Insurance companies are reducing the scope of coverage for some community foster agencies in Illinois, leading to higher costs, diminished coverage and fewer options for agencies who say a continuance of the trend could lead to closures.
If the situation worsens, some foster agencies warn they will have to shut down, sending children in their facilities back under the care of the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services, an agency advocates say doesn’t have the capacity to handle an influx of foster children. […]
In an interview with Capitol News Illinois, Pamela Davis, the founder, president and CEO of Nonprofits Insurance Alliance, or NIA, said the organization had never previously done a mass nonrenewal like the one in California. She said insurance companies are struggling to distinguish low-risk foster agencies from high-risk ones, since agencies who are doing a “good job” and those who are doing a “bad job” are getting sued the same.
In Illinois, NIA scaled back its coverage by placing $1 million limits on the coverage that protects agencies against claims for physical or sexual abuse, known as Improper Sexual Conduct and Physical Abuse, or ISCPA, coverage. This means that if a foster agency is sued for sexual or physical abuse, NIA will only cover up to $1 million of the settlement – even as many lawsuits are being settled for much more.
Usually, insurance companies offer umbrella coverage beyond the company’s limit. But NIA is also no longer providing umbrella coverage for ISCPA coverage or social services professionals coverage, which protects the agencies’ social workers if they’re sued for misconduct.
The Illinois Gaming Board announced Friday that they are moving to prohibit using credit cards for online sports betting.
They are doing it to “further support responsible gaming,” according to the organization.
The board administrator for the IGB said that gambling addicts can use credit cards to fund their accounts when they do not have the means.
“As part of our review, we determined that prohibiting the use of credit cards to fund sports wagering accounts is a justified and impactful advancement in Illinois sports wagering,” said Illinois Gaming Board Administrator Marcus Fruchter. “There is a growing body of recent research showing that restrictions on credit usage to fund wagering accounts encourages responsible gambling and mitigates the harms of compulsive gambling. Problem gamblers are particularly at risk and studies have shown an often-problematic willingness for compulsive gamblers to use credit cards to place bets.” […]
The IGB’s adopted rules now go to the General Assembly’s Joint Committee on Administrative Rules (JCAR) for the public comment and approval process.
Gov. JB Pritzker on Thursday tapped a Cook County official to run the Illinois Emergency Management Agency and Office of Homeland Security.
Theodore “Ted” D. Berger most recently worked under Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle as the county’s executive director of emergency management and regional security.
If approved by the state Senate, Berger would be the permanent replacement for Alicia Tate-Nadeau, who started as director of IEMA and OHS in 2019, Pritzker’s first year in office, after more than three decades with the Illinois National Guard. […]
“With decades of emergency management experience and a wealth of knowledge about our State’s many regions, Ted Berger is an exceptionally qualified candidate to lead Illinois’ critical support efforts,” Pritzker said in the news release.
Illinois State Treasurer Michael Frerichs announced the new Funding U Illinois No Cosigner Loan, a part of the Student Empowerment Fund.
Frerichs and his team worked together with lawmakers to invest in loan providers that serve Illinois residents. These lenders will offer private loans at affordable rates and will make interest payments to the state. The state will then reinvest these funds to create additional loans for residents of Illinois.
The Student Empowerment Fund was created to provide private college loans for Illinois residents at lower rates than private competitors, helping to bridge the gap with federal financial aid. […]
The No Cosign Loan allows students who have low credit scores or are unable to get an eligible co-signer on their loan application, to get access to financial aid.
*** Statehouse News ***
* Illinois State Bar Association | Quick Takes on Illinois Supreme Court Opinions Issued Thursday, April 24, 2025: Piasa Armory, LLC v. Kwame Raoul, in His Official Capacity as Attorney General of the State of Illinois: The setting of this case could not be more efficiently described than Justice Rochford did at the outset of her opinion for the court. “Section 2-101.5 of the Code of Civil Procedure sets venue in Sangamon and Cook Counties for actions seeking declaratory or injunctive relief from a constitutional challenge to a state statute, rule, or executive order. The circuit court of Madison County ruled that the statute was unconstitutional as applied to individuals residing or injured outside of those two counties.” On this direct appeal to the Supreme Court pursuant to Rule 302(a), enabled by a finding under Rule 304(a), the Supreme Court reversed the circuit court, holding that this venue statute was not unconstitutional on this as-applied challenge.
* Payments Dive | Illinois AG, Durbin defend state card fee law: Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul filed motions Wednesday opposing the banks’ bid for summary judgment and requesting that U.S. District Judge Virginia Kendall instead grant the AG summary judgment.
* WBEZ | Pritzker remains quiet on future plans, despite growing national appearances: He’s not done yet: On Sunday, Pritzker is headlining the 2025 McIntyre-Shaheen 100 Club dinner. It’s the largest Democratic fundraiser for New Hampshire, a state that’s held one of the nation’s first primary contests for more than 100 years. All of the appearances are helping Pritzker introduce himself to a wider Democratic audience, even though the two-term governor has not confirmed what his future plans are or if he’ll seek another term in any office at all. Larry Sabato, director of the Center for Politics at the University of Virginia, said Pritzker is doing what candidates often do if they’re exploring a presidential run: getting name recognition by latching onto an issue partisans care about.
*** Chicago ***
* Crain’s | Bears confront their Soldier Field landlord as they scope out Arlington Park move: Bears President Kevin Warren sent a letter to new Park District Superintendent Carlos Ramirez-Rosa detailing the team’s concern over the condition of Soldier Field and requesting documents to provide an overview of maintenance and capital spending. Also requested in the letter: monthly meetings to address the team’s concerns. […] Warren sent the letter, dated April 16 and addressed to Ramirez-Rosa, claiming the team has not had a seat at the table in deciding how capital dollars are spent improving the nearly century-old stadium.
* WBEZ | Offices in the Loop and beyond are being converted to apartments. Can the city do more?: Converting offices to apartments is just one solution for bringing outmoded buildings back to life. The number of projects is higher when factoring in all office conversions: Primo’s Capri Investment Group is working with the Prime Group to redevelop the former Cboe Global Markets headquarters. The partners plan to turn the building into a data center after buying it last summer for $12 million. A report last year by the commercial real estate data company CommercialCafe said that of the 30 biggest cities in the United States, Chicago has the second-highest amount of office space that could be converted to residential use.
* Block Club | Lincoln Square Car-Free Zone Extended To May As Neighbors Make The Most Of Street Closure: An unforeseen, emergency repair of ComEd infrastructure means the 4700 block of North Lincoln Avenue will remain car-free longer than expected, officials said. […] The construction delay means this Sunday’s Ravenswood Run 5K will be rerouted to avoid Lincoln Square. The planned April 28 closure of the 2200 block of West Leland Avenue will also be delayed, Mark said.
* Sun-Times | Long-awaited DuSable Park takes a big step forward: At just 3.4 acres, the long-awaited $15 million Jean-Baptiste Point DuSable Park won’t be the city’s largest public green space, but it has the potential to be one of the best. As it should be. The park is planned for an absolutely prime spot east of DuSable Lake Shore Drive that is bounded by the Chicago River, the Ogden Slip and the lake. Chicagoans have waited 38 years for this park honoring DuSable, watching previous plans come and go.
*** Cook County and Suburbs ***
* Daily Herald | An immersive, panoramic view coming soon to a theater near you in Addison: SCREENX debuts in Addison on April 29 with an invitation-only preview of Marvel Studio’s “Thunderbolts,” and public screenings of the film beginning May 1. It offers panoramic views by extending some scenes onto the left and right walls of the auditorium at 1555 W. Lake St. Marcus Theatres President Mark Gramz said SCREENX uses three laser projectors, one pointed at the main center screen and two side projectors directed to opposite walls, which are treated with a reflective screen material.
* WTTW | The Cubs and Bulls Have Nothing on These Champs. Check Out Cook County’s MVP Trees: From a towering 120-foot-tall black oak to a 20-foot redbud, the Forest Preserve District of Cook County has mapped the largest specimen of each tree species identified in the preserves and has made it easier for people to find these “champions.” The district’s Champion Tree Register has been updated with an interactive web tool that not only shows the location of each champion, but also includes a photo and stats like the tree’s height, circumference and the spread of its crown.
* Aurora Beacon-News | Tree plantings in Aurora offer chance to celebrate the environment: “Each year, the city partners with the local school district and travels around the different places planting trees on school grounds as kind of a tribute to Arbor Day but also the seeds of growth – literally,” said Clayton Muhammad, chief communications and equity officer for the city of Aurora. “We like to focus on youth and the importance of trees and watch kids throw some dirt on some of them so they can literally watch the trees grow during their years at the elementary school.
*** Downstate ***
* WGLT | Congressman raises concerns about tariff ‘chaos and uncertainty’ during stop at farm south of Bloomington: Krishnamoorthi spoke Thursday at the Kindred family farm in Atlanta, just southwest of Bloomington-Normal. Owner Ron Kindred said he’s concerned about Trump’s tariffs and any retaliatory actions from China, which consumes more than half of all soybeans exported from the U.S. Illinois is the No. 1 soybean-producing state in the U.S. “With China, they’re our No. 1 customer. If you put all of our other export markets together, it doesn’t equal what China buys from the U.S. in soybeans,” Kindred said. “So, it’s a real concern when your No. 1 customer is the one who’s targeted with tariffs.
* WGLT | DCFS and ISU team up for new high-tech child welfare simulation space in Normal: Illinois State University and the state’s Department of Children and Family Services [DCFS] teamed up on the new Child Protection Training Academy. Located at The Baby Fold at 614 Oglesby Ave., it’s the third of its kind in the state. The ribbon-cutting was Friday. The new space includes mock apartments, a doctor’s office, and courtroom environments where front line workers can practice interviews, assessments and even testimony. Those in training can get practice followed by immediate feedback and coaching. There are cameras and microphones everywhere so trainees can be monitored.
* WCIA | ‘They’re trying to go after us,’ Candlewood Estates residents say they won’t be charged for electrical issues: “They’re trying to go after us,” said Candlewood Estates Tenant Association leader Marcia Green. And she wants the state to right the wrongs she says are happening at a mobile home park in Mahomet. Candlewood Estates’ latest issue is the more than 400 electrical violations the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) has given the property. […] They’re fighting it in court. They say the property is giving out violations to the tenants while electrical boxes are out of code, and people living there say it’s not their responsibility.
* BND | $300M entertainment, retail and residential project in O’Fallon gets OK: “We just have to be patient as it’s being developed,” said incoming Mayor Eric Van Hook, now a City Council member. “I wish it could be here a lot sooner than eight years, but I’m excited for what it’s going to provide to not only O’Fallon residents, but to the people that visit our community, and hopefully they’ll see what we see in it.” Park Place, located just across the street from the popular O’Fallon Family Sports Park in the northwest part of the city, will have single-family homes, duplexes, apartment buildings, townhomes, a hotel, retail facilities, restaurants, office space and entertainment venues. Those include a TopGolf-style driving range.
* SIU | SIU Carbondale student elected to national honors council: An aspiring forensic anthropologist at Southern Illinois University Carbondale has been chosen to serve on the National Collegiate Honors Council Board of Directors, a spot reserved for only five students in the country. Sophomore Natalie Eves of Bloomington, Illinois, is majoring in anthropology with a minor in forensic science and is a student in the University Honors Program. She became interested in joining the 17-member NCHC board after attending a conference a few months before, where she presented her research about mental health. Another student in the SIU System, Aman Pai, a sophomore at SIU Edwardsville, also is one of five student members. Eves and Pai will serve on the board through 2027.
* WICS | Illinois State University and Heartland Community College to sign transfer agreement: Leaders from Illinois State University and Heartland Community College are set to meet on Thursday, May 1, 2025, to sign an articulation agreement aimed at facilitating the transfer of students pursuing a bachelor’s degree in business administration. The signing will take place at the Gregg Chadwick Community Board Room in the Community Commons Building.
*** National ***
* WaPo | RFK Jr.’s absurd statistic on the spike in chronic diseases in the U.S.: In other words, this is another example of Kennedy taking a success story — longer lives and better detection of chronic diseases — to argue that something is rotten. He’s long been a purveyor of the fiction that vaccines cause autism, and one of his key points of evidence is that the percentage of people with autism has increased. But the percentage of people diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder has gone up mainly because of expanded definitions and better detection. There is no blood test for autism, so a diagnosis is based on observations of a person’s behavior. Indeed, while autism diagnoses have increased, those of intellectual disability have decreased, indicating that previously, children may have been misdiagnosed with other conditions.
* Click here for the lawsuit. Wednesday press release…
Attorney General Kwame Raoul, as part of a coalition of 12 attorneys general, today filed a lawsuit to block the Trump administration’s illegal tariffs. The case challenges several executive orders that claim the power to increase tariffs without congressional action.
The lawsuit filed by Raoul and the coalition challenges the Trump administration’s executive orders calling for higher tariffs on most products worldwide. These tariffs impose a 145% tariff on most products from China, a 25% tariff on most types of products from Canada and Mexico, and 10% tariffs on most products from the rest of the world. Raoul’s lawsuit also challenges the administration’s plan to raise tariffs on imports from 56 other trading partners on July 9.
“International trade is essential to states’ economies, and the administration’s tariffs will make it more difficult for our residents to purchase the basic goods they need at affordable prices,” Raoul said. “I am proud to join my colleagues in fighting to prevent hardworking Americans from footing the bill for the Trump administration’s unlawful tariffs.”
Raoul and the attorneys general explain in their lawsuit, which was filed in the U.S. Court of International Trade, that only Congress can lay and collect taxes. The administration’s executive orders cite the powers granted by the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA); however, that law applies only when an emergency presents an “unusual and extraordinary threat” from abroad. In short, Raoul and the coalition argue the law does not give the president the power to impose these tariffs. This is the first time in American history that a president has imposed tariffs based on the IEEPA.
In Illinois, the tariffs will cause some state government agencies to agree to pay more for goods to cover the costs of tariffs. For example, the Illinois Department of Innovation & Technology (DOIT) purchases about 15,000 imported personal computers for state employees each year. Because of the tariffs, DOIT was constrained to accept a contract that explicitly permits the vendor to pass on the cost of any tariff to the state of Illinois. Additionally, the uncertainty stemming from the flurry of executive orders makes vendors reluctant to commit to working with the state, impeding long-term procurement planning.
Joining Attorney General Raoul in filing this lawsuit are attorneys general from Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Minnesota, Nevada, New Mexico, New York, Oregon and Vermont.
* Click here for the lawsuit. Friday press release…
Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul today co-led a coalition of 19 attorneys general in filing a lawsuit seeking to stop the U.S. Department of Education from withholding federal funding from state and local agencies that refuse to abandon lawful programs and policies promoting equal access to education in K-12 classrooms across the nation.
On April 3, 2025, the Department of Education informed state and local agencies that they must accept the Trump administration’s new and legally incoherent interpretation of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 with respect to diversity, equity and inclusion efforts – or else risk immediate and catastrophic loss of federal education funds. In Illinois, this would mean the immediate loss of almost $1.4 billion in congressionally mandated financial support for schools.
“The Trump administration is now attempting to illegally stop the allocation of these Congressionally-mandated funds in order to push a vague, anti-DEI agenda at the expense of some of the most vulnerable children in Illinois and across the country,” Raoul said. “I proudly stand with my fellow Attorneys General to defend this important funding and help ensure that all children have access to a quality public education.”
The administration has not defined which diversity, equity and inclusion practices it finds objectionable, or the basis of its legal objections. Illinois, like many other states, refused to certify its compliance under the terms of the administration’s new requirements, explaining that there is no lawful or practical way to do so given the department’s vague, contradictory and legally unsupported interpretation of Title VI. In filing today’s lawsuit, Attorney General Raoul and the coalition seek to bar the department from withholding any funding based on these unlawful conditions.
The funding at stake includes financial support to ensure that students from rural and low-income families have the same access to high-quality education as their peers, provide special education services, recruit and train highly skilled and dedicated teachers, fund programming for non-native speakers to learn English, provide support to vulnerable children in foster care and without housing, and provide technical programs to put our students on the path to careers.
As a condition of receiving these funds, state and local education agencies provide written assurances they will comply with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits discrimination based on race, color or national origin. Illinois has consistently and regularly certified its compliance with Title VI and its implementing regulations. However, the Department of Education’s letter conditioned continued federal financial assistance on state and local education agencies certifying that they are not operating programs inconsistent with the Trump administration’s view that some undefined efforts supporting diversity, equity and inclusion are unlawful.
The letter forced state and local agencies to choose between two untenable options. States could refuse to submit a new certification based on the department’s undefined viewpoint on what constitutes unlawful diversity, equity and inclusion programs, curriculum, instruction, and policies, and place federal funding in peril, or certify compliance and attempt to identify and eliminate lawful diversity, equity and inclusion to the detriment of students. Even if those steps were taken, states could still face liability for failing to fully comply with the department’s vague and ill-defined order. Faced with this choice, Illinois informed the department that it stands by its prior certifications of compliance with Title VI and its lawfully issued implementing regulations already in the department’s possession.
In their lawsuit, Raoul and the multistate coalition assert that the department’s attempt to terminate federal education funding based on its misinterpretation of Title VI violates the Spending Clause, the Appropriations Clause, the separation of powers, and the Administrative Procedures Act.
The federal government is reversing the termination of legal status for international students around the U.S. after many filed court challenges against the Trump administration crackdown, a government lawyer said Friday.
The records in a federal student database maintained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement had been terminated in recent weeks, often without the students or their schools being notified. Judges around the country had already issued orders temporarily restoring the students’ records in dozens of lawsuits challenging the terminations.
More than 1,200 students nationwide suddenly lost their legal status or had visas revoked, leaving them at risk for deportation. Some left the country while others have gone into hiding or stopped going to class.
In one of the lawsuits, a lawyer for the government read a statement in federal court in Oakland, California, that said ICE was restoring the student status for people whose records were terminated in recent weeks. Also Friday, the statement was read by a government attorney in a separate case in Washington, said lawyer Brian Green, who represents the plaintiff in that case. Green provided The Associated Press with a copy of the statement that the government lawyer emailed to him.
It says: “ICE is developing a policy that will provide a framework for SEVIS record terminations. Until such a policy is issued, the SEVIS records for plaintiff(s) in this case (and other similarly situated plaintiffs) will remain Active or shall be re-activated if not currently active and ICE will not modify the record solely based on the NCIC finding that resulted in the recent SEVIS record termination.”
* Now that Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton has announced she’s running for US Senate, who would you like to see Gov. JB Pritzker choose as his running mate if he runs for reelection? Explain.
Inspired by reform efforts in Ireland and Germany, Illinois activists are working to pass legislation that would offer more rehabilitation opportunities for youth offenders, allowing them to get their lives back on track and stay out of prison.
Senate Bill 2156, which has passed the Senate and moved to the House, is the first step by bill sponsor Sen. Rachel Ventura, D-Joliet, to improve Illinois’ juvenile justice system.
The bill would create a child reform task force, which would be tasked with gathering data statewide to gauge the effectiveness of the state’s juvenile correction centers. In addition, the task force would be charged with offering rehabilitative, community-based alternatives to juvenile detention.
Ventura said she was inspired to sponsor the bill after meeting with Ireland’s ministers of justice and law enforcement officials. She saw the differences in attitude toward repeated incarceration. Ventura said repeat offenders in the United States are viewed as the problem, while in Ireland, officials see repeat offenders as a failure of the system to properly address why someone continues to act out.
Senator Dave Koehler (D-Peoria) introduced Senate Bill 1607 to continue the research of an Underground Railroad task force he helped develop a couple of years back. […]
Senator Koehler said the task force finished its work last fall and recommended that legislators establish an Illinois Freedom Trail Commission to continue gathering that vital information. That is where SB1607 comes into play. […]
“Having a data center that would collect all these stories and all this information of what’s going on in Illinois would be an important first step for people to take if they say, ‘Yeah, I want to find out what’s going on in my area.’” said Koehler. […]
Koehler’s bill passed the Senate unanimously on April 9. The Senator said he believes the House of Representatives and Governor JB Pritzker will show their support.
A plan ensuring 9-1-1 dispatchers know how to properly teach people to perform CPR over the phone is one step closer to becoming law. […]
Experts have told lawmakers in the House and Senate that the barrier to entry for effective T-CPR is incredibly low and the training requires minimal investment compared to long term healthcare savings and life saves. […]
Senate Bill 1295 passed unanimously out of the House Police & Fire Committee and now moves to the House floor. The proposal passed unanimously out of the Senate earlier this month.
The American Heart Association said more than 350,000 people experience out-of-hospital cardiac arrest annually, but only one in ten people survive. The organization said this change could give more people the chance to survive.
Illinois may join a growing number of states that would equip public schools with silent panic alarms in case of an emergency.
New Jersey was the first state to pass what is being called Alyssa’s Law in 2020. Six other states followed suit and 13 more are considering similar legislation. Alyssa’s Law is named after Alyssa Alhadeff, who was killed in the 2018 Marjory Stoneman Douglas school shooting in Parkland, Florida. […]
[The bill’s sponsor, state Rep. Janet Yang Rohr, D-Naperville,] didn’t provide any cost estimates, but a school district in Florida recently approved a five-year, $3.8 million contract with a company that makes wearable panic buttons. […]
The law would require, for the 2026 fiscal year, the State Board of Education to issue a competitive solicitation to contract for a mobile panic alert system that may be used by each school district.
Alyssa’s law did not make deadlines to get out of the House.
A bill heading to the Illinois House floor could help provide important data surrounding firefighter deaths. […]
Sponsors said it is important to evaluate the types of death these first responders are experiencing, whether it is suicide or various types of cancer.
“If the bill is passed before June 1, 2025, then it would go into effect January 1, 2026,” said Rep. Anna Moeller (D-Elgin). “If passed after May 31, it would go into effect June 1, 2026.”
This proposal passed unanimously out of the House Police & Fire Committee Thursday. Senate Bill 1446 gained unanimous support in the Senate earlier this month.
A bill currently being considered by the General Assembly is aimed at making life easier – and more profitable – for small craft beer companies throughout the state. “The majority of Illinois liquor law is pretty much from the 1930s, like Prohibition era,” said Brent Schwoerer, owner, founder and brewmaster at Springfield’s Engrained Brewing Co.
This spring, Schwoerer has plans to open an Engrained “brew deck” at the new Scheels Sports Park, which will be located just across the street from the Engrained restaurant and brewpub, at the MacArthur Boulevard and Interstate 72 interchange. In order to get its products in stores and other retail locations, companies like Engrained can either work with a large distributor or else bring the beer to customers. But under current Illinois liquor laws, Schwoerer would be legally prohibited from carting his own beer across the road to the new sports park due to a strict 200-barrel annual limit on self-distribution.
“We have a lot of excess capacity,” said Schwoerer. “I can do 1,500 barrels out of this facility – I’ll probably do 200 barrels worth of beer just (at Scheels Sports Park).” This potentially means Engrained would be forced to either scale back or even eliminate all other distribution efforts. “Which sucks,” he added.
Schwoerer said that there are 40 breweries in the state of Illinois with the same problem. Many have already reached the 200-barrel cap and are now being financially impacted. […]
Enter SB 1622, introduced to the General Assembly this past February by Illinois State Senator Cristina Castro, D-Elgin. The bill is described as an amendment to the Liquor Control Act of 1934 and would “increase the self-distribution limit for class 3 brewers that meet certain requirements” from the current maximum of 6,200 gallons of beer to 77,500 gallons.
SB1622 missed its extended April 11 committee deadline.
A federal judge on Thursday declared a mistrial in the case of state Sen. Emil Jones III, D-Chicago, after a jury deadlocked in their deliberations over whether Jones agreed to take bribes from red-light camera entrepreneur-turned-government cooperator Omar Maani in 2019, then lied to the FBI about it.
The senator, who’s served 16 years in Springfield since he replaced his father — former Illinois Senate President Emil Jones Jr. — was charged with three counts of bribery and lying to the FBI. Before they began deliberating Monday, jurors heard eight days of arguments, evidence and testimony, including from Jones himself.
The jury sent an initial note indicating they were at a stalemate on two of the counts late Wednesday, which was met with a legally required instruction from the judge encouraging further deliberations Thursday morning. But nearly 23 hours into deliberations early Thursday afternoon, the jury sent another note telling the judge they’d deadlocked on all three counts.
After polling individual members of the jury while white noise blasted through the courtroom’s speakers, U.S. District Judge Andrea Wood said the majority of jurors believed further deliberations would be unlikely to change anything.
The judge then declared a mistrial over the objections of Jones’ attorneys, who wanted the jury to keep deliberating. […]
On his way out of the courtroom, Jones remarked that now he’d have to “go back to work.”
“We did as much due diligence as any jury could,” said one juror, who didn’t want to be named, in a text message to the Chicago Sun-Times. “A group of caring and highly educated people. In the end, some just didn’t feel there was a smoking gun.”
After declaring the mistrial, U.S. District Judge Andrea Wood scheduled a status hearing for June 10. That’s when lawyers are expected to discuss with her what should happen next. […]
A second juror, who also asked not to be named, told the Sun-Times the deliberations featured “a lot of very careful, very detailed, very deliberate discussions about each of the counts.”
“I think everyone in the room understood the gravity and the seriousness of the charges,” the juror said, “and I think everyone was committed to doing the right thing based on the information they had.”
Flanked by his attorneys as he left the Dirksen U.S. Courthouse, Jones, 46, thanked the judge, jurors, his attorneys and prosecutors. The son of former Senate President Emil Jones Jr., he was the first sitting member of the state General Assembly to have a jury trial at the Dirksen U.S. Courthouse since then-state Rep. Derrick Smith was found guilty of bribery nearly a decade ago.
“I look forward to another fight,” Jones said. […]
After the trial ended, Emil Jones Jr. said he believes in his son’s innocence, though carefully declined to weigh in on whether the government should drop the case.
“They couldn’t win this time. I can’t think of what they should do. I know what they should do, but I won’t even say it,” he told the Tribune.
Friday, Apr 25, 2025 - Posted by Advertising Department
[The following is a paid advertisement.]
Several bills proposed this legislative session seek to ban certain factors that insurance companies use to set fair and accurate insurance pricing for customers. The bills would ban the use of credit-based insurance scores, zip codes, age, and gender in insurance pricing.
Case in point: When the use of credit was banned in Washington in 2021, more than 60 percent of Washington drivers saw an increase in their insurance premiums. Should similar legislation pass in Illinois, the majority of Illinoisans with better-than-average credit could see premium increases.
With stubbornly high inflation and high property taxes, now is not the time to pass bills that could end up hiking insurance premiums for most Illinoisans.
Standing on his backyard deck Thursday – the same place where he declared his 1996 candidacy for U.S. Senate – Illinois’ senior Sen. Dick Durbin reflected on his decision to retire after four decades in Congress.
“I’ve done this my way, making decisions based on family needs and personal needs, and what I thought would serve our state well,” Durbin told reporters with a crowd of staff, family and friends listening in the background. […]
Durbin said he doesn’t believe age has ever gotten in the way of his job.
“I had to project forward,” Durbin said. “The campaign’s going to last two years, and then you’re going to serve six years. So are you ready to make an eight-year commitment? That’s the truth and reality of the United States Senate.”
“I didn’t think at this point it was the right thing to do,” [Sen. Durbin] said. “I think it’s the right thing to pass the torch off to another generation.”
“Now we have an opportunity to move forward with the election of a new United States senator,” Durbin said, reiterating the statement from Wednesday’s announcement that the Democratic Party has a “strong bench” of potential candidates.
Now with an end date in sight, Illinois’ senior senator said he will lobby his Republican colleagues to stand up against Trump’s administration, including his tariffs and trade policy.
“I’m gonna beg them to stand up and fight with us to protect the constitutional authority of the United States Senate,” Durbin added. “We can’t give this away… In an emergency situation, [the Constitution] would delegate [trade] to the president. This president is declaring an emergency that doesn’t exist.”
He also said he isn’t giving up on the DREAM Act. He wants to pass the bill that would protect children and young adults with Deferred Action for Childhood Arrival status before he leaves in early 2027. He first introduced the bill in 2001.
Democratic Gov. JB Pritzker is expected Friday to endorse his running mate, Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton, for the U.S. Senate, a move that could serve as a politically powerful warning to the rest of an emerging field seeking to replace retiring U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin.
Pritzker’s announcement, scheduled for Friday morning at a church in the Bronzeville neighborhood where Stratton grew up, comes only two days after Durbin made public his decision not to seek a sixth term and just one day after the two-term lieutenant governor formally declared her Senate candidacy.
In prepared remarks shared with the Tribune by sources, Pritzker is expected to describe Stratton as a “tested and steady leader who leads from a place of integrity, pragmatism and dedication” as well as a “passionate and compassionate advocate able to get big things done.”
“At this perilous moment in Washington, Juliana’s fighting spirit and dedication to improving lives is exactly the type of representation Illinoisans need, and I’m proud to endorse her for the United States Senate,” Pritzker’s prepared remarks say.
Outside his home in Springfield Thursday, Durbin said he isn’t endorsing anyone, but has had conversations.
“I did have a conversation with Juliana and she told me that she was interested but she wasn’t going to run against me and others have done the same and when it came to J.B., I gave him a call before I made the announcement yesterday,” Durbin said from his backyard. […]
Durbin laid out at least one quality he would be looking for in a candidate.
“I think that person who is successful in running for this office is going to understand they’ve got to not only represent the entire state, they have to work the entire state,” Durbin said.
The SJ-R reported Sen. Durbin saying he may endorse a candidate in an “extreme case.”
I’m so proud to have earned the endorsement of my friend and partner in governance, JB Pritzker. We’ve worked together to deliver real solutions for our state, and I can’t wait to take our fight for Illinois to the US Senate. pic.twitter.com/JiISVdBv6k
…Adding… Capitol News Illinois’ Hannah Meisel is on the ground…
“While middle class families are stuck facing the consequences of Trump's chaos, too many in Washington are refusing to fight back,” Stratton says. “They’re using the same old playbook they’ve always used. And it’s not working.” Stratton positions herself as a “fighter” for IL. pic.twitter.com/KUcxaXJAOo
* Sun-Times | Rep. Darin LaHood considering GOP primary bid for Sen. Dick Durbin’s seat: LaHood is considering and is open to a primary run for the U.S. Senate seat, according to a source with direct knowledge of the congressman’s thinking. The congressman has about $5.8 million cash on hand to help a potential bid, and he’s seen as one of the few Republicans in the state with the ability to raise significant amounts of money.
* Sun-Times | Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton becomes first major Democrat to launch Senate bid to replace Durbin: In an interview, Stratton said she’s “not at all” worried about incoming attacks about the Pritzker administration’s policies. She also tried to differentiate herself from the sitting members of Congress who are expected to announce runs. “I certainly feel like the old playbook that we’ve had in Washington just isn’t working, and I think that people are looking for new voices, new leadership, new energy, quite frankly,” Stratton said. “I think we’re hearing that over and over again.”
* Many years ago when I was attending (yet another) college, I’d occasionally go into the library and grab its only copy of Donovan’s “Sunshine Superman” album and head to the basement listening room, where I’d blast it as loud as I could get away with. That listening room was a great escape, and it was free entertainment, which is about all I could afford in those days. Anyway, here’s an awkward video of Donovan’s title track…
Superman or Green Lantern ain’t got nothin’ on me
Tell us what’s happening in your part of Illinois.
Friday, Apr 25, 2025 - Posted by Advertising Department
[The following is a paid advertisement.]
Every hour of every day, Illinois hospitals provide lifesaving care to the communities they serve. Care delivery within their facilities is at the core of what hospitals do—but it’s not all they do. Illinois hospitals prove indispensable to communities by looking at healthcare, health and well-being from several vantage points. Watch our video about how hospitals are working outside their four walls.
Most people don’t see the critical care hospitals provide 24/7 or how hospitals are partnering with local organizations and investing in communities. Yet their benefit to the community is everywhere. Learn more about how Illinois hospitals are healing communities.
* ICYMI: Illinois governor still awaiting Trump guarantee on $1.15B for invasive carp. Michigan Live…
- Governor Pritzker said yesterday he’s still awaiting written guarantees that the federal government will, in fact, fund the $1.15 billion project to block invasive carp from reaching the Great Lakes.
- Trump unexpectedly pledged to “save Lake Michigan” from invasive carp during an Oval Office meeting with Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and GOP House Speaker Matt Hall, calling the fish “powerful” and the project “very expensive” but necessary.
- Project advocates had hoped that would be enough to end the impasse with Illinois. But, on Thursday, Pritzker said that he while he was “glad” to see that Whitmer and Trump talked about the project, “we’ve not received any assurance from the federal government, on paper, from the Army Corps of Engineers or from the White House, that they’re not going to withhold those funds once this project starts.”
Stay tuned for Sen. Dick Durbin and Sen. Emil Jones III roundups.
* The governor will be on 83rd Street at 11 am for the Green Era Urban Growers Collective Week ribbon-cutting. At 2 pm Governor Pritzker will be in Deerfield to announce investment in Illinois from healthcare company Vantive. Click here to watch.
* NYT | Art Institute of Chicago told to surrender drawing to heirs of man killed in Nazi concentration camp: The drawing “Russian War Prisoner” was purchased by the Art Institute in 1966, but investigators for the Manhattan district attorney’s office had asserted that it and other works once owned by entertainer and art collector Fritz Grünbaum had been looted by the Nazis during the Holocaust. Many of the works created by Schiele, the Austrian Expressionist, that Grünbaum owned ended up in the hands of museums and collectors around the world. Grünbaum’s heirs have spent years working to reclaim them.
*** Downstate ***
* WGEM | Solar company questioned by Adams County Board and Ursa residents: “Please don’t think of this as a ‘check the box’ application. Don’t consider the other solar farms you may have approved in Adams County. This one is different,” Ursa resident Tim Hightower said. One of the main concerns that Ursa residents have with the project is the potential property value decline that could occur if the farm is built. Ursa Creek Solar brought in a real estate appraiser who said that in similar projects, no value decline took place.
* WCIA | Dead rabbit tests positive for tularemia in Douglas Co.: Tularemia is caused by a bacteria called Francisella tularensis. It’s commonly found in animals like rodents, rabbits and hares. Humans, cats and dogs can also become infected. It can be passed on through contact with infected animals, through tick or flea bites, or by inhaling or ingesting infected materials. Symptoms may include skin ulcers, swollen lymph nodes, a sudden fever, chills, headaches, diarrhea, joint pain, muscle aches, cough and weakness.
* WGLT | B-N primary care providers want everyone to know they treat mental health too: “We actually do treat quite a bit of anxiety and depression and address those concerns with our patients,” Hill said. “It’s actually something that is a quality of care measure for us.” It’s a mixed bag whether people know their primary care is available for mental health struggles, Hill said. Some people are really knowledgeable and may schedule an appointment for that purpose. Others have no idea it’s something a primary care doctor can address.
* WTVO | Shelly Leab, co-owner of Poopy’s biker bar, killed in murder-suicide: Police in Clinton, Iowa, identified Leab as the victim in a murder-suicide on Friday. Authorities said Brian Witherspoon, 57, shot Leab, 52, and then himself. […] The family said Leab’s body was found in the home along with her ex-fiancé. “Whether she was lighting up a room with her smile or lending a hand when someone needed it most, Shelly lived with a heart wide open. Shelly had a way of making everyone feel like family. Her warmth, her laugh, and her unwavering love for her people left a lasting impression on every heart she touched. Whether you knew her for a lifetime or just a moment, you felt her kindness,” the bar wrote on Facebook.
* WCIA | Ebertfest and Race Weekend could bring Champaign Co. millions of dollars: Two of the biggest events of the year are happening in Champaign-Urbana at the same time: Ebertfest and the Christie Clinic Illinois Race Weekend. Officials said Ebertfest is expected to bring in around $350,000 while the marathon may top $5 million.
* WGLT | Town of Normal goes in a new direction with Illinois Art Station staff: In a press release, the town announced three new staff members, replacing those who worked for the Normal nonprofit that donated itself to the town earlier this year. The town assumed control of Illinois Art Station on April 1. Both full-time employees, executive director Hannah Johnson and education coordinator Joey Hatch, were not retained as part of the transition. Johnson confirmed with WGLT that she had applied for the job.
* BND | Disabled southern Illinois woman fears loss of home if Medicaid funding is cut: Foushee, 40, is among the thousands of people who use the public health insurance program to pay for long-term, residential care in their communities. For the last 13 years, she has lived at Clinton Manor Living Center in New Baden, a nursing home that also cares for adults like Foushee who have developmental disabilities. She is watching discussions around new budget proposals in Washington, D.C., to find out whether her fears will become reality.
*** Statehouse News ***
* NH Journal | Billionaire Pritzker Bringing Deep-Blue Illinois Politics to NHDem Fundraiser: The billionaire governor of the “Vote Early and Often!” State is bringing his progressive politics to “Live Free or Die” New Hampshire this weekend, at the invitation of Granite State Democrats. Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, 60, is heir to the Hyatt Hotel fortune and the second-richest politician in America, according to The Wall Street Journal. (Trump is first.) He will take center stage Sunday in Manchester at the New Hampshire Democratic Party’s annual McIntyre-Shaheen 100 Club fundraising dinner. He will reportedly speak about Trump’s authoritarianism.
*** Chicago ***
* Chalkbeat Chicago | Chicago school board approves contract with Chicago Teachers Union: The board’s Thursday vote puts the contract into effect; the union’s membership ratified the contract earlier this month with a nearly unanimous vote to approve it from 85% of union members. The four-year contract is expected to cost a total of $1.4 billion. It includes class size limits, requirements to hire hundreds of new staff, including more teacher assistants, and ten additional minutes of preparation time for elementary school teachers — which at some schools could also mean ten more minutes of recess.
* Crain’s | American Bar Association cuts 300 jobs after Justice Department pulls grant funding: The group said in a lawsuit seeking to restore the funding that it lost nearly $69 million in obligated federal grant and cooperative agreement funds after it issued support for federal judges who had been the target of Trump’s ire. The ABA pointed to a memo from Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche as proof the government’s motivation for canceling the grants was retaliation. Among other actions, the memo prohibited the use of funds to pay for Justice Department employees to attend ABA events or speak at those events while on duty.
* Chicago Reader | Hip-hop prodigy Kaicrewsade puts community first: Kai understands chord progressions and music theory. “That comes from church,” he explains. He says that his church background—and being around “old folk” his entire life—gave him his love for music played on real instruments. “My mother is a singer. She sang in the choir. I was in choir practice growing up. Between my mama and my nana, I stayed in the church. So if I’m not telling the homies how to sing, I trust them that they already got it down,” he says. “I’m a crate-digger and I’m a composer. All I do is sit and listen to jazz all day. It’s not a hobby. It’s literally something I’ve done with my father, my mother. . . . I grew up just listening to so much music.”
* WTTW | The Wrigley Building Is Iconic, But Its Stories Are Little-Known. A New Book Changes That: So an unmissable corporate headquarters was appealing to Wrigley – especially one that had a clock for everyone to look at, an unprecedented amount of electric lighting illuminating its exterior, and a site visible directly up Michigan Avenue from the south, thanks to the street’s slight jog at the river. The site may have been unusually shaped, as a trapezoid tucked into a rectangular street grid, but it allowed the building to have four unique sides that, at the time of its construction, were all highly visible.
*** Cook County and Suburbs ***
* Crain’s | Illinois revokes trauma designation at Aurora hospital now owned by Prime Healthcare: The Illinois Department of Public Health revoked the Level II trauma center designation of Mercy Medical Center in Aurora on April 20, four days before Prime Healthcare, the hospital’s new owner, announced it was “withdrawing” the designation. In an emailed statement today, an IDPH spokesman said the state revoked the trauma designation due to Mercy Medical Center’s absence of mandated essential services.
* Daily Herald | District 21 approves administrative restructuring after ouster of top officials: The board action formally eliminates the positions once held by Assistant Superintendent of Finance and Operations Micheal DeBartolo and Assistant Superintendent of Support Services Kim Cline. Both were placed on administrative leave March 21, then told not to return and given severance April 16. New records obtained through the Freedom of Information Act by a parent and shared with the Daily Herald show the two administrators received bigger payouts than previously disclosed.
* Daily Southtown | Orland Park, township officials question proposed vehicle repossession business: “The presence of repo lots can fundamentally change the atmosphere of our communities,” O’Grady said in a news release. “The unease and intimidation felt by residents cannot be overlooked. We want to foster safe neighborhoods where families feel secure, and that can be compromised by the intimidating presence of repossession activities.”
* Daily Herald | Des Plaines enacts grocery tax to avoid losing $1.4 million annually: After some debate and public comment, the city council voted 7-1 Monday night to create the tax. As was the case when the council gave preliminary approval to the plan two weeks ago, 5th Ward Alderman Carla Brookman was the lone dissenter. Illinois is phasing out a tax on grocery items that generates revenue for the communities where the purchases occurred. It will be eliminated as of Jan. 1, 2026.
* Shaw Local | Oswego village trustees debate whether to implement its own 1% grocery tax: Oswego village trustees are considering whether to implement its own grocery tax in light of the state’s 1% grocery tax expiring on Jan. 1 of next year. Like other municipalities, Oswego receives a share of that tax. The village received an estimated $1 million to $1.25 million in grocery tax revenue in 2024.
*** National ***
* WaPo | U.S. agencies alarmed by China’s curbs on exports of rare-earth minerals: While companies search for alternative suppliers and urge the White House to cut a deal that will keep the materials flowing to U.S. manufacturers, the Trump administration is finding there are no easy solutions. China has a lock on the supply of certain elements that are essential to making such things as military drones, consumer electronics and battery-powered vehicles.
* 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.
The key note: “The jury cannot come to a unanimous verdict on all three counts. No one is willing to surrender their honest beliefs.”
(The other note was a clarification from the juror with a work conflict Friday.)
Judge Wood notes that, depending on how you read this, it could mean they have a verdict on one or two counts, but not all three. Or it could mean they can’t reach any verdict.
AUSA Prashant Kolluri suggests the judge ask the jurors what they mean by their note. Defense attorney Victor Henderson asks for a five-minute recess to speak with Jones.
Judge Wood says, “I’ll allow five minutes.” But she’s still talking through logistics.
Judge Wood points out that “the jury, to this point, has not been informed that a partial verdict is an option.”
The judge goes on to explain that jurors should be told a partial verdict would be a final verdict as to the count in question.
She notes that some jurors might be uncomfortable with that — and could decline a partial verdict.
Court’s in recess for what’s supposed to be five minutes.
Judge Wood to the jury: “In a moment I will ask you to go back to the jury room and provide some clarification as to whether the jury has reached unanimous agreement as to any of the three counts.”
[Prosecutor] Kolluri tells the judge prosecutors want the jury to keep deliberating.
Kolluri also says prosecutors “attempted to confer” with defense.
Doesn’t sound like it went well.
Kolluri asks the judge to send a note asking if any juror thinks “further deliberations would be …”
Judge Wood interrupts: “No. I’m not going to do that.”
Judge Wood says that, if jurors are going to be polled, it should be individually.
Henderson agrees that the jurors should be polled one-by-one in court. Seems likely to happen at sidebar, with the white noise machine on so we can’t hear them.
Hannah Meisel: Judge: I think my position is I ask each juror comes in individually and ask two Qs
1) do you think progress has been made since yesterday?
2) do you believe more deliberations would be fruitful?
After govt worries about public nature, judge says it could be done at sidebar.
Judge Wood: “Only two of the jurors indicated that they felt any progress had been made since yesterday.”
Judge Wood: “One further defined ‘progress’ as ‘we talked more about it, went back and forth,’ but that juror also could not say that any person actually changed their mind about anything.”
Court’s in recess while the lawyers talk about it.
Defense attorney Joshua Adams explained to the judge, for the record, that “the lack of unanimity in the jury room is evidence that the government has not met their burden beyond a reasonable doubt.”
Hannah Meisel: Judge Wood, though, cites some case law and points out that Adams’ reason is not a factor.
Discussing the factors required for a mistrial, Judge Wood estimates that the jury has been deliberating for around 24 to 26 hours.
She says they likely heard 30-34 hours of testimony.
Kolluri argues, and he says they learned while speaking to the jurors that there are “multiple jurors on each side that are entrenched.”
Hannah Meisel: Prosecutors are now laying out their arguments for the judge to declare a mistrial. “Nothing more the court can do” and risks exhaustion of jury. Defense rests on their previous objection [meaning they’re not going to explain their position further].
Judge Wood says it “appears” jurors hadn’t taken a formal vote on Count 2 [interstate commerce] when they sent their note Wednesday.
Judge Wood: “I do think the factors here weigh in favor of a mistrial.”
The federal bribery trial of Illinois Sen. Emil Jones III ended in a mistrial Thursday after jurors told the judge they were “unable to reach a unanimous verdict on any of the three counts.”
The jurors delivered their news in a note that followed nearly 23 hours of deliberations over four days. They had warned U.S. District Judge Andrea Wood on Wednesday that they’d potentially deadlocked on two of the three charges, which have loomed over the South Side Democrat since 2022.
Their disagreement appeared to have worsened after another day of deliberations Thursday.
* From Rich: The April 8 Capitol Fax post about 314 Action Fund’s US Senate poll is retracted until we receive a response from the organization. Despite repeated attempts to contact them (email, phone, tweets), they have so far refused to respond to my very simple question about what pollster conducted the survey. That alleged poll claimed the group’s favored US Senate candidate Lauren Underwood was leading the race and that “77 percent of primary voters identify her by name.” I should’ve been more diligent at the time. Sorry.
Robert Crimo III will spend the rest of his life in prison for opening fire on spectators at the 2022 Highland Park Independence Day Parade.
Lake County Judge Victoria Rossetti imposed the expected sentence Thursday after listening to statements from 19 survivors and loved ones of people killed in the mass shooting. He was sentenced to seven consecutive natural life sentences without the possibility of parole − one for each of the seven people he murdered — plus an additional 50 years for the four dozen spectators he injured.
“The court finds that the defendant is irretrievably depraved, permanently incorrigible, irreparably corrupt and beyond any rehabilitation,” Rossetti said.
* Rep. Bob Morgan…
“This sentencing marks a solemn but important moment for the Highland Park community. While no punishment can erase the pain or bring back the lives stolen from us, today’s outcome offers a measure of closure for families, survivors, and a city forever altered by senseless violence,” Rep. Morgan said. “I am deeply grateful to Lake County State’s Attorney Eric Rinehart and his team for their tireless work securing this sentence. In addition, I extend my continued thanks to the first responders, mental health professionals, and community leaders who have stood by our neighbors over the past three years.”
Rep. Morgan, who was present with his family during the shooting, honored the lives of Katherine Goldstein, Irina McCarthy, Kevin McCarthy, Stephen Straus, Jacquelyn Sundheim, Nicolas Toledo-Zaragoza, and Eduardo Uvaldo. He reiterated that while today’s sentence brings justice and much-needed closure for Highland Park, the fight to end gun violence must extend beyond this moment.
“Although today’s sentencing provides relief and closure to our community, we must stress that our work is never finished,” Morgan said. “We must continue to ensure that every community across Illinois receives the care, healing, and justice they deserve. No family should have to carry the weight of this kind of loss alone—or in the absence of action.”
Rep. Morgan witnessed firsthand the devastating effects gun violence can have on a community. Highland Park, Illinois, is part of the 58th State Representative District, and he was present at the July 4, 2022, mass shooting with his wife and children, during which 83 rounds were fired in less than 60 seconds, killing seven and injuring 48.
Six months after the Highland Park shooting, Rep. Morgan was the chief sponsor of the Protect Illinois Communities (“PIC”) Act, one of the strongest gun safety laws in the nation. The PIC Act bans the sale of assault weapons—frequently used in mass shootings—as well as large-capacity magazines that hold more than 10 rounds for long guns or more than 15 rounds for handguns.
A federal jury began its fourth day of deliberations Thursday after signaling a potential impasse on two of the charges in the corruption trial of state Sen. Emil Jones III.
Late in the day on Wednesday, the jury sent a note to U.S. District Judge Andrea Wood signaling that they were unable to agree on counts of bribery and lying to the FBI. After consulting with lawyers in the case, Wood told the panel Thursday that a deadlock would be premature at this point in their talks, and to continue deliberating.
The jury also indicated that they would take Friday off from deliberations due to scheduling conflicts, if they do not conclude their work by then.
The panel is faced with determining whether the South Side Democrat is guilty of bribery, use of an interstate facility to solicit bribery and lying to federal agents regarding his dealings with a red-light camera company executive over the summer of 2019.
* Illinois Department of Central Management Services…
The unemployment rate decreased in eleven metro areas and increased in one over-the-year for the year ending March 2025, according to data released today by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) and the Illinois Department of Employment Security (DES). Over- the-year, total nonfarm jobs increased in six metropolitan areas and decreased in six.
“Illinois continues to demonstrate the strength and resilience of its labor market across metro areas statewide,” said Deputy Governor Andy Manar. “We remain focused on expanding opportunities that drive progress for workers, businesses, and the state as a whole.”
The metro areas which had the largest over-the-year percentage increases in total nonfarm jobs were the Champaign-Urbana MSA (+1.9%, +2,300), the Elgin Metropolitan Division (+1.3%, +3,700), the Lake County Metropolitan Division (+0.6%, +2,000), and the Rockford MSA (+0.6%, +900). Total nonfarm jobs in the Chicago- Naperville-Schaumburg Metropolitan Division were up
+10,000 (+0.3%). The metro areas which posted the largest over-the-year decreases in total nonfarm jobs were the Bloomington MSA (-2.5%, -2,400), the Decatur MSA (-2.5%, -1,200), and the Illinois section of the Davenport-Moline-Rock Island IA-IL MSA (-1.8%, -1,600). Industries that saw job growth in the majority of the twelve metro areas included: Private Education and Health Services (eleven areas); Government (eight areas); and Mining and Construction (seven areas).
The metro areas with the largest unemployment rate decreases were the Lake County Metropolitan Division (-1.6 points to 4.6%), the Rockford MSA (-1.5 points to 5.0%), and the Elgin Metropolitan Division (-1.4 points to 4.4%). The Chicago-Naperville-Schaumburg Metropolitan Division reported the only increase (+0.7 point to 5.5%).
*** Statewide ***
* WBEZ | The Trump administration is pressuring Illinois universities to end a diversity fellowship: Illinois universities are quietly withdrawing from a fellowship aimed at diversifying the state’s college teaching force under pressure from the Trump administration. The U.S. Department of Justice has threatened to sue campuses that take part in the Diversifying Higher Education Faculty in Illinois, or DFI, fellowship. The program is state funded and was created by Illinois lawmakers in an effort to make the state’s college teaching force look more like the Illinois student body.
*** Chicago ***
* Tribune | Aldermen spurning Mayor Brandon Johnson’s new budget working group: ‘It points to a larger problem’: Northwest Side Ald. Ruth Cruz, 30th, told the Tribune on Wednesday she declined the invitation because she believes the best way for her to shape the city’s budget is from outside the mayor’s group. “While I appreciate the consideration, I’m concerned that this group may be more about appearances than a genuine desire for input,” said the freshman alderman, who has often voted with Johnson but recently put more distance between herself and the mayor. “We have seen it for quite some time. Input has been provided and the administration decides to continue with their original plan.”
* Brandon Johnson | We need to bring Chicagoans together to continue investing in people: As we look ahead to this year’s budget, our city faces two distinct challenges. We have a structural imbalance due to decades of neglecting our pension obligations while relying heavily on short-term fixes. At the same time, we face a presidential administration that has threatened to cut the services that Chicagoans rely upon, potentially putting an even greater strain on our municipal budget. In response to the chaos we are seeing at the federal level, we must come together as Chicagoans, roll up our sleeves, and get to work protecting our city services while taking steps to address the structural budget imbalance that has burdened Chicago taxpayers for far too long.
* Chalkbeat | Chicago’s partially-elected school board plans changes to charter school oversight: Now, the relatively new school board is proposing changes to how it handles charter oversight. A resolution on Thursday’s meeting agenda would impose new requirements on operators and is already being opposed by the Illinois Network of Charter Schools, a special interest group that lobbies on behalf of charter schools. The proposed resolution would, among other new stipulations, require operators to give the district 18 months notice of closing a school and assume financial responsibility related to the closure. It also calls on the district to lobby state lawmakers to change state law to stop charters from closing during their renewal term.
* Illinois Answers | Quiet Use of Bonuses for City Council Aides on the Rise: A review by Illinois Answers Project of publicly available payroll data for 259 ward and committee staffers found that 65 council staffers received increases in their salaries between October and December 2024, representing more than $260,000 in taxpayer funds for bonuses. At least 20 staffers saw temporary bumps of at least $5,000 in one-time payouts. The practice has expanded in recent years. In 2022, 16 aldermanic staffers got temporary pay hikes at the end of the year, records show. In 2023, 33 did.
* WTTW | Federal Judge Blocks Trump from Yanking Funding from 16 Sanctuary Cities, Counties in Ruling That Could Bolster Chicago’s Efforts: The injunction issued by U.S. District Judge William Orrick does not apply to Chicago or Cook County but is likely to bolster efforts by city officials to prevent President Donald Trump from blowing a $3 billion hole in Chicago’s budget. San Francisco officials filed the lawsuit on behalf of nine California cities and counties, including Oakland and San Diego, as well as Seattle, Minneapolis, St. Paul and Santa Fe that argued the administration was unlawfully trying to force local officials to aide federal immigration arrests conducting deportation efforts.
* Tribune | Chicago Housing Authority board member reprimanded for ‘sexually graphic conversation,’ report says: The report did not name the board member, nor did it get into the details of the incident. The “allegations of misconduct,” the report said, were received in January 2023, including that the commissioner “may have communicated inappropriately with multiple employees in public forums.” Per OIG policy, the complaint was referred to outside counsel.
* The Triibe | City sues property owners over slum conditions at South Shore building formerly managed by CKO Real Estate: Nearly two weeks after a private meeting between city officials, the property owner and residents about the unlivable conditions of the building at 6952-58 S. Paxton Ave. in South Shore, the city has filed a lawsuit against the owners of the courtyard building formerly managed by CKO Real Estate. The City of Chicago filed the complaint with the Illinois Municipal Department of the Circuit Court of Cook County on April 22, alleging that the owners of the apartment complex on Paxton Avenue failed to comply with multiple municipal codes for the city. The defendants are listed as GRV Jackson Park LLC, the owner; Merchants Bank of Indiana, the mortgage company; and unknown owners and non-record claimants.
* Crain’s | New parks chief says he’s working to keep the Bears in the city: New Chicago Park District Superintendent Carlos Ramirez-Rosa told reporters today he’s begun a relationship with Bears President Kevin Warren and echoed Mayor Brandon Johnson’s optimism the team will remain in Chicago. “The partnership that we’ve had with the Chicago Bears for decades through Soldier Field has benefited the entire city of Chicago and has benefited the Chicago Park District, and so we look forward to continuing that partnership,” he said.
* Block Club | Trilogy Nonprofit Expands To NW Side For Neighbors Seeking Therapy, Recovery Services: Trilogy Mental Wellbeing opened last month at 6200 N. Hiawatha Ave. in Sauganash. Trilogy, a Chicago-based nonprofit, offers therapy, recovery services, employment assistance, residential programs and more. Trilogy, which has been around for more than 50 years, primarily works with clients who are on Medicaid. The nonprofit has operated a location in Rogers Park for more than four decades, but it has been working to expand its reach in recent years.
* NYT | It’s OK, Chicago, Your Air Was Actually Fine on Wednesday: Readings from several popular weather apps had people across Chicago spending much of Wednesday wondering whether their air was safe to breathe — until the dangerously unhealthy levels were revealed to be a glitch.
*** Cook County and Suburbs ***
* Tribune | New Homer Glen Board OKs subdivision, park improvements: The Village Board also swore in Trustee Rose Reynders and new Trustees Michael LePore and Nicholas Muller after the April 1 election results were certified this week. The new board also advanced several recreation projects, including new lighting and an architectural design for a veterans memorial at Heritage Park. The board gave its support for the town house development proposed by Marth Construction after tabling a vote on it earlier this month. The developer plans to build the Villas of Hidden Valley consisting of 25 ranch duplex buildings for a total of 50 homes on about 21 acres of land near Hidden Valley Trail and 159th Street. The land was previously zoned for a potential commercial use.
* Fox Chicago | Lake County Jail transitions to digital mail system to prevent smuggling: Starting May 27, all personal inmate mail—including letters, photos, and drawings—must be sent to a centralized facility, where it will be scanned and delivered electronically to inmates through their tablets. The jail is partnering with TextBehind to implement the new system.
* Daily Herald | Why Lake County forest preserves wants to take lead on Route 53 corridor property and planning: More than 1,000 acres that comprise the corridor is owned by the Illinois Department of Transportation but the Illinois Department of Natural Resources has taken the lead in determining the future of the properties. The move to assume responsibilities was sparked by Jessica Vealitzek, a forest commissioner from Hawthorn Woods. Since being elected board president by her peers in December she has made securing long-term protection for the corridor a priority.
*** Downstate ***
* WIFR | Harlem Township of Winnebago County Supervisor Gary Jury dies: Harlem Township offices confirm that Supervisor Gary Jury, 82, died around 9 p.m. April 23. Jury has served as a board member of the Winnebago County Board for 14 years and chaired on the Forest Preserve, Operations and Administration, Finance, Economic Development and Public Works committees.
* WJBD | Marion County Board appoints Taxpayer Association member to open board seat: The Marion County Board has unanimously appointed one of the leaders of the Marion County Taxpayers Association to an open seat on the board. Josh Dunahee will fill the District Three seat vacated by Tyson McHenry who resigned last month due to a work scheduling problem. Dunahee grew up in Salem and returned three and a half years ago to manage the XPO freight facility in Salem.
* WCIA | Another Danville school bus involved in crash; no one hurt: Another Danville School District 118 school bus was involved in a crash Thursday morning. The Danville Police Department said a white SUV hit the school bus in the rear around 7:40 a.m. where it was stopped near the intersection of Fairchild and Jackson streets. No one was injured in the crash, and both vehicles drove away from the scene.
*** National ***
* CNBC | March home sales drop to their slowest pace since 2009: Higher mortgage rates and concern over the broader economy are making for a weak start to the all-important spring housing market. Sales of previously owned homes in March fell 5.9% from February to 4.02 million units on a seasonally adjusted annualized basis, according to the National Association of Realtors. That’s the slowest March sales pace since 2009.
* Please take a few seconds out of your day and watch…
Steve 'Mongo' McMichael. 🙏🏽
Four years ago today, Steve shared these words with me—words that will stay with me for the rest of my life. They’re words we can all live by. #RIPMongo | #Bearspic.twitter.com/VzlrXnhWwv
The Illinois Supreme Court on Wednesday heard arguments in a case centered on whether a state law passed in 2023 violates the due process rights of Illinoisans outside Sangamon and Cook counties.
A 2023 law restricts certain types of lawsuits – namely challenges to a law’s constitutionality – to courts in those two counties. The law came in response to challenges to the state’s COVID-19 response, a state law ending cash bail and the state’s ban on assault weapons, among others.
These lawsuits – often filed in jurisdictions with sympathetic judges – became a way for some conservatives to make a name for themselves at the state level. Former governor candidate and state Sen. Darren Bailey, R-Xenia, and former attorney general candidate Thomas DeVore both backed high-profile lawsuits challenging the constitutionality of state laws. […]
The case before the Illinois Supreme Court was brought by Piasa Armory, an East Alton gun store. It challenged the constitutionality of an unrelated firearms regulation, the Firearm Industry Responsibility Act, which was also signed into law in 2023. That law subjects firearms groups to civil penalties for violating consumer protection laws.
Piasa Armory almost immediately filed a lawsuit challenging that law in Madison County, about a 30-minute drive from the gun store. The state then tried to move the case to Sangamon County – about 90 minutes from East Alton – citing the then-new law.
But a Madison County judge rejected the state’s attempt to move the case, saying that the law violated the due process rights of residents of other counties by “depriving” them of their ability to mount their best possible case.
The judge had applied his decision to the entire state, but the government argued that the Supreme Court should “rule narrowly” and apply it only to the plaintiff.
The question before us is the constitutionality of section 2-101.5 as it applies to plaintiff. […]
We initially examine the State’s contention that the circuit court effectively found section 2-101.5 facially unconstitutional by ruling that the statute violated the due process rights of all individuals who reside or were injured outside of Cook and Sangamon County. The State contends that the ruling invalidates the statute in every case where it would otherwise be enforced. We note that a party raising a facial challenge must show that the statute is unconstitutional under any possible set of facts, whereas a party raising an as-applied challenge must establish that the statute is unconstitutional as it applies to the party’s particular facts and circumstances. A successful facial challenge voids the statute, but in a successful as-applied claim, the party may enjoin the statute’s enforcement against only himself.
Here, plaintiff framed its claim in terms of its individual circumstances, but the circuit court broadened its ruling to encompass everyone residing or injured outside of the two named counties. The fact that the circuit court’s ruling encompassed more than just plaintiff was not a de facto declaration that the statute was facially unconstitutional. In fact, plaintiff and the circuit court expressly acknowledged that the statute would be constitutional in certain applications, which would defeat a facial challenge. By definition, an as-applied constitutional claim depends on the particular facts and circumstances of the party asserting the claim, so an examination of plaintiff’s particular situation remains paramount. […]
In the instant case, the circuit court largely considered the “convenience” of Madison County and the “inconvenience” of Sangamon County as a forum for plaintiff in determining that the first two Mathews factors weighed heavily in plaintiff’s favor. The relative convenience of each forum is central in considering a motion filed pursuant to the equitable doctrine of forum non conveniens. However, a forum non conveniens motion “seeks to move the action from one forum with proper venue to another, more convenient forum with proper venue.” The doctrine of forum non conveniens may therefore be applied only when there is more than one proper venue. It is not the correct test here, where the question is whether a statute limiting venue for certain types of constitutional actions against the State violates a plaintiff’s due process rights. We further note that section 2-101.5(b) explicitly states that “[t]he doctrine of forum non conveniens does not apply to actions subject to this Section.” […]
Plaintiff’s underlying case is a facial constitutional challenge of section 2BBBB of the Act. It will therefore most likely be resolved without a trial and thus without the need for witnesses to travel to any courthouse, as well as without much, if any, documentary evidence. As for the additional driving time for counsel, even in a forum non conveniens analysis, counsel’s location is given little weight. Moreover, counsel has the option to appear remotely for hearings, and witnesses may appear remotely under certain circumstances as well. […]
We conclude that the State has some interest in consolidating actions in certain counties, especially in light of recent statewide litigation asserting duplicative constitutional claims. … Still, the State’s interest is not extremely strong given that the Attorney General’s office was previously able to manage the litigation under general venue principles. As we observed in Williams, the Attorney General has satellite offices throughout Illinois and routinely litigates in every county in the state.
Balancing all of the Mathews factors ultimately yields the conclusion that section 2-101.5 is not unconstitutional as applied specifically to plaintiff because requiring plaintiff to litigate in Sangamon County does not deprive it of the opportunity to be heard at a meaningful time and in a meaningful manner. The inconvenience asserted by plaintiff is insufficient for a due process claim, especially considering that Sangamon County is only one hour further, that this case will almost certainly be resolved without trial, and that remote appearances are possible. We recognize that the Attorney General could also appear remotely, but the government’s interest extends beyond the convenience of appearing in - 12 - particular courtrooms, as it seeks to more efficiently handle the type of constitutional case that plaintiff has filed here. Further, the parties are not starting off on an equal footing in the balancing test because the legislature has the power to determine venue (Mapes, 363 Ill. at 230) and we generally do not “interfere with the legislature’s province in determining where venue is proper” […]
(T)hough litigating in Sangamon County may be less convenient for plaintiff than litigating in Madison County, it clearly does not rise to the level of an unconstitutional deprivation of due process.
This was a 6-1 decision, with Justice Overstreet dissenting. Overstreet essentially argued for a much more broad decision, instead of this narrow path.
All Ed Cetwinski could think was, “God, I’m out of prison. I can live my life a little bit.” He had just been released from Taylorville Correctional Center after five years behind bars. But even though he’s free from his prison cell, he’s still not free.
Most criminal convictions in Illinois include a period of mandatory supervised release (MSR). It’s like parole, but it’s served as part of a prison sentence rather than in lieu of it. People on MSR must adhere to a litany of conditions, like curfews enforced by electronic monitors. For most people, it lasts from one to three years, but for Cetwinski, it’s not clear how long his MSR term will last.
People convicted of certain sex offenses, like Cetwinski, are required to be on MSR for anywhere from three years to the rest of their lives. But there’s an issue: a permanent address is a requirement for supervised release, and Illinois’s housing banishment laws make it nearly impossible to find housing. […]
The Chicago 400, a grassroots organization of people subject to public conviction registries in Illinois and their allies, is pushing legislation to shrink the size of the housing banishment zone and prevent people from being forced to move if a day care opens nearby. The proposal has yet to be heard in committee, the first step in the legislative session that ends in late May; multiple people involved in negotiations, who are not authorized to speak publicly, say conversations are ongoing.
Protesters flooded the rotunda of the Illinois Statehouse earlier this month, urging legislators to increase wages for caregivers of individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. The ‘They Deserve More’ coalition — representing advocacy organizations, families and over 90 agencies providing community care — is asking that these direct support personnel, or DSPs, receive at least 150% of Illinois’ minimum wage.
The coalition is also seeking to avoid a cut to state-funded DSP service hours that would result from a provision in Gov. JB Pritzker’s proposed budget for the Illinois Department of Human Services. […]
Demonstrators called for support for two bills moving through the Illinois General Assembly, House Bill 2788 and Senate Bill 1690, which propose raising the base wage for DSPs. Both bills failed to clear the legislature ahead of recent deadlines, but matters pertaining to state funding are generally included in the end-of-session budget package.
Edwina Hernandez, a DSP Recruiter at Cornerstone Services in Joliet, says her agency has trouble providing services to disabled residents due to employee retention challenges. DSPs are the individuals who provide daily personal care such as assisting individuals with eating, grooming and dressing.
“We do have a lot of workers out there who have a heart to serve and a heart to help the community. It’s just the pay,” Hernandez said at the demonstration.
* House Republicans…
On Wednesday, three Illinois House Republicans, who also work as family farmers, held a Capitol news conference to highlight legislation they are sponsoring to support Illinois’ agriculture industry. Specifically, State Representatives Dan Swanson (R-Alpha), Jason R. Bunting (R-Emington), and Wayne Rosenthal (R-Morrisonville) have sponsored legislation they say will help save family farms in Illinois.
State Rep. Dan Swanson is a 6th-generation family farmer near Alpha, Illinois. His family raises various crops and livestock. Swanson says Illinois must do more to preserve agriculture for the future. Swanson has sponsored HB 1501, legislation that creates an income tax credit for the owner of an agricultural asset who sells or rents that asset to a beginning farmer.
“There are young people in Illinois right now who want to get started in farming, but don’t always have the opportunity,” Swanson said. “We need to get that next generation up and running in agriculture. Unfortunately, my bill wasn’t called before the required deadline. We need to get serious about preserving the future of agriculture in Illinois.”
State Rep. Jason R. Bunting operates a family farm in Emington in rural Livingston County. Rep. Bunting noted the very real and dangerous conditions that farmers encounter in several aspects of their work. Rep. Bunting is sponsoring House Resolution 29, which would designate the week of September 15-21, 2025, as Farm Safety Week. Bunting also noted two other bills that would emulate Scott’s Law, which requires drivers to move over and slow down for stopped emergency vehicles. Bunting’s HB 3204 and HB 3205 would make Scott’s Law provisions applicable to farm implements.
“My bill would require drivers to make room for farm equipment on the roads so they can safely pass the equipment,” Bunting said. “This legislation would make the road safer for farmers, and for every other Illinoisan who drives the rural roads of this state, so that we can all make it home safely to our families.”
State Rep. Wayne Rosenthal is the former Director of the Illinois Department of Natural Resources and a 4th-generation family farmer. Rosenthal argued for the Illinois estate tax exemption to be raised to help save family farms from double taxation.
“I know first-hand what this unfair estate tax means to my family and to every other family farm in Illinois,” Rosenthal said. “This isn’t just a tax, it’s a threat to our way of life. Too often, I have heard from families, friends, and neighbors who have been hit hard by this unfair tax. Illinois estate taxes are levied on farm owners when they pass on. Unlike monetary assets that can be moved, land cannot, so our family farms are penalized. Illinois has not adjusted the estate tax on farmland in more than a decade. Inflation has risen, and we haven’t made the necessary changes to our estate tax. We still have time to fix this problem this Session, we need to get to work so we can save Illinois family farms.”
The Illinois House Education Policy Committee approved a bill Wednesday to stop police from giving tickets and citations to students for breaking school rules. […]
Lawmakers and advocates filed this plan after ProPublica found 11,800 tickets were handed to students from 2019 to 2022.
“The goal of the bill is to basically say that if it is minor enough to be a municipal violation like vaping or minor fights, keep it in the school,” said Aimee Galvin from Stand for Children Illinois. “School is a unique environment for offering discipline, unlike a business. If something happens at Walgreens, they don’t have an after school detention or say ‘you can’t come to the dance.’” [….]
The legislation passed out of committee on a 9-3 vote and now moves to the House floor for further consideration. Senate Bill 1519 passed out of the Senate on a 37-17 vote earlier this month.
The Illinois House Ethics & Elections Committee met Tuesday evening to discuss the Safeguard Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act. […]
The ethics & elections committee also discussed several election-related bills currently under consideration in the Statehouse.
State Rep. Nabeela Syed, D-Palatine, said she proposed HB 1445 to make polling places accessible for young voters.
“It makes me excited that we have a potential opportunity to make it easier for young voters to have a say in their political process and feel like they are deciding their future and they are deciding the people that elect them,” Syed said. […]
State Rep. Adbelnasser Rashid, D-Bridgeview, proposed House Bill 2998, which provides that all local election authorities shall post requirements and qualifications for running for local offices and petition filing deadlines on the website of the local election authority.
An Illinois bill that would ban that would ban schools from using Native American names, mascots and logos has passed the Illinois House and is now under review in the Senate. […]
For decades, Collinsville High School has used a “Kahok” mascot name. The name represents a fictional Native American tribe, and many school leaders view it as a symbol of local identity and heritage.
Dr. Mark Skertich, superintendent for the Collinsville School District, issued a public statement on April 10 outlining the district’s stance. The statement reads, in part:
“Our Collinsville High School Kahok mascot is a treasured part of our local community. Our district is home to the Cahokia Mounds World Heritage and State Historic Site, which is located where a large, influential Native American city once stood. Artifacts indicate it was the center of Mississippian culture in its day.
In 2020, our district received a formal written endorsement from the Western Cherokee Nation of Arkansas and Missouri to continue using our Kahok mascot. Their support is based on their belief that the people of the Western Cherokee could be descended from the Cahokia mound builders.”
He tools around town in a pickup truck with the license plate “Rabbi R.” He has bought several downtown buildings and is transforming them into retail, entertainment and living spaces. He’s going to bring actual World War II tanks to town and have them fire off a few rounds. He’ll even officiate at a wedding from time to time.
Just who is this man who has in a very short time left an indelible mark on the Jacksonville community?
Meet Rabbi Rob Thomas, 57, a native son of Jacksonville who has returned to his hometown with a mission as bold as the rumbling tanks he likes to drive in his spare time. That mission is to address two chief concerns among current community leaders – the need for more housing and entertainment opportunities. […]
Thomas, an ordained rabbi, is practicing what he preaches with the purchase and rehabilitation of four downtown Jacksonville buildings. The former Kresge Store building on the southeast corner of the square now houses Pizza Records, a retail and entertainment establishment, on the ground floor with two apartments being developed above. A similar plan with retail, restaurant or entertainment establishments below and residential units above is underway for the Andre & Andre Building, formerly the site of Sears; the former Osco Building known locally as the “green monster” and a red brick corner building at 201 E. Morgan St.
“This is the sort of thing that feeds on itself,” Thomas said. “You’ve got a critical mass of people living on the square; therefore, the square needs services for them of every type.”
* The governor was in Jacksonville earlier this week to award the city a $2 million downtown development grant. Pritzker has also included funding in his budget to tear down the abandoned Jacksonville Developmental Center. Rabbi Thomas attended the event and Rich talked to him about his downtown revitalization project…
Rich: How much longer do you think it’s going to be before this task is complete?
Rabbi Thomas: Oh, It’ll never be done. As it says in the Talmud ‘It is not for us to desist from the work, neither are we expected to complete it.’
Rich: Do you have a ballpark of how much you put in?
Thomas: I know an exact figure.
Rich: Can I ask you to tell me what that is?
Thomas: It’s a lot more than you think. […]
Rich: Do you really feel that Jacksonville is going to be back?
Thomas: Since COVID, you can work anywhere. Here’s the key bit of infrastructure you need, high capacity internet. So in the back of that Andre & Andre building (Thomas pointed across the square) is more fiber than you can get in downtown Chicago or downtown Manhattan. I dragged it all in there. And in the back of that building is Google, Netflix, Facebook, Amazon, Microsoft, Apple, I could keep going. I brought them all in.
Rich: So do they have servers over there?
Thomas: Yeah, I’ve got a network Point of Presence (PoP) […] And that connects all over the world to bring in that connectivity. So if you come here and you’ve got a tech or technical business. I need 1,000 lane highway but I need to be 10 feet long anywhere I want to go? Jacksonville. At a much lower cost of living, much more pleasant in many ways.
Rich: You can get a really nice house here.
Thomas: That’s exactly right. So you don’t have to go to Manhattan or Chicago. Come here, buy a lovely home. Maybe you want to fix up a home […] Maybe you want to move into a home. We’ve got options.
* You can kind of see the governor amidst the crowd (President of the Morgan County Democrats Judith Nelson said she sent out a blast email to members), but you can really see four colorful buildings owned by Thomas, who said the top floors will get turned into residential space…
Thomas is the chairman and CEO of Team Cymru, a cybersecurity company. According to the Illinois Times, “Thomas became a venture capitalist investing primarily in tech companies.”
* The event was held next to the Strawn Opera House, another one of Thomas’ projects. Journal Courier…
Jacksonville developers are aiming to resurrect an iconic 163-year-old opera house in downtown Jacksonville.
Rabbi Rob and Lauren Thomas took ownership Thursday of the property at 31 S. Central Park Plaza that housed Strawn Opera House. The couple says they plan on rebuilding the opera house to what it looked like when it opened in the mid-19th century. […]
Missouri author Mark Twain spoke at the building on Feb. 1, 1869, during which he delivered a speech on “The American Vandal Abroad.” Irish poet Oscar Wilde delivered a lecture at the hall on March 7, 1882, which the Journal-Courier — then the Jacksonville Journal — reported on the following day.
“Doubtless in his travels in this country Oscar Wilde has had the pleasure of lecturing to larger audiences than the one assembled at the Opera House last night,” the paper said. “But then again, it has been his lot on not a few occasions to face a larger proportion of empty seats that greeted him upon his appearance here.”
The opera house burned down on June 27, 1889. The building erected in its stead had its roof collapse more than a century later in May 1988, leading to its second floor being removed.
Rabbi Thomas told us yesterday that one addition to the opera house, not included in the original designs, will be a clock tower—“because every square should have a clock tower.”
* Thomas and his wife Lauren pose in front of the future opera house…
Thursday, Apr 24, 2025 - Posted by Advertising Department
[The following is a paid advertisement.]
Every hour of every day, Illinois hospitals provide lifesaving care to the communities they serve. Care delivery within their facilities is at the core of what hospitals do—but it’s not all they do. Illinois hospitals prove indispensable to communities by looking at healthcare, health and well-being from several vantage points. Watch our video about how hospitals are working outside their four walls.
Most people don’t see the critical care hospitals provide 24/7 or how hospitals are partnering with local organizations and investing in communities. Yet their benefit to the community is everywhere. Learn more about how Illinois hospitals are healing communities.
Carlos Santana was rushed to the hospital ahead of his San Antonio show.
In a statement obtained by PEOPLE, a representative for Santana, 77, confirmed that the guitarist will postpone the show at the Majestic Theater scheduled for tonight, Tuesday, April 22.
Michael Vrionis, president of Universal Tone Management and a representative for Santana, said, “It is with profound disappointment that I have to inform you all that tonight’s show in San Antonio has been postponed. Mr. Santana was at the venue (Majestic Theatre) preparing for tonight’s show when he experienced an event that was determined to be dehydration. Out of an abundance of caution and the health of Mr. Santana, the decision to postpone the show was the most prudent course of action.”
He continued, “He is doing well and is looking forward to coming back to San Antonio soon as well as continuing his US Tour. Thank you all very much for your understanding. The show will be rescheduled soon.”
Thursday, Apr 24, 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 the Boyer family in Quincy enrich our economy and strengthen our communities. We Are Retail and IRMA showcase the retailers who make Illinois work.
* ICYMI: Illinois Joins 11 Other States in Suing the Trump Administration Over ‘Tax Hikes’ Through Tariffs. CNN…
- The lawsuit seeks a court order to halt the tariffs under International Emergency Economic Powers Act, saying Trump does not have the authority he claims he does.
- “In the nearly five decades since IEEPA was enacted, no other President has imposed tariffs based on the existence of any national emergency, despite global anti-narcotics campaigns spearheaded by the United States and longstanding trade deficits,” the lawsuit argued.
- The coalition of states joins other groups that have sued the Trump administration on tariffs. A group of small U.S. businesses filed a lawsuit last week.
* The race is on: Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton announced she will run for Durbin’s Senate seat this morning. Our coverage is here.
* BlueRoomStream.com’s coverage of today’s press conferences and committee hearings can be found here.
*** Isabel’s Top Picks ***
* Sun-Times | Stellantis still on track to reopen Belvidere plant, as automakers adjust for tariffs: “The launch timing for the plant has not changed,” Stellantis spokesperson Jodi Tinson said in a statement. “We’ll honor the timing indicated in the 2023 Collective Bargaining Agreement, so still expecting to launch in 2027.” The reopening of the idle Belvidere plant was announced in January, alongside plans to build a new Dodge Durango at its Detroit Assembly Complex. In addition to Dodge, Stellantis owns brands such as Chrysler, Jeep and Ram.
* Sun-Times | Jurors say they are stuck in bribery trial of Illinois Sen. Emil Jones III: “At this point, it doesn’t look like the jury can reach a unanimous agreement on Counts 1 and 3,” one of their notes read. “Is there any assistance that can be provided?” Prosecutors have leveled three criminal charges against Jones. Count 1 is the substantive bribery charge. Count 2 accuses the senator of using an email account to facilitate bribery. And Count 3 accuses him of lying to the FBI.
* Sen. Dick Durbin | Why I chose to retire: The challenges facing the Senate with this new administration are historic. They go to the heart of our democracy, and I am anxious to be part of that debate. I can assure you that I will continue to do everything in my power to fight for Illinois and the future of our nation every day of my remaining time in Senate service.
*** Statehouse News ***
* NBC | Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker takes steps to boycott El Salvador in protest of Kilmar Abrego Garcia’s detention: In a release, Pritzker’s office said that it had directed various Illinois pension funds to review whether they are invested in any companies that are based in El Salvador and that it had ordered the Illinois Department of Central Management Services to evaluate whether any state procurement contracts have been granted to companies based in or controlled by El Salvador.
* Center Square | Calls grow for reforms to Illinois’ mass transit systems before awarding funding: With a massive funding shortfall on the horizon, the Illinois Chamber of Commerce is calling on state lawmakers to enact reforms for the state’s mass transit systems before considering funding. The chamber released a report that contains business principles for mass transit reform. Some of the recommendations include prioritizing public safety and making sure the business community has a seat at the table in future policy making.
*** Statewide ***
* Illinois Times | A loss for Illinois farmers and food banks: The decision to eliminate federal funding for programs that support farmers and food banks goes against the Trump administration’s commitment to “Make America Healthy Again” according to advocates for local producers and nonprofit hunger abatement organizations. The U.S. Department of Agriculture in February cut two federal programs, the Local Food for Schools program and the Local Food Purchase Assistance Cooperative Agreement, that collectively received about $1 billion in funding nationwide. The LFPA buys fresh products from farmers at a fair market value, then distributes the food to communities through local food pantries. The USDA has since decided to let the remaining 2024 LFPA contract be spent but has canceled the LFPA contract for July 1 through June 30, 2026.
*** Downstate ***
* WGLT | McLean County health providers worry about Medicaid cuts: “I’m concerned. I’m alarmed. I’m scared by what I hear, by what this administration is trying to do,” said Democratic U.S. Rep. Eric Sorensen, who represents parts of Bloomington-Normal and Greater Peoria. […] Chestnut Health Systems CEO Dave Sharar said federal money is 60% of Chestnut’s budget, and 70% of its clients are on Medicaid. He said that could threaten Chestnut’s integrated care model.
* Capitol News Illinois | State reports first measles case in southern Illinois: The measles diagnosis involving an adult in far southern Illinois was confirmed through laboratory testing, according to a press release sent out by IDPH. […] “This is not considered an outbreak at this time. IDPH will update the public should there be any notable developments,” the release stated.
* WSIL | Mt. Vernon Airport honors Everett Atkinson; WWII hero passes at 102: The Mt. Vernon Airport is mourning the loss of Evertt Atkinson, a cherished member of the community. Airport officials said Atkinson passed away on Easter Sunday at the age of 102, marking the end of an era for the airport and its community. Airport officials shared some details about his life. Atkinson was a distinguished World War II aviator who started with just a high school education and worked his way up to become an Aircraft Commander in the Boeing B-29 “Superfortress.”
* WJBD | Salem’s new Police Chief sworn in: After being sworn in, Boles addressed those gathered in the city council chambers. “My family is from here,” he said. “My parents were born and raised here. It’s an honor to be here. It’s kind of why I chose here, and we’re going to raise our son here. Thank you for the welcome, and everybody showing up. Everybody’s been great. I love the town and the small town vibe, and I’m happy to be here.”
*** Chicago ***
* ABC Chicago | ABC7 I-Team gets exclusive 1st look at massive Illinois solar farm powering Chicago: On a swath of land about three-and-a-half hours southwest of downtown Chicago, on what was once soybean fields, sits a farm of a different kind: 1.6 million solar panels sprouting up, now helping to power the city. Considered the largest solar park east of the Mississippi, Double Black Diamond’s nearly 4,000 acres straddles both Sangamon and Morgan counties in central Illinois.
* WTTW | Long-Stalled Push for Reparations in Chicago Moving Forward, Johnson Says: A task force formed by Mayor Brandon Johnson nearly a year ago to determine whether and how the city should pay reparations to Chicagoans who are the descendants of enslaved African Americans will start meeting this summer to craft a plan to tackle the thorny issue. The 40-member task force will be charged with developing “Chicago’s first comprehensive reparations study, a critical step forward in acknowledging, addressing and repairing generations of harm experienced by Black communities,” according to a statement from the mayor’s office.
* Block Club Chicago | West Side Legal Center’s New HQ Includes Apartments For Restorative Justice Program: The Lawndale Christian Legal Center’s Dr. Dennis Deer Community Justice Center opened Tuesday at 1449 S. Keeler Ave. The $22.5 million multi-use location will function as the central office for the free legal practice to meet with clients and provide referrals to social services. On average, the legal practice sees 300 clients annually. The Deer Center will also offer 20 free apartments to men ages 18 to 25 years old who are sentenced to probation in Cook County Circuit Court as an alternative to incarceration.
* Sun-Times | Steve McMichael, former Bears star and Hall of Famer, dies at 67: In a statement, Bears chairman George McCaskey said it was a “cruel irony that the Bears’ Ironman succumbed” to ALS. The man known as “Mongo” and “Ming the Merciless,” a player with crackling energy and a nonstop mouth who played a record 191 games for the Bears, was robbed of the ability to speak and move. It was almost as though he was being mummified, fellow Hall of Famer Dan Hampton said.
*** Cook County and Suburbs ***
* Sun-Times | Highland Park parade shooter’s sentencing to extend to second day: The daylong hearing also included testimony from over a dozen victims and their families about how their lives had been irreversibly changed since the attack on July 4, 2022, which left seven dead and 48 people wounded. “How do you rebuild a life when it’s been shattered?” Sheila Gutman, who was struck by a bullet in her foot in the attack, told the court.
* Daily Herald | ‘Heavy and heartbreaking’: Highland Park survivors testify as sentencing begins: In a statement read by his daughter, the widower of victim Jacquelyn “Jacki” Sundheim described the pain of his wife’s loss as “fresh, visceral and sometimes too much to bear.” Bruce Sundheim also berated the absent murderer for his “wanton cruelty” and wished him “a life filled with torment, pain and regret.”
* Daily Herald | Barrington breaks ground on long-awaited Route 14 underpass: Several Barrington area dignitaries attended the groundbreaking for the underpass, which will stretch from Valencia Avenue to Hough Street, running underneath the Canadian National Railway tracks. The underpass aims to alleviate traffic congestion and improve emergency response times by separating vehicle and rail traffic. Construction is expected to conclude by July 2027.
* Daily Herald | Smackdown at village hall: Elk Grove mayor wrestles with trash talk, agrees to tag team match: In a spectacle that had all the theatrics of professional wrestling, Elk Grove Village Mayor Craig Johnson accepted a challenge at a village board meeting this week to a summer slugfest. The battle royale involving the colorful seven-term mayor — a former high school wrestling coach — will be part of a series of matches in the ring at this summer’s Elk Grove Rotary Fest.
* Shaw Local | Downers Grove native still on road to COVID recovery: In the five years since the U.S. first reeled from COVID-19, leaving no one unscathed, the novel coronavirus has remained all too familiar to one Downers Grove native, former village commissioner Rich Kulovany. “Family became so much more important after all of this,” Kulovany said.
*** National ***
* WaPo | Trump orders changes to civil rights rules, college accreditation: Separately, Trump signed another order that also dealt with the enforcement of civil rights law as it relates to racial disparities in school discipline. The Biden administration had advised school districts that they may be in violation of civil rights law if they unfairly discipline students from different groups. The new executive order revokes the Biden-era discipline guidance.
* The Atlantic | Tesla’s Remarkably Bad Quarter Is Even Worse Than It Looks: Yesterday evening, Tesla reported first-quarter earnings for 2025, and they were abysmal: Profits dropped 71 percent from the same time last year. Musk sounded bitter on the call with investors that followed, blaming the company’s misfortune on protesters who have raged at Tesla dealerships around the world over his role running DOGE and his ardent support of far-right politicians. “The protests that you’ll see out there, they’re very organized. They’re paid for,” he said, without evidence.
Jody Dabrowski, CEO of Illinois Educators CU: IFPA Will Harm our Members and our Communities.
“My members would be so frustrated.”
Stop the Chaos for Our Hard-Working Educators!
* Yesterday, Sen. Dick Durbin said at least a dozen names have expressed interest in his seat. Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton was the first out of the gate this morning to declare her candidacy…
Stratton currently oversees the administration’s Justice, Equity and Opportunity Initiative and chairs the board of the Restore, Reinvest and Renew Program, which reinvests a portion of cannabis tax revenue into communities experiencing high rates of shootings, unemployment, child poverty and incarceration.
Her campaign touted her work in the Ag Connects Us All Initiative, which helped to highlight the ways in which the agriculture industry could address inequities and food security. It’s also been a way for her to stay connected to the more rural areas of the state.
Last year, Stratton led a Black maternal health initiative that invested $15 million in closing the maternal mortality gap through expanding home visits, capital dollars for community-birth centers, a free diaper program and a child tax credit for low-income families.
Among the potential contenders, Stratton can boast that she’s a statewide official — meaning she’s traveled across the state and has had a visible presence at events with Pritzker for more than six years. She can also take credit for many progressive policies passed during Pritzker’s two terms, including expanded abortion care, an assault weapons ban and raising the minimum wage. That may also serve as easy fodder for a Republican opponent, who could challenge her on some of the administration’s most liberal policies.
…Adding… The Democratic Lieutenant Governors Association…
(DLGA) endorses Lt. Governor Juliana Stratton in her campaign to represent Illinois in the U.S. Senate. With the endorsement, the DLGA is proud to commit seven figures in support of her campaign.
DLGA Chair and Pennsylvania Lt. Governor Austin Davis released the following statement:
“The Democratic Lt. Governors Association is proud to commit to making an impactful investment to support Lt. Governor Juliana Stratton in her run as Illinois’ next U.S. Senator. Democratic lieutenant governors are the Democratic Party’s bench, and with these types of investments, we look forward to helping to elect the next generation of Governors and Senators across the country.”
…Adding… Governor Pritzker was asked about the announcement at an unrelated news conference this morning…
Reporter: Your colleague, Juliana Stratton, Lieutenant Governor, has announced her bid for US Senate to take over the Dick Durbin seat, what’s your reaction to that? And do you plan on endorsing her for Senator Durbin’s seat as his successor.
Pritzker: I apologize to my colleagues for the off topic question. […] In Illinois our senior Senator Dick Durbin announced his retirement yesterday. Our Lieutenant Governor in Illinois announced this morning that she’s going to be running for US Senate.
Well, I think you know, Jeremy, how I feel about her, and she is truly one of the most accomplished people that’s ever held the job of Lieutenant Governor. She’s done so much as a partner in governance of the state. As you know, I think very highly of her. She’s somebody who not only cares deeply, is passionate and compassionate, but again, highly accomplished.
That’s all I can say for now. And you know, I just, I feel strongly about her, and think very highly of her, and I think the voters will too.
…Adding… Earlier this month, Congressman Krishnamoorthi announced he had $19 million cash on hand…
* 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.
