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Reader comments closed for Juneteenth
Wednesday, Jun 18, 2025 - Posted by Rich Miller * We’ll be back Friday. The late Richie Havens will play us out… Sometimes I feel
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Isabel’s afternoon roundup
Wednesday, Jun 18, 2025 - Posted by Isabel Miller * Crain’s…
* E&E News | State lawmakers go big on bills to advance nuclear power: Sue Rezin, a Republican state senator from Illinois and co-chair of NCSL’s Energy Supply Task Force, has seen the growing interest in nuclear firsthand. “The conversation around nuclear has changed,” said Rezin, whose northern Illinois district is ringed by three of the state’s six Constellation Energy nuclear plants. “Not so long ago, absolutely no one except for me was speaking about nuclear. It was all about wind, solar and batteries. But now that the economy is changing, which is exciting, because of AI, we’ve seen this huge need for power.” * BND | You may pay more for gas, see less plastic under new Illinois laws in effect soon: House Bill 5028 will go into effect July 1, which says state agencies may make opioid antagonists, such as Naloxone or Narcan, available at workplaces if the agency trains employees on how to use and administer them. The act also says state employees who administer an opioid antagonist in good faith following regulations, as described by the law, will be exempt from any civil liability related to their use. * WCIA | Deadline missed: Marijuana market reform could come back during veto session with hemp regulations: “We do have plans on bringing it back. Many members feel that they were rushed with making the decision about the bill,” Ford said. “We still have to make sure that we respect the members’ wishes to talk more about the language of the bill, make sure that we’re not missing anything, and make sure that everyone’s perspectives and desires are at least considered before we bring it to members to vote on it.” * The Triibe | Ahead of vote, Progressive Caucus urges Mayor Brandon Johnson to veto ‘snap curfew’ ordinance: The Chicago Progressive Caucus has sent out a letter addressed to Mayor Brandon Johnson ahead of the “snap curfew” vote. In the letter, they express their “strong opposition” to the proposed ordinance and urge Johnson “to veto this measure should it pass.” * Tribune | As Chicago teen curfew faces final vote, Snelling backs away from ‘politics’ of debate: Sponsor Ald. Brian Hopkins said Tuesday afternoon Snelling is calling aldermen to urge them to pass the ordinance. But Ald. Jason Ervin said Snelling told the aldermanic Black Caucus he did not need the curfew power during a Tuesday night briefing. Snelling did not take a clear side Wednesday morning when his spokesperson was pressed by the Tribune. The superintendent said police will “do everything in our power to prevent violence,” regardless of the outcome in a statement. * WTTW | How an Ex-Police Officer Fired for Sexual Misconduct Slipped Through CPS Background Checks to Work at Lane Tech: It wasn’t until WTTW News began investigating Alexander’s background that school officials took a deeper look into his past, eventually resulting in his exit. The school district scheduled a discharge hearing for Alexander in 2024 but he quit before the district reached a decision, and a do-not-hire designation was placed in his file for falsifying multiple employment records and concealing his former employment with CPD, records show. * Crain’s | Two aldermen want their wards out of Northwest Side anti-gentrification zone: Two members of the Chicago City Council want to remove their wards from being subject to an anti-gentrification ordinance that went into effect this spring. Alds. Felix Cardona Jr., 31st, and Gil Villegas, 36th, plan to introduce an amendment to the Northwest Side Preservation Ordinance at today’s council meeting to pull out the portions of their wards it covers. Villegas estimates around 20% of the 6 square miles covered by the ordinance is in the two wards. * Sun-Times | Community meeting planned for Damen Silos demolition: Preservationists and others have asked owner Michael Tadin Jr. to consider keeping the historic structures or to sell to someone who would adapt them for a new use. Tadin hasn’t said what he will do with the land, which sits near South Damen Avenue along the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal. But he has made it clear that he’s not looking to sell the more than 20 acres that he acquired from the state for $6.5 million in December 2022. * CBS Chicago | White Sox get clobbered by Cardinals in 6th straight loss: Brendan Donovan had four hits and Iván Herrera drove in four runs to back a strong start by Matthew Liberatore as the St. Louis Cardinals handed the Chicago White Sox their sixth straight loss, 12-2 on Tuesday night. Alec Burleson went 3 for 5 for St. Louis, including his sixth home run, a solo shot in the seventh that made it 9-2. Victor Scott II — in the midst of a 5-for-35 slump — hit a two-run homer off Chicago position player Vinny Capra in the ninth. * Tribune | Winnetka signs contentious 20-year extension with coal-dependent electric provider: While most Illinois cities and towns source their power through larger electric providers like ComEd or Ameren, Winnetka is one of about 30 municipalities in the state — three of which are in the Chicago area — that banded together to contract with the Illinois Municipal Electric Agency, a not-for-profit cooperative electric supplier. Winnetka has contracted with IMEA since 1991, and its last contract locked the municipality in with the provider until 2035. While the contract was met with support from Winnetka residents when initially signed, it’s drawn criticism since 2011, when the Prairie State Generating Station, a downstate Illinois coal plant, came online and started supplying IMEA members. * Daily Southtown | New Thornton Township Board approves first post-Tiffany Henyard budget: Thornton Township trustees approved a tentative budget for 2025-26 during their second meeting since Tiffany Henyard left office, acknowledging kinks they’re still working out while remaining a united front. New Thornton Township Supervisor Napoleon Harris said a forensic audit approved under Henyard’s administration was never initiated and said he is considering “rebuilding and revisiting” the website to better communicate services to residents. * Daily Herald | Former Downers South teacher facing 52 new sexual charges, including grooming: Christina Formella was arraigned Tuesday on 20 counts of aggravated criminal sexual assault, plus multiple counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse, indecent solicitation of a child and six counts of grooming. The DuPage County grand jury indicted her on the additional charges in May, but the indictment was sealed until Tuesday morning. Judge Mia McPherson denied prosecutor Jaclyn McAndrew’s petition to detain Formella pretrial, saying the new information was not sufficient evidence that there were not any conditions she could impose to mitigate the threat Formella posed to the victim. * Daily Herald | Naperville debates grocery tax replacement vs. local sales tax increase: However, some Naperville City Council members have raised the possibility of a home-rule sales tax increase to offset the loss of revenue from the elimination of the statewide grocery tax. Without replacement revenue, the city estimates a $6.5 million hit to its general fund beginning in 2026. * Capitol News Illinois | Parents of 10-year-old girl file federal lawsuit against Taylorville School District over alleged assault: The lawsuit, filed by a Chicago law firm, contains five counts against the Taylorville School District and Durham School Services, including violations of the victim’s Title IX rights, of her right to bodily integrity under the 14th Amendment, willful and wanton negligence, and infliction of emotional distress. […] The victim’s mother said that over the course of a week between late January and early February 2024, her daughter was sexually assaulted by an older student on her daughter’s school bus and at her bus stop. The court filing alleges that the assaults ranged in severity from fondling to digital penetration, most often taking place on the school bus where the perpetrator cornered the girl. * WAND | Mattoon goes solar for waste water treatment: The city has put in a solar installation to power its waste water treatment plant. Solar panels will provide 80 to 90 percent of the plants electrical needs. The remainder will be covered through a conventional connection with Ameren. The solar installation is on the treatment plant property at 820 South 5th Place. “We’re going to save $5.3 million over a 25 year period,” Mayor Rick Hall told WAND News. “All of the sewage from the city comes through this plant. A lot of motors need to run. Really a lot of electricity it takes to do that.” * WSIL | Tornado Watch issued for portions of southern Illinois and southeast Missouri: Potential severe thunderstorms will enter our region in the late morning and afternoon hours. Threats include scattered hail up to two inches, scattered gusts up to 70 mph and a couple tornadoes, all of which are possible. * WGLT | OSF St. Joseph Medical Center reveals new ICU as critical care ramps up in Bloomington: The $17.8 million renovation more than doubles the space previously available in the ICU. There are now 25 rooms and 29 beds accompanied by a wide range of convenient details — from giving the lights a dimmer setting to adding mini nurses’ stations outside each room. The latter allows staff to work independently while still being able to keep eyes on their patient as needed. The relocation of the ICU will also allow for additional expansion in the future. * PJ Star | Could a tiny home village help solve homelessness in Peoria? Here are the arguments: The council took made no official votes during its special policy meeting, but it did signal approval to allow city staff to continue exploring a plan to build a tiny home village somewhere in Peoria that would house some of the city’s homeless population. Those tiny homes — which would be operated by the Dream Center Peoria — would be roughly 70-square-feet and have heating, air conditioning and on-site laundry, showers and bathrooms. The homes would primarily be for single adults and targeted at individuals who are not suited for a congregate shelter setting. * NYT | Trump Administration Will End L.G.B.T.Q. Suicide Prevention Service: The Trevor Project, a nonprofit that has provided that specialized support to L.G.B.T.Q. callers to the 988 suicide prevention hotline, said Wednesday that it had received a stop-work order for that service, effective July 17, and provided a copy of the order to The New York Times. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, the agency within the Department of Health and Human Services that oversees the hotline, confirmed the decision. * WaPo | Industry leaders plead with White House on relief from raids after setback: “To see such a quick overturn, I think, was disheartening for many. A lot of these business and trade associations that need workforce solutions have been very supportive of the administration,” Murray said. “That’ll be something they continue to be disappointed about for a while.” The American Farm Bureau Federation, the country’s powerful lobbying group for farmers, expressed “concern” that the policy had been reversed. * NYT | Elected Officials Who Have Been Detained in Protests: On Tuesday, Brad Lander, the New York City comptroller, was arrested at an immigration court in Lower Manhattan, the latest lawmaker to be swept up in the protests against the administration’s immigration raids and the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency. He was trying to escort a migrant whom agents were seeking to arrest. Mr. Lander, a candidate in the Democratic primary for mayor, was seen in a video posted to his personal account on X being placed in handcuffs and led into an elevator by men in plain clothes wearing backward baseball caps and surgical masks. * AP | Nippon Steel finalizes $15B takeover of US Steel after sealing national security agreement: Nippon Steel and U.S. Steel did not list the full terms of the deal, and did not release a national security agreement struck with Trump’s administration. But in a statement Wednesday, the companies said the federal government will have the right to appoint an independent director and “consent rights” on specific matters. Those include reductions in Nippon Steel’s capital commitments in the national security agreement, closing or idling of U.S. Steel’s existing domestic facilities and changing U. S. Steel’s name and headquarters.
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Federal campaign news roundup
Wednesday, Jun 18, 2025 - Posted by Rich Miller * Stay tuned…
* New Raja poll…
The GBAO Strategies poll of 1,200 likely voters contacted via live dialers via telephone and through text-to-web responses between June 5-10, has a margin of error of +/- 2.8 percentage points. Lots of undecideds. * We told you about this yesterday…
On that topic, Politico had the same quote from Rep. Kelly Cassidy as Isabel had in her subscriber post this morning…
* Here’s a story we totally missed…
* Not sure I’m buying this…  * Uncommon platform… 
* And…
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It is definitely a ‘crazy time’
Wednesday, Jun 18, 2025 - Posted by Rich Miller * Texts from Rep. Marcus Evans (D-Chicago)…
Rep. Evans said his car was parked in the main terminal garage “by a busy entrance.” 
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Protected: SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - Update to today’s edition
Wednesday, Jun 18, 2025 - Posted by Rich Miller
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Republicans sue again over Three Readings Rule (Updated)
Wednesday, Jun 18, 2025 - Posted by Rich Miller * Background is here if you need it. From a press release..
* Their problem is their lawsuit and their public remarks today cite dissenting opinions. For example, this is some of what Senate Republican Leader John Curran said today…
* From the lawsuit…
* We have seen this citation from the new lawsuit quite a bit over the years…
But here is the full quote…
So, the Republicans are likely hoping that if they keep bringing these cases to the court’s attention, the Supremes will eventually decide that the record has been “sufficiently developed” to support their claim. Also, they’ll get a decent press pop about a bill their business allies strongly oppose. …Adding… ITLA…
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Roundup: US House Speaker Mike Johnson tours Chicago ICE facility as Democrats are denied access
Wednesday, Jun 18, 2025 - Posted by Isabel Miller * US Reps. Raja Krishnamoorthi and Jonathan Jackson were denied a tour of the South Loop ICE office yesterday. Today, another group of Democratic US representatives was also denied entry…
* The Tribune covered it…
* House Speaker Mike Johnson is in Chicago today and visited the same ICE facility the Democratic lawmakers were turned away from. Fox News…
* But do people like Chicago resident Chao Zhou fit Johnson’s characterization of “dangerous”? Block Club Chicago…
* Tribune…
* Hmm…
* Also from that Tribune story…
Except, as noted elsewhere, they’re detaining people at their court appearances. * More…
* WGN | Congressman Jesus ‘Chuy’ Garcia condemns ICE raids: “By in far, the people being apprehended are not the worst of the worst. That’s what is so troubling by what’s going on in the country,” Garcia said. “They’ve come after immigrants, higher education, law firms. The only question is, who will be next?” * CNN | DHS reverses course, allowing immigration raids to resume at farms, hotels, restaurants: ICE has been under tremendous pressure to meet White House-imposed quotas on immigration arrests. White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller told ICE officials last month that they needed to arrest at least 3,000 people a day. ICE has been averaging around 2,000 people a day. Trump has directed his ire at Democratic-led cities, calling on Sunday for ICE to “expand efforts” in “the Democrat Power Center.” * Fortune | How retail giant Home Depot is preparing employees for ICE raids: Earlier this month, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents arrested day laborers outside of a Home Depot in a predominantly Latino neighborhood in Los Angeles. A separate protest also sprung up outside of a Home Depot location in a different part of the city the next day. Although the retailer does not contract with day laborers directly, the area outside of store property has long been a place for people to congregate in the hopes of finding work. In response to these raids, Home Depot has issued new guidance to employees about what they should do if ICE shows up, Bloomberg first reported. Home Depot confirms to Fortune that store employees are required to report any ICE-involved incident as soon as it happens. Workers across the chain have been reminded to avoid interactions with agents for their own safety. And regional store leaders at locations impacted by raids in Los Angeles are allowing workers who feel disturbed by the raid to leave for the day with full pay, although that is not a corporate-wide policy. * WBEZ | Mayor Brandon Johnson warns Trump that Chicago has ‘to go as far as necessary’ to protect the Constitution: “Whatever is necessary. … We should all be committed to doing just that,” Johnson said in response to the remark at a City Hall news conference. “Whether it’s in the courts, whether it’s in the streets or with policy, we’re going to continue to defend and stand up for working people.” Johnson’s repeated, forceful rebuke of the president comes as his team continues to figure out how to fight back in the face of potential military presence.
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It’s just a bill
Wednesday, Jun 18, 2025 - Posted by Isabel Miller * Legal Reader…
* Rep. Dagmara Avelar…
* More on Rep. Avelar’s bill from WGLT…
* 25News Now…
* WNIJ…
* Illinois State Ambulance Association…
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Why Are Tax-Exempt Hospitals Getting Rich?
Wednesday, Jun 18, 2025 - Posted by Advertising Department [The following is a paid advertisement.] Across Illinois, big hospital systems and PBMs are abusing the 340B drug discount program – making massive profits while patients drown in medical bills. One whistleblower called it “laundering money.” Here’s how the scam works: big hospitals buy discounted 340B drugs, bill patients full price, then split the difference with for-profit pharmacies and PBMs. 340B was meant to help Illinois communities in need. But there are no rules requiring hospitals and PBMs to pass savings on to patients. No transparency. No oversight. Just higher costs for working families, small businesses, and taxpayers. Meanwhile, tax-exempt hospitals cash in – and PBMs get a cut too.
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Open thread
Wednesday, Jun 18, 2025 - Posted by Rich Miller Here’s what we call our Golden Rule What’s up?
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Isabel’s morning briefing
Wednesday, Jun 18, 2025 - Posted by Isabel Miller * ICYMI: House Dems’ transit point man says special session is possible. Crain’s…
- Voting structure is still a sticking point on the proposed 20-member board to which the governor, mayor of Chicago and Cook County board president would each make five appointments. The remaining five members would be selected by the county board presidents of DuPage, Kane, Lake, McHenry and Will counties. - Once governance issues are decided, the conversation will turn to revenue. Buckner says he wants legislators to consider a tollway surcharge that was shot down in the Senate bill, in part by organized labor and suburban legislators. * Crain’s | Illinois faces $22.2B in health care spending cuts under GOP budget bill: Illinois would see a decrease in health care spending of $22.2 billion over 10 years under the budget reconciliation measure, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, passed by the U.S. House and now before the Senate, according to an analysis by the Urban Institute and Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. In addition to the impact to people on Medicaid and Affordable Care Act policies, the blow to hospital and other provider revenue will be drastic, the analysis predicts. * Daily Herald | Illinois lawmakers identified in notes kept by Minnesota assassination suspect: Two Illinois members of Congress, including U.S. Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi of Schaumburg, and a state senator were among those named in records kept by the man accused of gunning down the Minnesota House speaker. “I have been informed that my name was included in the notes of the Minnesota suspect accused of assassinating an elected official, murdering her husband, and targeting others,” Krishnamoorthi said Tuesday. “This brutal attack was devastating and terrifying on many levels.” * Shaw Local | IHSA approves new state tournament schedule for basketball: The IHSA on Tuesday announced that the boys and girls basketball state tournaments will change their format, reverting to a similar schedule used when the single-weekend format was introduced in 2022 until 2024. * NBC Chicago | Are fireflies going extinct? What to know about ‘lightning bugs’ in Illinois: Species reported several North American firefly species could be at risk of extinction, though data remains challenging as research is relatively new. “There is an urgent need to study firefly populations more closely to fully understand their plight and ensure conservation efforts are effective,” the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation, a nonprofit organization working on conservation efforts, wrote on its website. In Illinois, researchers warned of indications populations are declining. * Center Square | IL taxpayers provide millions for upcoming NASCAR, golf events: The $55.2 billion Illinois budget signed by Gov. J.B. Pritzker on Monday includes $5 million to Chicago for costs associated with operating expenses for NASCAR races July 5 and 6. […] [Sen. Don DeWitte] noted that lawmakers also appropriated $1 million for 2026 Presidents Cup golf at Medinah Country Club and suggested that there were much more significant priorities for the state. * Capitol News Illinois | Inside Illinois’ efforts to court the emerging quantum technology industry: The Japan External Trade Organization — an economic development organization affiliated with the government of Japan — sponsored a two-day “delegation” of business representatives to Chicago. At an early meeting of the delegation, representatives of the state and economic development agencies pitched the region — and Illinois’ state backing — as unique in the world. “This is not a state government that is following trends but really setting the trends,” Intersect Illinois Chief Quantum Officer Preeti Chalsani told the delegation. “When I go to conferences, I hear about other states and countries who are thinking of doing something like Illinois. That really makes me proud.” * Capitol City Now | How did a new state budget help SkillsUSA Illinois?: Eric Hill with SkillsUSA Illinois talks with Joey McLaughlin on the WTAX Morning NewsWatch about the organization and the Illinois State budget the Governor signed and what it means for SkillsUSA. * Sun-Times | Mayor Brandon Johnson warns Trump that Chicago has ‘to go as far necessary’ to protect the Constitution: Mayor Brandon Johnson declared Tuesday that Chicagoans “have to go as far as necessary” to “protect our Constitution” as the Trump administration sets its sight on the city as a target for militarized immigration enforcement. * Tribune | ICE field director defends agents after ramped-up enforcement, arrests of US citizens at Chicago immigration court protest: On Monday, three U.S. citizens were detained by ICE after allegedly assaulting an officer in Chicago, according to a Department of Homeland Security spokesperson. In an interview Tuesday with the Tribune, Samuel Olson, ICE’s Chicago field office director, explained that “the last thing (the agents) want to do is to have to arrest somebody who’s assaulting them or impeding them from doing their jobs.” ICE released all three protesters Monday afternoon. Asked whether the protesters were charged, Olson said the arrests of the protesters are under investigation by the U.S. attorney’s office for the Northern District of Illinois. * Block Club | Ex-Loretto Hospital Exec Stole $300 Million Through COVID Testing Scams: Prosecutors: Former Loretto COO and CFO Anosh Ahmed is among a group of four who now face charges related to the scheme, prosecutors said. Block Club has reported extensively on Ahmed’s troubling conduct at Loretto Hospital, from letting well-connected people access COVID-19 vaccines early — and even bragging he vaccinated Eric Trump — to contracting with companies owned by his business partner, best friend and neighbor, Sameer Suhail. * NBC Chicago | Chicago hospital suffers ‘catastrophic loss’ of air conditioning before heat wave: Officials at Weiss Memorial Hospital, located in the 4600 block of North Marine Drive, say that the loss has led to a massive transfer of patients to other hospitals and caused ambulances to be bypassed from its emergency department. According to officials, mechanics are working to fix the system. Repairs could take days, and then even beyond that it will take even longer for the air conditioning system to properly cool the facility. * Chalkbeat Chicago | ‘No regrets, and I’d do it again’: Pedro Martinez reflects on more than 3 years leading Chicago schools: Martinez is an alum of CPS’s Benito Juarez High School and served as the district’s chief financial officer from 2003 to 2009. He served as a deputy superintendent and superintendent in two districts in Nevada, including Clark County, which includes Las Vegas. Martinez was superintendent of the San Antonio Independent School District for six years before being hired by former Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s administration in 2021. He starts as the education commissioner of Massachusetts later this summer. * Press Release | Mayor Johnson Announces $4.11M Investment into Community Wealth-Building: The Department of Planning and Development is allocating grants of up to $500,000 for Community Investment Vehicles and Worker Cooperatives in an effort to increase wealth in low and moderate-income neighborhoods. * CBS Chicago | Chicago police officer arrested in Florida for shoving security guard, using racial slur at resort: Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said Dwayne Ocasio was with a group of people seen standing around a golf cart in the middle of the road at the Westgate River Ranch Resort, when a security guard asked them to move the golf cart. “You know what this guy did? He cussed the security guard, used a racial slur – that’s right - and then pushed the security guard,” Judd said in a video posted on the sheriff’s Facebook page. * Sun-Times | Chicago area prepares for Juneteenth celebrations: ‘We do matter, our stories matter’: Juneteenth is a day to celebrate freedom, but it also serves as a reminder of the ongoing fight for justice and equality. Juneteenth is a federal holiday commemorating June 19, 1865, — the day when the last enslaved African Americans, living in Galveston, Texas, learned they had been freed — two years after the Emancipation Proclamation was issued. Juneteenth was declared a federal holiday in 2021. * Tribune | Cook County preparing for $211M budget deficit for 2026: County Board President Toni Preckwinkle, who has been able to boast budgets free of taxes, fees or layoffs for the last several years, told reporters at a Tuesday briefing that the 2026 projection is the most “problematic,” and cautioned that “this is our best guess.” The county is expecting a general fund shortfall of $102.6 million, thanks mostly to higher wages and fringe benefits when its current contracts with union employees expire. Its health fund, meanwhile, is projecting a $108.8 million deficit thanks to a significant drop in patient revenues. * Daily Herald | Arlington Heights shuts off access to license-plate camera data: Recklaus confirmed there were instances where — as part of an overall state of Illinois search — Arlington Heights’ data was included and may have been reviewed, according to the state audit. But he said there’s no indication that the information led to arrests or further inquiries. Recklaus’ report during a village board meeting Monday night came after Trustee Carina Santa Maria inquired if Arlington Heights’ data may have been accessed or exposed. She called upon the board and staff to review, and if necessary strengthen, village policies and ordinances to safeguard against unauthorized use. * Daily Southtown | State kicks in another $18 million for Tinley Park-Park District land cleanup, district says that will be enough: The state has provided another $18 million to the Tinley Park-Park District to clean hazardous materials and demolish buildings on former state-owned land the district wants to use for recreational purposes. Park officials announced the additional funding Tuesday, which comes on top of $15 million previously earmarked by the state, and said they expect no additional funds will be needed to finish the job. * Daily Herald | Gurnee hiking local sales tax to replace lost grocery tax revenue — and then some: The expiring 1% state grocery tax will not be reinstated with a local version in Gurnee, but village officials instead will increase their local sales tax to spread the cost to visitors. In fact, because Gurnee’s non-grocery retail base is so expansive, the decision is expected to generate more than double the revenue of the grocery tax and save the average local household $85 per year. “This shifts the burden to visitors in our community,” Village Administrator Patrick Muetz told village trustees Monday, before a vote to impose an additional 0.5% home rule sales tax. * AP | Suburban toy company challenges Trump’s tariffs before Supreme Court in long shot bid for quick decision: Vernon Hills-based Learning Resources Inc. filed an appeal asking the Supreme Court to take up the case soon rather than let it continue to play out in lower courts. The company argues the Republican president illegally imposed tariffs under an emergency powers law rather than getting approval from Congress. While the company won an early victory in a lower court, the order is on hold as an appeals court considers a similar ruling putting a broader block on Trump’s tariffs. The appeals court has allowed Trump to continue collecting tariffs under the emergency powers law ahead of arguments set for late July. * Shaw Local | Kane County judge’s $100K+ libel lawsuit against Geneva blogger stalls for lack of service: Where is Geneva blogger Jeffrey Ward? Apparently, he has not been home when a process server tried and failed six times in February and March to serve him a summons and notice of a $100,000-plus libel lawsuit filed by Kane County Judge Michael Noland, according to court records. * Evanston Round Table | Evanston’s Bethany Johnson joins crowded race for Illinois’ 9th District seat: Johnson is a progressive Democrat and longtime south Evanston resident, and she said on her website that she’ll advocate to stop using Illinois to “fund red states,” promote LGBTQ+ rights and redirect money from the military to schools and hospitals. She enters a crowded Democratic primary field for the seat held by Jan Schakowsky (D-Evanston), which includes Evanston Mayor Daniel Biss, state Sen. Laura Fine (9th District), content creator Kat Abughazaleh, Skokie’s Bushra Amiwala and Chicago’s Miracle Jenkins, among others. * Daily Herald | New options: Developer presents revised plans for former Haeger Potteries site in East Dundee: Brinshore Development LLC returned to trustees on Monday with three options offering a mix of apartment and townhouse mixed-income rentals. The Evanston-based developer initially proposed 136 units for the 7 Maiden Lane redevelopment project. On Tuesday, the company presented three more options. One plan offered 119 units, another 104 units, and a third would add 89 units. * Urban Milwaukee | Gov. Evers says expansion in Wisconsin will create more than 700 jobs: An industrial robotics manufacturer is moving its North American headquarters from Illinois to Wisconsin as part of a consolidation that’s expected to create more than 700 new jobs. Gov. Tony Evers announced Friday that Yaskawa America Inc. plans to invest $180 million to consolidate its Illinois and Wisconsin facilities into one campus in Franklin. The plan includes moving the company’s headquarters from Waukegan, Illinois, to Franklin. * WCIA | Group sues to remove Ten Commandments monument from southern Illinois courthouse lawn: The lawsuit, filed Monday in Illinois’ 2nd Judicial Circuit Court, targets Jefferson County, the Jefferson County Board of Commissioners and several Jefferson County board members. It also references county sheriff Jeff Bullard, not explicitly as a defendant, but as an individual who allegedly had a role in moving the monument from its original location inside the courthouse to the lawn outside. * WGLT | Normal council bans new short-term rentals in single-family neighborhoods: Owners of already-existing rentals will transition into long-term rentals. Over the course of a five-year grace period, property owners can earn a return on investment while converting these properties into ones more suitable for single-family neighborhoods. An extension to this debt repayment plan would be offered if the property owner proves a specific hardship, according to the ordinance. * BND | As Nippon deal closes, Granite City steelworkers union anticipates answers soon: The neighboring company to Granite City’s steel mill that floated purchasing both blast furnaces back in 2022 still plans to forge ahead with its plans that union officials say would leave only a few hundred permanent jobs. With President Donald Trump approving the deal between U.S. Steel and the Japanese firm Nippon late last week, a representative for SunCoke Energy Inc. confirmed the Chicago-area company wants to repurpose the metro-east blast furnaces into granulators that would melt iron to fuel other electric furnaces — and shut down steelmaking. * WCIA | From the Farm: Catching up with the National FFA President: WCIA’s Stu Ellis caught up with Thad Bergschneider, a Morgan County native and University of Illinois student, at the FFA convention. He’s now six months into his tenure as National FFA President. * The Atlantic | How Ivermectin Became Right-Wing Aspirin: Remember ivermectin? The animal-deworming medication was used so avidly as an off-label COVID treatment during the pandemic that some feed stores ended up going out of stock. (must show a pic of you and your horse, a sign at one demanded of would-be customers in 2021.) If you haven’t heard about it since, then you’ve existed blissfully outside the gyre of misinformation and conspiracies that have come to define the MAGA world’s outlook on medicine. In the past few years, ivermectin’s popularity has only grown, and the drug has become a go-to treatment for almost any ailment whatsoever. Once a suspect COVID cure, now a right-wing aspirin. * AP | U.S. judge says government can’t limit passport sex markers for many transgender, nonbinary people: Tuesday’s ruling from U.S. District Judge Julia Kobick means that transgender or nonbinary people who are without a passport or need to apply for a new one can request a male, female or “X” identification marker rather than being limited to the marker that matches the gender assigned at birth. * Reason | Indiana becomes first state to approve interstate tolling to rebuild highways: After years of underfunding its highways, Indiana Gov. Mike Braun recently signed House Bill 1461, which authorizes the state to toll its existing Interstates. This law makes Indiana the first state in the nation to authorize tolling for its existing Interstate system. Widespread use of tolling to rebuild and expand highways can reshape transportation funding in a way that adjusts for changes in vehicle technology.
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Protected: SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - Supplement to today’s edition (Updated)
Wednesday, Jun 18, 2025 - Posted by Rich Miller
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Protected: SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - Today’s edition of Capitol Fax (use all CAPS in password)
Wednesday, Jun 18, 2025 - Posted by Rich Miller
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Selected press releases (Live updates)
Wednesday, Jun 18, 2025 - Posted by Isabel Miller
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Live coverage
Wednesday, Jun 18, 2025 - Posted by Isabel Miller * Click here and/or here to follow breaking news. Hopefully, enough reporters and news outlets migrate to BlueSky so we can hopefully resume live-posting.
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Isabel’s afternoon roundup (Updated x2)
Tuesday, Jun 17, 2025 - Posted by Isabel Miller * Sun-Times…
* United Food and Commercial Workers Local 881…
* The state headquarters building in Chicago experienced a power surge today. This email was sent out by CMS at noon…
Several employees went home to work remotely, we’re told. * Press Release | Illinois governor signs bill, delays implementation for state interchange act: “Credit unions across Illinois applaud Governor Pritzker for his swift action in signing House Bill 742, extending the effective date of the Interchange Fee Prohibition Act,” said Ashley Sharp, senior vice president of state advocacy and legislative Counsel for the Illinois Credit Union League. “While litigation challenging the law proceeds, it is imperative to provide relief to credit unions, local banks, Main Street businesses and consumers throughout the state of Illinois – all who stand to be negatively impacted by this law.” * WaPo | Maps show the cities about to experience extreme humidity and heat: Chicago: Maximum humidity level: Very high: High humidity will develop Tuesday, becoming very high Wednesday, when strong-to-severe storms are possible. After a brief break Thursday, humidity levels will surge from Friday through next week as a period of dangerous heat arrives. … St. Louis: Maximum humidity level: Extreme: High to extreme humidity levels show no signs of letting up through next week. This will fuel strong-to-severe thunderstorms on Wednesday. A period of excessive heat is forecast to arrive on Saturday. * Tribune | Photos: Our Route 66 road trip: As the 100th anniversary of Route 66 approaches in 2026, join Pulitzer Prize winners Jonathan Bullington and E. Jason Wambsgans as they spotlight the stops and people who live along America’s highway. Route 66 was created to connect us, a fused chain of existing roadways many unpaved that stretched 2,448 miles across eight states and three time zones, starting steps from Lake Michigan in downtown Chicago and ending near the Pacific Ocean and Santa Monica’s famed fishing pier. * Injustice Watch | Pilsen tenants followed the law in withholding rent. They were forced to move out anyway.: By the time three Pilsen tenants began writing letters to their landlord requesting repairs in May 2023, water was dripping from the ceiling of a third-floor hallway even on sunny days. “Right outside my unit, there is water leakage from the fourth floor and damage in floorboards due to oversaturation,” wrote Cristina Miranda, one of the tenants, who just months earlier had moved into the four-story building on the southern edge of the trendy Mexican neighborhood. “This water leakage is random and independent from rainy weather,” Miranda wrote. * Block Club | Chicago Police Have Failed To Solve More Homicides. Could A New Law Help?: The late May passage of the Illinois Homicide Data Transparency Act — which will require law enforcement to track and publish detailed, standardized homicide reports — was welcome news to gun reform advocates in Chicago, a city where many shooting survivors say they distrust police. That distrust exists, in part, because Chicago Police typically solve gun crimes at lower rates than their counterparts in other cities, and they report their clearance rates in a way that tends to inflate their track record. * WGN | Illinois Congressmen visit immigration facility in South Loop as Trump orders ICE to increase deportation efforts: Two Illinois Congressmen, U.S. Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi (8th District) and U.S. Rep. Jonathan Jackson (1st District), visited the ISAP (Intensive Supervision Appearance Program) office in the South Loop on Tuesday. The immigration office is run by ICE officials. Several Chicago residents have received text messages to show up there. When they arrived for check-in, they were detained. […] “For ICE and Donald Trump to specifically target Chicago for these types of raids and these types of fraudulent text scams to get people to come in, only to be snatched away, is wrong,” the congressman said. * The federal legislators entered the ISAP office but were denied access once inside…
…Adding… Statement from Krishnamoorthi…
…Adding… Sun-Times…
* Block Club | MAT Asphalt Complaints Continue Even After Mitigation Technology Installed Last April: Over the last year, the Chicago Department of Public Health (CDPH) has received more than two dozen air pollution complaints against MAT Asphalt and ticketed the facility for environmental ordinance violations, according to records obtained by Borderless Magazine. In a handful of instances, inspectors have identified odors escaping from the plant and trucks when loaded with asphalt, a petroleum-based material, according to environmental inspection records. * Tribune | Ald. Jim Gardiner cleared of ethics charge, $20k fine; ethics board chair stepping down: It’s a rare win in a string of other controversies for the alderman. Czosnyka and others won a $157,500 settlement after claiming Gardiner unfairly blocked critics from his official Facebook page, which was paid in part by the alderman and partly with taxpayer dollars. Taxpayers also had to pick up the tab for a separate $100,000 settlement to a man that claimed Gardiner had him wrongfully arrested. Gardiner also publicly apologized for what he described as “offensive” texts using derogatory language against City Council colleagues and women. * Tribune | Chicago police still seeking suspect in foot chase that led to shooting death of Officer Krystal Rivera: Meanwhile, investigators with the Civilian Office of Police Accountability continue to probe the gunshot that resulted in Rivera’s on-duty death, CPD’s first of 2025. In the moments after the chase, Rivera was shot and killed by her own partner, authorities have said. […] With no time to wait for an ambulance, Rivera was placed into a squad car to be driven to University of Chicago Medical Center. During the trip to the hospital, though, the police vehicle caught fire and Rivera was transferred to a different squad car. She was pronounced dead at the hospital. In the chaos, the suspect who prompted the stop was able to escape. A Police Department spokesperson told the Tribune that they remained at large. * Crain’s | With latest deal, United Center owners cross $100M in land purchases: A venture controlled by the Reinsdorf and Wirtz families, which co-own the Near West Side venue, paid just more than $12 million late last month for a surface parking lot and brick building at the southeast corner of Washington Boulevard and Damen Avenue, according to Cook County property records. The entity bought the property from an affiliate of Red Top Parking, a longtime operator of parking lots near the United Center that has sold other land nearby to the team owners in recent years. * Sun-Times | Chicago public pools to open 7 days a week for first time since COVID-19 closings: The outlook this summer is for above-average temperatures and intense humidity, according to Illinois State Climatologist Trent Ford. Chicagoans will get the first taste of extreme heat this weekend when temperatures are forecast above 90 degrees and humidity levels are expected to be oppressive, Ford said. It’s been a cool June so far. * Sun-Times | Earl Moses, ‘true newsman,’ former Sun-Times editor, dies at 94: Moses, a respected Chicago newspaperman, died May 24 at his home in Torrance, California. He was 94. […] Moses joined the Sun-Times in 1962, rising from reporter to night city editor, then city editor, assistant managing editor, assistant to the personnel director and assistant to the editor before taking early retirement in 1988 after suffering a stroke. “My dad was a true newsman. The Sun-Times was his life,” said Matthew Moses, who remembers his father interacting with colleagues. “Roger Flaherty, Leon Pitt, I remember their confidence. They saw through all the bs going on in the city. It was fun watching them hang out, hearing them swap stories. That made him a superhero in my eyes.” * Daily Southtown | Students complained about Bloom Trail teacher years before sexual assault charges brought, records show: Records obtained from District 206 show Giglio was placed on paid administrative leave for an investigation on the same day the district was served with a lawsuit, May 14, 2024. The school board voted to terminate his employment July 8, 2024. In February 2021, a person stating they were a parent of a Bloom Trail student sent the district an anonymous email listing concerns with Giglio’s behavior. The parent claimed to have contacted Bloom Trail Principal Glynis Keene with concerns in December 2020 and wanted to know why Giglio was still teaching. * Daily Herald | Hoffman Estates approves $385,000 purchase of TIF-funded land: The redevelopment includes the land on the southeast corner of Barrington road and the Interstate 90 tollway which is adjacent to the village’s public works maintenance garage. Although 11 acres of land were purchased, not all are usable, which resulted in the affordable price, according to village manager Eric Palm. * Daily Herald | Indivisible Elk Grove Township’s inaugural event draws 6,000: One of the Indivisible Movement’s newest chapters, Indivisible Elk Grove Township, hosted their first event on June 14 in Arlington Heights to join with millions of protesters nationwide who gathered on Flag Day to demand an end to executive overreach and to reclaim a country that is governed according to the Constitution by We the People. Lynne S, the Indivisible Elk Grove Township chapter’s founder, attributes the overwhelming success of this event to many factors. “We had an incredible lineup of speakers headlined by U.S. Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi and including state Rep. Mary Beth Canty (54th), state Rep. Nicole Grasse (53rd), County Commissioner Kevin Morrison (15th) and Jesse Rojo (Illinois Veterans for Change) among others.” * Daily Herald | Ex-chief to get $99,210 from Wheeling in separation deal: Former Wheeling Police Chief Jamie Dunne will receive more than $99,200 from the village when he officially retires in a few weeks. Dunne will get a one-time, lump payment of nearly $86,305 within 14 days of his July 4 retirement, documents indicate. He’ll also receive a $12,905 payment for his employee-sponsored retirement account. Additionally, Dunne is due unspecified payment for earned but unused vacation time and personal time. The payments are part of a separation agreement approved by the village board Monday night. The deal was authorized without public discussion as part of the consent agenda, which is reserved for routine matters. * WGLT | Bloomington looks to adopt new housing rehabilitation strategy: The proposed Housing Rehabilitation Program, part of a larger neighborhood revitalization effort, was presented publicly for the first time during Monday’s Committee of the Whole meeting. Cordaryl Patrick, the city’s community impact and enhancement director, said estimates indicate Bloomington has about 300-400 properties that are currently vacant and derelict and would be targeted by the initiative. * Capitol City Now | District 186: Scope makes progress: The rising cost of before- and after-school care in District 186 is a concern administrator Terrance Jordan is feeling. The popular Scope program now must be self-sufficient, after the administration’s attempt to transfer it to the YMCA failed. “Currently, if they don’t receive CCC, which is Community Child Care Connection, that price is $115 per child,” said the district’s Terrance Jordan, “and we have received emails from concerned parents about that increase and how it may be pricing them out.” * WSIL | T-Mobile grant to enhance safety and access in Carbondale: The City of Carbondale has been awarded a $46,000 Hometown Grant from T-Mobile. This makes Carbondale one of just 25 communities nationwide and one of two in Illinois to receive this grant in the latest funding round. […] The grant will fund the installation of decorative wayfinding signage along the Downtown-Campus Connector and decorative alleyway lighting in three key downtown locations. These improvements will enhance connectivity and safety between Southern Illinois University (SIU) and downtown Carbondale. * WCIA | Vehicle drives into Baskin-Robbins in Springfield; two hospitalized: In a Facebook post Tuesday afternoon, Springfield Fire Fighters Local 37 said they responded to a vehicle impacting the Baskin-Robbins at the intersection of S MacArthur Blvd. and W Laurel St. As a result, two occupants of the vehicle were taken to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries. Additionally, nobody inside of the Baskin-Robbins nor the neighboring business were hurt in this incident, and everyone involved has been accounted for. * WSIL | Anna, IL to boost accessibility with $2.1M transportation grant: “We’re pleased to receive this money from ITEP and excited to put these dollars to work in our community,” said City Administrator Dori Bigler. “The multi-use path to Walmart will improve accessibility while increasing safety for residents and visitors alike.” The path will extend from the intersection of Springfield Avenue and East Vienna Street to Walmart. Anna is among 66 projects statewide receiving funding, with a total of $139.2 million awarded through the Illinois Department of Transportation. * Lexis Nexis | Will Genetic Privacy Concerns Raised by 23andMe’s Collapse Last?: In the wake of 23andMe’s bankruptcy announcement, attorneys general in Alabama, Arizona, California, Kentucky, New Hampshire, North Carolina and Texas all issued warnings to their residents about the company’s collapse and encouraged them to delete any genetic data held by the company. In the wake of 23andMe’s bankruptcy announcement, attorneys general in Alabama, Arizona, California, Kentucky, New Hampshire, North Carolina and Texas all issued warnings to their residents about the company’s collapse and encouraged them to delete any genetic data held by the company. […] This month, 27 states and the District of Columbia filed a lawsuit seeking to prevent 23andMe from selling customers’ genetic data without obtaining their “explicit consent” first. * Nielsen | Streaming Reaches Historic TV Milestone, Eclipses Combined Broadcast and Cable Viewing For First Time: Streaming reached a historic milestone in May as its share of total television usage outpaced the combined share of broadcast and cable for the first time ever, according to Nielsen’s monthly report of The Gauge™. Streaming represented 44.8% of TV viewership in May 2025, its largest share of viewing to date, while broadcast (20.1%) and cable (24.1%) combined to represent 44.2% of TV. * TPM | Senate Republicans Propose Gutting Medicaid Further To Make Trump Tax Cuts Permanent: Committee Republicans propose steeper cuts to certain programs, including Medicaid and the Child Tax Credit, in order to make President Donald Trump’s 2017 tax cuts permanent. The panel has also proposed a slower phase out on the Biden-era clean energy tax credits, though experts point out the overall effect would still be equal to gutting the clean energy incentives. Many Senate Republicans have vocalized issues with a handful of provisions in the House version of the bill — Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) has warned against a “full-scale repeal” of current energy tax credits; Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MS) has made some noise about cutting Medicaid; Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) goes back-and-forth daily about whether he’s content with the federal spending cuts outlined in the bill.
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Today’s must-read
Tuesday, Jun 17, 2025 - Posted by Rich Miller * Janelle O’Dea at the Illinois Answers Project…
Infrastructure repairs are just crazy expensive in this country, partly because of the paperwork…
* And in this case, they may be throwing good money after bad…
Lots, lots more, so go read the rest.
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Trump official: Chicago is next for militarized immigration crackdown ‘if they go too far’
Tuesday, Jun 17, 2025 - Posted by Isabel Miller * Earlier this week, President Trump directed ICE to expand deportations in Chicago, and other Democratic-run cities. Block Club Chicago…
* Alice Yin asked Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson about the threat earlier today…
* WGN’s Courtney Spinelli sat down with Sam Olson, field director of Chicago’s ICE field office yesterday…
* Governor Pritzker was asked about Trump’s order yesterday during a press availability. NBC Chicago…
* If you watch the video, you’ll see at least three FBI special agents were involved in this arrest…
According to news reports, the arrested man’s family claims he had no criminal record. …Adding… South Side Weekly…
* Related…
* WTTW | Chicago to Stop Accepting Online Applications for Municipal IDs After ICE Subpoena, City Clerk Says: Chicago will no longer allow residents to apply online for a municipal identification card after U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials subpoenaed records identifying applicants for the ID, known as the City Key, City Clerk Anna Valencia announced Saturday. “This was a tough decision as this program serves a number of vulnerable populations that rely on the accessibility of City Key, and ultimately, that’s also the reason I’m pausing our online platform,” Valencia said in a statement. * WTTW | Chicago Immigrant Advocates Demand End to ‘Deceptive’ ICE Raids, Reminds Communities to Know Their Rights: “As news spreads about militarized ICE teams carrying out Trump’s agenda of hate on the streets of Chicago, so too does the fear among our community members,” ICIRR Executive Director Lawrence Benito said during the Thursday news conference. Mayor Brandon Johnson’s chief of staff Cristina Pacione-Zayas said during a Wednesday news briefing the mayor’s office has received word that federal immigration agents have been told to be ready to deploy, with ICE tactical units expected to target workplaces in Chicago this week. * WTVO | Mayor McNamara urges calm amid possible ICE presence in Rockford: In a recorded video posted to the City’s Facebook page, McNamara said, “We’ve reached out to every law enforcement agency that we possibly can. right now, we have no agency confirm that they have been part of the activity that took place this morning in southwest Rockford.”
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Roundup: Pritzker signs FY26 budget
Tuesday, Jun 17, 2025 - Posted by Isabel Miller * Capitol News Illinois has a solid budget story…
* Sun-Times…
* Some context from the Kaiser Family Foundation on the “Trump slump” Pritzker referenced…
* Crain’s…
* Back to Capitol News Illinois for more on Illinois’ budget…
* Tribune…
* More…
* Patch | Rep. Spain: Dem Budget Sets Table for More Tax Hikes: “The FY 26 state budget package was passed in the middle of the night after Democrats once again conspired behind closed doors. Their process was so opaque, the Democrats presenting the budget bills couldn’t even answer more than a dozen questions. How are the people of Illinois expected to trust that the government is spending their tax dollars wisely when the process is so lacking in transparency that even the sponsors don’t know critical information? * WRAM | Hammond Statement on Gov. Pritzker’s Budget Signing: “The tax-and-spend budget that Governor Pritzker just approved is completely irresponsible. It’s a $55 billion budget that relies on $1 billion in new taxes and fund sweeps and hundreds of millions of dollars in Road Fund diversions. What’s in this budget? Pay raises for politicians. Nearly $250 million in pork projects for Democratic legislators aka the ‘Democratic Majority Slush Fund’ and an additional $100 million slush fund for the Governor. * Center Square | Enacting largest IL budget ever with tax increases, Pritzker criticizes Trump: Meeting with the leader of the G7 Monday, President Donald Trump was asked about immigration enforcement and paused to criticize Pritzker. “I look at Chicago and you’ve got a really bad governor in Chicago, and a bad mayor, but the governor is probably the worst in the country, Pritzker,” Trump said. * NBC Chicago | As Pritzker signs Illinois budget, here’s what’s in, what’s out and other notes: Pritzker used reduced appropriations in one of the budget bills as a corrective measure, saying that the amounts had been duplicated. That move reduced the amount of spending in the final budget agreement by just over $161 million. The series of bills also called for a deposit of $161 million in the state’s “rainy day” fund, which Pritzker says will contain nearly $2.5 billion by the end of the next fiscal year. * Journal Courier | Governor signs next budget, JDC demolition money is included: Among many items in the budget is the inclusion of $300 million that will be split among five dilapidated, state-owned sites, including Jacksonville Developmental Center, which has been abandoned since 2012. Since its closure, the 134-acre property has been host to fires, vandalism and complaints about its appearance. * Daily Herald | Illinois’ $55.2 billion budget ‘incomplete,’ Civic Federation president says: “It’s an incomplete budget,” Civic Federation President Joe Ferguson told Capitol News Illinois. “It does not add in any meaningful way to discuss any structural issues the state has. It’s a maintenance budget.” Ferguson said a key reason for that is at least $271 million in fund sweeps used to balance the general revenue fund. Fund sweeps occur when lawmakers dip into lesser-known and underutilized funds outside the main general fund to use as a source of revenue for the fiscal year. This year’s budget also pauses several transfers to keep certain dollars available in the general fund for use this year.
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It’s just a bill
Tuesday, Jun 17, 2025 - Posted by Isabel Miller
Click here for some background on the Massachusetts ballot referendum. * Sun-Times…
* Crain’s…
* Tribune…
Thoughts?
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Unsolicited advice
Tuesday, Jun 17, 2025 - Posted by Rich Miller * This is a story an activist who has never been to Springfield would, and did, write. StreetsBlog Chicago…
Um, no. * The Senate Democrats were flat-out told by organized labor that a tollway surcharge would never be acceptable, and the SDems did it anyway. The idea was dropped almost immediately and replaced by a tax on deliveries, which StreetsBlog ridiculed…
* Kristine Kavanagh, Communications Director, IUOE Local 150 replied to the StreetsBlog story…
* House Speaker Chris Welch weighed in during a press conference yesterday…
The House didn’t take up the Senate bill because, as Welch previously said, the bill was dead on arrival…
The House Democrats took this position despite the fact that organized labor, including Local 150, was fully on board with the Senate bill. And Uber’s astroturf lobbying was just not a factor. It wasn’t moving anyway. * Gov. Pritzker yesterday…
Unsolicited advice: If you’re an activist, get your best deal on reform and then take the revenue that’s offered.
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Why Are Tax-Exempt Hospitals Getting Rich?
Tuesday, Jun 17, 2025 - Posted by Advertising Department [The following is a paid advertisement.] Across Illinois, big hospital systems and PBMs are abusing the 340B drug discount program – making massive profits while patients drown in medical bills. One whistleblower called it “laundering money.” Here’s how the scam works: big hospitals buy discounted 340B drugs, bill patients full price, then split the difference with for-profit pharmacies and PBMs. 340B was meant to help Illinois communities in need. But there are no rules requiring hospitals and PBMs to pass savings on to patients. No transparency. No oversight. Just higher costs for working families, small businesses, and taxpayers. Meanwhile, tax-exempt hospitals cash in – and PBMs get a cut too.
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Open thread
Tuesday, Jun 17, 2025 - Posted by Rich Miller * AP…
* The Atlantic…
* The original Zydeco Sont Pas Salé… Stay tuned.
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Isabel’s morning briefing
Tuesday, Jun 17, 2025 - Posted by Isabel Miller * ICYMI: Gov. JB Pritzker signs budget amid federal funding uncertainty, unaddressed transit issues. Tribune…
-It raises over $800M through tax hikes on tobacco, sports betting, and corporate income, plus one-time revenues. - Legislators ended session without passing a transit plan, and Pritzker on Monday did his best to deflect responsibility for the problem, saying transit is “not a state budget issue… It’s really a separate matter entirely.” - Rep. Kam Buckner, a lead budget negotiator in the House who has also been a leader in discussions on the transit issue, said lawmakers may return this summer if federal cuts hit the budget — and could address transit then. * Related stories…
∙ Sun-Times: Gov. JB Pritzker blames ‘Trump slump’ for difficult budget year ∙ Center Square: Enacting largest IL budget ever with tax increases, Pritzker criticizes Trump ∙ Capitol News Illinois: Pritzker signs $55.1B state budget reliant on $700M of new taxes * Daily Herald | Mount Prospect chief meeting with legislators amid license-plate reader controversy: Eterno told village officials at Saturday’s Coffee With Council he has spoken with State Rep. Nicolle Grasse, a Democrat from Arlington Heights. Grasse also spoke with officials in Arlington Heights, Mount Prospect and Rolling Meadows, she said. She and Eterno are meeting this week with state Sen. Mark Walker, also an Arlington Heights Democrat. Mount Prospect was at the center of the issue when Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias announced last week that 46 out-of-state agencies were blocked from accessing Flock Safety’s Automated License Plate Reader (ALPR) system after reports they had been used in searches related to abortion and immigration. * Crain’s | Chicago Fire, Related Midwest reveal details of South Loop stadium plan: Renderings and site plan documents showcase more details of the $650 million stadium set to be bankrolled privately by billionaire Fire owner Joe Mansueto, as well as new and tweaked public infrastructure projects Related Midwest would finance and be reimbursed for with future property tax revenue generated by the project. Among other soccer-facing revelations: The stadium in the north central portion of the long-fallow, 62-acre site would feature 50 suites, 500 “Loge seats” and 3,500 “Club seats” — including some with access to exclusive clubs, the team said — as well as a dedicated supporter section with a capacity for about 2,000 die-hard fans. * NBC Chicago | Pritzker discusses Trump’s decision to send National Guard into Los Angeles: Immigration protests have remained largely peaceful in Chicago, with just one arrest reported during a “No Kings” march on Saturday, but Pritzker was asked whether he believed Trump would activate the Illinois National Guard to support law enforcement in Chicago. “I do not believe he will call out the National Guard. He has seen this has not gone well for him politically, and he’s all about the politics,” Pritzker said during a press conference Monday. “What he’s done in California has really hurt him politically, so I don’t think he’ll do that in other places.” * WCIA | Changes coming to Illinois after Pritzker signs multiple bills: Governor Pritzker signed HB742 on Monday. According to his office, this will delay the date the Interchange Fee Prohibition Act would be enforced until July 1, 2026. The Interchange Fee Prohibition Act would ban banks or credit card companies from charging businesses a fee for the tipped or taxed portion of a transaction. * WMBD | On the Record: Breaking down the $55 billion budget with state Senators Koehler, Arellano: “Overall, I think its a fair budget,” said state Sen. Dave Koehler (D-Peoria). “But you can look through the budget and you’ll find areas where things made you satisfied or things didn’t make you satisfied. But that’s what the budget process is.” […] On the other side, state Sen. Li Arellano took issue with the budget saying it was unduly burdensome on taxpayers. He voted against the “reckless” budget plan, he said. * WBEZ | Fiscal watchdog says state financial oversight for CPS is worth exploring: With Chicago Public Schools grappling with a $529 million deficit and no clear way to balance its budget for the fall, the state might want to take over the school district’s finances — a move that could open up new revenue opportunities, but also force CPS to make cuts that school board members and the mayor oppose. That’s according to a new report by the nonpartisan financial watchdog group, the Civic Federation. * Tribune | Maps show neighborhoods where environmental justice zoning ordinance would benefit residents most: As communities are urging their representatives to support an environmental ordinance introduced in April to the City Council, a neighborhood group released maps showing large swaths of land across the city are currently zoned for commercial warehouses and industrial manufacturing that don’t require public notice or city approval to be developed. Wards with the most land where this kind of use is permitted include the 10th Ward on the city’s Southeast Side, the 11th and 12th Wards on the South Side, the 25th Ward on the Lower West Side, and the 27th Ward on the Northwest Side. * WTTW | Ald. Jim Gardiner Won’t Have to Pay $20K Fine After He Is Cleared of Violating Ethics Ordinance: After an appeal by the two-term Far Northwest Side alderperson, an administrative hearing officer overturned the Chicago Board of Ethics’ October 2023 determination that Gardiner committed 10 total violations of Chicago’s Governmental Ethics Ordinance, five violations of his fiduciary duty to the city and five violations for unauthorized use of city property after a probe by Inspector General Deborah Witzburg. The Chicago Board of Ethics voted unanimously Monday evening to clear Gardiner of those violations. * Crain’s | American Bar Association sues Trump over alleged ‘intimidation’ of law firms: “The result of the Law Firm Intimidation Policy has been a pervasive fear within the legal community and the justice system at large,” the complaint reads. “Many attorneys are no longer willing to take on representations that would require suing the federal government because doing so poses a serious risk of becoming the next target of the administration’s devastating sanctions.” The ABA is represented in the complaint by Susman Godfrey, one of four law firms, along with Chicago-based Jenner & Block, that opted to fight the administration in court rather than reach a deal to avoid an executive order targeting its operations. Jenner won a ruling last month permanently blocking the order. * Crain’s | Chicago garners two wins at the Beard Awards, the Oscars of the restaurant biz: First up was the West Loop Japanese bar Kumiko, which won in the Outstanding Bar category. Created by Julia Momosé, Kumiko is both a bar and dining experience, combing the two in a very intimate setting at 630 W. Lake St. The restaurant calls itself a “a dining bar” where “food and drink are expertly intertwined” with an emphasis on Japanese ingredients, craft cocktails and saké. Diners can grab a snack with their cocktail or enjoy a tasting menu. * Chicago Mag | Peering Inside Chicago’s Original Art Colony: Graff was beginning to understand why the Chicago Tribune originally described it as a “magnificent palace” when the edifice first opened in 1885. Designed by Solon Spencer Beman, it served as the showroom for the Studebaker Carriage Company before the business moved. After a renovation that expanded the structure from eight floors to 10, it reopened in 1898 as “the first art colony of Chicago.” Among the many music teachers, theater companies, and literary groups, the storied list of artists-in-residence includes architect Frank Lloyd Wright, sculptor Lorado Taft, and illustrators W. W. Denslow (The Wonderful Wizard of Oz) and J.C. Leyendecker (The Saturday Evening Post cover artist). * Aurora Beacon-News | With $771 million budget gap for transit looming, suburban officials and activists still waiting on reform: In Kane County, the failure to pass the Senate funding proposal was met with some optimism from local officials seeking greater suburban influence over the transit agencies. At a county board meeting on June 4, Kane County Board Chair Corinne Pierog reiterated interest in greater oversight for the collar counties on the region’s transit agencies. “That was our big fight, and we were able to, altogether, with our senators … postpone this for another day, and a much more thoughtful, I hope, less rushed conversation,” Pierog said. * Shaw Local | Residents express opposition to proposed day care center near Downers Grove: “I am not against day care,” said Ozzello, a working mom who in the past struggled to find day care for her children. “I understand the need for reliable and affordable, trustworthy childcare. I am all for building another day care in another location that makes sense.” But not on a residential lot, she said. * Aurora Beacon-News | Aurora considers water rate increase: Aurora is considering raising the water and sewer rate by 6% each of the next two years, which city staff members say would mean about a $3.30 monthly increase for the average residential water user each year. If the city were to keep rates the same, it would face a roughly $2.8 million budget deficit in the Water and Sewer Fund. That’s according to Jason Bauer, the interim director of Public Works, who gave a presentation to the Aurora City Council’s Committee of the Whole about the proposed increase earlier this month and then formally proposed the increase at a City Council Finance Committee meeting last week. * Shaw Local | Which northern Illinois towns have enacted a 1% grocery tax? Check our list: Illinois communities that want to keep a 1% grocery tax after the state’s tax expires have to act soon to put their own laws on the books. More than 200 communities in the state already have chosen to do so, with many more considering it. * NBC Chicago | Residents, activists blame ‘festering’ antisemitism for Highland Park incident: A Highland Park family is speaking out after receiving a threatening, antisemitic letter at their home — a disturbing incident that has drawn swift condemnation from the community and prompted an investigation involving local police, the FBI, and a hazardous materials team. The letter, which targeted the family for displaying pro-Israel signage in their yard, included antisemitic rhetoric and a reference to a toxic substance. The material was ultimately found to be non-toxic, but the threat was taken seriously. * Daily Southtown | Federal court filing seeks to bar Dolton from buying pope’s boyhood home: A former Dolton village employee is trying to block the village from using taxpayer money to acquire the childhood home of Robert Prevost, now Pope Leo XIV. Lavell Redmond, who has an ongoing lawsuit against Dolton alleging wrongful termination in 2022, is asking a federal judge for a temporary restraining order. The motion, filed Sunday, alleges the village, in seeking to buy the home, is engaging in an “endeavor with substantial cost to taxpayers with no compelling governmental necessity.” * Daily Herald | Fire departments are handling more false alarms, so why isn’t there more concern?: “I’d rather the system let us know something’s wrong accidentally than it not work at all when we need it to,” said Arlington Heights Fire Chief Lance Harris. “Usually it’s letting the building owner know something needs fixing.” The vast majority of false alarms aren’t malicious or pranks, but rather a warning that maintenance is required on the building’s alert or suppression system, fire officials said. * Illinois Answers | Wasted Waters: How Southern Illinois is Coping with Decades of Sewage Flooding… and Why it Still Isn’t Solved.: Five dozen communities in Southern Illinois account for a third of the reported sanitary sewer overflows in the state in the last decade. But with low revenues, population declines, and bureaucratic delays, solutions are hard to come by. Meanwhile, residents face property damage flooded yards and basements and governments that still haven’t fixed the problem. * WCIA | Herff Jones expanding corporations in Arcola, leaving Champaign: The Herff Jones Plant in Champaign will be closing down but expanding operations in Douglas County. The company will be phasing out of Champaign over the next few months and transitioning employees to Arcola and Indianapolis to work. Management said an estimated 90 jobs will be impacted like supervisor and distribution roles. Executive Vice President Andy Penca said the Champaign building has lasted for a half a century, and leaving the city they love is disappointing. * WGLT | Contacts to statewide domestic violence hotline rose 26% last year — with sharpest increase in Central Illinois: A new report says contacts to the Illinois Domestic Violence Hotline rose 26% compared to 2023, with the greatest change registered in Central Illinois. According to data compiled by the statewide domestic violence advocacy group The Network, the hotline received 16 contacts [via phone, text or chat] from Logan County, up 81% from 2023. Livingston County contacts increased from 23 to 30 [77%]. And there were two contacts from Piatt County, compared with none the previous year. * Axios | Scoop: Colorado pauses campaign finance database after Minnesota shootings: The state’s Transparency in Contribution and Expenditure Reporting database, known as TRACER, posts candidate filings that often include home addresses and personal phone numbers. Elsewhere in the system, it lists campaign contribution data that requires donors — including lawmakers — to list their names, full addresses and occupations. Secretary of State Jena Griswold ordered the removal after consultation with state and legislative leadership, a spokesperson said. * WaPo | Trump officials reverse guidance exempting farms, hotels from immigration raids: Officials from Immigration and Customs Enforcement, including its Homeland Security Investigations division, told agency leaders in a call Monday that agents must continue conducting immigration raids at agricultural businesses, hotels and restaurants, according to two people familiar with the call. The new instructions were shared in an 11 a.m. call to representatives from 30 field offices across the country. * NYT | Inside DOGE’s Chaotic Takeover of Social Security: So far the agency’s core functions — like sending monthly checks to 74 million Americans — have remained largely intact. But under pressure from Mr. Musk’s team, nearly half of the Social Security Administration’s 140 senior executives, and thousands of employees overall, have taken buyouts or retired. As many as 12 percent of staff members, out of a bureaucracy that numbered around 57,000 people, are expected to depart their jobs as part of DOGE’s cost-cutting plan. * NPR | Press group sues L.A., alleging police abuse of reporters at ICE rallies: Press advocates say such episodes have been common at the often charged and sometimes violent protests that have played out in Los Angeles over the past 10 days. They say law enforcement officials at the protests have not always demonstrated restraint or distinguished between people who pose a threat and others who are reporting on developments. On Monday, the Los Angeles Press Club and the investigative reporting site Status Coup filed a lawsuit against the city of Los Angeles and the chief of the Los Angeles Police Department in federal court, alleging that officers at the demonstrations are routinely violating journalists’ rights.
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Selected press releases (Live updates)
Tuesday, Jun 17, 2025 - Posted by Isabel Miller
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Live coverage
Tuesday, Jun 17, 2025 - Posted by Isabel Miller * Click here and/or here to follow breaking news. Hopefully, enough reporters and news outlets migrate to BlueSky so we can hopefully resume live-posting.
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Isabel’s afternoon roundup
Monday, Jun 16, 2025 - Posted by Isabel Miller * Crain’s…
* Gov. JB Pritzker reduced the appropriations bill by $161 million due to a couple of drafting errors…
* WICS | Illinois State Treasurer’s Office to auction unclaimed treasures online: The auction will feature a diverse array of collectibles, including a rookie baseball card of Chicago Cubs legend Ryne Sandberg, “Star Wars” comic books, a Yoda Pez dispenser, Elvis Presley coins, and a 1995W $50 Gold Eagle coin. Stamp collections and other sports collectible cards of iconic players such as Ernie Banks, Bob Gibson, Johnny Bench, Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, Wayne Gretzky, and Gordie Howe will also be available. * Journal Courier | Illinois Department of Natural Resources seeking wild turkey sightings: Biologists with the state are trying to track turkey populations in Illinois to see their reproductive success according to the department. Summer is when young turkeys are hatching, so the Illinois Department of Natural Resources said it’s a good time to track them. From 2019 to 2024, data showed the success rate of a turkey’s brood has about doubled. The rate went from 1.62 poults, or young turkeys, per hen to three poults per hen. The data also showed the male-to-female turkey population stayed about the same, suggesting male populations stay stable even after spring hunting season. * WBEZ | Trump directs ICE to expand deportations in Chicago, other Democratic-run cities: In a social media posting, Trump called on ICE officials “to do all in their power to achieve the very important goal of delivering the single largest Mass Deportation Program in History.” He added that to reach the goal officials ”must expand efforts to detain and deport Illegal Aliens in America’s largest Cities, such as Los Angeles, Chicago, and New York, where Millions upon Millions of Illegal Aliens reside.” * WTTW | CPD Officers Shot and Killed as Many People in First 5 Months of 2025 as They Did in All of 2024: Data: All but two of the police shootings took place on the South and West sides. Mayor Brandon Johnson has said there is evidence that officers have engaged in an “egregious form of policing” in neighborhoods that are home to a majority of Black and Latino Chicagoans. A spokesperson for Johnson said each shooting should be investigated “based on the unique circumstances of the incident.” * Block Club | Chicago Mom Arrested By ICE Faces ‘Inhumane’ Conditions In Kentucky Jail, Organizers Say: Gladis Yolanda Chavez Pineda, an organizer with Organized Communities Against Deportations, was among the at least 10 people arrested June 4. Through phone calls to her young daughter and lawyers, Chavez Pineda has described the conditions of three facilities where she has been held since getting detained, said Antonio Gutierrez, leader of Organized Communities Against Deportations. Chavez Pineda and other immigrants detained last week at check-ins under a monitoring program in the South Loop are being held at the Kentucky jail, Gutierrez said. “People are sleeping on concrete floors. Last Sunday, one mattress was given to a group of 20 mothers to share. No blankets are given, no hygiene products,” he said. “There is no privacy. In one of the facilities, only one bathroom is given to 20 or more individuals, with no partitions and privacy.” * Crain’s | McDonald’s settles Byron Allen’s $10B ad discrimination lawsuit: Allen, who owns properties such as The Weather Channel and Justice Central, filed a lawsuit against McDonald’s in 2021 alleging the Chicago-based chain discriminated against his company through racial stereotyping and refusals to contract. Two years later, Allen escalated by buying a full-page ad in the Chicago Tribune soliciting activist investor Carl Icahn to join the legal fight and suing again, alleging McDonald’s was not on track to meet a 2021 commitment to spend more of its advertising budget with Black-owned media companies. That complaint was dismissed in 2024. * Sun-Times | Night Out In The Parks event in Little Village canceled: The family event at La Villita Park, 2800 S. Sacramento Ave., was postponed “out of an abundance of caution taking into account multiple contributing factors and a range of concerns raised in connection to a few recent situations,” Adler Planetarium said. Officials did not say when the event would be rescheduled. * Crain’s | City ups financial incentives for developers to rehab derelict homes: In its Rebuild 2.0 program, which will focus on properties in the Roseland and Englewood neighborhoods, the city is taking over two elements of a developer’s cost to bring a run-down property up to current homeownership standards. The city will pay the developer’s cost of acquiring a property from the Cook County Land Bank Authority — often in the $35,000 range — and cover the difference between the total investment in the rehab and the market price for the home, so the developer isn’t selling at a loss. * WTTW | Downtown Road Closures for 2025 NASCAR Chicago Street Race to Begin Thursday: The Office of Emergency Management and Communications on Monday released the full list of closures as the city preps for the third annual street race through Grant Park and several highly trafficked areas on July 5-6. Beginning at 12:01 a.m. Thursday, Balbo Drive will become fully closed from Columbus Drive to DuSable Lake Shore Drive, while “No Parking” restrictions will be put in place along Columbus Drive in both north and southbound lanes between Jackson and Balbo drives. * Crain’s | Lou Malnati’s hires new CEO: Julie Younglove-Webb arrives on the scene with over a decade of experience overseeing corporate and restaurant operations, including Auntie Anne’s, a GoTo Foods brand. She has also led operations at Domino’s and Potbelly. Her operational leadership with more than 450 locations helped generate nearly $500 million in revenue, according to her LinkedIn profile. * Daily Herald | Carmel Catholic High withdraws plan for international student dorm: Last year, council members approved a deal with Aurora telecom company Scientel Solutions to add 55 new cameras to public areas downtown and key city-owned facilities. The cameras are slated to be online and recording by the first week of July. However, the rules about who can watch from the other side, when and why are still being decided. City and police department officials worked to draft a policy identifying who would have access to which cameras and how that access would be tracked and managed. * Daily Herald | Fox River Grove gets OK to demolish ‘monstrously ugly’ half-built apartments: Almost a dozen companies are suing The Grove Residences LLC and Branko Tupanjac of Lake Forest, who is identified as its manager, in a lawsuit filed in 2022 in McHenry County court. Village Administrator Derek Soderholm said the town is soliciting proposals from qualified contractors for the demolition. Once a contractor is selected, the village will proceed with the necessary steps to complete the demolition, he said. * Daily Herald | Former Rosemont village hall to be torn down for new restaurant campus near Rivers Casino: Rosemont officials are in talks with developer Jeff Bernstein of Bradford Allen and Braden Real Estate Chairman/CEO Marc Offit, who serves as the village’s commercial real estate broker, over a redevelopment deal that would put as many as three eateries on the site of the eight-story building at 9501 W. Devon Ave. Fencing has been installed around the 1960s-era office building, which housed Rosemont’s government offices and public safety department from the 1980s until last year. Demolition was to have begun by Memorial Day but has been delayed while crews complete teardown of an old parks building across town. * Aurora Beacon-News | Batavia salutes Flag Day with a nod to its special connection to the holiday: Like Rufo, Callahan admitted Batavia has a Flag Day celebration unlike any other in the country given Cigrand’s connection to the city. “We always get questions about this but Cigrand is recognized as the father of Flag Day as he lived in Batavia at the time of President Wilson’s first official 1916 proclamation for Flag Day,” he said. “That is why – here locally – that one man, it kind of gives us that bit of recognition. The only other place that can say that is Waubeka, Wisconsin, where he was born. They celebrate where he came from … but they don’t have anything on this scale.” * Tribune | One year in, Wayfair’s first brick and mortar is win-win for store, Wilmette: The company is not disclosing specific sales results of the Wayfair store, but in a statement they listed some accomplishments including over 720,000 visitors since its opening, the creation of more than 120 local jobs and 50% of the store’s customers being new to the Wayfair brand. “So we are introducing ourselves to a bunch of people that we weren’t accessing before. So the store itself is a giant billboard for the brand,” Lefkowski said. * Aurora Beacon-News | Aurora Juneteenth celebration about history, culture and community: Juneteenth – officially celebrated on June 19 – commemorates the end of slavery in the U.S. While President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation in January 1863, it wasn’t until June 19, 1865, that the last enslaved African Americans were freed in Texas after the end of the Civil War. Aurora’s new communication manager Jon Zaghloul said while the city does not organize the annual celebration at the park, “it is truly an amazing event.” * WCIA | Paris school district looking to find nearly $750K of ‘missing money’: Exactly two years after their former superintendent’s home was raided by the FBI, an Edgar County school district is trying to retrace the county’s steps after more than $700,000 went missing. The current Paris Union School District 95 superintendent said they have been getting shortchanged for the last six years, and now they’re working to find out why. Superintendent Mary Morgan Ryan said the district makes a request for money to the county every year. The number they give is what they use for budgets, and what they send to the state to get funding from them. * WGLT | Federal funding for these ag research labs ended. Now the search is on for new support: Work at the University of Illinois’ Soybean Innovation Lab has resumed, although on a reduced scale. Lab director Peter Goldsmith said that’s thanks to a $1 million anonymous private donation. “They reached out back at the end of February, and they liked our story,” said Goldsmith. “They liked what we were proposing to do and they put things in position.” * WCIA | Truck carrying liquid nitrogen crashes in Shelby Co.; ‘no threat to the public’: ISP: The crash happened north of Windsor near the intersection with County Road 1800 N. Officials with the Illinois State Police said the driver was hurt and was transported to an area hospital. There is no word on their condition. State Police said the liquid nitrogen does not pose a threat to the public. However, Route 32 is closed as responders try to upright the semi-truck. * BND | Roadwork on closed down I-255 in St. Clair County to finish ahead of schedule: The reopening of 3.5 miles of I-255 from Illinois 15 to Illinois 157 will be about six weeks ahead of the previously anticipated finish date of July 31, the Illinois Department of Transportation announced Friday. This section of the highway was closed on Feb. 1. * NYT | How Amy Coney Barrett Is Confounding the Right and the Left: But she rarely abandons the other Republican appointees in the most significant cases. “It’s a mistake by ignorant conservatives and wishful liberals to believe she’s moderating,” said Noah Feldman, a Harvard law professor who befriended her when they clerked at the court. Like others who know her, he said that both the right and the left had misread her. “She’s exactly the person I met 25 years ago: principled, absolutely conservative, not interested in shifting.” * NYT | Slain Minnesota Lawmaker Remembered as Pragmatic Problem Solver: Colleagues remembered Ms. Hortman, who was fatally shot early Saturday in what officials described as a political assassination, as a hardworking, problem-solving leader who managed to negotiate her way through impasses, even within her own party, over two decades in the Legislature. “We have a huge division of values, thoughts and beliefs,” said Representative Leigh Finke, a Democrat from St. Paul. “But she held us together.” * STAT | Hundreds of NIH grant terminations are ‘void and illegal,’ federal judge rules: The decision comes after Judge William G. Young heard arguments for over two hours at the U.S. District Court in two suits filed against the administration over the termination of hundreds of research grants by the National Institutes of Health. The decision, which can be appealed, hands a temporary victory to researchers across the country, reeling from unprecedented changes at the world’s largest public funder of biomedical research. One suit was led by the American Public Health Association, along with several other organizations and researchers whose grants were terminated. One study estimated terminated grants amounted to $1.8 billion, but one database of terminated grants puts the figure much higher. The other was filed by a group of 16 states. * Politico | Trump’s FAA pick has claimed ‘commercial’ pilot license he doesn’t have: President Donald Trump’s nominee to head the Federal Aviation Administration long described himself in his official biography as being certified to fly aircraft commercially — but records examined by POLITICO show that he does not hold any commercial license. … Questions about Bedford’s credentials do not appear to threaten his prospects for heading the FAA, an agency trying to recover from years of high-level leadership shake-ups, failures of key aviation technology, a spate of near-misses in the skies and January’s 67-fatality crash near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.
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Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division files amicus brief in Illinois assault weapons case (Updated)
Monday, Jun 16, 2025 - Posted by Rich Miller * Capitol News Illinois earlier this month…
* Assistant United States Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division…
* Breitbart provides some excerpts from the DOJ’s brief…
* Todd Vandermyde provides more context… * Gov. JB Pritzker addressed the filing today…
…Adding… Illinois State Rifle Association…
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War of words heating up between Illinois House leaders
Monday, Jun 16, 2025 - Posted by Rich Miller * While answering a question about the $40 million he put into the budget for a new sports complex at Proviso West High School, House Speaker Chris Welch said this…
* From House Republican Leader Tony McCombie…
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Pritzker acknowledges budget’s hit to hospitals, but doesn’t have a solution
Monday, Jun 16, 2025 - Posted by Rich Miller * From today’s press conference…
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Pritzker says no Illinoisans were on Minnesota assassin’s ‘hit list’
Monday, Jun 16, 2025 - Posted by Rich Miller * During the press conference announcing the arrest of alleged assassin Vance Boelter, Minnesota’s Superintendent of the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension Drew Evans told reporters that Illinoisans were on the list compiled by the alleged Minnesota assassin. When asked if others in states beyond Minnesota were on the list…
* Gov. JB Pritzker said this today in response to a question about Evans’ comment. Rush transcript…
Pritzker also said, “As I understand, I was not on that list.” …Adding… CNN…
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Federal government plans to ‘liberate’ Chicago
Monday, Jun 16, 2025 - Posted by Rich Miller * I submit my weekly syndicated newspaper column shortly after 4 o’clock every Friday. This is what I sent out Friday…
* CBS News on Saturday…
* President Donald Trump on Sunday…
Discuss.
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How is this legal?
Monday, Jun 16, 2025 - Posted by Rich Miller * It’s pretty obvious that this is legal under Illinois state law…
State law is pretty clear on this topic. The feds used FOIA, which means the information is available to the public, and according to state law, that can be shared…
Unless lawmakers want to try and carve out ICE from FOIA, this is a non-story. * However, the law also says this…
* I’m coming late to this story, but it’s difficult to see how this agreement falls within the law…
* There are real problems with these government gang databases…
* Good point…
Obviously, if they’re truly gang members and they’re undocumented, they need to be kicked out of this country ASAP. But police gang databases are notoriously unreliable. * Back to the story…
Discuss.
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When RETAIL Succeeds, Illinois Succeeds
Monday, Jun 16, 2025 - Posted by Advertising Department [The following is a paid advertisement.] Findings of a recent economic study were clear — the retail sector is a cornerstone of the state’s economy and crucial to our everyday lives. Retail in Illinois directly contributes more than $112 billion in economic investment annually – more than 10 percent of the state’s total Gross Domestic Product. Retailers like Sara Jane in Skokie enrich our economy and strengthen our communities. We Are Retail and IRMA showcase the retailers who make Illinois work.
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Today’s number: $5 million GRF for NASCAR operating expenses (Updated with Pritzker response)
Monday, Jun 16, 2025 - Posted by Rich Miller * From the appropriations bill which will be signed into law today...
This is a reduction from the current fiscal year, which provided $7 million to NASCAR ($2 million for operating expenses and $5 million for “capital improvements, including prior year costs.” There are a ton of very worthwhile programs which desperately needed $5 million GRF this year. * If we won’t give money to the Bears and the White Sox, why are we appropriating $5 million in “operating expenses” (of all things) to NASCAR? …Adding… Isabel just asked Gov. Pritzker about the NASCAR appropriation. His response…
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Why Are Tax-Exempt Hospitals Getting Rich?
Monday, Jun 16, 2025 - Posted by Advertising Department [The following is a paid advertisement.] Across Illinois, big hospital systems and PBMs are abusing the 340B drug discount program – making massive profits while patients drown in medical bills. One whistleblower called it “laundering money.” Here’s how the scam works: big hospitals buy discounted 340B drugs, bill patients full price, then split the difference with for-profit pharmacies and PBMs. 340B was meant to help Illinois communities in need. But there are no rules requiring hospitals and PBMs to pass savings on to patients. No transparency. No oversight. Just higher costs for working families, small businesses, and taxpayers. Meanwhile, tax-exempt hospitals cash in – and PBMs get a cut too.
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Open thread
Monday, Jun 16, 2025 - Posted by Isabel Miller * What’s going on in your part of Illinois?…
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Isabel’s morning briefing
Monday, Jun 16, 2025 - Posted by Isabel Miller * Subscribers know more. ICYMI: Pritzker reacts to Minnesota lawmakers shot, 1 killed: “A horrifying day”. CBS Chicago…
- “Political violence is always unacceptable. This is a horrifying day for Minnesota, and a sad day for America. What has occurred is a direct attack on our American values and democracy,” Pritzker said in a statement. - The gunman had a notebook listing about 70 possible targets, including some from nearby states, according to The New York Times. NBC News reported that some of those names were Illinois-based politicians. * Related stories…
∙ NBC: Suspect who terrorized Minnesota’s political leaders after deadly shooting found crawling in rural field * At 11 am Governor Pritzker will sign Illinois’ $55.2 billion budget. Click here to watch. * Tribune | Following ICE subpoena, Chicago city clerk suspending online municipal ID program portal: Clerk Anna Valencia announced Friday that her office would take the CityKey online portal offline Friday night, a week after the Tribune reported that ICE subpoenaed her office for the personal information of applicants to the program that is often used by noncitizens. The clerk said that while CityKey’s in-person events — which do not leave behind a written trail that identifies applicants — will not be affected, her office decided to halt online applications after other elected officials and community groups expressed concern. * Inside Climate | As Data Centers Proliferate Across Illinois, Communities Grapple with How to Supply the Necessary Water: Once they’re online, data centers require a lot of electricity, which is helping drive rates up around the country and grabbing headlines. What gets less attention is how much water they need, both to generate that electricity and dissipate the heat from the servers powering cloud computing, storage and artificial intelligence. A high-volume “hyperscale” data center uses the same amount of water in a year as 12,000 to 60,000 people, said Helena Volzer, a senior source water policy manager for the environmental nonprofit Alliance for the Great Lakes. * Tribune | Lack of middleman between Illinois farmers and consumers limits market for fruits and vegetables: But as climate change causes increasingly severe droughts and extreme heat in regions that have historically grown lots of fruits and vegetables such as the American Southwest, California and Central America, experts say it’s important that Illinois strengthen its food system. There may even come a time when others look to Illinois — which has a relatively mild climate and ample water supply — to grow what they no longer can. “Either we have to move water to where the agriculture is or move the agriculture to where the water is,” said Jay Famiglietti, a hydrologist, engineer and director at the Arizona Water Innovation Institute. He attributes the water scarcity in the Southwest to climate change. * Illinois Farmer Today | Amid trend toward consolidation, farmers find no ‘one size fits all’: Missouri has the second-most farms of any state, with 87,887 and 27.03 million total acres of farmland. Illinois has 71,123 farms spanning 26.29 million acres, and Iowa has 86,911 farms and 29.98 million acres of farmland. While the smallest acreages can pull the averages down, the numbers still provide a snapshot. Missouri’s average farming operation is 307.6 acres, Iowa’s average farm size is 345 acres, and Illinois’ average is 369.6 acres. * Capitol News Illinois | Ex-Speaker Madigan sentenced to 7 ½ years in prison for bribery, corruption: The sentence, which also includes three years’ probation after his prison term and a $2.5 million fine, follows a jury’s split verdict in February. After a marathon two weeks of deliberation, jurors convicted him on 10 of 23 corruption charges, including bribery, but acquitted him on seven and deadlocked over another six. * Herald & Review | Decatur racino developers plan to ‘work through the summer’ to win support for proposal: “We feel good about it,” Conor Lucas, the vice president of government affairs for Revolutionary Racing, told the Herald & Review. “I think our team has done an amazing job and I think the legislature too has done an amazing job of understanding the issue more than ever.”The proposed legislation would direct the Illinois Racing Board to award a horse racing license to a track in Macon County. This would clear the path for the company to develop a 200-acre parcel at the northwest corner of U.S. 36 and Wyckles Road into a one-mile harness race track that would include a casino with 900 gaming positions. * Tribune | Measure before Gov. JB Pritzker would streamline firearms ID process for low-level gun offenders: The legislation applies to participants in diversion programs that serve as alternatives to prosecution. Cook County’s Democratic state’s attorney, Eileen O’Neill Burke, pushed legislators to expand the programs to include a more streamlined opportunity for their participants to obtain a firearm owner’s identification, or FOID, card — the form required by the Illinois State Police for state residents to be allowed to legally own guns. The legislation would apply to people eligible for placement in the diversion programs and charged with gun crimes designated as Class 4 felonies, offenses that can carry one-to-three-year prison sentences but are the least severe level of felonies. * Tribune | Two people detained on Father’s Day at Broadview immigration center: Manuel was detained with a woman, also from Colombia, according to an immigration attorney who was with them during their appointment. On Friday, dozens of families in immigration proceedings received a text message from the federal government instructing them to report on Sunday to the Broadview center for a check-in appointment. Most left their appointment wearing ankle monitors and were given instructions to report to an office downtown that houses the Intensive Supervision Appearance Program, an alternative to detention through check-ins or other forms of supervision, such as ankle monitors. * Tribune | ‘I am a product of this system’: Pedro Martinez reflects on his tenure as CPS chief: Martinez is leaving the district on Wednesday. In an interview with the Tribune on Thursday, he emotionally recounted his passion for Chicago Public Schools and for the city where he found a home as the child of Mexican immigrants. He urged the next leader of the district to practice empathy in order to set an example for the more than 320,000 kids they will oversee. * Crain’s | LGBTQ+ clinic in South Shore plans Juneteenth opening: “This clinic is more than just a medical facility — it’s a sanctuary for healing, affirmation and empowerment,” Green said in the release. “We’re creating a space where every person, no matter their background or identity, can feel seen, supported and cared for.” Currently there is no LGBTQ-focused clinic in South Shore, an Onyx spokesperson said in a separate statement, despite disproportionate mental health, HIV and chronic illness rates in the neighborhood. * Crain’s | The success of ‘The Bear,’ measured by the Chicago tour bus load: Chicago Food & City Tours launched “Yes Chef! Chicago: A Bear-Inspired Food Tour” after requests came flying in for a tour based on the hit TV show following its premiere in 2022. Now on its third year — and ahead of the much-anticipated fourth season, which releases on Hulu on June 25 — demand remains high, the operator says. “It’s become our buzziest and one of the most popular tours that we offer,” says Brian Tuttle, director of team development at the tour operator. “And with the new season approaching, everyone is excited and buses are filled.” * WSJ | How Trump Blew Up Northwestern’s Business Model: Through the spring, Northwestern used university money to pay bills previously covered by NIH grants, spending tens of millions of dollars monthly to keep labs and trials running without a break. Researchers and administrators now worry this stopgap can’t last. “The university is totally keeping us on life support,” said Dr. Daniela Matei, a Northwestern oncologist. “The big question is for how long they can do this.” For decades, Northwestern celebrated—and relied on—its growing pot of government funding. Now it’s a liability. * Sun-Times | ‘Kindness isn’t a weakness,’ Steve Carell tells Northwestern grads at commencement: Carell’s speech also blended fun with sincerity. He sent off the graduates with some advice on how to deal with their fears and anxieties as they leave college for the wider world. “Remember the little things, like being kind and that you’re not alone,” Carell said. “Take care of one another. Remember to laugh when you have the opportunity and to cry when necessary.” * Daily Herald | St. Charles considers restrictions, tax on short-term rentals: Colby said the inventory of short-term rentals has more than tripled in the past five years, with at least 47 active listings in St. Charles, more than half of which are operated out of single-family homes. While the city has received few complaints about short-term rental units, the recommended measures would give the city power to enforce violations, which they currently cannot, he added. * Naperville Sun | Naperville council to consider instituting 1% local grocery tax: A proposed 1% local grocery tax will be discussed by the Naperville City Council for the first time Tuesday as the January expiration date for the Illinois grocery tax inches closer. For more than a year, city staff have warned that Naperville stands to lose millions of dollars in annual revenue when the state tax sunsets, necessitating a replacement revenue stream to avoid slashing staff and making service reductions. * Daily Southtown | Drinking water warning lifted in University Park, elsewhere, utility says after testing: Residents were warned last weekend the drinking water had been contaminated due to high nitrate levels and shouldn’t be consumed by infants under 6 months. Aqua Illinois said Friday, following consultation with the Illinois Environmental Protection Administration and additional testing, that nitrate levels had fallen below the warning level. * Lake County News-Sun | Thousands attend ‘No Kings’ events in Lake County: Holding a sign that read, “fought for freedom not for a throne” was U.S. Army veteran John McCullough of Grayslake who said he spent six years in the military, including tours of duty during the first Gulf War and on the Demilitarized Zone separating South and North Korea. “I watched a dictator from a distance,” McCullough said at a rally in Gurnee, referring to the ruler of North Korea. “We don’t need a king whose father paid for him to be a draft dodger. That’s not what my brothers and sisters bled and died for.” * Sun-Times | Dads of newborns in need find support from each other in Northwestern University program: Garfield started the NICU Dads’ Group six years ago. Those who join often downplay their experiences and feelings. He and Boyd say the support group helps them process what they are going through. It’s important, they say, to offer this support because the training that doctors receive and the entire prenatal process centers around mother and baby and that, when there is a problem at birth, the attention understandably focuses on the mother and child but often no one is really there for the non-birthing parent. * WCIA | Scam alert of people posing as Macon Co. Sheriff’s Office members: Along with the Central Illinois Regional Dispatch Center, the Macon County Sheriff’s Office has recently received numerous calls of individuals identifying themselves as members of the Macon County Sheriff’s Office, specifically as Lt. Belcher. These scammers are checking the Macon County Circuit Clerk’s website and identifying real people who have had actual warrants issued for their arrests concerning missed court dates. They are then calling the victims by impersonating the sheriff’s office phone number, so that it seems it’s the real office calling them. * WCIA | Not sure if it’s really the police? Urbana PD shares what to look for:: “While there is no known threat in Urbana, we believe it’s important to know how to identify a legitimate Urbana Police officer,” the Urbana Police Department wrote in a post on Facebook. The police department said their officers wear official uniforms with Urbana patches and badges. The officials shirts will also include a visible name tag. Even in the rain, officers will be clearly marked, the police department said. All vehicles are also clearly marked, or can be verified through the dispatch center. Look for Urbana decals, and check out the license plate if you are unsure. * WICS | Fire engulfs horse barn at Illinois State Fairgrounds, no injuries reported: Fire crews responded to a structure fire at the Illinois State Fairgrounds around 6 p.m. on Sunday. According to the fire chief, Horse Barn 39 caught fire, prompting a swift evacuation of the horses housed inside by workers before the arrival of emergency responders. Upon arrival, crews encountered heavy smoke and flames engulfing the barn. Fortunately, no injuries to animals or people have been reported. * SJ-R’s Steven Spearie was on the scene…
* NYT | Big Cheers for No. 14, Pope Leo, at the Ballpark: “We want to celebrate that he’s not only from America, but he’s from Chicago, and he’s from the South Side,” said Rose Carlson, 42, as she filed into the ballpark with her husband, Eric. The couple saw Leo’s election as a good omen for their team, noting that he was photographed days earlier sporting the team’s black-and-white cap with his white papal cassock. With his election, “the White Sox went worldwide,” Ms. Carlson said. “Now they’re higher than the Cubs.” They were both wearing Sox jerseys with “LEO 14” on the back. * The Atlantic | The Rolling Stones play zydeco: Chenier was born in 1925 in Opelousas, Louisiana, the son of a sharecropper and accordion player named Joseph Chenier, who taught his son the basics of the instrument. Clifton’s older brother, Cleveland, played the washboard and later the rubboard. Clifton had commissioned an early prototype of the rubboard in the 1940s from a metalworker in Port Arthur, Texas, where he illustrated his vision by drawing the design in the dirt, creating one of a handful of instruments native to the United States and forever changing the percussive sound of Creole music. * The Atlantic | The Most Extreme Voice on RFK Jr.’s New Vaccine Committee: Robert Malone has a history of arguing against the data. He has called for an end to the use of mRNA vaccines for COVID despite the well-established fact that they reduce mortality and severe illness. He has promoted discredited COVID treatments such as ivermectin and hydroxychloroquine, dismissing studies that show they are ineffective against the coronavirus. Recently, he called reports about two girls in West Texas dying from the measles “misinformation,” even though the doctors who treated the girls were unequivocal in their conclusion.
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Protected: SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - Supplement to today’s edition (Updated)
Monday, Jun 16, 2025 - Posted by Rich Miller
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Protected: SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - Today’s edition of Capitol Fax (use all CAPS in password)
Monday, Jun 16, 2025 - Posted by Rich Miller
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Selected press releases (Live updates)
Monday, Jun 16, 2025 - Posted by Isabel Miller
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Live coverage
Monday, Jun 16, 2025 - Posted by Isabel Miller * Click here and/or here to follow breaking news. Hopefully, enough reporters and news outlets migrate to BlueSky so we can hopefully resume live-posting.
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