* ICYMI: Chicago appeals court vacates judge’s use-of-force injunction on immigration agents. Tribune…

- A Chicago federal appeals court on Thursday vacated a lower court’s injunction placing use-of-force restrictions on immigration agents during Operation Midway Blitz, calling it “constitutionally suspect” and questioning the manner in which the district judge dismissed the underlying suit.
- But the 7th Circuit went beyond a mere dismissal of the appeal and ordered what’s known as “vacatur,” which essentially treats Ellis’ preliminary injunction ruling as though it never existed. In the 15-page majority opinion, the judges wrote that Ellis, “working on a highly compressed timeline … granted an overbroad, constitutionally suspect injunction.”
- The ruling officially ends a case brought by the Chicago Headline Club and other media groups, leading to a sweeping preliminary injunction by Ellis in November limiting the use of tear gas and other chemical munitions against members of the media and protesters, and also requiring agents to wear body cameras and clear identification.

*** Isabel’s Top Picks ***

* Tribune | A fresh approach to fostering youth in Illinois carries hope: Welcome to Hope House, a model of fostering children and teens developed by the Chicago-based nonprofit One Hope United. The premise: A stable household with a built-in support team to help those in foster care thrive. The twist: It’s a new take on the adage “It takes a village.” Four boys ages 13 to 17 live with their foster parents, a full-time therapist and nurse, and two youth-care workers who help them with homework, drive them to school and chaperone outings.

* Sun-Times | So long, Rev. Jesse Jackson: Details on Friday’s homegoing service: The service will be carried by WBEZ 91.5 FM starting at 11 a.m. WBEZ’s Sasha-Ann Simons will co-host live coverage with journalist and author Natalie Moore. Additionally, the Sun-Times will have several reporters live-blogging the event on its homepage. You can also find livestreams at JesseJacksonLegacy.com, CSPAN and other outlets. Expect a very long service.

*** Statehouse News ***

* The Hill | Meet The Hill’s Top Women Shaping Policy: Now in her fifth term in the Illinois House, Tony McCombie became the Prairie State’s first female House Republican leader in 2023. Before joining the state Legislature, McCombie served as mayor of Savanna, one of Illinois’s oldest towns. She’s a fierce critic of the corruption culture in Illinois, pushing for lobbying restrictions and other ethics reforms. McCombie has backed efforts to make her state more affordable to both residents and businesses, with lower taxes, a broader tax base and reduced spending. She has pushed for more government transparency, particularly in allowing residents to see state hearings.

* ABC Chicago | IL Republican governor race candidates make last-minute pitches to voters before primary election: Former state Sen. Darren Bailey, who won the Republican nomination four years ago, believes he’s a better candidate this time around. “The compassion level is much greater than it was before. And I think my ability to listen is going to lend a lot to be able to lead Illinois out of this crisis that I believe we’re in right now,” Bailey said. The candidates are preaching the importance of affordability, even as gas prices are on the rise.

* Tribune | ‘Don’t let the door hit you on the way out’: Illinois officials cheer Kristi Noem’s ouster at Homeland Security: “Hey Kristi Noem, don’t let the door hit you on the way out,” Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker said in a video posted to social media immediately after her firing. “Here’s your legacy: corruption and chaos. Parents and children tear gassed. Moms and nurses — U.S. citizens getting shot in the face. Now that you’re gone, don’t think you get to just walk away. I guarantee you, you will still be held accountable.” One of the citizens shot during those operations was Marimar Martinez, a schoolteacher who had been on her way to drop off a basket of donations when she joined a car caravan of Operation Midway Blitz protesters tailing agents through Brighton Park.

* Illinois Times | Following a prison sentence, engineer collects nearly $1.5 million from same state agency he was convicted of defrauding: Keebler has even sought additional reimbursement from the state’s underground storage tank fund by appealing more than 15 of the IEPA’s final reimbursement notices. His most recent appeal, which remains open, requests a $21,000 payment be added to nearly $393,000 already received for cleanup of a Vermilion County property. And it’s unclear if the state has improved its system of checks and balances to verify the accuracy of invoices submitted since Keebler’s return to the profession. However, Keebler has not been accused of further wrongdoing since his previous case was settled.

*** Chicago ***

* Tribune | ‘Who does that?’ Judge scolds city for interrupting deposition to strip Chicago officer of police powers: Attorney Michael Sheehan, representing the city, chalked the interruption up to “coincident, separate processes” where the sergeant who took Rodriquez back to headquarters had simply seen him from the front desk and walked him out of the building. “There was no intention by us to act in bad faith,” Sheehan said. “It was expressly said we’re gonna bring him back. We did bring him back. There was no intention to not follow through.” Jordan Marsh, representing the plaintiffs, said he had “absolutely no intention” of accusing the city or CPD of acting in bad faith but argued that they should still turn over the communications that led to the interruption.

* NBC Chicago | Animal welfare groups back new leader of Chicago Animal Care and Control: Several of Chicago’s largest animal welfare organizations are publicly supporting the city’s newly appointed leader of Chicago Animal Care and Control — even as some volunteers and city leaders question the appointment. At a news conference Thursday, leaders from PAWS Chicago joined other shelter partners to voice strong support for Susan Cappello, who was recently appointed executive director of Chicago Animal Care and Control by Mayor Brandon Johnson.

* WBEZ | Aspira will soon have no teachers or money. CPS is still struggling to close it: Yet CPS says they can’t just close Aspira, regardless of whether there’s a signed written agreement. “The Illinois Charter School Law explicitly states that, ‘no local school board may arbitrarily or capriciously revoke or not renew a charter” and “revocation shall take place at the end of a school year,’” a CPS spokesperson told WBEZ in an email.

* Chalkbeat Chicago | After possible building sale, Chicago Public Schools agrees to lease space for Acero Santiago: Last week, the board approved adding the building to its master lease agreement with the archdiocese, a move that also added the buildings of other Acero charter schools the school board took over last year to prevent Acero from shuttering those schools. In total, Chicago Public Schools will transition five Acero schools — De las Casas, Cisneros, Fuentes, Tamayo, and Santiago — into district-run schools by the 2026-27 school year.

* Crain’s | Illinois affordable housing agency inks Michigan Avenue office lease: The Illinois Housing Development Authority signed a 72,645-square-foot lease in the Michigan Plaza office tower at 225 N. Michigan Ave., according to Transwestern, which oversees leasing at the property. The IHDA will relocate to the building later this year from the nearby Illinois Center office tower at 111 E. Wacker Drive, where its lease for just under 67,000 square feet is due to expire in October.

* Sun-Times | Fox 32 Chicago fires anchor Scott Schneider, executive producer Marissa Rubino in latest moves: Though sources were unaware of the reason for the dismissals, they followed the hiring of four reporters and a producer in the last month. Fox 32 vice president of news content and programming Sean O’Heir appears to be remaking the newsroom since taking the title in September. Schneider, who anchored the 5 and 9 p.m. newscasts, had been with the station for 10 years, and Rubino for almost seven. Messages left for Fox Television Stations’ communications department weren’t returned.

*** Cook County and Suburbs ***

* Aurora Beacon-News | Aurora planning commission recommends approval of data center regulations: Aurora’s Planning and Zoning Commission on Wednesday voted to recommend the city adopt regulations around data centers that are stricter than were originally presented by the city staff. Under current Aurora city code, data centers are considered warehouses so have no special requirements and can be built in certain areas without Aurora City Council approval. The proposed changes would give the City Council the ability to approve or deny proposed data center developments and would set requirements around energy use, water use, noise and other emissions.

* Fox Chicago | Hundreds speak out as Joliet considers largest data center in state: Hundreds packed Joliet City Hall for a public hearing on a proposed 795-acre data center, with supporters citing jobs and economic growth and opponents raising concerns about utility costs and resource use. The project could create about 10,000 construction jobs but far fewer permanent positions, and would require significant water and electricity; no customer agreements are finalized.

* Shaw Local | Geneva State Rep. Ugaste urges no vote on police referendum: State Rep. Dan Ugaste, R-Geneva, on Monday sent out text messages to his constituents, urging them to vote no on the Geneva Police Department referendum. “This is way too much for our new police station,” Ugaste’s text stated. “Taxpayers must speak up. … Vote NO on the $60M referendum and oppose higher property taxes on March 17. … Republican State Representative Dan Ugaste.” […] Though Ugaste said he’s against the referendum because of the cost, Mayor Kevin Burns called him a “NIMBY” – an acronym for Not In My Back Yard, a common vernacular used by those to voice opposition to something in their neighborhood. “When the Geneva City Council unanimously voted to approve the South Street location for a new Geneva Police Station, Dan expressed concerns to me and others that a police station ‘so close to his home would negatively impact his home value,’” Burns said.

* Daily Herald | DuPage County undersheriff put on leave: DuPage County Undersheriff Eddie Moore has been placed on administrative leave amid an investigation into whether he struck someone with his car last month in the parking lot of an Oak Brook restaurant. […] “While pulling my car around to pick up my wife, an individual stepped in front of the vehicle and believed he had been struck,” Moore’s statement reads. “I immediately stopped, got out, and repeatedly asked if he needed assistance. He declined. My wife, who is a nurse, came over and also checked on him, and he again refused help.” […] With the primary less than two weeks away, the incident has become an issue in Moore’s race against fellow Republican Sean Noonan.

* WBEZ | Some Cook County Board commissioners skip more than 20% of their meetings: Four incumbent Cook County commissioners — including two county board members facing Democratic primary challenges on March 17 — each missed more than 20% of the meetings they were supposed to be at since the beginning of the current term, a WBEZ analysis of county records has found. The station compiled and analyzed the attendance records from 800 public meetings since the four-year term began in December 2022, finding that the sitting commissioners who did not show up with the greatest frequency were Stanley Moore, Bridget Gainer and Kisha McCaskill.

* Crain’s | Michael Jordan’s former Highland Park home pulled from rental sites: Cooper rechristened the estate Champions Point, and in early 2025 rolled out a plan to sell million-dollar shares. Shareholders would get the right to stay in the house for one week each year and bring up to 20 guests. That plan crumbled in September when Highland Park officials voted to amend their zoning code in a way that specifically blocked him. In the months between announcing the share plan and seeing it killed, Cooper offered the property on Airbnb at $105,514 for a seven-night stay. He also had it up for long-term rental at $89,000 a month.

*** Downstate ***

* WGLT | McLean County Board to consider zoning changes related to potential AI data centers: Lea Cline, chair of the Land Use and Transportation committee, spoke about the amendment drafted in collaboration with fellow McLean County Board members Jim Rogal and Adam Reeves about how the county’s current zoning laws can be refined to address data centers. “We spent several months visiting data centers, reading about the industry and learning from other counties and states about approaches to zoning around this industry,” said Cline. “Our goal was to create zoning language that gives the county meaningful oversight while remaining flexible enough to address a rapidly evolving industry.” Cline said a key point was to acknowledge the variability of data centers, since they cannot be easily defined.

* WICS | School district boundaries may leave Latham out-of-luck for data center benefits: These benefits would instead go to the Mount Pulaski school district, as the proposed site falls just within their boundary. When visiting the site, the village of Latham is clearly visible, whereas Mount Pulaski, is not. Ted Allen, the mayor of Latham, wants to know how the facility would help the village. He tells us, “There’s been a little bit of communication, they [Hut 8] said they’d help our [Warrensburg-Latham] school out, but you know how sometimes that goes. It don’t always go.”

* Capitol News Illinois | Feds accuse former Carlyle police chief of wire fraud, theft: A Metro East police chief spent more than $100,000 of public money intended to combat drug use and support a local fire protection district on personal expenses, including basketball tickets, travel, and diamond engagement ring, according to a federal indictment. A federal grand jury returned a four-count indictment on Tuesday charging now former Carlyle Police Chief Mark Pingsterhaus on wire fraud and theft of public money counts. He resigned in December after the federal investigation became public.

* WICS | Open house tonight for expanding cannabis grant program: The City of Springfield is expanding the boundaries of the cannabis grant program. It collects money from cannabis sales tax revenue and is distributed to local minority businesses and homeowners for home improvements. Julia Griffin, the operations coordinator for economic development with the City of Springfield, told NewsChannel 20 that blight in these neighborhoods drives down property values, leads to health and safety issues, and can even lower neighborhood morale.

* WCIA | Sean Grayson’s family, friends ask for adjusted sentence ahead of next court hearing: For the first time since former deputy Sean Grayson’s sentence in January, both legal teams will meet in a Sangamon County courtroom on Friday to learn whether or not the convicted killer will remain behind bars for two decades, or if he’ll see his sentence reduced. It comes after his family, friends, and former colleagues wrote to the judge, asking for an adjusted prison term.

*** National ***

* NBC | Tylenol orders for some pregnant women fell after Trump warned them not to take it: To investigate the impact of Trump’s comments, a pair of researchers — at Harvard Medical School and Brown University — used electronic health records to compare the number of Tylenol prescriptions for pregnant patients who visited emergency departments from Sept. 22 to Dec. 7 to prescriptions ordered in the nearly three months leading up to Trump’s announcement. They found that orders for paracetamol — the active ingredient in Tylenol — fell 10% for pregnant patients. The researchers did not see the same decline in women who weren’t pregnant.