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Isabel’s afternoon roundup
Wednesday, Sep 30, 2026 - Posted by Isabel Miller * Sun-Times…
* Gov. JB Pritzker | March Us Toward the Summit, Not the Chasm: Especially if the federal government fails to act, Illinois needs to be prepared for the danger that AI poses to our economy, our safety, and our critical infrastructure. This AI cabinet will help bring expertise, build critical state capacity, and improve coordination to handle those threats. From industry to academia to government, we are bringing together an expert team to help us handle this potentially generation-defining issue with the seriousness it deserves. * Tribune | Split, stalled and stonewalled: CPD oversight body beset with division over follow-up to Operation Midway Blitz: But as Chicagoans took stock of Midway Blitz and considered the possibility that federal agents could eventually return to Chicago in force, the commission’s president resisted using the full scope of the body’s power to take Snelling to task on how his officers had handled themselves during the federal incursion. Commissioners’ attempts to get information from CPD were met with bureaucratic replies that offered almost no new insight into the department’s handling of encounters with federal agents, records show. * Sun-Times | Arts group seeks $15 million boost in cultural grants from city: The statewide arts advocacy group Arts Alliance Illinois is calling on Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson to boost cultural funding in the next budget. In an open letter to the mayor, the group says it wants the city to increase the grantmaking budget at the Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events, which gives funding directly to artists and arts organizations, by $15 million. * Sun-Times | CPS cancels multiple football games after referees strike over nonpayment: Chicago Public Schools has canceled multiple freshman and junior varsity football games this week after football referees went on strike due to not being paid for several weeks. “Varsity [football] games are in jeopardy,” official Breyion Hutchinson told the Sun-Times on Wednesday. “If the officials are not paid today they will not work tomorrow.” * Tribune | City Colleges of Chicago faculty and staff to announce strike date: The Cook County College Teachers Union Local 1600 will picket outside Harold Washington College and announce a strike date before City College’s board of trustees meets on Thursday, just over two months after its contract with the schools expired. The union has been negotiating with City Colleges since February and is still “far from reaching an agreement,” according to a Tuesday news release. Last week, 96% or 1,388 of the union’s eligible faculty and staff voted to authorize a strike against City Colleges of Chicago, with a 91% turnout. Contracts for faculty and professional staff expired on July 15. * Tribune | Morningstar to move global headquarters to the Thompson Center: Morningstar’s decision gives another boost to the long-anticipated revival of the former state office building, where Google plans to locate thousands of employees by 2028. “It’s an iconic building and an iconic symbol of Chicago,” Morningstar CEO Kunal Kapoor said. “We are a homegrown company and what better way to announce a decision to keep growing in our city?” * Block Club | Chicago Mariachi Band’s National Anthem At Bears Game ‘Monumental’ For Genre: “It’s an exciting response to see, but it’s even more of a moment for mariachi music in general,” said Maldonado, who is also the band’s manager and producer. Mariachi Herencia de Mexico played a special musical arrangement of the national anthem inspired by musician Arturo Sandoval for Monday night’s Bears game. The artists proudly wore elegant blue mariachi suits paired with bows in the team’s colors and a Bears logo. * ABC Chicago | 3 accused of misusing Ford Heights village funds arraigned Wednesday: Three of 11 people connected to the Village of Ford Heights accused of taking taxpayer money and using it on vacation, casinos and hotels were arraigned Wednesday. One was delayed until Thursday and seven others given until November 19 to secure counsel. Among those delayed until November 19 are former Mayor Annie Coulter, who served between (2017 and 2021) and current Village Clerk Nyree Ford * Press release | 55+ organizations call on Cook County to freeze law enforcement spending to protect social services: The Illinois Network for Pretrial Justice and more than 55 community, faith, policy, and service-providing organizations sent a letter to the Cook County Board of Commissioners calling on them to protect funding for essential services like violence prevention, behavioral health, and community investment to reduce intra-community violence. With the County facing a $550 million budget shortfall, we believe the best way for the county to protect these critical services is by freezing law enforcement spending, which is already far above the levels set when there were many more people in jail and many more criminal cases being processed by our court system. * Aurora Beacon News | Officials say Aurora faces over $9 million projected deficit: ‘We can’t cut our way out of this’: Facing a projected $9 million to $10 million deficit in Aurora’s general fund for 2027, city officials expect tough decisions ahead, according to a town hall budget presentation Saturday. But unlike last year, when the city passed a budget with controversial staffing cuts to public safety departments, Aurora Mayor John Laesch said the city can’t “cut its way out” this year. Laesch said the city is looking for other revenue streams and while it’s not ideal, property tax increases are not off the table. * Evanston Roundtable | Evanston Transit Alliance mobilizes residents as city updates bike plan for the first time since 2014: Now, for the first time in more than a decade, the City of Evanston is conducting a bike plan update. Sarah FioRito, the city’s transportation and mobility coordinator, said the update comes after significant changes over the past decade, including the growing popularity of micromobility and cycling in the region. She added that the existing 2014 plan contains “lots of useful information,” including ideas that have yet to be implemented. * WCIA | ‘It’s baffling to me’: County board officials weigh in on proposed data center for Mahomet: After a data center was proposed to the Village of Mahomet earlier this week, Champaign County board officials say they want answers about what the process will look like and how the village plans to move forward. “It is scary,” said Champaign County Board Vice Chair Emily Rodriguez. “I’m a Champaign County resident, too. I’ll experience the effects of this just along with everyone else.” * WAND | Champaign County seeks more election judges for general election: Champaign County said it does not have enough election judges to staff the 64 polling locations for this year’s general election season. They currently have 148 judges but need a minimum of 270. With the number of judges who are trained and committed at this time, the county would only be able to have 37 polling locations, 27 fewer than needed for Election Day, the county said. * NYT | How Meta Uses A.I. Data Centers to Avoid Billions in Federal Taxes: But when Meta files its taxes, it tells the Internal Revenue Service a different story. It claims that its A.I. data centers are a giant experiment that could fail, according to four people with knowledge of the company’s operations. It does this so it can tap into a tax credit intended for research and experimentation. It’s an aggressive interpretation of the tax break, which Meta embraced to claim billions of dollars in tax credits for data center expansion. * The Atlantic | The Great Data-Center Rebellion: I found the proceedings both mind-numbing and inspiring. The seriousness of purpose, the attention to detail, the stamina required to talk and listen—all of it moved me more than it seemed to impress anyone involved. Clintonians Against Data Centers still felt patronized and ignored. Perhaps the council came away exasperated with the NIMBYs and gadflies who were making the process such an ordeal. (Later, the mayor admitted to me, “We’re learning that there’s probably more ways that we can communicate with the citizens.”) In all likelihood, this small populist uprising will not achieve its goal; a hyperscale data center will come to Clinton, Iowa, amid widespread unhappiness and damaged friendships; and AI will continue to roll over the fields of the republic. * ABC | TSA says officers must stand, chairs banned at airport checkpoints nationwide: The union representing TSA workers is pushing back on the chair ban, saying they were not consulted before the decision was made and that “these chairs serve as basic ergonomic and safety support for officers that stand and walk on hard surfaces all day. TSA is treating this matter like it is a privilege it is not; it is basic safety and common decency for the workforce.”
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It’s just a bill
Wednesday, Sep 30, 2026 - Posted by Isabel Miller
* The Chicago Tribune…
* WAND…
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News coverage roundup: Chicago-area officials call on ICC to reject Peoples Gas rate hike
Wednesday, Sep 30, 2026 - Posted by Isabel Miller * CBS Chicago…
* related…
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Isabel’s morning briefing
Wednesday, Sep 30, 2026 - Posted by Isabel Miller * ICYMI: Abuse was caught on camera at Choate Developmental Center. The prosecutor offered plea deals. Capitol News Illinois…
- Three days after one of those pleas, Gov. JB Pritzker announced massive job cuts at Choate, phasing out mental health and developmental disabilities placements at the facility. - Tripp later filed a federal lawsuit to stop the elimination of developmental disabilities and mental health placements at the downstate Illinois facility. * Gov. JB Pritzker has no public events scheduled today. * Block Club | OpenAI Alerted Chicago It Accessed City Database Amid Reports Of Its Agents Going Rogue: “At this time, the city of Chicago is unaware of any sensitive information being obtained by OpenAI, nor is the city aware of OpenAI engaging in unauthorized use of city systems,” Novelo said in a statement. “The city publishes several data sets and dashboards for transparency and public awareness. The data in question was public data from a public facing dashboard.” * CBS Chicago | 11 current, former Ford Heights, Illinois, officials to appear in court on charges of misusing funds: On Wednesday morning, all 11 will appear for an arraignment hearing at the suburban Cook County Courthouse in Markham, where they will get a chance to answer the accusations. Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul said the defendants intentionally stole from taxpayers. They are accused of participating in a scheme to use the funds to pay for airfare, hotel accommodations and “exorbitant spending excursions” in casinos while vacationing in Las Vegas and Michigan City, Indiana. * Crain’s | Sacks family, Michael Reese Health Trust give $1.25M to Illinois abortion access fund: The Michael Reese Health Trust is putting $1.25 million toward shoring up Illinois’ abortion access infrastructure, using a $650,000 grant from its newly renamed Wally Nathan Go Big Fund and an additional $600,000 gift from Michael and Cari Sacks to offset federal cuts to reproductive health funding. The funds will go to the Prairie State Access Fund, a private-public collaboration between the trust and Gov. JB Pritzker’s administration. The fund, meant to shore up the infrastructure of abortion access in the state, launched in January with an initial $1 million outlay raised by the trust. * 21st Show | Collin Corbett, independent candidate for Illinois governor: Corbett has acknowledged his campaign is a long shot, but it raises a number of interesting questions: What do voters mean when they declare themselves to be independent? Why hasn’t an “independent majority” made itself better known in our political system? And where does real change actually happen in American politics? * Capitol City Now | Bailey winds down what could be his final campaign: “I fully anticipate winning this, because I think people are tired,” Bailey said during a visit Tuesday to the Capitol Media Group studios, “but whatever that is, whatever day it is, we live life expectancy, and whatever doors open, we’ll walk through it if we feel called.” * Tribune | Chicago aldermen require bigger majority for city-issued debt in blow to mayoral power: The proposal — an inside-baseball rules change to the public, but a hot-button issue at City Hall — won approval with a 32-15 vote. Many mayoral allies voted against it, and Johnson hinted later Tuesday he might veto the measure. Despite the split vote, debate was brief and only two aldermen spoke. Ald. Bill Conway, 34th, applauded requiring “broad consensus” on major new debt. “The risk we are facing going forward is becoming too tied up in paying the interest on the taxpayers’ credit card that will crowd out our ability to fund parks and schools and roads and police officers and mental health clinics,” he said. * Ralph Martire | Corporate fund’s structural deficit — not Brandon Johnson — to blame for city’s financial woes: That’s vitally important because the corporate fund is Chicago’s primary operating budget. It covers the core public services residents expect city government to provide, including everything from police and fire protection, to streets and sanitation services, healthcare and social services. Fiscal difficulties in the corporate fund translate into inadequate service levels, which in turn translate into unhappy residents and a lower quality of life. Unfortunately, for over a decade and through numerous different mayoral administrations, city decision makers have struggled to cobble together a balanced budget for the corporate fund. * Tribune | Illinois 4th district race: Rivals hit Patty García over ballot moves in race to succeed Chuy García: At the first opportunity, the three challengers went after Patty García for what they argued was an effort by her and her closest political allies, including the outgoing congressman, to clear the field and hand her Illinois’ 4th Congressional District seat. “I spoke out against it, and I am giving the people a choice by running as an independent candidate,” Chris Getty, the mayor of suburban Lyons, said of the political maneuvering. Though Getty is a Democrat, he’s running as an independent and sometimes sounds like a Republican. During the debate, Getty vowed that, if elected, he would not caucus with either Democrats or the GOP, a move that would make him even more impotent than most rookie members of Congress. * Block Club | Wieners Circle Has Always Had Something To Say. What Happens When Its Owner Runs For Mayor?: “I’ve always felt like I’m sort of playing with house money. Every opportunity is house money for me at this point, based on where I’m supposed to be, based on where my pin drop is,” he said. “That’s just how I think about it, and it’s part of the inspiration for why I’m doing what I’m doing.” * Daily Herald | Suburban water agencies talking with Chicago, but moving forward with $6B plan to sidestep city: Commission board Chair Jim Zay and sources from the city confirmed Tuesday that the two sides will meet in Elmhurst to discuss a new contract that will supply water to the 30 communities, and about 1.5 million people, served by the agency. But those talks are overshadowed by last month’s announcement that the commission plans to partner with the Northwest Suburban Municipal Joint Action Water Agency on a $6 billion proposal to build a lake water intake, purification station and tunnels stretching across two counties. * ABC Chicago | South suburban teachers file OSHA complaint over dirty schools: The union representing teachers in Cook County School District 130 has filed a complaint with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration after weeks of raising concerns about unsanitary conditions in school buildings. Teachers say gyms, lunchrooms, classrooms and bathrooms across the district remain dirty despite repeated complaints since the start of the school year. Union leaders said the OSHA complaint, which includes dozens of photographs, is intended to push the district to address the conditions. * Daily Herald | East Dundee village president slammed for letting Darren Bailey speak at Oktoberfest: The organization charged that Pearson and Bailey, whose appearance at the event was captured on video posted on social media, violated state election laws. The East Dundee Village Board was urged to take action to censure Pearson for his actions. Illinois law states that “no public funds shall be used to urge any elector to vote for or against any candidate or proposition, or be appropriated for political or campaign purposes to any candidate or political organization.” […] Bailey was one of two Republican candidates invited by Pearson to the stage to give a political speech. The other, according to social media posts, was Jennifer Davis, who is running for the 8th District Congressional seat but is not seen in the video. * Evanston Roundtable | Horton co-defendant pleads guilty, will testify against former superintendent: A co-defendant accused of running a kickback scheme with former Evanston/Skokie School District 65 Superintendent Devon Horton confessed to one count of wire fraud Tuesday as part of a plea deal with the federal government. As part of that arrangement, he’s agreed to testify against Horton and two other co-defendants in a trial scheduled to begin next month, according to the deal. * Daily Herald | Saint Joseph Hospital in Elgin drops its trauma center designation: The hospital voluntarily removed the designation on Sept. 23. It notified the Illinois Department of Public Health of its plan five days earlier. “Trauma volumes at Saint Joseph Hospital have continued to decline significantly, and the hospital now treats only approximately two major trauma patients per month,” Mark Reece, regional vice president for marketing operations for facility owner Prime Healthcare, said in a written statement. * WCBU | Peoria Public Schools board approves tentative balanced budget, as recent audits remain unfinished: Peoria Public Schools District 150 has adopted a tentative balanced budget for the 2027 fiscal year with revenues exceeding expenses by $5.3 million. However, Superintendent Jerry Bell emphasized the financial plan likely will need to be amended once audits for the past two fiscal years are done. “The numbers that are in this budget were guesstimates and estimates based on the final or the last completed audit, which was during the 2023-24 school year,” Bell told the Board of Education during Monday’s meeting ahead of the Sept. 30 budget deadline. * 25News Now | Caterpillar showcases AI, remote control tech at Edwards demo center: “The technologies that we’re bringing range from operator assist technologies all the way to remote control and autonomy. And that really helps our customers to solve these labor shortages and labor challenges, said Jaime Mineart, Caterpillar chief technology officer. “It helps them attract new laborers into this space by offering jobs that are easier to upskill and more attractive to do,” Mineart said. * WCIA | Urbana City Council approves joint fire academy agreement with local departments: The resolution passed by the city council authorizes an agreement between the Cities of Urbana and Champaign, along with the Cornbelt Fire Protection District, to operate a Basic Operations/Advanced Firefighter Academy. The agreement would last for one year, with extension as an option if the parties agree to it. * Media Matters | “Psyop”: The right-wing media figures claiming that midterm polls are designed to suppress conservative turnout: Heritage Foundation President Kevin Roberts told Fox that midterm election polling is a “psyop … to depress conservative turnout.” Roberts said, “I think that this prognosticating is a psyop by so many of these polling firms in order to do what, to depress conservative turnout. … Former Trump strategist Steve Bannon on midterm polling: “That psyop is out there pretty strongly.” Bannon said … Newsmax host Rob Finnerty on polling showing dismal support for Republicans and Trump: “Do you think maybe the left is doing that on purpose?” * AP | Senate passes college sports bill that would rein in athlete payments and transfers: The legislation “places a cap on the students’ cut of the revenues, but there are no caps on coaches’ salaries or on the size of donations to athletic programs,” Murphy said last week. Groups like the NAACP, Congressional Black Caucus and AFL-CIO have also opposed the bill, in part, because it leaves unresolved whether athletes should be considered employees with the ability to collectively bargain. * Houston Chronicle | Texas shattered energy demand records this summer. Here’s why the grid barely broke a sweat: Perhaps the most telling sign of the lack of stress was at the hour with the highest energy demand in the Texas grid’s 85-year history — 6 p.m. on July 22 — there was so much reserve generation that batteries connected to the grid were able to charge, instead of providing energy.
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Good morning!
Wednesday, Sep 30, 2026 - Posted by Isabel Miller
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Protected: SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - Supplement to today’s edition
Wednesday, Sep 30, 2026 - Posted by Isabel Miller
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Protected: SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - Today’s edition of Capitol Fax (use all CAPS in password)
Wednesday, Sep 30, 2026 - Posted by Rich Miller
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Selected press releases (live updates)
Wednesday, Sep 30, 2026 - Posted by Isabel Miller
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