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Isabel’s afternoon roundup
Monday, Oct 6, 2025 - Posted by Isabel Miller * Governor JB Pritzker on the state’s lawsuit against Trump’s National Guard deployment to Chicago…
The press conference is ongoing. Click here to watch live. * Capitol News Illinois’ Hannah Meisel was in the courtroom…
* The Texas National Guard is on its way…
* Sun-Times…
* Huff Post | The Supreme Court Is About To Hear A Case That Could Change Elections: The Supreme Court will wrestle with a question on Wednesday that, depending on the answer, could open up broad avenues for President Donald Trump to manipulate elections and the courts while continuing his assault on the nation with bogus claims of election fraud. […] The case in question is Bost v. Illinois, which focuses on mail-in election ballots and specifically addresses who has the right to challenge them. The court will weigh whether allegations of a possible or future injury to a federal candidate’s campaign –– like costs associated with counting or verifying mail-in ballots up to two weeks after Election Day — are enough to give that person the right, or “standing” to sue. The case originates from Rep. Mike Bost (R-Ill.), a Trump ally involved in the effort to overturn Joe Biden’s 2020 victory, and Republican presidential electors Laura Pollastrini and Susan Sweeney, all of whom sued the Illinois State Board of Elections in 2022. * WGLT | Illinois manufacturers look for more certainty amid ongoing tariffs: Mark Denzler, president of the Illinois Manufacturers Association [IMA], said many companies are deciding whether they can afford to absorb those costs or pass them on to their customers. “Some companies have reduced [capital expenditure] spending, they’ve put a free on hiring new people, particularly when we see companies that are making a product that’s sold to consumers, you think food products for example,” Denzler said in an interview on WGLT’s Sound Ideas. * SoS Alexi Giannoulias | Time to slam brakes on discriminatory car insurance rates: We’re over halfway through our town hall push, where more than 800 Illinoisans took time out of their busy schedules to speak out about skyrocketing insurance rates. While the town halls are confirming what the data indicated, we’re also uncovering new issues to explore, including how ride-hail and delivery app drivers are potentially being double charged for auto insurance. * McHenry County Blog | Former State Rep. DeLoris Doederlein 100 Today, Passed Driver’s Test at 99: Elected in 1986 to the Illinois House to replace Jill Zwick, East Dundee’s DeLoris Doederlein served six years. Today is her 100th birthday. Yesterday at the West Dundee VFW Post, there was a glorious celebration of her life. Not that there was a lot of public speaking. Doederlein’s best line was “See you next year.” * Capitol News Illinois | Illinois sues to block Trump’s National Guard deployment to Chicago: Illinois filed its lawsuit hours after Republican Texas Gov. Greg Abbott announced he will send 400 guardsmen to cities around the country, including Chicago, and after a federal judge in Oregon blocked National Guard deployments to Portland. The order is “effective immediately for an initial period of 60 days” and subject to extension, according to the memo, signed by Hegseth. It comes a day after Pritzker confirmed Trump’s intention to federalize 300 members of the Illinois National Guard. * NBC Chicago | Chicago mayor signs order to stop federal agents from using certain city-owned spaces: The order, which is set to take effect immediately, will prohibit federal immigration authorities from using “city-owned or controlled parking lots, vacant lots, and garages as staging areas, processing locations, or operations bases for civil immigration enforcement activities,” it states. “In recent weeks, federal agents used several City-owned properties—including parking lots near Harrison and Kedzie, and a vacant lot at 46th and Damen—as staging sites for immigration enforcement,” the mayor’s office said in a release about the order. “Such use of City property undermines community trust and runs counter to Chicago’s Welcoming City Ordinance, which ensures that all residents—regardless of immigration status—can live, work, and seek services without fear.” * Economist | What a Chicago immigration raid says about Trumpism: One of the residents who remains is Alicia Brooks, a 33-year-old American citizen. By her account, at around 1am on the night of the raid she heard a helicopter right outside her window on the fifth floor. “I started to get my key, and I was grabbed,” she says. “I was zip-tied in front of me and escorted outside the building.” Dozens of men in military-style uniforms carrying assault rifles evacuated the complex “like it was on fire”, she says. They lined up the inhabitants outside, zip-tying the hands of the adults, and put them on buses. By law, to question somebody, immigration officers must have reason to think they could be an illegal immigrant. To arrest somebody, they need probable cause. Ms Brooks, who is black, with an American accent, says she repeatedly asked officers why she was being arrested, and pointed out her citizenship. Nobody asked her any questions. When she continued to object to her arrest, an officer knocked her to the ground, removed the zip-ties and replaced them with handcuffs, locked as tightly as they would go. By the time she was released, together with several other citizens, she says the sun was coming up. * Bloomberg | Credit score shake-up slams Chicago’s TransUnion: Fair Isaac Corp. will now sell credit scores directly to mortgage resellers, a move that sent shares of third-party credit bureaus like Chicago-based TransUnion plunging. Through a new program, mortgage resellers will be able to calculate and distribute credit scores directly to customers, reducing their reliance on credit bureaus. This will bring more price transparency and savings for mortgage lenders, mortgage brokers and other industry participants, FICO said in a statement. * ABC Chicago | Walgreens to close Chicago Old Post Office location: Walgreens announced it will close its office space at Chicago’s Old Post Office, a spokesperson told ABC7. The company said it will keep its headquarters in Deerfield, where the company has been rooted for decades. “As we renew our focus on our stores and customer experience, we have made the decision to exit our office space at the Old Post Office,” a spokesperson said. * ABC Chicago | Uber Eats brings robot food delivery to some Chicago neighborhoods: The robots can only go on the sidewalk and are emission-free. They will be used in Austin, Belmont Cragin, Dunning, East Garfield Park, Humboldt Park, Lakeview, Lincoln Park, Little Italy, Logan Square, Near North Side, Near West Side, Uptown, West Garfield Park and West Town initially. * Tribune | CPS students celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month amid time of tension: ‘We deserve to be here’: Despite the fear in many communities as intimidation and arrests by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents ramp up across the Chicago area, students such as Rodriguez, 16, are finding solace and joy by honoring the holiday. Sharing cultural traditions is not new for Lane Tech or Rodriguez, who hatched the plan to lead the pinata workshop. A year ago, when the fear of ICE sweeps and arrests was palpable, but the action was not as intense, Rodriguez hosted a workshop for schoolmates to make picture frames to place on an ofrenda, an altar traditionally set up to honor family and loved ones during Dia de los Muertos. * ABC Chicago | Journalists, unions sue ICE, DHS alleging ‘extreme force’ during Broadview detention center protests: The groups suing include NABET Local 41, which represents members of ABC7 Chicago and other local TV stations. There have been multiple incidents where ABC7’s teams have been affected by the use of tear gas and pepper spray balls fired into crowds. Neither ICE nor DHS immediately responded to requests for comment on the lawsuit. * Aurora Beacon-News | Aurora-area school districts modify Title IX policies as federal regulations shift: ‘People are at the center of this’: Following a recent court ruling, some Aurora-area school districts are revising their Title IX policies to align with a federal rule that eliminates protections for transgender students, among other provisions, in line with regulations created during President Donald Trump’s first term. Reversing a more recent version of the federal rule under former President Joe Biden’s administration, changing guidance at the federal level is creating a sort of patchwork of Title IX procedures in local school districts, including those in Aurora, as they adopt policies to remain in line with federal requirements. * ABC Chicago | Car crashes into campaign office in Dolton, village trustee confirms: Dolton Village Trustee Kiana Belcher said the building is her campaign office. She’s running for 5th District County Commissioner. Firefighters say three people were taken to the hospital but are expected to be okay. No word yet on what caused the crash. * Evanston Now | Panel set to vote on new council rules: In June the committee voted 5-4-1 to require a two-thirds supermajority to choose an acting mayor. But the draft language in the Council Rules ordinance for Monday night’s meeting simply adopts the procedure outlined in state law for naming an acting mayor — which only requires a simple majority vote. With Mayor Daniel Biss currently running in the Democratic congressional primary, the process for selecting an acting mayor could become an active issue. * Daily Herald | New, $7.5 million reservoir expands water reliability, capacity in Vernon Hills: The reservoir holds 2 million gallons and is designed to increase reliability of the Vernon Hills water system, which serves about 33,000 residents and businesses in the village, unincorporated Libertyville Township, Knollwood, Rondout, Mettawa and a portion of Long Grove. * Daily Herald | State Sen. Castro secures more than $12 million for 7 local infrastructure projects: The Illinois Department of Transportation’s Multi-Year Program will invest $50.6 billion over six years, continuing an unprecedented investment in safety, mobility and quality of life made possible by the bipartisan Rebuild Illinois capital program, according to the release. “These local projects will not only improve the quality of life in Illinois – they are also critically needed for the safety of our infrastructure,” Castro, an Elgin Democrat, said in the release. “I am grateful that, because of this Rebuild Illinois funding, the city of Elgin will be replacing the Kimball Street Bridge, which is a vital artery in our downtown in need of improvement.” * Daily Herald | ‘Our goal is goodbye’: Suburban shelters seek forever homes amid surge in surrendered pets: “We’ve had a lot more requests (from owners relinquishing their pets) this year,” said Sally Hubbard, animal welfare manager for Save-A-Pet in Grayslake. “As a no-kill shelter, we only have so much space … but we work with people to help find them options.” In 2023, the Lake County shelter had 121 relinquish requests from owners. So far this year, the shelter has received 260 such requests, Hubbard said. * Daily Herald | Naperville flag display to return to Rotary Hill: Operation Support our Troops - America and the Naperville Park District are hosting the “Healing Field of Honor” — a display of American flags — Nov. 7-12 at Rotary Hill next to the Millennium Carillon. The multi-day event will also feature the Vietnam Wall of Remembrance, bearing the names of more than 58,000 service members who died in Vietnam between 1957 and 1975. Organizers will hold an opening ceremony at 5 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 6, and Vietnam veterans will share stories and answer questions at the memorial. * Daily Herald | Elmhurst native wins Nobel Prize in medicine for key immune system discoveries: Fred Ramsdell, originally from Elmhurst, along with Mary E. Brunkow and Dr. Shimon Sakaguchi uncovered a key pathway the body uses to keep the immune system in check, called peripheral immune tolerance. Experts called the findings critical to understanding autoimmune diseases such as Type 1 diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis and lupus. In separate projects over several years, the trio of scientists — two in the U.S. and one in Japan — identified the importance of what are now called regulatory T cells. Scientists are currently using those findings in a variety of ways: to discover better treatments for autoimmune diseases, to improve organ transplant success and to enhance the body’s own fight against cancer, among others. * IPM Newsroom | Urbana will explore alternatives to mental health crisis intervention without police involvement: At the Oct. 6 City Council meeting, stakeholders from law enforcement, health care and advocacy groups will begin discussions on building an alternative crisis response model. The discussions will be facilitated by a nonprofit organization, Law Enforcement Action Partnership (LEAP), that has worked with communities across the U.S. to establish similar models. * WCIA | Illinois Extension offering support, education for caregivers of farmers with dementia: The University of Illinois Extension has worked alongside researchers in Iowa and Illinois to develop a program designed for caregivers of farmers showing signs of dementia. Older agricultural workers have a higher risk of developing dementia — which increases the chances of becoming injured, especially for those living or working on farms. Because of that, researchers at the University of Iowa, University of Illinois Chicago, community members and Extension experts created Farm Families Coping with Dementia (FFCD). * Chicago Mag | We’re the Great Pumpkin State, Charlie Brown: In a recent year, Illinois grew 634 million pounds of pumpkins, making it a $200 million industry in the state. In second place? Indiana, with 161 million pounds. […] Why Illinois? The soil is rich here, and the land is flat, making it ideal for pumpkin patches. Also, the state has a moderate climate. Pumpkins thrive in the summer, but too much heat stunts their growth. Farmers call this midland region “the orange belt.” For that reason, the world’s largest pumpkin processing plant, Nestle Libby, is in Morton, a small town near Peoria. Morton, which calls itself the Pumpkin Capital of the World, holds an annual Pumpkin Festival. * WSIL | Applesauce spills on I-57 after semi-truck crash: No injuries reported after a semi-truck crash blocked lanes of I-57 on Monday morning. The Illinois State Police said the incident happened at 4:38 a.m., on October 6, in the northbound lanes of I-57 near the 76 mile marker in Franklin County. State police said a truck tractor semi-trailer crashed and rolled over which shut down both northbound lanes. […] Rick’s Towing, which responded to the scene, said 46 thousand pounds of applesauce spilled during the crash. * NPR | The CDC says people must consult a health professional before COVID shot: Unlike in earlier years, the new guidelines call for people to talk to a doctor, pharmacist or some other health care provider about the risks and benefits of getting vaccinated before they get a shot. This extra step is called “shared decision-making,”or “individual-based decision-making” according to the language in the press release. The move is the final action necessary for implementing the new guidelines, which affect who can get and give the COVID shot, and whether vaccination will be covered by private and government insurance without copayments. * NYT | Groups Sue E.P.A. Over Canceled $7 Billion for Solar Energy: The lawsuit, filed in federal court in Rhode Island, accused the agency of illegally revoking the money under the Solar for All program without congressional approval. It expanded an ever-widening legal battle over President Trump’s efforts to claw back billions of dollars in climate funding that had been approved by the Biden administration. The lead plaintiff is the Rhode Island AFL-CIO, a group of labor unions that had trained electricians and other workers to install solar panels in the state. While the unions did not directly receive funds under the Solar for All program, they had been counting on work that would have followed a $49.3 million grant to the Rhode Island Office of Energy Resources.
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Everything’s dry, everything’s dusty and everything’s flammable on farms these days
Monday, Oct 6, 2025 - Posted by Isabel Miller * WCIA last week…
* WCIA yesterday…
* If it looks like your neighbor’s cornfield could double as a bonfire, you’re not wrong. The drought is intense. Check out the USDA drought monitor…  * Yesterday in Beecher via the Patch…
* Ford County battled its own field fire yesterday. WCIA…
* More drought side effects via WCIA…
* There’s at least some rain on the way, though not much… * WAND | Rain chances and turning much cooler: Ahead of a cold front moving through the Midwest this morning, highs today will top out in the 80s again. That front will bring scattered showers and storms to the area this afternoon into Tuesday morning. While rainfall amounts for most of us will stay under one-half inch, we’ll take it. * WTVO | Northern Illinois to welcome scattered rain chances after long dry spell: Rain should wind down before mid-morning Tuesday. As previously discussed, this won’t put much of a dent in the drought situation. Most locales should end up with a quarter to a half inch of rain. Highest totals look to occur to our north and west. * More…
* Lawrence County Post | Illinois drought monitor says dry conditions to continue: No large rains are in the immediate forecast for next week. A windy, hot, dry weekend is in store which will lead to high fire danger across the area. Lawrence County fire officials remind residents that a burn ban continues until further notice. * KWQC | Roads back open after large field fire breaks out in rural Knox County: The Knox County Sheriff’s Office said roadways are back open around Rio, Illinois after a large field fire near the village. Around 2:20, large plumes of smoke could be seen in fields between Knox Road 200 East and Knox Road 100 East. As of 3:15, the Knox County Sheriff’s Office said there are road closures on Knox Highway 33 from Knox Highway 34 to Rio and Knox Highway 2 from US Highway 150 N to Rio due to the fire. * QWAD | Multiple cornfield fires erupt in Knox County: Three standing cornfields were reported burning in the area of Knox Road 100 East. Firefighters issued a Mutual Aid Box Alarm System (MABAS) Box 31 call, summoning additional tenders and brush trucks from surrounding departments to help contain the flames. * River Bender | Field Fire Near Lamb Road Draws Multi-Department Response: Firefighters arrived to find flames moving quickly through the area, prompting calls for multiple tanker trucks due to limited water availability. Departments seen on the scene was Olive, New Douglas, Worden, Hamel, Alhambra, Staunton, and Medowbrook assisted in containing the blaze. The fire was reported to be under control by approximately 4:15 p.m. No injuries were reported. * WCIA | One injured, nearly 200 without power after combine, field fire in Clinton: A combine and field fire injured one and left almost 200 people without power Tuesday afternoon in Clinton. At approximately 12:02 p.m., Clinton firefighters were dispatched to the area of Reagan Road and Illinois Route 54 for a combine and field fire. Firefighters arriving on the scene found a fire in a bean crop and a combine fully engulfed under power lines. * WCIA | 16 fire trucks respond to field fire near St. Joseph; 30-45 acres burned: No one is hurt following Friday’s field fire near St. Joseph, fire officials said. The fire burned an estimated 30 to 45 acres of land before it was extinguished at around 3:30 p.m. Officials from the St. Joseph-Stanton Fire Protection District said on Facebook that despite the dry conditions, standing corn and a breeze, firefighting efforts by first responders and farmers’ work to create firebreaks kept the fire from being any worse. * WAND | Macon county field fire: A huge field fire sparked up between Blue Mound and Macon near Blue Mound Road leaving smoke to rise throughout the area. WAND has reached out to Blue Mound Fire Protection District is waiting to hear back about details. This was not the only incident in which Central Illinois saw a field fire on Sunday and might not be the last, however, improving conditions are expected to be on the way.
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A look back at last week’s extraordinary federal raid
Monday, Oct 6, 2025 - Posted by Rich Miller * I’ve seen this same sort of hot take in other places. This particular version is from Jeanne Ives’ “Breakthrough Ideas” newsletter…
* From that last link Ives herself provided…
The full DHS regulation is here. * Gov. Pritzker over the weekend…
The feds claim enhanced governmental rights of searches and seizures 100 miles from a border. Most of the US population lives within that zone. But, geographically, Chicago does not…
The feds claim that since the Northeastern tip of Lake Michigan is within 100 miles of the Canadian border, then all cities within 100 miles of the lake are within its zone of influence. I’m told some discussions are being held about challenging the federal interpretation in court. * A South Shore raid news coverage roundup from Isabel…
* Sun-Times | Pritzker calls on state agencies to investigate feds’ treatment of children at South Shore raid: Pritzker said the two state agencies will contact families and children impacted by the raid to gather information. If they receive allegations of suspected abuse or neglect by federal agents, the governor said the state will move to hold the agents accountable, which could include “collaborating with local law enforcement as necessary.” * ABC Chicago | ICE agents raid South Shore apartments; Trump says Chicago could become military training ground: “My building is shaking. So, I’m like, ‘What is that?’ Then I look out the window, it’s a Blackhawk helicopter,” said witness Dr. Alii Muhammad. […] DHS said 37 people were arrested. ABC7 spoke to Pertissue Fisher, a woman who lives in the building. She said ICE agents took everyone in the building, including her, and asked questions later. “They just treated us like we were nothing,” Fisher said. * Fox Chicago | ‘ICE is not about safety’: Chicago residents, lawmakers condemn raid in South Shore: First District Congressman Jonathon Jackson, who led the tour, told reporters: “Residents were terrorized, children were thrown to the ground.” The press event took place on the same day Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker (D), speaking out about the raid, told CNN, “They were going after a few criminals, instead they broke windows, they broke down doors, they ransacked the place and there were people that were held, I mean elderly people and children zip-tied.” * Sun-Times | After military-style raid on South Shore apartment, Congress members rally around residents: Ramirez and U.S. Sens.Dick Durbin and Tammy Duckworth have requested a meeting with Immigration and Customs Enforcement Field Office director Russell Hott to discuss oversight of the Broadview processing facility that has become a de facto detention center and the center of anti-ICE protests. Hott rescheduled the meeting, Ramirez said. * CBS Chicago | Elected Illinois officials call for transparency into South Shore apartment raid: Rep. Delia Ramierz, among other elected officials, is calling for more oversight and transparency into what happened at the building and all actions taken by the federal agents. “As a member of the committee on Homeland Security, we are demanding oversight of Broadview. We are requesting and demanding a meeting with the Chicago field office director, Russell Hault, and we want a full investigation into what is happening across the city of Chicago and the entire state of Illinois,” she said. * People Magazine | ICE Agents Rappel from Helicopter in Overnight Chicago Raid, Dragging Kids from Beds to U-Hauls: Ebony Sweets Watson, who lives across the street from where the raid occurred, said she saw what seemed like hundreds of agents outside her front door. She said she witnessed agents dragging residents, including children — some naked or improperly clothed — out of the building and into U-Haul vans. Children were separated from their mothers, she said. “It was heartbreaking to watch,” Watson said. “Even if you’re not a mother, seeing kids coming out buck naked and taken from their mothers, it was horrible.” * Reuters | US Border Patrol raid sweeps in citizens, families as Chicago crackdown intensifies: Naudelys, a 19-year-old Venezuelan woman, says she was in her apartment with her 4-year-old son and another couple with a baby when agents knocked down their door during the raid early Tuesday. Agents told them to put up their hands and pointed guns at them, she said. Naudelys, whose husband was arrested and detained by immigration authorities three months ago, said she tried to record the scene but an agent knocked away her phone. The Spanish-speaking agents told them to go back to their country and made a sexualized remark about Venezuelan women, she said. One of the agents hit a man in front of her son, and she begged him to stop, she said. […] Gil Kerlikowske, who was commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection from 2014-2017 and a former Seattle police chief, said border agents have different training and protocols than local police and worries more aggressive tactics could erode trust. “Policing an urban environment is totally, completely different,” he said. * AP | Using helicopters and chemical agents, immigration agents become increasingly aggressive in Chicago: Agents then went door to door, woke up residents and used zip ties to restrain them, including parents and children, according to residents and the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights, which canvassed the area. Rodrick Johnson was among the U.S. citizens briefly detained and said agents broke through his door and placed him in zip ties. The 67-year-old was released hours later. “I asked if they had a warrant, and I asked for a lawyer,” he told the Chicago Sun-Times. “They never brought one.” * The Triibe | Feds detain dozens of immigrants in ‘massive’ South Shore apartment building raid in Chicago: On Tuesday, photos of ransacked apartments show doors kicked in and belongings tossed around in the aftermath of the raid. Initial reports of gunfire at the location turned out to be flash grenades launched by federal agents. Videos shared to social media show a significant number of FBI agents among the mix. * Block Club | Feds Detained 4 Children Who Are US Citizens During Controversial ICE Raid: The building has long had issues, neighbors said, but agents broke open its doors, allowing others to come in and steal from tenants in the hours after the raid. On Wednesday, walls on the building’s second floor were spray-painted with “Venezuela,” but it was unclear how long the graffiti had been there. Many of the floor’s units had broken doors and appeared to be home to young children. * Block Club | South Shore Residents Return To Ransacked Apartments After ICE Raid: ‘It Looks Like Hell’: The Army veteran, who went blind recently and asked not use his name, said the agents moved on to the next apartment after coming to his home. “I was trying to protect myself,” he said. “My nerves were shook.” By Wednesday afternoon, the building appeared largely abandoned by residents. […] The property was most recently estimated at an under $3 million market value, according to the Cook County Assessor’s Office. An online listing has it up for sale for more than $15 million as part of a “Jackson Park Portfolio” with two other South Shore buildings. The listing agent, Finley Askin, did not return a request for comment. * CWB | Report: City knew of squalid, unsafe conditions at South Shore apartments before immigration raid: According to the [Real Deal], the building’s lender, Wells Fargo, has been pressuring its owner to “re-assert control over the building.” In a recent court filing, the bank claimed “the building is unsecured, which allows non-tenants to access the interior. There has also been increased criminal activity and shootings at the property, which is located across the street from an elementary school.” * Tribune | ‘This could be very significant’: Federal judge in Chicago set to rule on alleged ICE violations in ‘Operation Midway Blitz’: Instead, U.S. District Judge Jeffrey Cummings said he will issue a written ruling “in the coming days.” Leaders of the National Immigrant Justice Center and the American Civil Liberties Union, which filed the original lawsuit against Trump’s first administration in 2018, are hopeful that Cummings will extend the consent decree and help curb the tide of what they call “increasingly violent and dangerous arrests by DHS and other federal officers” in Chicago.
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News coverage roundup: Illinois, Chicago sue Trump over National Guard deployment (Updated)
Monday, Oct 6, 2025 - Posted by Isabel Miller * The Tribune…
* From the complaint…
* Crain’s…
* The AP…
…Adding… Sun-Times federal courts reporter Jon Seidel…
…Adding… The Tribune’s Jason Meisner…
* More…
* Sun-Times | Illinois sues Trump over National Guard deployment: California Gov. Gavin Newsom has had mixed success suing Trump over the deployment in his state. U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer sided with Newsom in early September, accusing Trump of a “serious violation of the Posse Comitatus Act.” […] However, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled earlier that courts must be “highly deferential” to the president on the matter — a ruling cited during Friday’s arguments in Oregon. The 9th Circuit also put Breyer’s September ruling on hold to preserve the status quo while considering a fuller record generated by a bench trial in August. The appellate court is now unlikely to rule before the end of the year. Meanwhile, it’s been nearly four months since Trump deployed troops to California. * CBS Chicago | Illinois and Chicago sue to block Trump deployment of National Guard: Pritzker and Raoul will hold a news conference at 2 p.m. Monday. CBS News Chicago will stream that news conference live on our 24/7 news stream and on air. * CNN | Illinois and Chicago sue Trump administration over deployment of National Guard: The lawsuit asks the court to order the administration to stop federalizing or deploying any National Guard troops to Illinois, and to declare the federalization of National Guard troops more broadly as unlawful.
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Catching up with the federal candidates
Monday, Oct 6, 2025 - Posted by Isabel Miller * Not at all unexpected. Politico…
* Yesterday, House Speaker Chris Welch endorsed La Shawn Ford for the 7th Congressional District. Press release…
* In the 8th CD, Dan Tully’s campaign says it’s raised $635,000 since launching. From an email to supporters…
* Politico…
* Tribune…
The full letter…
* More… * The Intelligencer | Full interview with Senate candidate Robin Kelly * The Hill | EMILY’s List backs Illinois Lt. Gov. Stratton in race to succeed Durbin: A senior Black Democratic strategist told NBC News the PAC endorsed Stratton over Kelly due to her proven statewide reputation after serving in the Illinois House of Representatives and becoming the first Black woman to be elected as lieutenant governor. A win by Stratton or Kelly would follow in the footsteps of former Sen. Carol Moseley Braun (D-Ill.), who was the first Black woman elected to the upper chamber. And with Sens. Angela Alsobrooks (D-Md.) and Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-Del.), three Black women would be concurrently serving in the Senate. * Evanston RoundTable | Congressional candidates line up at Edgewater forum: Eleven of the 15 active Democratic candidates were present, with absences from state Sen. Laura Fine (9th District), 50th Ward Committeeman Bruce Leon, Army veteran Sam Polan and economist Jeff Cohen. Republican Mark Su also attended, and the race’s other Republican candidate, Rocío Cleveland, was listed as participating but did not appear at the event.
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Say No To Anti-Competitive Transmission Legislation
Monday, Oct 6, 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) legislation that hands transmission contracts to incumbent utilities. Gatekeeping legislation with the principles of ROFR limits competition and raises the barrier for other qualified transmission operators – all which increases the power of ComEd and Ameren while passing on higher rates to consumers. The new approach won’t fool voters. Let’s remember:
• 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 rising fast. 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%. Illinois families are feeling the squeeze of energy bills. Competition is the key to relief 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.
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COGFA: ‘Big Beautiful Bill’ appears to be undermining state’s corporate tax forecast
Monday, Oct 6, 2025 - Posted by Rich Miller * COGFA’s September revenue report…
* More on the corporate income tax…
* But…
Discuss.
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. A possible explanation for the disappointing revenue totals for this source so far is discussed on page 5.|
RETAIL: Strengthening Communities Across Illinois
Monday, Oct 6, 2025 - Posted by Advertising Department [The following is a paid advertisement.] Retailers like Joliet’s Internode Greenery and Home serve their communities as more than just brick-and-mortar stores. Internode owner Michelle Arana-Bianchi says she wants Illinois lawmakers to know that her store, and other small businesses, are the backbone of communities and the support they provide goes far beyond selling of retail goods. 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 Michelle are better equipped to meet local needs. We Are Retail and IRMA are showcasing the retailers who make Illinois work.
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Worries over deteriorating business climate after agreed bill process abandoned
Monday, Oct 6, 2025 - Posted by Rich Miller * My weekly syndicated newspaper column was sent to the papers Friday afternoon…
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Protect the 340B Program to Enhance Healthcare Services in Low-Income Communities
Monday, Oct 6, 2025 - Posted by Advertising Department [The following is a paid advertisement.] Drugmaker requirements are making it hard for hospitals like Franciscan Health Olympia Fields to turn savings on drug costs into healthcare services for patients. The hospital joined the federal 340B program “to help serve the uninsured and under-insured community residents in Olympia Fields and Chicago Heights.” The poverty rates in both Chicago suburbs are higher than the 11.6% state average—nearly 13% in Olympia Fields and almost 25% in Chicago Heights. The hospital has put 340B savings toward healthcare services, including its:
• Medication to Bedside program that ensures medication access prior to discharge; and • Pharmacist-managed Anticoagulation Clinics and Pharmacotherapy Clinics that improve medication outcomes and reduce hospital readmissions. “The 340B program serves as a vital lifeline for safety-net providers to support critical health services in low-income or isolated rural communities, which are typically operated at a loss,” Franciscan Health said. Since 2020, drugmakers have blocked access to lifesaving medications acquired through the 340B program, making it harder for Illinois’ 100 participating hospitals to invest in healthcare services—and patients.
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Isabel’s morning briefing (Updated)
Monday, Oct 6, 2025 - Posted by Isabel Miller * ICYMI: Illinois, Texas National Guard troop mobilization to Chicago to begin ‘immediately,’ last 60 days: Pentagon. Sun-Times…
- Gov. JB Pritzker received word Saturday that 300 troops from Illinois were being mobilized. A White House spokesman confirmed the deployments but did not respond to a question about how many troops from each state would come here. - Details of the deployments were revealed in memos sent Saturday from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to leaders of the National Guard in Illinois and Texas. The order to Texas was included in a court filing in Oregon, in a case in which a judge temporarily halted Trump’s plan to send troops there late Sunday. * Related stories… *** UPDATE *** Illinois has sued the Trump administration in federal court to block the deployment of National Guard troops over Gov. JB Pritzker’s objection. Click here for the complaint. Sponsored by Ameren Illinois
* At 2 pm, Governor JB Pritzker will address federal deployments to Illinois. Click here to watch. * Tribune | Transit fiscal cliff much smaller than projected, but severe CTA cuts still expected next year: Asked about the timing of the revised projections after the meeting, Dillard said he was “surprised” by the pushback. “They ask us for revised fiscal cliff numbers, and we’re just providing what the legislature themself asked us to do,” he said. […] “The service cuts we may be forced to make beginning in 2026 will be the single-largest transit service cut in the modern history of the Chicago Transit Authority,” Leerhsen told the RTA board. * Crain’s | Chicago biz groups push back on Trump’s National Guard plan: The Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce, the Civic Committee of the Commercial Club of Chicago and the Civic Federation highlighted the progress that the city has made in fighting crime and argued that the Trump administration’s posture toward the city is undercutting public safety — and hurting business. “Chicago has assembled a broad coalition of public, private, and civic stakeholders who have been working collaboratively in a ‘one table’ approach to try to make our city safer over the last several years. We are making meaningful progress through these collective efforts,” the organizations wrote in a Saturday press release. * Tribune | Illinois Democratic lawmakers take on activist role amid President Trump’s immigration crackdown: State Rep. Lilian Jiménez, who represents parts of Chicago including Humboldt Park, used Facebook on Friday to alert constituents that ICE was nearby a local grocery store close to her district and had “armed agents stopping people in the streets, Walmart, Home Depot, all the places people congregate.” “It gets tiring at times to talk to people and not have the solutions that they’re looking for, which is to have a humane immigration policy that allows families to stay together. It’s exhausting to have to explain how unfair our system is,” Jiménez said in an interview prior to the Friday escalation. “Action and engagement really does get me through the day.” * High Speed Rail Alliance…
* Capitol News Illinois | 7th Circuit denies Madigan’s bid to stay out of prison while he appeals corruption conviction: The former speaker was convicted in February on 10 federal corruption charges — including bribery — after a lengthy trial in which he was accused of trading legislative action for jobs and contracts for his allies along with introductions to potential clients for his property tax appeal law firm. The Chicago-based appellate judges did not sign their order or explain their ruling Friday, but it affirms the decision from Madigan’s trial judge in August, who wrote that the ex-speaker’s “entire motion rides on routine, and meritless” objections and had “not come close” to meeting the “high burden” he’d need to argue to stay out of prison. * Chronicle | 97th State House district will see a rematch: It appears State Rep. Harry Benton and GOP challenger Gabby Shanahan will reprise their 2024 race for the 97th House in 2026. […] Benton won the seat in 2022 by just 1,163 votes, 51.7 to 48.3 percent against Republican Michelle Smith. The Democratic pick-up became possible when Batnick, of Plainfield, declined to run for reelection after four terms. The 2024 race saw a marked increase in voter turnout of more than 50 percent, from 35,027 in 2022 to 52,745 in 2024. Benton improved on those totals against Shanahan in 2024, doubling his winning margin with 2,335 votes, 52.2 percent to Shanahan’s 47.8 percent. * Daily Herald | After spending millions on Bailey in 2022, GOP megadonor Uihlein backs Dabrowski for governor: Late last month, Uihlein donated $250,000 to Wilmette Republican Ted Dabrowski’s campaign, Illinois State Board of Elections records show. Uihlein hasn’t contributed to Bailey’s campaign or any other candidate in the race. “We’re excited that our campaign is coalescing common-sense, conservative support with Dick Uihlein as a donor,” Dabrowski said in an email. When asked about Uihlein’s shift in allegiance, Bailey campaign adviser Jose Durbin expressed gratitude for the billionaire’s past generosity. * NBC Chicago | Kennedy Expressway express lanes back to normal for Monday morning rush : The announcement by the Illinois Department of Transportation follows the reopening of all outbound Kennedy lanes on Sunday as construction crews wrap up the final days of the three-year expressway overhaul. But construction work will continue through late October on several outbound ramps. * Tribune | After a rough first year, Chicago Sports Network has Comcast, a new CEO and hope that fans will watch : “The content is fully available, the teams are in the hopeful preseason mode and the fans are excited,” said Mike McCarthy, the new president and CEO of CHSN. “We have nowhere to go but up with this.” The price is certainly going to go up for Comcast subscribers who want to tune in. The cable giant put CHSN on its more expensive Ultimate tier, which costs an additional $20 per month — on top of a $20.25 regional sports fee. * Block Club | City Will Not Be Plowing Sidewalks Anytime Soon As Measure Fails In Council: The movement gained traction in 2023, when City Council passed an ordinance to create a Plow The Sidewalks working group to determine how and where the pilot could be implemented. That group released a report in May 2024 recommending four pilot zones be created for the city-run sidewalk clearing operation. But despite the City Council allocating $500,000 to the program in the 2025 budget, it had yet to be fully approved. * WBEZ | Are Illinois State Police helping ICE in Broadview?: “The agencies involved in this operation will neither assist nor obstruct enforcement of federal immigration statutes in compliance with state and federal law,” said Illinois State Police spokeswoman Melaney Arnold. But State Police officers were seen on video controlling the crowd – standing alongside federal officers in camouflage gear as multiple agencies, local and federal, attempted to control the protest. * Block Club | Broadview Sues Feds Over ‘Illegal’ Fence Near Suburban ICE Facility: The suit, filed Friday by the Berwyn-based Del Gado Law Group, accuses ICE and Homeland Security officials of illegally blocking the public way outside ICE’s processing facility, creating issues for emergency services trying to get to the facility or to nearby businesses. After days of protests outside the facility at 1930 Beach St. in Broadview, ICE on Sept. 23 erected an 8-foot-tall fence north of its building. The fence bisects Broad Street and cuts off commute routes for several private businesses located on the southern end of the street. Prior to the fence going up, demonstrators sought to gather on Beach Street to prevent federal vehicles from entering the gated parking lot of the facility. * CBS Chicago | Broadview police chief accuses ICE agents of making false 911 calls: According to an incident report, an ICE agent called police for help. Mills believes it was a bogus call. An ICE agent claimed someone was trying to force their way into a door, but it was just a CBS News Chicago photographer filming the exterior of the building. “It’s disturbing. It’s ridiculous,” Mills said. * Evanston RoundTable | The view from the ground in the Broadview ‘free arrest zone’: At 9:09 a.m. (according to my camera clock), a phalanx of federal police officers marched toward the crowd. At 9:10, I saw and photographed Gregory Bovino, commander at large for the Department of Homeland Security, tell the crowd: “You have one more warning.” Eighty seconds later, agents headed into the crowd, pushing people back and onto the grass. A few, including the woman standing next to me wearing a red top that read “Make racists afraid again,” was tackled around the neck from behind. It could as well have been me. * Tribune | After her husband was deported, Skokie woman and 3-year-old are leaving US to keep family intact: The family doesn’t plan on coming back, though Ann Salas and the couple’s 3-year-old son are U.S. citizens, and Antony Salas has lived in the U.S. for decades. After Antony Salas spent a grueling month, from his seizure on Aug. 13 to his deportation Sept. 13, in three different ICE facilities in three states, Ann Salas was troubled. “Racism has always run deep and it’s getting worse against more people… I don’t want to put my son back into a situation like that again,” Ann Salas said. * Aurora Beacon-News | Kane County resident files lawsuit against Sugar Grove over TIF district for controversial Crown project: While the mainly residential portion of the development is facing Sugar Grove, where the village already has neighborhoods, the business park portion is proposed for the other side of I-88, further away from the village boundary, according to past reporting. Mixed-use areas that would allow for retail, office, civic or residential development are set to be across the street from a single-family neighborhood in Blackberry Township, according to proposed site plans. That’s led to some criticism from Blackberry Township residents, including Dale Essling, the plaintiff in the most recent lawsuit. The suit against Sugar Grove was filed on Sept. 9 with the 16th Judicial Circuit Court by Essling, who says in the suit he lives less than 250 feet from the site of the proposed development. Essling is representing himself in the lawsuit. * Aurora Beacon-News | New Oktoberfest celebration draws crowd to Riverfront Park in North Aurora: ‘I hope this becomes a tradition’: North Aurora Community Relations Coordinator Natalie Stevens said the new Oktoberfest celebration was something that was planned in an effort to offer more community events and “bridge a gap between other events we hold in the village.” “One of the Village Board goals from our strategic plan guiding us this year was to increase community events whether they are big or small, and we have a little bit of a gap between North Aurora Days in early August and our next Christmas event,” she said. “We have some smaller things like our ‘trunk-or-treat’ but we threw out the idea of doing an Oktoberfest in the fall as an option as it was something different.” * BND | ‘Deeply concerning.’ PFAS cleanup delayed at Scott Air Force Base : Cleanup of “forever chemicals” known as PFAS at Scott Air Force Base will be delayed by five years, according to new timetables released recently without explanation by the U.S. Department of Defense. PFAS is shorthand for perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances. The synthetic chemicals have been used for decades to make products that repel oil and water such as nonstick cookware, waterproof clothing, stain resistant furniture, food packaging and cosmetics, as well as firefighting foams used by the military. * Tribune | In rural southern Illinois, an NPR affiliate tries to fight on amid federal cuts: WSIU’s NPR affiliate already operated at the margins, out of a basement studio — unrenovated and unchanged for decades — that staffers affectionately referred to as “the dungeon.” Upstairs, resources for the PBS affiliate, part of a joint public media operation subsidized in large part due to its ties to Southern Illinois University, weren’t any more robust. Upon the news of the funding cuts, anxiety rippled throughout WSIU, as it did at public media affiliates everywhere. Hunter often found himself crunching numbers. Trying to comfort nervous employees amid uncertainty. Even if they were secure, for now, how would they continue their mission of serving a part of the state that is more and more underserved by local newspapers and commercial broadcasters long mired in their own cycle of consolidation and cuts and offering less and less? Hunter calculated the loss of $1.4 million to be about a quarter of WSIU’s budget. * WGLT | Fewer Bridgestone workers than expected are losing jobs: Beckett said 60-64 workers accepted buyout offers of a lump sum $35,000 severance. That’s about a couple dozen people less than the company first targeted for a workforce reduction that could have involved involuntary separations. The workers will depart on various dates through the end of the year * Herald-Whig | Illinois plant ecologists fight to restore Midwest biodiversity: Assistant professor in natural resources and environmental sciences Jeffrey Matthews and Jack Zinnen of the Illinois Natural History Survey recently published a database of thousands of plant species found in historic prairies — and that’s just one part of their comprehensive investigation of Midwest plant biodiversity. To build the database, called RELIX, the team gathered and centralized existing data from studies of prairie remnants. In addition to uncovering the biodiversity of a bygone era, the project is helping ecologists understand whether restored ecosystems fill the same roles as remnants, especially whether they provide sufficient habitat and food for key species. * Herald-Whig | Newly released IDOT plan shows major work in region over next five years: On Wednesday, the Illinois Department of Transportation released their proposed list of projects for the next five years, including work that will cover all of Adams County and beyond. The largest and most notable project on the list remains the replacement of the Quincy Memorial Bridge, which IDOT Public Information Officer Paul Wappel said remains on track. * WGLT | Pantagraph plans to stop Monday print edition in November : In a statement from Central Illinois Executive Editor Allison Petty, the change allows Pantagraph staff to focus on the products that readers use most. “Our commitment to delivering the news hasn’t changed,” Petty said. “We work hard to bring you news, sports and features content when and where you want it, and we’re constantly evaluating the best ways to do that. We know that as reader habits change, we must adapt to meet their needs.” * Bloomberg | Gas Turbine Shortage Is Forcing Companies Back to Coal: Rising power demand from data centers for artificial intelligence has led to a shortage of the gas turbines needed to generate electricity. This shortage might not seem the most obvious climate story, but it’s having impacts across the entire energy sector. This week on Zero, Bloomberg’s Stephen Stapczynski joins Akshat Rathi to look at what’s causing the bottleneck in gas turbines, if the shortage will make companies look to renewables or coal, and whether natural gas is really a “bridge” fuel. * Semafor | Jim Farley’s ‘essential economy’ drive at Ford : “If you listen to technology companies, the answer is, just buy more AI products from them and we’ll be fine,” he says. But as he learned more about the difficulties facing Ford’s commercial customers, “I just realized, oh my God, we are in deep trouble here.” * AP | Legal setbacks mount for President Trump’s birthright order before likely Supreme Court review: The U.S. Supreme Court is almost certain to have the final word on birthright citizenship. The Trump administration has already asked the high court to take up the issue. Federal judges have made clear how much his order conflicts with Supreme Court precedent, to say nothing of the Constitution. The Supreme Court is not bound by what those lower court judges have said or even its own past rulings. Nonetheless, those losses could mean an uphill fight for his administration even in front of the justices, who have so far sided with the president on many legal challenges to his effort to remake the government.
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Open thread
Monday, Oct 6, 2025 - Posted by Isabel Miller * What’s going on in your part of Illinois?…
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Protected: SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - Supplement to today’s edition
Monday, Oct 6, 2025 - Posted by Rich Miller
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Protected: SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - Today’s edition of Capitol Fax (use all CAPS in password)
Monday, Oct 6, 2025 - Posted by Rich Miller
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Selected press releases (Live updates)
Monday, Oct 6, 2025 - Posted by Isabel Miller
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New and (hopefully) improved live coverage
Monday, Oct 6, 2025 - Posted by Rich Miller * Click here and/or here to follow breaking news on the website formally known as Twitter. We’re gonna experiment this week with a new app which feeds Bluesky posts. Still tweaking it…
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Pritzker: Trump administration plans to federalize 300 members of the Illinois National Guard - Now says Texas National Guard will be deployed (Updated x4)
Saturday, Oct 4, 2025 - Posted by Isabel Miller * Click here and here for some background. Governor JB Pritzker…
…Adding… White House confirms the President has authorized deployment…
…Adding… Joint Statement from Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce, Civic Committee of the Commercial Club of Chicago and The Civic Federation…
…Adding… House Speaker Chris Welch…
…Adding… Now it’s Texas…
…Adding… Attorney General Kwame Raoul…
* Related…
* Time Magazine | ‘Military-Style’ ICE Raid On Chicago Apartment Building Shows Escalation in Trump’s Crackdown: Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker accused the federal agents of separating children from their parents, zip-tying their hands, and detaining them in “dark vans” for hours. Videos show flashbangs erupting on the street, followed by residents of the apartment building—children among them—being led from the building. Photos of the aftermath show toys and shoes littering the apartment hallways, evidence of those pulled from their beds by the operation that included FBI and Homeland Security agents.
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