biometric data safe, but in practice, it created legal uncertainty for companies, making them think twice before doing business in our state. * Sun-Times | Feds tear-gas crowd after car chase leads to crash on Chicago’s East Side: Details of what led to the crash remained scant, but dozens of residents showed up near the scene at 105th Street and Avenue N and were met with armed agents guarding the scene. Video shared with the Sun-Times appears to show federal agents in a white SUV tailing a red SUV and attempting to conduct a “PIT maneuver” or precision immobilization technique, a law enforcement tactic used to end high-speed pursuits by intentionally striking a fleeing vehicle to cause it to spin out. * ABC Chicago | Chicago’s first Family Justice Center opens for Cook County domestic violence survivors: The Cook County state’s attorney says domestic violence continues to go up in Cook County. So, the need for support is real. The new center is located at 3410 W. Van Buren St. in the Garfield Park neighborhood. It will begin to welcome adults in a few weeks. The Chicago Advocacy Network for Hope is the latest initiative to connect people experiencing domestic violence with resources, such as housing, legal aid and mental health services. * Crain’s | Chicago State’s growth plan: Build new dorms and more students will come: Enrollment in bachelor degree programs by African American students fell 21% between 2012 and 2022, according to the Illinois Board of Higher Education, outpacing the overall decline in undergraduate enrollment of 14.4% in the same period. That’s in large part why Scott is undertaking an ambitious plan to build more housing and amenities, thereby making CSU more attractive to candidates looking to live on campus at the predominantly black institution. The student population is 76% African American and 9% Hispanic. * Block Club | Controversial Broadway Rezoning In Edgewater, Uptown Heads To City Council: The City Council’s zoning committee voted Tuesday to approve plans to “upzone” Broadway from Devon to Montrose avenues in Edgewater and Uptown. Upzoning refers to reclassifying an area’s zoning to allow for taller, denser buildings and permit additional business uses. The goal of the upzoning is to create more housing on a corridor that abuts the Red Line and in an area that has seen housing prices spike and gentrification concerns increase, officials who back the plan have said. * Crain’s | Chicago airports reject Noem’s TSA video blaming government shutdown on Dems: “The Chicago Department of Aviation declined a Department of Homeland Security request last week to post a video at Chicago’s airports,” the aviation department said in a statement. “Advertising at Chicago’s airports, including promotional materials and public-service announcements, must comply with CDA’s Advertising Guidelines, which prohibit content that endorses or opposes any named political party. These guidelines help ensure the airports remain welcoming and neutral spaces for all travelers. * Block Club | CTA To Raise Fares 25 Cents Per Ride As Fiscal Cliff Looms: Starting Feb. 1, it’ll cost an extra quarter to ride the train or bus, according to the CTA’s 2026 budget recommendations. That will raise a single bus ride to $2.50 and a train ride to $2.75. The CTA will also raise a one-day pass from $5 to $6, a seven-day pass from $20 to $25 and a 30-day pass from $75 to $85. The three-day pass will be eliminated to “streamline fare offerings,” according to the budget documents. * Sun-Times | Facebook suspends popular Chicago ICE-sightings group at Trump administration’s request: The group, called “ICE Sighting-Chicagoland,” has been increasingly used over the last five weeks of “Operation Midway Blitz,” President Donald Trump’s intense deportation campaign, to warn neighbors that federal agents are near schools, grocery stores and other community staples so they can take steps to protect themselves. But the Trump administration has claimed that its agents — nearly all of whom wear face coverings, don’t wear badges and at times drive vehicles without license plates — are “under attack.” * WBEZ | How pear whisperer Oriana Kruszewski became a darling of Chicago’s top chefs: Before harvesting began, she held court, slicing open fruit and passing around juicy samples while sharing a history of the pawpaw, a native North American fruit that she also grows. She told stories, cracked jokes, doled out life advice and took a picture of the clan that she would later post herself on her picturesque — and often funny — Instagram account. That is a snapshot of what it’s like to work with Kruszewski, who has developed a popular following among Chicago chefs. They say they are inspired by her wisdom, culled from years tending to an acreage she purchased at $3,000 an acre decades ago. It was a meager price compared to what the land is worth today, she told her volunteers, turning the story into a lesson. * ABC Chicago | ICE has until Tuesday night to remove fence around Broadview facility to meet judge’s deadline: The village argued it’s a safety hazard, especially for first responders. A bulldozer briefly pulled up Tuesday morning, but no effort was made to take the eight-foot metal fence down. This comes as many said if it does come down, it will be a clear violations of checks and balances in government. * Daily Herald | ‘So much uncertainty’: How Woodridge food pantry is dealing with demand: The West Suburban Community Pantry strives to make its lobby a welcoming, dignified space, and Jeanne Sheridan is a big reason for that. The octogenarian volunteer, attentive and warm, helps people know where to go and what to do. On a recent morning, she guided a woman with a young child to the pantry’s market in Woodridge. A quote attributed to Mother Teresa is displayed in a hallway: “If you can’t feed a hundred people, then feed just one.” * Daily Herald | ‘So much uncertainty’: How Woodridge food pantry is dealing with demand: The pantry serves about 1,000 families every week through in-person and online markets. Visits over the last year were up about 15% compared to the previous one. “You don’t have to tell us why you need X, Y, Z,” CEO Maeven Sipes said. “We just want you to come and get what you need and have one less worry.” * WMBD | Peoria County braces for Sean Grayson trial street closures: The case has drawn national attention and several out-of-town media outlets are expected to come to Peoria, as are protest groups. County officials have said the 200 and 300 blocks of Main Street will be closed to traffic, as will the 300 block of Hamilton Boulevard. All three blocks will reopen to traffic in the evening. * WGLT | Signing off: Longtime Peoria broadcaster Chuck Collins ready to retire after 50 years on-air: The chief meteorologist of WEEK-TV is retiring on Wednesday after two generations of forecasting weather to the Peoria and Bloomington-Normal TV market. “The biggest thing I’m going to miss is talking to kids about weather. During the school year I would go to two or three schools a week talking to kids, especially grade school kids,” said Collins in an interview on WGLT’s Sound Ideas. “Usually grades three through six, they have a weather curriculum they study. I guess I’m a big kid as well.” * WJBD | Ameren’s natural gas storage fields in Centralia to undergo modernization: Ameren Illinois has announced the Centralia Natural Gas Storage Fields near the intersection of Calumet and Perrine Street on the city’s south side will undergo major rebuilding next year. The result is expected to be a smaller footprint and a more economical operation. Ameren has already completed similar reshaping at its natural gas storage fields in Tilden and Freeburg. * Politico | ‘I love Hitler’: Leaked messages expose Young Republicans’ racist chat: William Hendrix, the Kansas Young Republicans’ vice chair, used the words “n–ga” and “n–guh,” variations of a racial slur, more than a dozen times in the chat. Bobby Walker, the vice chair of the New York State Young Republicans at the time, referred to rape as “epic.” Peter Giunta, who at the time was chair of the same organization, wrote in a message sent in June that “everyone that votes no is going to the gas chamber. Giunta was referring to an upcoming vote on whether he should become chair of the Young Republican National Federation, the GOP’s 15,000-member political organization for Republicans between 18 and 40 years old. * St. Louis Post-Dispatch | Bailout? Missouri farmers say protecting China market is more important: Last year, China bought over 105 million tons of the legume from the U.S., making it the country’s biggest soybean buyer. This year, China has yet to place an order, turning instead to Brazilian suppliers — leaving U.S. soybean producers searching for new buyers amid lower prices. Agriculture is Missouri’s top economic driver, with almost 86,000 farms and over 400,000 farm workers across the state, according to the Missouri Department of Agriculture. It’s one of the country’s largest growers when it comes to plants such as rice, corn, cotton, soybeans and peanuts. * AP | Trump and budget chief Vought are making this a government shutdown unlike any other: As the shutdown enters its third week, the Office and Management and Budget said Tuesday it’s preparing to “batten down the hatches” with more reductions in force to come. The president calls budget chief Russ Vought the “grim reaper” who’s seized on the opportunity to fund Trump’s priorities, paying the military while slashing employees in health, education, the sciences and other areas with actions that have been criticized as illegal and are facing court challenges. “Pay the troops, pay law enforcement, continue the RIFs, and wait,” OMB said in a social media post.
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Protected: SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - Session stuff
Tuesday, Oct 14, 2025 - Posted by Rich Miller
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It’s just a bill
Tuesday, Oct 14, 2025 - Posted by Rich Miller * Rep. Buckner press release…
Thoughts?
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La Schiazza agrees to “generous” deferred prosecution deal
Tuesday, Oct 14, 2025 - Posted by Isabel Miller * Bloomberg…
* Capitol News Illinois’ Hannah Meisel…
* The Tribune…
Thoughts?
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RETAIL: Strengthening Communities Across Illinois
Tuesday, Oct 14, 2025 - Posted by Advertising Department [The following is a paid advertisement.] Retailers throughout Illinois remain focused on serving their neighborhoods. Luckeyia Murry, owner of Luckeyia’s Balloons & Distribution in the city of Homewood, says running a small business is a lot of hard work. She wants policymakers to understand it is small businesses who build community and keep people connected. Retail generates $7.3 billion in income and sales tax revenue each year in Illinois. These funds support public safety, infrastructure, education, and other important programs we all rely on every day. In fact, retail is the second largest revenue generator for the State of Illinois and the largest revenue generator for local governments. Policies that support small businesses help communities thrive as retailers like Luckeyia are better equipped to meet local needs. We Are Retail and IRMA are showcasing the retailers who make Illinois work.
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Catching up with the congressionals
Tuesday, Oct 14, 2025 - Posted by Isabel Miller * Starting off in the 8th Congressional District…
* Moving on to the 9th CD. Press release…
* Phil Andrew reports a large fundraising haul. Press release…
* A little more from Politico…
* Over 30 faith leaders from across the 7th CD are endorsing City Treasurer Melissa Conyears-Ervin…
* More… * Semafor | House Democrats’ primary problems put 2026 hopes at risk: [Ian Russell, a former Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee political director,] said tensions have been high everywhere since a progressive influencer, Kat Abughazaleh, said she would challenge Rep. Jan Schakowsky, “just to run against her.” (The Illinois Democrat, who has since said she will retire, is one of the caucus’ most progressive members.) “Everyone is a little more on edge,” Russell said. “These are fights that are not about taking back the House.” * New India Times | Support grows for Bushra Amiwala, Illinois candidate for Congress: Bushra Amiwala, candidate for Congress in Illinois’ 9th District, announced new endorsements from Next Gen Politics (IL and National Chapters), and the Northern Illinois American Muslim Alliance (NIAMA), as younger leaders, and some faith groups rally behind her campaign. “I’m honored to have the support of these organizations and their members,” Amiwala is quoted saying in a press release October 14, 2025. “They each represent the best of our district — engaged citizens, faith leaders, and organizers who care deeply about building a fairer, more inclusive future. We’re working together to ensure that every voice in this district is heard and represented.” * WMBD | 24-year-old Democrat challenges Sorensen: Montez Soliz is a 24-year-old Rockford man who graduated from Nothern Illinois University. He hasn’t held an elected position before, but he’s no stranger to politics. “I’ve been civically engaged early as I can remember,” he said. “Hearing the concerns and worries that our people are going through, whether it’s education, equity or economic justice, we need a representative that truly represents our district.” * WMBD | Small business owner looks to challenge Sorensen in 2026: Owner of Dame Fine Coffee wants to flip the Illinois 17th District red hoping to challenge incumbent U.S. Rep. Eric Sorensen in 2026. Dillan Vancil is a small business owner that has seven shops across Central and West Central Illinois including one in Chillicothe. Running as a Republican, he said the country needs to do more to support small businesses. * Evanston Now | Evanston to create its own ‘ICE-free zones’: The measure, however, lacks clear ways to enforce it, an issue also faced when Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson signed his executive order on Oct. 6 that dubbed Chicago property “ICE-free zones.” Multiple council members, staff, and Mayor Daniel Biss suggesting Evanston should do the same, the city’s top policy advisor, Liza Roberson-Young, told reporters after Monday’s meeting. * Forest Park Review | Emergency room doc Thomas Fisher runs for Congress: Come March, residents of the 7th congressional district will vote in a Democratic primary on the successor to Congressman Danny Davis, who, in July, announced he was retiring after nearly 30 years. […] While, if elected, Fisher would advocate for lower health care costs and expanding access to care, he said the way to address the root causes of the poor health that he sees daily is by “creating an economy that honors our lives.” * Capitol City Now | Candidate for U.S. Senate: Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi: Over the weekend, journalists from around the state gathered in Springfield to get a chance to meet many of the announced candidates for a seat in the U.S. Senate from Illinois in next year’s election. The winner will replace incumbent Sen. Dick Durbin, who is retiring. At the University of Illinois Springfield Saturday, WTAX’s Dave Dahl and Will Stevenson talked with Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi. This is the first of a number of conversations airing on the WTAX Morning Newswatch over the next several weeks.
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Keep ROFR And Anti-Competitive Language Out Of The Energy Bill
Tuesday, Oct 14, 2025 - Posted by Advertising Department [The following is a paid advertisement.] Voters and the Governor already rejected lawmakers’ push for anti-competitive “Right of First Refusal” (ROFR) bills that handed transmission contracts to incumbent utilities. Now, the same principles that would raise costs on ratepayers are back. They are trying to rebrand ROFR and pretend it’s about protecting Illinois. As energy legislation is finalized in Springfield this month, let’s keep ROFR and anti-competitive language out of bill. Let’s remember Illinois voters:
• 76% say anti-competition laws only strengthen utilities, not citizens. • 75% say ending competition drives up prices and kills savings. The message is clear: voters want more competition, not less. Voters’ concerns about higher energy prices are only on the rise. Since this poll, they’ve endured a sizzling summer with skyrocketing prices, and a new report says the cost of heating a home this winter is expected to jump nearly 8%. Voters have made their voice clear: Say no to energy inflation. Don’t hand more power and control to ComEd and Ameren. Say no to ending cost-cutting competition. And say yes to policies that provide lower cost to consumers.
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Budget hole surfaces as legislature returns to Springfield
Tuesday, Oct 14, 2025 - Posted by Rich Miller * Yes, we’ve talked about this before. But it’s important, so I made the topic my weekly newspaper column…
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Vote YES on HB 2371 SA 2 to Invest in Healthcare Services for Underserved Communities
Tuesday, Oct 14, 2025 - Posted by Advertising Department [The following is a paid advertisement.] In Illinois’ southernmost communities, 18% of residents live in poverty and have historically low levels of education and high rates of illness and mortality. Southern Illinois Healthcare (SIH) serves this 16-county rural area that’s considered medically underserved.
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Isabel’s morning briefing
Tuesday, Oct 14, 2025 - Posted by Isabel Miller * ICYMI: Illinois legislators poised to grapple with trains, insurance and the Bears. Tribune…
- Any legislation passed at this time of year that would take effect before June 2026 requires a three-fifths vote rather than a simple majority in both chambers. - Energy costs are also top of mind as lawmakers may consider a response to spikes caused by technological advances amid the state’s recent efforts to boost clean energy jobs and promote renewable energy standards. * Related stories… Sponsored by Ameren Illinois
* BlueRoomStream.com’s coverage of today’s press conferences and committee hearings can be found here. * Governor Pritzker will be in Hampshire at 3:15 for the ribbon cutting of a new five-megawatt community solar project developed by Nautilus Solar Energy. Click here to watch. * Crain’s | Dire details of how Medicaid, SNAP cuts will hit Illinois come into focus: States will bear 75% of administrative costs, up from 50%. Those costs are an estimated $80 million annual increase to Illinois, the report said. And in October 2027, a new state cost-sharing requirement will begin for SNAP benefits tied to each state’s payment error rate. * Capitol News Illinois | Ex-Speaker Madigan reports to West Virginia prison to begin 7 ½-year sentence: Decades ago, Morgantown was one of a few federal minimum security prisons jokingly referred to as “Club Fed” due to the activities offered. But [Prison Consultants of America Executive Director Michael Sabo] said it’s been 50 years since the Morgantown facility’s pool was decommissioned amid public outcry in the 1970s and noted its long-dilapidated tennis courts are likely now shuttered too. “They might show a movie on the weekends in the gym and maybe have popcorn,” he said. “But it’s not like ‘Club Fed’ years ago. He’s not going to a fancy place … I guarantee it.” * CBS | Illinois lawmakers considering new measure to add additional tax to rideshare, delivery services: An email from Uber last week explained, “legislators are considering a new measure that could add an extra tax on all rideshare trips.” Jessica Perjes, the owner of Tacotlan in Hermosa, on the city’s Northwest Side, took to social media to share a similar statement from Grubhub, which warned, “A new tax could add up to $1.50 to every order you receive.” “It just made me feel frustrated, because I was like, what else can we take?” she said. * IPM News | Downstate transit groups say they need Illinois lawmakers to address funding shortfalls soon: Amy Snyder, the Champaign-Urbana Mass Transit District’s deputy managing director, said the deficit will not take immediate effect on Champaign-Urbana’s MTD. But it may be a problem if a solution is not reached in this fall veto session or next year’s fiscal budget, resulting in route cuts, fewer buses and layoffs. “We wouldn’t have to pull back yet,” Snyder said. “But we would be pretty close, because we’re cutting the margins so close with the revenue against the expenses. We could be, down the road, in a situation where things get tight.” * CBS | Former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan begins serving 7 ½-year sentence: The man once known as the most powerful politician in Illinois is trading his suit for prison stripes. Former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan reported to prison on Monday to begin his 7 ½-year sentence on corruption charges. * NBC Chicago | Mike Madigan heads to prison to serve sentence on corruption charges, sources say: As part of his sentence, Madigan was required to report to jail on Oct. 13, though his defense team had requested he report to Terre Haute. Federal prosecutors sought a 12 1/2-year prison term. Madigan’s attorneys wanted probation, contending the government’s sentence would “condemn an 83-year-old man to die behind bars for crimes that enriched him not one penny.” Prosecutors also sought to ensure Madigan be barred from holding public positions, though his defense attorneys insisted “Mike is not going to hold office or seek office ever again.” * Sun-Times | Former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan is in prison: Prison camps like the one in Morgantown are known to have little to no fencing. And inmates have access to a prison commissary. At Morgantown, Madigan could purchase pitted dates for $4.35, a chess set for $7.10 and an alarm clock for $10, according to a menu online. * CBS Chicago | Former Chicago Ald. Bob Fioretti to run for Illinois Attorney General: Fioretti ran for mayor in 2015 and 2019 — finishing in 4th place with 7.4% of the vote in a five-way race in 2015, and getting less than 1% of the vote in a crowded race in 2019. Fioretti also ran for Cook County Board President twice — losing to Toni Preckwinkle in the Democratic primary in 2018, and then challenging her again as a Republican in 2022. Both times, Fioretti finished with less than 40% of the vote. * Tribune | On a tour in Chicago, state reps hear from museum leaders in an uncertain cultural funding landscape: This tour was the first of several planned by DuBuclet’s office to connect museum professionals directly to legislators in Springfield — to understand their needs, their fears and their importance in an increasingly fraught political landscape. “It’s not just about looking at pictures,” DuBuclet said. “It’s about preserving our history and understanding where we come from.” Though this first tour was not bipartisan, DuBuclet’s committee — MACE, for short — is. It has seven Democrats and four Republican members. Thursday’s three-museum jaunt was a blueprint for more tours to follow. One, tentatively scheduled for mid-November, will head to Chicago’s Museum Campus. Future tours will visit cultural institutions outside of Chicago, closer to Republican-led districts. * Daily Herald | Glenbard school board president appointed to state House seat: DuPage County Democratic leaders have appointed the president of the Glenbard District 87 school board to an Illinois House seat. Margaret DeLaRosa has been sworn in to the 42nd District seat. She replaces Terra Costa Howard, a Glen Ellyn Democrat who resigned from the seat to become a DuPage County Circuit Court judge. State law prohibits judges from holding elected offices. * Tribune | ICE tickets Chicago man with legal residency $130 for not having his papers on him: ‘It’s not fair…I’m a resident’: The National Immigrant Justice Center in Chicago told the Tribune it has not yet seen any of its clients receive this sort of citation. But it’s part of a recent push by the Trump administration to ensure immigrants register with authorities and maintain their documentation to them at all times or face potential penalties. The Immigrant Legal Resource Center calls it a “hateful tactic” meant to “cause panic and fear throughout the country.” * Windy City Times | Ald. Jessie Fuentes to file lawsuit against ICE agent who handcuffed her in Humboldt Park incident : In an interview with Windy City Times, Fuentes said she has been consulting with lawyers about taking legal action and could file a lawsuit as soon as this week. The lawsuit would stem from an Oct. 3 incident inside the hospital’s emergency room, where Fuentes was responding to support a man injured during an encounter with federal immigration agents. “I’ve been doing fine since then, and my major focus has been making sure that we can get the support that’s needed for the individual who’s in the hospital,” Fuentes said. * Tribune | Fighting Trump’s immigration blitz in Chicago, ward by ward: The aldermen were driven to Broadview, they said, by a shared fear infecting their wards. Trump’s “Operation Midway Blitz” raids have made parents uncomfortable dropping kids off at school and bread winners afraid to go to work, braking life in vibrant, historic and economically essential immigrant-filled communities, Rodriguez said. The Southwest Side alderman called it “terror.” He gestured over his left shoulder, where a federal agent outfitted in camouflage military battle gear stood near a rifle mounted to a sniper tripod pointed toward the tense, but largely peaceful protest. * Crain’s | CTA plans 10% fare hike, joining Metra in raising rates : The Chicago Transit Authority says it plans to raise fares about 10% next year, following Metra’s announcement last week that it will raise fares 13% to 15%. With the new budget proposals by CTA and Metra, commuters are starting to get glimpse of how much of the tab they’ll be asked to pick up as pandemic-era federal funding dries up. Legislators are meeting this week to talk about ways to address the “fiscal cliff” across CTA, Metra and Pace that starts at $202 million next year and balloons to $789 million in 2027. * Tribune | CTA defends safety practices after feds threaten funding : Leerhsen laid out the transit agency’s various crime-fighting initiatives, including its use of an AI-gun detection technology called ZeroEyes and the opening of a new strategic support center this summer in collaboration with Chicago police. “With access to CTA’s vast network of cameras across the transit system, and to city of Chicago street cameras, CPD officers assigned to the (strategic support center) monitor and track active and ongoing incidents, as well as assist detectives in identifying and locating offenders that commit crimes on the public transit system,” Leerhsen wrote. * Tribune | Tony Fitzpatrick, a Chicago artist in many realms, dies at 66: Those who knew Tony then found him a little angry, a bit crazy, searching for ways to express himself. He would find it first in art, as in the crude but striking drawing he handed to a Tribune reporter at a 1981 memorial service for the recently deceased and by then nearly forgotten writer Nelson Algren, held at Second City. “This was drawn with old cigarette butts,” he said. What academic training he had in the arts took place at the College of DuPage. As he said about the school some years ago, “So much of my creative life began here. I did my first acting here. I started to seriously write poetry here. I made art here.” * CBS Chicago | Parents of teen tossed to ground, detained by apparent federal agent demand answers: The video shows Evelyn getting pulled out of the passenger seat. She is then thrown to the ground, all while saying she is not resisting arrest, as the officer handcuffed her and appeared to put a knee on her back. […] “While we were there, we were asking when they were going to be released, and what were going to be the charges, trying to figure out some kind of information because they weren’t giving us any information,” Gerado said. * CBS Chicago | Forest Park officials say ICE agents detained U.S. citizens with excessive force at Concordia Cemetery: “Their constitutional rights have been violated,” he said. “Forest Park is one of many communities right now dealing with ICE and customs officials who are treating members of the community as if they’re less than.” DHS told CBS News Chicago the four employees were trying to impede their arrest of the two undocumented immigrants. Both of those undocumented men were eventually arrested. The four employees were released without any charges. * WTTW | Broadview Mayor Shrinks Designated Protest Area Outside ICE Facility: Broadview Mayor Katrina Thompson signed an executive order shrinking the designated protest area outside the suburb’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility following Saturday night protests that “degenerated into chaos,” Thompson announced Monday. The decision, made in consultation with the Illinois State Police and Cook County Sheriff’s Office, means protests are only permitted outside the ICE facility on Beach Street, and will no longer be allowed at 2000 S. 25th Ave. * NBC | How immigration enforcement turned sleepy Broadview into a chaotic, militarized town: At one point, Nash said, an agent chased a man into his yard, breaking a fence and shooting rubber bullets. He said his kids and niece and nephew have not been able to get to school for the last four Fridays because the bus cannot get through to his home. Worse, plumes of tear gas deployed byfederal agents have been so potent it’s irritated two of the children in the home who have asthma — even when they’re inside, Nash added. An autistic child who also lives in the home has struggled at the relentless thrumming of helicopters constantly flying overhead, he said. * Aurora Beacon-News | Aurora Mayor John Laesch condemns federal immigration enforcement activity after protest at City Hall: Federal agents have been in the Aurora area in recent days, state Rep. Barbara Hernandez, D-Aurora, and state Sen. Karina Villa, D-West Chicago, said in Facebook posts recently. According to a statement by Laesch on Friday, the city was also notified of federal agent sightings, which incited “panic and fear among residents.” “This unconstitutional deployment of federal officers resulted in multiple snatchings of community members, targeting, specifically, our city’s strong and diverse Hispanic population,” Laesch said in the statement. “I utterly condemn the wrongful use of federal funds to violate the civil rights of our residents.” * WCPT…
* Sun-Times | Religious leaders are denied request to deliver Communion to detainees at Broadview facility: The Rev. Larry Dowling, one of the priests holding the Communion elements, said, “We’re just very disappointed because we simply wanted to bring the love of God and the presence of the Eucharist to these prisoners, which we had been allowed to do before all this stuff happened. So they’re basically rejecting us bringing the presence of Christ and the love of God.” A spokesperson for the coalition pointed to the 2008 Access to Religious Ministry Act, which allows religious workers “reasonable access” to jails and people in immigration detention facilities to meet with those who wish to “consult about their spiritual needs.” * WGN | ‘I wonder about their intentions’: Chicago pastor speaks out after ICE agents shoot him in head with pepper balls in Broadview: “As I was praying audibly to them, they opened fire on me and shot me twice in the head and another five times in the body — at least. Parenthically the manufacture of pepper ball says on Page 4.1 of their safety manuel that pepper balls shot at heads, necks, spines and other sensitive areas, could be deadly. So I wonder about the training of these ICE agents and I wonder about their intentions,” Black told WGN News * Aurora Beacon-News | Aurora reaches agreement with CyrusOne to address issues at data center: Nearby residents for months have been raising concerns around noise coming from the CyrusOne data center, located at the corner of Eola and Diehl roads on Aurora’s far East Side near Interstate 88. The company has responded by participating in community meetings and putting in place temporary measures while working on long-term fixes. On Thursday, lawyers from Aurora and CyrusOne both signed an agreement that sets a timeline for temporary and permanent fixes to be in place. It also lays out penalties for the company not following the order and includes a $40,000 fine that could be lowered. * Shaw Local | Grundy County Supervisor of Assessments resigns to take Will County deputy assessor job: “About two weeks ago, our supervisor of assessment resigned, and since that time, the department has been working in high gear,” Kucharz said. “They just picked up the pace in order to push this because we are close to what we call publishing period time.” Kucharz said assessors are working toward publishing their assessments in mid-to-late October, and they are trying to get tentative equalized assessed values by mid-October. * Shaw Local | DuPage County clerk goes to court to get two election vendors paid: The request for the temporary restraining order is the latest in a years-long battle between the Democrat-led DuPage County Board and the county clerk’s office, also headed by a Democrat. The two sides have clashed over how bills get paid and the internal control Kaczmarek has over her office. In August, a judge sided with the county board, saying the clerk must follow the county’s accounting procedures. A motion from Kaczmarek’s office challenging the county’s bidding procedures has not yet been ruled upon. * Daily Herald | DuPage County looks to regulate short-term rental properties with annual fee, inspection : Currently, the county allows rentals of 30 days or more but not short-term rentals. Among municipalities, suburban towns have varying restrictions on residences that host guests through internet-based short-term rental platforms such as Airbnb and Vrbo. The Naperville City Council, for instance, decided in 2020 to ban short-term rentals. “We’ve chosen in this proposed text amendment to allow them and regulate them,” said Paul Hoss, who heads the county’s planning and zoning administration. * Daily Herald | Metra customers not allowed to use motors to propel e-bikes, e-scooters onto train: Metra customers are now required to carry their e-bikes and e-scooters on and off the train without the assistance of electric motors. The new amendment to a bike policy was announced in a statement Friday by Metra, a rail system serving six counties in the Chicago area. Metra officials said the amendment was made in response to a “small but growing trend” of customers with “large, heavy” e-bikes or e-scooters needing someone to carry those devices on and off trains or using the electric motor to do so. * WBEZ | Northwestern University professor among 3 to win Nobel Prize in economics : Joel Mokyr, a Dutch-born professor of economics and history at Northwestern University, is one of three researchers awarded the Nobel memorial prize in economics Monday for explaining how new products and inventions promote economic growth and human welfare. Mokyr, 79, learned about winning the prize about 4 a.m. Monday. “It was kind of an odd thing because we were in our summer place in Michigan, and I got up early in the morning, and I dashed off to my laptop to check what happened with the [Israeli] hostages,” Mokyr, who was raised in Israel, said during a phone interview. “I went to check my news, but my eyes fell on the email inbox and I got all these messages that say, ‘Congratulations.’ I go, ‘Congratulations? It’s not my birthday.’ Then I looked at my phone, and I realized I have an unanswered phone call with a country code of Sweden.” * WGLT | Split Bloomington council OKs directing grocery tax revenue to infrastructure spending: All revenue generated by the City of Bloomington’s local grocery tax that goes into effect next year will be used to pay for infrastructure improvements. Mayor Dan Brady said that includes not only roads, but sidewalks, buildings, sewer and water systems, and other capital projects. “The number one thing we all hear about is our infrastructure and our needs,” said Brady. “This is a way, with the funds by the taxpayers, that it’s protected to go towards what seems to be, for all of us, the number one priority from the citizens of Bloomington that we hear of so often.” * Investigate Midwest | Immigrants helped save this Illinois meatpacking town: They are among hundreds of immigrants in Beardstown who arrived through humanitarian parole programs that have since been rescinded by the Trump administration, leaving them undocumented and out of work. Many of them were employed at DOT Foods and JBS, the world’s largest meat processor. These workers were part of a workforce that has long sustained both the town’s economy and its key role in the country’s food supply chain. For decades, Beardstown has been a case study in how immigrants have revitalized once-decaying rural towns, particularly in the Midwest. But the Trump administration’s crackdown on both documented and undocumented immigration threatens the stability of communities that have long relied on foreign-born workers. * The Southern | Rural public media outlets adapt after federal funding cuts: For the first time in more than 50 years, PBS and NPR are operating without federal support. The new fiscal year began Oct. 1 with no funding set aside for public broadcasting, following cuts approved by Congressional Republicans in July. Jeff Williams, the station manager for WSIU-FM, the NPR affiliate at Southern Illinois University at Carbondale, said the cuts have caused many layoffs, especially in rural areas, and local stations are left to find new ways to stay on the air. “It is something that every public broadcaster now across the country is having to deal with, especially rural stations like we are,” Williams said. “It’s a little more difficult to raise that kind of money in Southern Illinois, as opposed to Chicago or larger metropolitan areas, so it is a hit.” * Journal Courier | Police lodge calls for removal of Department of Corrections’ acting director: The fraternal police organization’s Corrections Lodge 263 called Friday for Acting Director Latoya Hughes’ immediate removal. Hughes was appointed by Gov. JB Pritzker as acting director in 2023, previously having worked as the department’s chief of staff and chief inspector. […] Among others, the group referenced “multiple staff assaults” at Western Illinois Correctional Center in Mount Sterling since March, including a “feces bomb” attack that led to one correctional officer contracting Hepatitis C. * IPM Newsroom | The National Arab Orchestra debuts in Central Illinois, increasing Arab visibility : The National Arab Orchestra started at the University of Michigan in 2009, where young Michael Ibrahim poured his passion for music and his culture into a student takht ensemble. Takht is a traditional Arabic music ensemble. Over time, the ensemble has grown, and 16 years later, it is a world-renowned orchestra with over 600,000 followers on YouTube and a fan base across the globe. “People are contacting us from overseas to do concerts there, like Saudi Arabia and Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates,” said Usama Baalbaki, co-founder of NAO and the vocalist. * WSIL | Ameren Illinois linemen aim for second championship in Kansas: Ameren Illinois linemen are set to defend their championship title at the 2025 International Lineman’s Rodeo in Bonner Springs, Kansas, on October 17-18. The team, led by Jason Novak, Austin Lewis, and Clayton Gulley from Marion, Illinois, aims to showcase their safety and precision skills. “Jason, Austin and Clayton’s pursuit of a second consecutive championship reflects teamwork, training and the highest standards of safety in the field – values that drive our entire organization each and every day,” said Luke Wollin, vice president of Electric Operations for Ameren Illinois. * NYT | Black Unemployment Is Surging Again. This Time Is Different : The African American unemployment rate has surged over the past four months, from 6 to 7.5 percent, while the rate for white people ticked down slightly to 3.7 percent. On top of a slowing economy, the White House’s actions have disproportionately harmed Black workers, economists said. * CNN | The planet has entered a ‘new reality’ as it hits its first climate tipping point, landmark report finds: “We are rapidly approaching multiple Earth system tipping points that could transform our world, with devastating consequences for people and nature,” said Tim Lenton, a professor at the Global Systems Institute at the University of Exeter and an author of the report published Sunday. Warm water corals are the first, according to the report. * AP | Uncertainty over the economy and tariffs forces many retailers to be cautious on holiday hiring: Online behemoth Amazon Inc. said Monday it intends to hire 250,000 full-, part-time and seasonal workers for the crucial shopping period, the same level as a year ago. But job placement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas forecasts overall holiday hiring for the last three months of the year will likely fall under 500,000 positions. That’s fewer than last year’s 543,000 level and also marks the smallest seasonal gain in 16 years when retailers hired 495,800 temporary workers, the firm said.
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Good morning!
Tuesday, Oct 14, 2025 - Posted by Rich Miller * Neil Diamond… And it was more than being holy What’s up?
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Protected: SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - Supplement to today’s edition and a bit more
Tuesday, Oct 14, 2025 - Posted by Rich Miller
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Protected: SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - Today’s edition of Capitol Fax (use all CAPS in password)
Tuesday, Oct 14, 2025 - Posted by Rich Miller
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Selected press releases (Live updates)
Tuesday, Oct 14, 2025 - Posted by Isabel Miller
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Live coverage
Tuesday, Oct 14, 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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Appellate court upholds lower court block of National Guard deployment, but allows federalized troops to remain on Illinois bases
Saturday, Oct 11, 2025 - Posted by Rich Miller * Background is here if you need it. Tribune…
Full text is here. …Adding… AG Raoul…
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Reader comments closed for the holiday weekend
Friday, Oct 10, 2025 - Posted by Rich Miller * I know summer’s over, but I love this song… The world was new beneath a blue umbrella sky
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Isabel’s afternoon roundup (Updated)
Friday, Oct 10, 2025 - Posted by Isabel Miller * Tribune…
*** UPDATE *** Gregory Bovino, commander-at-large of the U.S. Border Patrol, claimed Ms. Brockman would be charged with “assault on a Federal officer ( 18 USC 111), a serious felony.” Instead, as is way too often the case these days, the initial federal claims turned out to have no substance and she was released without charge. * Tribune…
* WAND | State’s top growers to compete in Illinois’ first-ever pumpkin weigh-off: The first-ever Illinois Grown Pumpkin Weigh-Off is happening Saturday, October 11 at the Illinois State Fairgrounds, as part of the Illinois Product Fall Market. Local pumpkin growers from across the state will compete for bragging rights — and possibly state records — in this new celebration of Illinois’ top-ranked pumpkin production. * WCIA | From the Farm: Illinois FFA celebrates dozens of accomplishments in 2025: 2025 is a special year for the state FFA chapter. Its president, Thad Bergschneider, was elevated to National FFA President, three members are finalists for the prestigious American Star Awards and the chapter is approaching its 100th birthday in a few years. Mindy Bunselmeyer, Executive Director of Illinois FFA, spoke on the exciting times in Illinois FFA with WCIA’s Stu Ellis. * Daily Herald | Illinois establishes Governor’s Blue Ribbon Schools program: Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker and the state education board joined school leaders, teachers, and students Friday to launch the Governor’s Blue Ribbon Schools program and celebrate the 2025 recipients of the discontinued National Blue Ribbon School Award. Twenty-eight schools from across Illinois — including several suburban public and private schools — received the 2025 designation for demonstrating exemplary academic performance. Among the public schools are: William Fremd High School in Palatine; Kennedy Junior High School in Lisle; Liberty Intermediate School in Libertyville; and Sarah Adams Elementary School in Lake Zurich. * KWQC | Quad City leaders to head to Springfield to advocate for passenger rail funding: “We have reached out to leaders on the other end of this service in the Chicago Region because we know there is benefit for those communities as well and they have been receptive,” said Rock Island County Passenger Rail Committee Chairman Richard “Quijas” Brunk. “When this committee was formed, we said we were prepared to strike while the iron is hot and so we will. The time is right to make a big push for the Chicago-to-Moline line.” * ABC | Vice President JD Vance & Gov. JB Pritzker, Sunday on “This Week with George Stephanopoulos” * Sun-Times | Neighbor shielded 7-year-old during South Shore federal raid: ‘I didn’t want them to take her’: “I didn’t want them to take her,” said the man, who didn’t want to be named because he fears he’ll be targeted by federal authorities for his actions. “I gave her my bedroom, and I just told her, ‘Just stay there. Don’t open, don’t, shh, just stay quiet,’” he recalled telling the mom and daughter as he choked back tears. At one point, he went outside to check on things. He said ICE shouted at him to “shut my door, get the f–k inside, and don’t open my door again.” * Press Release | Illinois Drivers Alliance statement on ICE raid targeting rideshare drivers at O’Hare: Earlier today, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents conducted a raid in an O’Hare Airport parking lot where rideshare drivers wait between trips to pick up travelers. These drivers are essential workers who keep our city accessible, ensuring travelers can get from point A to point B safely every single day. […] We are working diligently to gather more information and ensure that every person’s constitutional rights were respected and protected throughout this disturbing incident. * CNN | DHS leans into propaganda with militaristic action videos: When helicopters descended on a Chicago apartment building last week with federal agents kitted out in military gear, locals saw a terrifying escalation in the federal government’s incursion into Chicago. Department of Homeland Security officials saw a cinematic opportunity for a “Call of Duty”-style recruiting video with images from helmet cameras and dramatic music. Flush with money from Republicans in Congress and on a hiring spree, Immigration and Customs Enforcement needs to recruit a lot of people. * WTTW | “Someone is Deliberately Killing Your Hometown Paper”: New Documentary Examines the Decline of Local Newspapers, Including the Chicago Tribune: For the past couple of decades, local newspapers have been fighting to survive in a changing media landscape. There is, of course, the rise of the internet and social media, which have drained ad revenue and diverted the attention of audiences everywhere. But as a new documentary highlights, there is another force at work: powerful hedge funds that profit by purchasing struggling papers, selling off their assets, and gutting their newsrooms. * Crain’s | Cash-strapped CPS taps $200 million from credit line: The Chicago Board of Education tapped $200 million from its short-term revolving credit agreement with PNC Bank. The amount is part of a $450 million deal with the bank dated Oct. 9, according to a bond filing on Friday. The draw from the credit line is secured by proceeds from tax-anticipation notes that the district sells each year to maintain revenue while it waits for property tax payments, its largest source of revenue. * WTTW | City Lawyers Recommend Paying $950K to CPD Lieutenant Who Blew Whistle on ‘Illegal’ Traffic Stops: Taxpayers should pay $950,000 to a former Chicago Police Department lieutenant who said his supervisors retaliated against him after he resisted orders to make “illegal” traffic stops, city lawyers recommended. Lt. Franklin Paz accused CPD officials of violating the state’s Whistleblower Act by reassigning him to the overnight shift in a South Side police district after he objected when former Commander Michael Barz demanded that Paz order the members of the citywide Community Safety Team he supervised to stop at least 10 Chicago drivers every day. * WGN | Video: ICE agents clash with cemetery workers attempting to help man in Des Plaines River: “I couldn’t breathe,” the 30-year-old Eichler said. “I couldn’t see.” The Chicago native told WGN-TV that it would be hours before he and other workers involved received medical treatment, according to Eichler. “Zip ties behind our backs, shackles on our ankles. We were just in custody until they came with the transport,” he said. “If this happened to me, a US citizen, who’s to say what they’ll do to somebody else?” * Block Club | Broadview Protesters Face State Police, Not National Guard, After Court Hands Trump Admin A Loss: About 8:15 a.m., a masked protester jumped over the concrete barriers and into Harvard Street in an attempt to obstruct the path of a federal vehicle driving into the facility. He was quickly pushed back into the protest section by state troopers. “If you come over here again, you’re going to jail for disobeying a police officer,” a state police officer said. Protesters chanted, “Who do you protect? Who do you serve?” back at the officers. * Des Plaines Valley News | ICE arrests tree workers in Bridgeview: In Bridgeview, two men employed by John’s Pro Tree Service were detained Thursday by ICE agents while working at a house in the 7500 block of Sholer Avenue. One of the men was arrested at the scene and the second man was chased down by an ICE agent after a foot chase. A village official said there was no advance warning from ICE that its agents would be operating in the village. * Oak Park Journal | Feds drop case against ‘beloved’ Oak Parker with intellectual disability: Ivery, described by those who know him as having a deep appreciation for local law enforcement and military service members, told federal investigators he was at the protest to express “his disappointment that ICE agents were disrespectful towards the Broadview Police Department and veterans,” according to the criminal complaint filed against him. Judge Gabriel A. Fuentes thanked the prosecution for dropping the case. He’d previously called prosecutor’s treatment of Ivery as “ableist at worst.” * Daily Southtown | Residents cope with food deserts in Harvey, Chicago Heights, Richton Park and Park Forest: Alicia Goings, a Chicago Heights resident, said she depends on the Country Squire grocery store when she doesn’t have time to drive to cheaper stores out of town. But Country Squire, which has served the community under several names for 67 years as others like Ultra Foods have closed, is one of the few options left for her aunt, who lives on a fixed income and has no transportation. To reach stores such as Walmart, her aunt must either find a ride or pay for an Uber, Goings said. * Shaw Local | Sycamore schools remove low-deductible health insurance option for employees: “I just want to say thanks to the people who thought about it,” Regnery said. “We’re saving almost a million dollars if we approve this. … And then the membership, who was on the plan, they were, the ones who switch, also are going to realize savings.” DeVito said he estimates that the employees who switch from the low-deductible plan will save about $640,000 a year. * The Daily Northwestern | Meals on Wheels Northeastern Illinois names Justin Block new executive director: Block has previously worked at multiple organizations that address food insecurity in the Chicago area, including Feeding America and The Friendship Center, a food pantry in northwest Chicago. He leads a team of eight full-time employees and more than 500 volunteers — that team delivered about 100,000 meals in 2024, according to the organization’s website. * IPM Newsroom | Farmers caught in Trump’s trade war wait for bailout. But many call it a temporary fix: And another bailout wouldn’t do anything to help farmers regain ground in the Chinese market or grow other international markets, said Jonathan Coppess, a professor of agricultural policy at the University of Illinois. “It’s not going to fix the lost market problems that we’re talking about,” he said. “It could harm farmers in the long run if, for example, costs stay high or we plant soybeans for a market that doesn’t exist.” * WJBD | Several acres of soybeans burn in fire blamed on combine: Iuka Firemen say two to three acres of both cut and standing soybeans burned in a fire Thursday afternoon on the Brad Blackburn property on the Iuka Road South of Iuka blamed on a hot bearing on the combine header. Fire Chief Kenny Eagan said they were able to cool the header and prevent the combine from catching fire. * WCIA | Former Mattoon board member sues school district over alleged retaliation: In a lawsuit filed on Oct. 2 in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of Illinois, Urbana Division, Dr. Heidi Larson is accusing Mattoon Community Unit School District #2, Superintendent Tim Condron and Board President Dale Righter of taking part in a retaliatory campaign against her. Larson and her lawyers said they believe the defendants did this in an effort to punish her for publicly criticizing and questioning decisions the district was making and some of the practices of the administration. She said she felt like her free speech was silenced by these parties for her comments about spending, curriculum and transparency among other things. * WGLT | Normal West high school students ‘feel part of the process’ as election judges: Bierbaum said that across McLean County, about 50 of the nearly 400 judges are high school students. Still, some expressed surprise, though Natalia Schmeiser, a senior at Normal West, told WGLT it was good natured. “I got a lot of jokes about it — usually just like ‘Can you even vote?’ ‘Are you even old enough to drive?,’ etc. Not a lot of hatred.” * NYT | The E.P.A. Followed Up on an Unusual Request About Abortion Pills: Senior officials at the Environmental Protection Agency directed a team of scientists over the summer to assess whether the government could develop methods for detecting traces of abortion pills in wastewater — a practice sought by some anti-abortion activists seeking to restrict the medication now used in over 50 percent of abortions. The highly unusual request appears to have originated from a letter sent from 25 Republican members of Congress to Lee Zeldin, the E.P.A. administrator, asking the agency to investigate how the abortion drug mifepristone might be contaminating the water supply. * Heat Map | Esmeralda 7 Solar Project Has Been Canceled, BLM Says: Esmeralda 7 was supposed to produce a gargantuan 6.2 gigawatts of power – equal to nearly all the power supplied to southern Nevada by the state’s primary public utility. […] Flash forward to today, when BLM quietly updated its website for Esmeralda 7 permitting to explicitly say the project’s status is “cancelled.” Normally when the agency says this, it means developers pulled the plug.
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Protected: SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - Veto session update
Friday, Oct 10, 2025 - Posted by Rich Miller
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GOMB says federal corporate tax changes have blown a hole in the state budget
Friday, Oct 10, 2025 - Posted by Rich Miller * Subscribers were briefed on this early today. On Monday, I told you that the legislature’s Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability suspected the dramatic fall-off corporate income tax was tied to tax changes made by the “Big, Beautiful Bill.” The Governor’s Office of Management and Budget now confirms COGFA’s suspicion.
The deficit for next fiscal year is projected at $2.2 billion. “The Governor’s Fiscal Year 2027 Introduced Budget will address this gap,” the report states. * From the press release…
* The full report is here. Go to page 11 for more details. The walk-down is on page 15.
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Feds lose yet another case
Friday, Oct 10, 2025 - Posted by Rich Miller * Not including all the charges that have been dropped, this makes four losses in four days…
The other three L’s are here.
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Catching up with the congressionals
Friday, Oct 10, 2025 - Posted by Isabel Miller * Click here for some background. 2nd Congressional District Democratic candidate Sen. Willie Preston…
Click here to watch the full forum. * Former Secretary of State Jesse White endorses La Shawn Ford for the 7th CD…
* Politico…
* River Bender…
* More…
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It’s Time To Bring Safer Rides To Illinois
Friday, Oct 10, 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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MLB post-season open thread
Friday, Oct 10, 2025 - Posted by Rich Miller * Noisy…
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Vote YES on HB 2371 SA 2 to Invest in Healthcare Services for Underserved Communities
Friday, Oct 10, 2025 - Posted by Advertising Department [The following is a paid advertisement.] In Illinois’ southernmost communities, 18% of residents live in poverty and have historically low levels of education and high rates of illness and mortality. Southern Illinois Healthcare (SIH) serves this 16-county rural area that’s considered medically underserved.
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Isabel’s morning briefing
Friday, Oct 10, 2025 - Posted by Isabel Miller * ICYMI: Judge approves request to remove fencing outside Broadview ICE facility. CBS Chicago…
- U.S. District Judge LaShonda Hunt issued a Temporary Restraining Order late Thursday requiring ICE to remove the fence by Friday. The order follows a motion filed by the Village of Broadview, which argued that ICE’s installation of the fence on a public street violated local ordinances and created safety hazards. - Broadview Mayor Katrina Thompson called the ruling “a validation of local law and, most importantly, a decisive win for public safety.” * Related stories… Sponsored by Ameren Illinois
* WTTW | Planned Parenthood of Illinois CEO on the Future of Reproductive Care Amid Federal Threats: Local organizations like Planned Parenthood of Illinois have said they anticipate an uptick in out-of-state patients and are preparing to meet the increased demand. “This week alone, we’ve seen a doubling of the abortion cases that we usually receive from Wisconsin,” Planned Parenthood of Illinois CEO Adrienne White-Faines said. * Chalkbeat Chicago | When will Chicago schools have a noncitizen advisory board?: Illinois state lawmakers required the creation of a Chicago Board of Education Non-Citizen Advisory Board when it established an elected school board for the city under legislation passed in 2021. Lawmakers sought to provide the school board with an advisory panel focused, in part, on improving the outcomes and experiences of noncitizen students and sharing the perspectives of noncitizen parents, who cannot vote in school board elections. The law does not prevent U.S. citizens from serving on the advisory board. But nearly nine months after the new school board was sworn in, the mayor has not yet established the noncitizen advisory board. State law does not specify a deadline for creating the board or how many people the mayor should choose. * WGLT | ISU students in National Guard are activated for duty: As the Trump administration sends National Guard soldiers to Chicago, a half dozen Illinois State University students have been called to active duty this week. ISU currently has about 160 students enrolled in fall courses who are serving in the National Guard or Reserves, according to Patrick McGuire, coordinator of Veterans and Military Personnel Services. Associate Dean of Students Donald Reed said to have six students notify his office in two days raised his eyebrows. “Now, can I tie that to the recent deployment in Chicago? I don’t know that for sure,” Reed said. * Civic leaders | State lawmakers should reject massive pension benefit sweetener: The bill, SB1937, isn’t just expensive; it’s also fiscally catastrophic. To fund existing state and local pension promises, Illinoisans will need to pay more than $500 billion in contributions over the next three decades. That’s roughly $100,000 per household. The bill would add tens of billions more to that tab. According to estimates from the Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability (CGFA) and back-of-the-envelope estimates of local impact, it will require an additional $80 billion to fund. * Fox News | ‘Pritzker is a joke’: Texas Gov. Abbott mocks sanctuary governor for opposing National Guard troops: In an interview with Fox News Digital, Abbott said, “Gov. Pritzker is a joke” and is in “violation of his oath of office” by attempting to interfere with federal law enforcement efforts to improve safety in Chicago and other Illinois communities. * Gov. Pritzker on Thursday night’s “The Jimmy Kimmel Show”…
* Sun-Times | Chicago Housing Authority pays $22 million to companies tied to board member: A few months after her appointment to the CHA board, Parker resigned from the Parks and Bell board, and hasn’t voted on board measures related to the company. Still, Parks and Bell saw its business with the agency skyrocket in the coming years, from revenues of $30,000 in 2015 to more than $1.4 million from the CHA last year, a WBEZ investigation has found. And two other companies owned by Parker’s close family members also have had lucrative dealings with the CHA since she became a commissioner seven years ago. * WGN | UIC students protest ICE detentions after viral video sparks outrage: A pair of United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detentions sparked a protest Thursday on the University of Illinois Chicago campus after a widely shared video outraged viewers. More than 100 students marched after a video captured on the edge of campus near the corner of Racine and Congress Parkway went viral. “It was definitely something that shook us, and we tried to mobilize as quickly as we could,” said UIC student Ari Mendoza. * Fox Chicago | Teacher claims ICE agents used tear gas near Chicago elementary school: The teacher, a member of the Chicago Teachers Union, said the incident happened Friday as she stepped out for lunch at Funston Elementary School on Armitage Avenue in the Logan Square neighborhood. She said she noticed a white vehicle “full of ICE agents” and blew her whistle to alert others. Moments later, a person on a scooter approached the agents and nearby cars began honking. The teacher said one agent became frustrated and began throwing tear gas canisters toward the crowd. * Sun-Times | Pope meets with Chicago union leaders, urges migrant welcome as crackdown underway in hometown: “While recognizing that appropriate policies are necessary to keep communities safe, I encourage you to continue to advocate for society to respect the human dignity of the most vulnerable,” Leo said. The audience was scheduled before the deployment of National Guard troops to protect federal property in the Chicago area, including a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement building that has been the site of occasional clashes between protesters and federal agents. * WGN | Sister Jean, beloved member of Loyola University Chicago community, dies at 106: “In many roles at Loyola over the course of more than 60 years, Sister Jean was an invaluable source of wisdom and grace for generations of students, faculty, and staff,” Loyola President Mark C. Reed said. “While we feel grief and a sense of loss, there is great joy in her legacy. Her presence was a profound blessing for our entire community and her spirit abides in thousands of lives. In her honor, we can aspire to share with others the love and compassion Sister Jean shared with us.” * Tribune | Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle unveils $10.1B election year budget, tapping reserves: Sticking with a now yearslong trend, Preckwinkle’s proposal does not include any new taxes, fines or fees, and eliminates a projected $211 million shortfall thanks in large part to better-than-expected revenues. While she said the county is well-suited for now, federal cuts are sure to eventually hit Cook County Health, which runs a Medicaid managed care program and hospitals and clinics that treat patients regardless of their ability to pay. Expanded federal support for safety net hospitals and insurance coverage have brought the county’s hospital system into the black over the last decade, but the tides could be turning, Preckwinkle and CCH leadership warned. * Sun-Times | Preckwinkle calls on chief judge to ban ICE arrests at Cook County courthouses: Preckwinkle has signed on with the Cook County Public Defender’s office and a coalition of legal aid groups in a petition asking Evans to prohibit federal law enforcement officers from making civil arrests at county courthouses without a judicial warrant. “Deterring people from participating in the justice system undermines the courts’ ability to administer justice and keep communities safe,” Preckwinkle said in a statement. “We must do everything in our power to ensure our courts stand as institutions of justice where all residents can expect fair and just treatment that respects their rights.” * Tribune | Former suburban school chief and two CPS administrators indicted in kickback scheme: Former Evanston/Skokie School District 65 Superintendent Devon Horton and two Chicago Public Schools administrators were indicted Thursday on federal charges of embezzlement and wire fraud, court documents show. Additionally, Horton is charged with tax fraud, and a fourth person is also named in the indictment. The U.S. Attorney’s office of Northern Illinois is accusing Horton of receiving at least $81,000 in kickbacks from CPS employees Antonio Ross and Alfonzo Lewis, and a fourth man named Samuel Ross, after Horton approved contracts from 2020 to 2023 for work supposedly done in the district. * Evanston Now | Details of the charges against Devon Horton: Counts 1 through 13 allege wire fraud and honest services fraud for emails, kickback payments and false invoices for services not provided to D65. The kickbacks total over $81,700, according to the indictment, broken down by the three companies: $41,900 through Connecting the Dots (Antonio Ross), $30,800 through Asset Protection (Samuel Ross), $9,000 through New Flight 35 (Alfonzo Lewis). * Patch | Will County State’s Attorney Employee, Daughter Charged With 5 Crimes: Special Prosecutor: Special prosecutor Dave Neal has filed criminal charges of computer tampering, aggravated computer tampering and official misconduct against a woman who worked for several years at the Will County State’s Attorney’s Office as a legal secretary. Amy Burgett-Masse, 45, and her daughter Ryanne Burgett-Masse, 20, were both charged this week at the Will County Courthouse. […] The computer tampering charge accuses the mother and her daughter of knowingly and without authorization of the Will County State’s Attorney, having “accessed or caused to be accessed a computer … a computer network, or a program or data from said computer network” against the peace and dignity of the state of Illinois. * Rockford Register Star | Winnebago County Board delays do-over on controversial zoning vote: Winnebago County Board members have delayed a vote over a zoning variance that previously sparked accusations that some officials are playing political games with a resident’s property rights. A resident in the 3800 block of Brookview Road is seeking a zoning variance for an additional driveway access point. Because it came to County Board with a negative recommendation from the Zoning Board of Appeals, it requires a supermajority — 15 of the 20 board members — to agree for approval. * The Southern | As grocery tax deadline passes, some towns stand pat: Benton mayor Lee Messersmith said the revenue generated from the tax did not move the needle enough to continue the tax, making Benton the largest city in our area to not do so. “From our perspective, it wasn’t worth putting back on our citizens,” Messersmith said. An estimate provided by the City of Benton to the Illinois Municipal League estimated the revenue generated from the grocery tax to be around $30,000. * WREX | Jo Daviess County train derailment causes evacuation: First responders confirmed that 17 cars out of an 82-car Canadian National (CN) train carrying ethanol had derailed. There were no injuries or deaths reported. Following guidance from the Emergency Response Guide, the Warren FD and Jo Daviess County Sheriff’s Office evacuated about 100 residents out of safety concerns. * The Southern | Treasurer Gott explains Williamson County tax bill delay: Treasurer Ashley Gott said the county has historically mailed tax bills much earlier, typically in late May or early June, with due dates in July and September. That timeline began to slip after COVID-19. “In pre-COVID times, the bills were usually mailed out in late May or early June and had due dates in July and September,” Gott said. “When COVID hit, there were delays through the state, with low staffing and alternate schedules, and that delayed that year.” * 25News Now | Town of Normal considers new TIF district for uptown residential development: The project would target residential development north of Uptown Circle and the Constitution Trail, along Mulberry Street in Normal. The Town Council approved holding a public hearing on the proposed TIF district during Monday’s meeting, with the hearing scheduled for sometime in November. If approved, property taxes generated from the new district would benefit the town, Unit 5 Schools, and other local entities. * WGLT | Rare McLean County items exhumed for ‘Mourning in McLean’ at the history museum: A variety of artifacts and documents are carefully positioned on each floor of the museum, including funeral clothes, jewelry incorporating loved ones’ hair or teeth, and a cooling table, used by funeral home directors before embalming became a common practice. “I discovered we have so much more in our collection than we can even display about this topic,” Summers said. A suit on display was owned by Kenneth Curtis, who lived in the eastern McLean County village of Bellflower. * WREX | Thousands flock to Rock River for Rockford’s rowing spectacle: This annual rowing competition will feature approximately 2,000 athletes from 15 states, highlighting Rockford’s appeal and providing an economic boost with an estimated impact of $925,000. The event, running from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., will take place along the Rock River Recreation Path. * NYT | Texas’ Blue-State Deployments Shred Relations Between Governors: The Illinois governor, JB Pritzker, along with Gov. Gavin Newsom of California, both Democrats, have threatened to leave the once-chummy National Governors Association, a group formed more than 100 years ago and dedicated to finding areas of bipartisan agreement even in fractious political times. Instead, Democratic governors are accusing Republicans, especially Gov. Greg Abbott of Texas, of a betrayal, even an “invasion” of their states. […] Republican governors have been mostly silent. But on Thursday, Gov. Kevin Stitt of Oklahoma, the current chairman of the National Governors Association, said in an interview that the deployment of Texas National Guard troops to Illinois violated his beliefs in federalism and “states’ rights.” * La Times | Billionaire Tom Steyer drops $12 million to support November redistricting ballot measure: As California voters receive mail ballots for the November special election, which could upend the state’s congressional boundaries and determine control of the House, billionaire hedge-fund founder Tom Steyer said Thursday he will spend $12 million to back Democrats’ efforts to redraw districts to boost their party’s ranks in the legislative body. The ballot measure was proposed by Gov. Gavin Newsom and other California Democrats after President Trump urged Texas leaders to redraw their congressional districts before next year’s midterm election. Buttressing GOP numbers in Congress could help Trump continue enacting his agenda during his final two years in office. * WaPo | The U.S. just bailed out Argentina, treasury secretary confirms: The Trump administration finalized plans for a financial rescue of Argentina on Thursday, as Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said he had taken the rare step of directly buying Argentine pesos in global currency markets in a bid to relieve pressure on the nation’s embattled President Javier Milei, an enthusiastic supporter of President Donald Trump.
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Good morning!
Friday, Oct 10, 2025 - Posted by Rich Miller * I saw this guy last night at the Salt Shed. Man, does Charley Crockett ever have some fiercely loyal Chicago fans… I’m just doing what I think is right What’s up by you?
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Protected: SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - Supplement to today’s edition and some other stuff
Friday, Oct 10, 2025 - Posted by Rich Miller
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Protected: SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - Today’s edition of Capitol Fax (use all CAPS in password)
Friday, Oct 10, 2025 - Posted by Rich Miller
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Selected press releases (Live updates)
Friday, Oct 10, 2025 - Posted by Isabel Miller
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Live coverage
Friday, Oct 10, 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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