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Isabel’s afternoon roundup
Tuesday, Sep 29, 2026 - Posted by Isabel Miller
* WBEZ | Illinois environmental scientist wins prestigious ‘genius grant’: The foundation came calling because of Guan’s ground-breaking work combining satellite observations, process models and machine learning to build resilient agricultural systems. The MacArthur Foundation eventually emailed him, requesting help with a “proposal.” When they finally connected days later, he learned he’d won the prestigious MacArthur Fellowship. The so-called “genius grant” is awarded to 20 to 30 individuals each year, and it comes with a no-strings-attached prize of $800,000. The 2026 Fellows were announced by the foundation Tuesday. * Sun-Times | City Council raises debt threshold, sets stage for potential fourth veto from Mayor Johnson: By a 32-15 vote, the Council agreed to require future borrowing to be approved by a three-fifths vote. That’s 30 votes instead of the current threshold of 26 votes. But the Council’s support of the reform championed by retiring 13th Ward Ald. Marty Quinn fell short of the 34 votes that would be required to override a mayoral veto. That means Quinn’s political victory could be short-lived. “The mayor does have a history of vetoing really good policy. He vetoed the hemp [ban]. He decided to choose dodgy storefronts over the safety of kids, so anything is possible,” Quinn said, acknowledging that 34 votes is “a reach.” * Unraveled | In plain sight: a year of ICE using Chicago police parking lots for its operations: Unraveled has obtained multiple videos from witnesses and city agencies showing an ongoing pattern of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents using Chicago Police Department (CPD) parking lots across at least four police districts, despite a mayoral executive order banning civil immigration enforcement operations on city-owned lots. ICE activity has ranged from meeting and parking their vehicles in the lots to using them as a secure space for transferring detainees. In one incident this past August, ICE arrested an observer in the 25th District Grand Central lot and held her for hours on CPD property while police officers drove by. * Tribune | Chicago parking meters switching owners, aldermen point to improvements over 2008 deal: The City Council on Tuesday approved the sale of the parking meter system to Stonepeak Partners by a 46-3 vote. The firm made key concessions during the final stretch of a monthslong, high-stakes negotiation in order to get the $2.53 billion package across the finish line. While it does not buy back the roughly 36,000 meters across the city, supporters of the transfer framed it as a big improvement over Mayor Richard M. Daley’s 2008 sale that’s now widely mocked as a boondoggle and seen as a black mark for the aldermen who voted for it. * Bloomberg | FDA cites ‘significant violations,’ including hair in drugs, at suburban Fresenius plant: Fresenius SE’s generic drugs unit Kabi received a warning letter from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration citing “significant violations” at a facility in Melrose Park. The letter dated Sept. 22 said a sterile injectable drug manufacturing facility in the west suburb failed to meet U.S. manufacturing standards during an inspection at the start of the year. * Daily Herald | U-46 to spend $62.6 million on 25 school construction projects: “For summer 2027, we are planning curriculum, infrastructure, and we do have a carryover project,” Assistant Superintendent of Operations Sheila Downs said at Monday night’s school board meeting. “Also, you’ll notice a new section, which is the commissioning of extra projects.” The curriculum projects will center on addressing aging science instruction infrastructure and providing more modern learning spaces at two schools, Downs said. * Evanston Roundtable | City Council will pick acting mayor at Oct. 19 special meeting: In one of his last acts before leaving the city government, Evanston Mayor Daniel Biss has called a special City Council meeting for Monday, Oct. 19 for the sole purpose of councilmembers appointing an acting mayor less than 24 hours after he resigns from office. The mayor emailed notice of the special meeting to councilmembers on Sept. 14, booking the meeting for 5 p.m. with only “one substantive agenda item, namely a special order of business for the election of an Acting Mayor.” Under the rotating schedule set at the start of the term in May 2025, the meeting will be chaired by Councilmember Clare Kelly (1st Ward) in the capacity of mayor pro tempore. * Daily Herald | ‘An adult listening room’: Music lounge proposed for downtown Mundelein: To be called Mondegreen Hi-Fi, the business is proposed for a storefront at 455 N. Lake St., just south of Park Street. The name comes from the term for a misinterpretation of a song lyric or phrase that gives it a new meaning. “Everyone has one,” co-owner Matt Darst explained to the village board during a presentation of his group’s business plan Monday night. “That song that you sang for years out loud and then were corrected by your friend.” * WGLT | Alleging ‘unlawful conspiracy,’ Country Financial sues American Farm Bureau Federation: Country Financial is suing the American Farm Bureau Federation, the latest move in a series of escalating legal trouble tied to the insurer’s decision to drop its requirement that some policyholders be farm bureau members. In legal documents obtained by WGLT, Bloomington-based Country Mutual Insurance Company [CMIC, the legal name of Country Financial] alleges the American Farm Bureau Federation [AFBF] has “openly engaged in an unlawful conspiracy to violate Illinois law through anticompetitive conduct, contractual breaches, intentionally tortious conduct and unfair and deceptive trade practices.” * WCIA | City of Springfield, CWLP unveil 40 new EV charging stations: Mayor Misty Buscher joined officials from CWLP and the Greater Springfield Chamber of Commerce to celebrate the new charging stations. They were installed throughout the summer as part of a citywide project, and 38 of them are already in service. “These chargers will serve our residents and our visitors while supporting local businesses and the surrounding neighborhoods,” said Mike Gorsek, CWLP’s electric division manager. “We expect those benefits to grow as more people use electric vehicles.” * WCIA | Champaign School District projects $10.2M deficit for FY2027: A PowerPoint presentation from the district shows more than 80% of Champaign School District funds come from property taxes and other local funds. About half of the district’s money goes to salaries. The FY27 financial priorities include supporting the district’s instructional and operational priorities and maintaining essential programs and services. Looking ahead to the future, the district said it plans to maintain long-term financial stability. * Vox | America’s empty bedrooms are up for grabs: With rents outpacing wages in most of the country, legislators are increasingly looking at co-living — sometimes called house-sharing or adult dorm rooms — as an overlooked piece of America’s housing stock. Zillow counts roughly 21 million “empty nest households” — or homes where older residents living with no children have at least two extra bedrooms. Some lawmakers want to make it easier for those homeowners to rent them out, which could put workers closer to their jobs and help seniors stay in houses they can no longer afford alone. Others are eyeing a different kind of vacancy: Post-pandemic remote work has left about a fifth of American office space empty, and there’s growing interest in turning some of it into apartments.
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Roundup: Data centers and surveillance cameras under the microscope
Tuesday, Sep 29, 2026 - Posted by Isabel Miller * NBC Chicago…
* CBS Chicago…
* WTTW…
* WCIA…
* More…
* Lake County News-Sun | Lake County Board District 10 candidates talk affordability, Grayslake data center: Sullivan said she’s heard two issues from people: the cost of living and concerns over development, especially the Grayslake data center. There are limited options for addressing the cost of living from the County Board, Sullivan admitted, but she emphasized focusing on what she could influence: fiscal restraint, taxpayer dollar responsibility, public-private partnerships, and investing in infrastructure to avoid long-term issues. Meanwhile, the data center development has people “very concerned,” Sullivan said. * Pioneer Press | Skokie calls for review of Flock cameras following national surge of misuse: “We’ve heard a lot from residents who are extremely concerned about a lot of different things that weren’t so much addressed in this presentation,” Trustee Lissa Levy voiced to Barnes and Oakley at the Sept. 8 meeting. “What are the measures in place to prevent hacking into [this] data, especially given what we’re all hearing about AI systems being able to hack into other companies, other entities unknown, unseen?” Levy questioned. “Law enforcement data has specific security requirements,” Barnes responded. “The Illinois State police and the secretary of state, that’s who maintains our law enforcement data system…they have to approve of anybody who’s gonna have access.” * Daily Northwestern | Residents decry data center proposal, call for moratorium at City Council: The Daily obtained an overview of the proposal through a Freedom of Information Act request Monday morning. In the proposal, Lark Management claimed the data center would be housed entirely within the property’s existing 19,660-square-foot structure and be a “permitted continuation of industrial use at this site.” The data center proposal faces stiff opposition from residents, councilmembers and Mayor Daniel Biss, who has called for a data center moratorium. City staff determined the project is not permissible under current zoning rules in a Monday news release. * Forbes | ‘I Like Them’: Trump Backs Controversial Flock Cameras Despite Protests: While speaking to reporters onboard Air Force One while flying back from Ireland, Trump was asked what he thought of Flock cameras. Trump said he “sort of” likes them because he believes they help law enforcement. However, the president acknowledged pushback against the cameras from “some people,” who think “it’s an infringement.” When a reporter interjected, saying they “help catch a lot of criminals,” Trump once again said, “I like them.” * Government Technology | Why State CIOs Find Themselves in the AI Data Center Debate:The annual survey from the National Association of State Chief Information Officers (NASCIO), released at its conference this week, found that roughly half of state CIOs were now involved in some way in their states’ handling of such data center development, or expected to become involved. That might entail sitting on a task force, advising elected officials or even working with developers to show them how they can invest in a community to be a net positive after their project is completed. In a panel discussion, three CIOs discussed the roles they’ve taken on. Timothy Galluzi, CIO for Nevada, said he does see the importance of AI data centers given the global “arms race” in technology, especially between large countries such as the U.S. and China. * IPM News | ‘The people united will never be defeated’: Protesters voice concerns about data center impacts on environment: Dozens of students and community members gathered in front of Foellinger Auditorium on the Main Quad at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign to show their opposition to the construction of AI data centers in Champaign County. The protest on Friday, Sept. 25 was organized by the Students for Environmental Concerns (SECS), a registered student organization at the U of I. Gabi DelSanto, SECS president and a U of I senior, said the group got involved with data center matters after meeting the co-founders of Resist AI Data Centers in Champaign County — Ruth Yontz and Antonia Herbstreit. *ref=”https://www.404media.co/surveillance-company-tells-cops-it-wants-to-add-facial-recognition-to-flock-cameras/”> 404 Media | Surveillance Company Tells Cops It Wants to Add Facial Recognition to Flock Cameras: As Flock continues to be the center of a nationwide conversation about automatic license plate reading cameras, the company has said that it doesn’t, and won’t, do facial recognition: “We will not add facial recognition to our devices,” Flock CEO Garrett Langley said in a recent video. But other, third-party companies are telling cops that they are willing to add facial recognition to data gathered by Flock cameras in order to “close that gap.” A company called VIDIZMO is advertising the capability to export footage from FlockOS to its own platforms that do facial recognition, behavior prediction, and racial and gender analysis on live camera feeds. VIDIZMO is a several decades-old video analysis and database company that has started offering facial recognition technology to cops within the last six months. In a May email to Johnson City, Tennessee, deputy police chief Michael Adams, a salesperson from VIDIZMO wrote that the company’s product could do facial recognition on both Flock and Axon data in “one searchable platform.” * Reuters | Anthropic’s $518 billion AI buildout hinges largely on deals that cannot be canceled, filing shows: The AI lab said in the prospectus that about 80% of that sum is non-cancelable or requires payment regardless of usage. Anthropic is telling investors the commitments are necessary because access to computing power is becoming the key constraint on AI development, as future demand for advanced AI systems is likely to exceed available supply and will be “limited principally by the availability of compute.” * Reuters | Anthropic’s IPO prospectus shows sweeping AI vision, surging costs: The prospectus details how the company has grown sharply in the last year — while also posting wider losses. Revenue grew 12-fold in 2025 to nearly $4.6 billion, even as the company lost more than $8 billion on an operating basis, excluding writedowns of various liabilities mostly tied to previous fundraising, according to the documents, reported here for the first time.
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Protected: SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - Campaign news
Tuesday, Sep 29, 2026 - Posted by Isabel Miller
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Isabel’s morning briefing
Tuesday, Sep 29, 2026 - Posted by Isabel Miller * ICYMI: Chicago City Council majority says no to head tax, property tax hike to balance 2027 budget. Block Club Chicago…
- “The City cannot balance its books on the assumption that the General Assembly will act,” the members stated in a letter. “If Springfield acts, let it bring relief in its season. We should not spend what has not yet arrived.” - Johnson is expected to deliver a detailed budget address in mid-October, to be followed by City Council hearings on departmental spending. * Related stories… * Gov. JB Pritzker has no public events scheduled today. * Tribune | About 9,300 immigrants in Illinois to lose Medicaid this week because of One Big Beautiful Bill: Across Illinois, about 9,300 immigrants — including lawfully present refugees, human trafficking survivors and people who’ve been granted asylum but don’t have green cards — are slated to lose their Medicaid coverage after Sept. 30 under provisions of HR1, also called the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which President Donald Trump signed into law in 2025. * Illinois Times | Nonpartisan group holds debates for Senate district and sheriff races: Sheriff Paula Crouch, a Republican, debated Democratic challenger Marc Bell, who’s been endorsed by Crouch’s primary challenger and former employee David Timm. Bell spent his career with Illinois State Police before retiring more than a decade ago. He currently serves on Springfield’s Police Community Review Commission. […] Both candidates committed to working to install the sheriff-designated calls to action from the Massey Commission, but Bell’s opening statement included him reading an expanded ethics policy he said he’d implement if elected. “It is essential that the employees of the Sangamon County Sheriff’s Office follow the code of ethics for the office of the sheriff,” Bell said, including a commitment to “not tolerate nor condone brutal or inhumane treatment of others by my employees, nor shall I commit or condone inhumane or brutal treatment of inmates in my care and custody,” amongst a host of other pledges. * Capitol News Illinois | Replacing Mendoza: Candidates vie to be state’s first new comptroller in a decade: “The governor does not appreciate ‘Yes’ people,” she said. “I’ve seen this as someone who’s been around this world. He surrounds himself with people who challenge him, obviously respectfully. But that’s how we get better outcomes.” Drew sees the office differently. If he wins, he views himself as an ombudsman of sorts who can act as a check on government in a state where Democrats hold the governorship and supermajorities in the legislature. He acknowledged that Mendoza “was not just a rubber stamp for the governor” on at least one or two occasions. But he said he’s better suited to be a watchdog as an outsider. * N’Digo | Christian Mitchell – Democratic Candidate For Illinois Lt. Governor: What do you think the Democratic Party nationally should do to regain power? “We made a mistake by just focusing on Trump. What are we for? A lot of ways to make the case for Illinois are a national effort. People need to thrive, not just survive. Key issues are lowering the cost of living, not being engaged in trade wars. The Democratic Party is raising wealth, lowering costs, and focusing on future problems, not just looking at the administration of the past; people will be receptive and respond on a national level.” * WTTW | Interim NITA Director Earning $350K Salary While Also Collecting $213K Annual City Pension, Records Show: Newly named interim Northern Illinois Transit Authority Executive Director Jamie Rhee will collect an annual city taxpayer-funded pension of more than $213,000 while earning $350,000 to run the new agency, bringing her total annual compensation to more than $563,000, according to records obtained by WTTW News. When Rhee retired in April 2025 after nearly seven years as the commissioner of the Department of Aviation, serving three mayors, she was the city of Chicago’s highest paid employee, records show. * WAND | Bailey hopes to keep Choate Mental Health Center open: Bailey said he understands the Anna facility has faced serious failures over the years with staff misconduct and abuse of residents. […] They have listened to Springfield call this a transformation,” Bailey said. “They have watched decisions about their community be made without them. Now, they’re being asked to trust that everything will work out after the beds leave Anna.” Pritzker recently said Illinois is one of the last states in the country to get out of state-owned developmental centers. He said other states have stopped the practice because they realized community homes are better settings. * WAND | Illinois awards $4.6 million to boost tourism efforts statewide: The Office of the Governor said the awards include $2 million to projects along Route 66, $2 million to market the state’s attractions and $654,000 to internationally promote Illinois. “Millions of people visit Illinois every year, and we want them to experience more of what our state has to offer from Route 66 to the Chicago skyline. These grants will help local partners reach travelers across the country and around the world and show them what they can discover here in the Middle of Everything,” said Pritzker in a statement. * Press release | AG Candidate Fioretti Announces Congressmen LaHood, Bost and Mary Miller As Campaign Co-Chairs: Republican Illinois Attorney General candidate Bob Fioretti is honored to announce that the three top Republicans in Illinois, Congressman Darin LaHood, Congressman Mike Bost, and Congresswoman Mary Miller have signed on as Co-Chairmen of his campaign. “I’m proud that three such distinguished public servants have placed their trust in my campaign, Fioretti, a former two-term Alderman from Chicago, said. “It is time for the Republican Party to unite, and the combination of their popularity downstate, and my name recognition in the Chicago area, is a winning formula.” * Crain’s | Chicago renter ordinance votes delayed as mayor and foes seek a compromise: The delay follows marathon weekend negotiations that failed to produce a compromise but made clear neither ordinance could win enough votes to pass without further changes. Johnson’s version has been watered down since it was first introduced, including by stripping out relocation payments to tenants forced from their units by landlords. But the mayor is unlikely to secure a City Council majority without further concessions to alderpeople who have repeatedly blocked his agenda over the past year. * Chalkbeat Chicago | How Chicago school board incumbents voted on key issues: The board voted on a lot more than just the budget since being seated in January 2025. Chalkbeat is revisiting how the incumbents voted, including whether they abstained or were absent, on 17 key issues. For each item, we’ve linked to our past coverage so you can read more about why board members voted the way they did. Board members are required to abstain from voting if they have a conflict of interest or an economic stake, such as an investment in an education technology platform. Board members have also abstained for other reasons, often without explaining their decisions in public. * WTTW | Chicago, Suburban Cook County Seeking Poll Workers for November Midterm Election: Election judges are responsible for setting up and opening precinct polling places on Election Day, assisting voters during voting hours and conducting closing procedures after the polls close. Election judges can earn up to $230 for attending training and working on Election Day. * Block Club | City’s First Pedestrian Activated Stoplight Coming To Deadly Edgewater Intersection This Fall: The Federal Highway Administration approved pedestrian hybrid beacons as a traffic tool in 2009, and the beacons have been tested nationwide. The tool results in a 55 percent reduction in pedestrian crashes, a 29 percent reduction in total crashes and a 15 percent reduction in serious injuries and fatal crashes, according to the agency. * WTTW | 44 People Apply to Be Chicago’s Next Police Superintendent: Commission: In 2023, the last time Chicago needed a new chief law enforcement officer, 53 people applied for the job. In 2020, 23 people applied to lead the police department, records show. Applicants include current and former members of the Chicago Police Department, as well as candidates from outside of CPD, according to a statement from the Community Commission for Public Safety and Accountability. * Daily Herald | ‘First in the country’: Metra to showcase game-changing battery-operated passenger train: The trainset is on the way to Chicago and will be exhibited at the American Public Transportation Association conference, which starts Sunday at McCormick Place, the agency announced. “We’ll be the first in the country to have battery-powered passenger vehicles,” Metra Executive Director Jim Derwinski said at a recent meeting. The APTA event is open to the public, and the trainset will later be displayed at a Metra facility, most likely the LaSalle Street station, officials said. It is one of eight the agency has ordered. * Aurora Beacon-News | Group files motion in Kane County court appealing electoral board decision on Aurora recall referendum: While the referendum question is set to be on the ballot in November, the court’s ruling would affect if the votes on the measure are counted or not, said Edward Mullen, an attorney for Helen Francis Ratlow, who filed the appeal. The case is scheduled for a hearing in Kane County Circuit Court on Thursday, Oct. 1, where the involved parties will decide on an expedited briefing and hearing schedule, according to online court records. * Daily Southtown | Homer Glen delays OK for modernized ComEd substation plan: The Homer Glen Village Board postponed a decision allowing ComEd to improve its substation on Bell Road that was first constructed in the 1950s as village officials continue to have questions about the project. Mayor Christina Neitzke-Troike told ComEd officials last week her top concern is how a new substation would benefit Homer Glen residents. ComEd is looking to modernize its substation, 14546 S. Bell Road, with weather-protected enclosures to ensure a more reliable grid. * Daily Herald | Aurora City Council approves plan for hotel near Hollywood Casino site: The hotel development was set to be approved earlier this month, but the decision was delayed after some City Council members had concerns over whether the hotel aligns with the city’s vision for the area, which includes the new Hollywood Casino resort and the Chicago Premium Outlets mall. “I do not believe that this is what we want to build next to a world class casino, our first property after building, having the casino built, be an extended stay hotel,” said Ald. Edward Bugg, 9th Ward. * Daily Herald | Funding approved for final nine homes in Aurora’s first ‘smart neighborhood’: The community, which is being built near the intersection of Jericho Road and Edgelawn Drive, is set to have 17 homes designed with energy efficiency, affordability and resiliency in mind by 2028. The final nine remaining homes are slated to be built by Habitat for Humanity of Northern Fox Valley using just over $1.2 million in federal funding, which was authorized to the nonprofit by the Aurora City Council on Sept. 22. The homes must be completed by or before Feb. 28, 2028, according to the development agreement. * WGLT | McLean County water capacity is a fluid conversation for data centers: So, how much water would a hypothetical data center need in Bloomington-Normal? No one really knows. Joao Ferreira is acting director of the Center for Economic and Policy Studies at the Weldon Cooper Center for Public Service. Ferreira, based at the University of Virginia, and the center published a study on data centers in the Great Lakes region earlier this year. Among many findings, how much water a data center could use is tied directly to different factors. Chief among them, data centers are not required to disclose how much water they use. * KFVS | Chester, Ill. bids farewell to historic bridge: After decades of carrying travelers over the Mississippi River between Illinois and Missouri, the aging structure came down Monday morning. While the community welcomes the recent opening of the new Don Welge Memorial Bridge, the implosion brings bittersweet reflections for generations who grew up crossing the river on the old structure. * WCBU | Tazewell County voters to weigh 1% school facility tax on November ballot: Morton School District 709 Superintendent Joe Sander says the funding would support facility maintenance upgrades, safety and security and mental health resources. “We’re the hole in the donut,” said Sander. “Every county that’s adjacent to Tazewell County has passed the tax.” Tazewell County is in the hole because the tax proposal was defeated in 2018 and 2019, rejected by 51% and 56% of voters, respectively. * WGLT | McLean County community solar program offers benefits without the commitment of panels: Denver-based PureSky Energy and the Ecology Action Center [ECA] in Normal have partnered to launch the first community solar program in McLean County — and in the state of Illinois. It was developed through the Illinois Solar for All program. The McLean 1 solar farm has reached full operation as of this week. The project aims to bring clean, affordable energy to income-eligible households. It does that by allowing low- and moderate-income households to subscribe to the program with guaranteed savings of 50% off their electric bills. Other similar programs for non-income eligible households offer about 10% in savings. * WIRED | OpenAI Delays Release of Latest Model Over Safety Concerns: The company said its latest Astra model would undergo more work to meet safety standards, and issued an apology for the way it handled the hacking of an Australian government website. * Reuters | Inside McDonald’s push to have AI price your Big Mac: McDonald’s says its franchisees are free to set their own prices, but five store owners told Reuters the company pressured them to use the AI-pricing tools. A franchisee document from June reviewed by Reuters shows McDonald’s records franchisees’ deviations from the recommendations in detail.
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Good morning!
Tuesday, Sep 29, 2026 - Posted by Rich Miller
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Protected: SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - Supplement to today’s edition
Tuesday, Sep 29, 2026 - Posted by Isabel Miller
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Protected: SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - Today’s edition of Capitol Fax (use all CAPS in password)
Tuesday, Sep 29, 2026 - Posted by Rich Miller
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Selected press releases (live updates)
Tuesday, Sep 29, 2026 - Posted by Isabel Miller
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