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Isabel’s afternoon roundup: Rolling Meadows and Palatine want a say in Bears stadium authority; Environmental groups call on Google to ditch Decatur gas plant deal
Thursday, Nov 12, 2026 - Posted by Isabel Miller * Crain’s…
* Illinois Clean Jobs Coalition…
* Crain’s | Pritzker has $156M to tackle Illinois’ housing crunch. Here’s where it’s going: $25 million to restart SmartBuy, a program the IHDA launched in 2021 to help accelerate young adults’ move into homeownership by helping pay off their student loans. With student loan debt wiped out or reduced, buyers have a debt-to-income ratio that is more likely to get them approved for a mortgage. * Center Square | Legislative leaders circle top priorities ahead of veto session: “We agree there needs to be a regulatory framework in place looking at water – regulating how much water is used, how it’s used, transparency, ethics, all of those things. And then also, most importantly is the power that goes along with it,” Rezin said. As for the Democratic side, Rep. Edgar González Jr., D-Chicago, said he thinks the previously considered POWER Act just has parts that “need to be tinkered out,” and he really hopes to see the proposed legislation pass before the end of session. * ABC Chicago | Commission set to vote on Chicago Police Department superintendent finalists: Mayor Brandon Johnson will then have 30 days to pick one, or reject the list. There is a push by some to wait until after February’s mayoral election. CCPSA President Remel Terry said 46 candidates from around the country applied for the job. The meeting starts at 6:30 p.m. Thursday at Malcolm X College. * Sun-Times | Ferrara Candy Co. to close Little Village plant, lay off 154 workers: Ferrara, whose brands include SweeTARTS, Brach’s and Nerds, began as a bakery in Little Italy in 1908 and has operated in Chicago for nearly 120 years. The confectioner was acquired by Ferrero in 2017 but remains a privately held company under common ownership. Ferrara operates three other Chicago-area manufacturing facilities — in Bellwood, Forest Park and Itasca — and a fourth in DeKalb. Ferrara said employees can continue working at the plant until it closes. Workers also have the opportunity to apply for open positions across Ferrara and its affiliate network. * Chalkbeat Chicago | Chicago’s Black Student Achievement Committee is meeting for the first time: Almost three years after Illinois lawmakers required a committee to drive academic progress for Chicago’s Black students, the new group will hold its first meeting Thursday evening. The committee is tasked with overseeing the rollout of the district’s Black Student Success Plan, a five-year blueprint unveiled in February 2025 to improve the educational experiences and outcomes of the district’s Black students, who make up roughly a third of the student body. The effort became a target of the Trump administration’s anti-diversity, equity, and inclusion push and remains under federal investigation. * Block Club | Chicago Could See First Snow Of The Season Thursday, But It’s Unlikely To Stick: Precipitation is set to move into the area Thursday afternoon, and it is forecast to turn into snow as temperatures drop that evening, which could see a low temperature of 28 degrees, according to the National Weather Service. But any accumulation of snow is “not likely,” according to WGN weather producer Bill Snyder. * ABC Chicago | Waukegan’s Vista Medical Center placed on EMS bypass after owner fails to make payroll: Ambulance trips from Waukegan could take four to five times longer after the state placed Vista Medical Center East on full EMS bypass following another failure by its owner to make payroll. Vista Medical is the only acute care hospital in Waukegan, leaving ambulances to transport patients to facilities outside the city. Waukegan officials are adding staff and ambulances to ensure a unit remains available when emergency calls come in. * Daily Herald | DuPage County Clerk Jean Kaczmarek’s plans to take case to Illinois Supreme Court fall flat: Outgoing DuPage County Clerk Jean Kaczmarek’s request for an attorney to take her legal fight with the county to the Illinois Supreme Court has been denied. Kaczmarek sought the appointment of an attorney to challenge a recent appellate court decision that upheld DuPage County Judge Bryan Chapman’s rulings that the clerk’s office must follow the county’s accounting procedures and complete budget transfers. * Pioneer Press | Lake County approves ‘challenging’ budget due to rising insurance costs: The 2027 budget, including all funds, is $732.2 million, an 8.21% increase from last year, according to a county presentation on the budget. The property tax operating funds — which pay for most government services — are $409.3 million, a nearly 5% increase from 2026. […] For Lake County, renewal premiums are about 20% higher, the presentation said. According to Sutton, that was a roughly $7 million operating expense the county had to absorb. But the budget has “no reliance on reserves for ongoing expenses,” with ongoing expenses funded by ongoing revenues, according to the presentation. * WGLT | Investors funding developments in parts of northwest Normal, Uptown and Downtown Bloomington will get a tax break starting in 2027: Bloomington-Normal’s Economic Development Council [EDC] is hopeful a new federal program giving tax breaks to investors will be yet another incentive to get developers building. Two spots in Normal and one area of Bloomington will be considered “opportunity zones” starting next year, offering federal tax benefits to investors putting up funds. The state of Illinois nominated more than 500 census tracts to be federal opportunity zones this year, and the U.S. Treasury Department approved 240 of them across the state. * WNIJ | Several northern Illinois school districts had referendums on the ballot to borrow hundreds of millions. Why did some pass and some fail?: * Capitol City Now | New ALPLM acquisition details Lincoln’s dry-goods purchases: A Petersburg family has donated to the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum a ledger from a local dry-goods store documenting sales for thirteen months in 1836-37. A young lawyer and lawmaker named Abraham Lincoln was a frequent customer, buying, among other things, clothing materials — buttons, fabric, and thread – to likely either make a suit or repair an existing one “Lincoln understood that with so much change on the horizon, he needed to shed the image of the rough-and-tumble frontiersman and adopt a more formal personage,” said Ian Hunt, the ALPLM’s head of acquisitions. “It’s likely that Lincoln’s decision to augment his wardrobe came both from seeing how his colleagues in the General Assembly dressed, but also preparing for a future in courtrooms, now that he was a licensed attorney.” * Illinois Times | Writer for “The Simpsons” to appear in Springfield as part of presidential campaign: To kick off his campaign, Greaney is visiting 17 Springfields in the U.S. The tour started Nov. 5 in New Hampshire and will continue through Nov. 24. Saturday’s visit to UIS will follow a visit to Springfield, West Virginia. * AP | CDC eliminates $29 million for HIV prevention in Texas: The federal government has cut $29.2 million from Texas health organizations that test thousands of people for HIV directly in their communities, the latest in a series of public health funding cuts statewide. Texas was the nation’s largest beneficiary of PS21-2102 funding, with grant money going to 11 community-based organizations (CBOs), mostly in urban areas, over the last five years. […] Rolled out in 2021, PS21-2102 provided $239 million to community-based organizations across the country. Its elimination comes as President Donald Trump’s administration has launched a far-reaching offensive targeting HIV-eradication efforts both domestically and abroad. * Reuters | US existing home sales slump to more than 16-year low in October: Home sales dropped 5.5% last month to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 3.75 million units, the National Association of Realtors said on Thursday. That was the lowest level since August 2010, when sales were declining following the end of a homebuyers tax credit. Economists polled by Reuters had forecast home resales falling to a 3.85 million unit rate. Sales plunged 8.8% on a year-over-year basis in October. * Bloomberg | United Airlines blocks AI agents from booking flights ahead of holidays: The move comes as travelers increasingly turn to AI tools to plan trips, compare fares and make reservations. About 33% of adults have used generative AI to research upcoming travel, according to booking platform Hopper, which expects more travelers to use the technology this holiday season. Hopper found that domestic airfares for Thanksgiving and Christmas are up 31% and 23%, respectively, from a year earlier.
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Question of the day
Thursday, Nov 12, 2026 - Posted by Isabel Miller * The Sun-Times…
* The Question: What should developers offer to sweeten their next Bears stadium pitch? Snark is encouraged.
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It’s just a bill
Thursday, Nov 12, 2026 - Posted by Isabel Miller * Rep. Curtis Tarver (D-Chicago) told WGN in September he wanted to crack down on undisclosed payments to political influencers…
* Rep. Tarver filed HB5833 this week…
The disclosure would have to remain visible throughout a video, appear directly on an image or be clearly audible in an audio post. Campaigns would also have to identify the people they’re actually paying to post the content, including their social media handles, where the posts appeared and how much each received. That includes payments made through consulting firms or other intermediaries. The bill would also prohibit contracts that prevent influencers or vendors from revealing who paid them, how much they received or what work they performed. Thoughts?
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It’s time to bring safer rides to Illinois.
Thursday, Nov 12, 2026 - Posted by Advertising Department [The following is a paid advertisement.] Waymo is ready to bring safe, reliable, autonomous rides to Illinois. Never tired or distracted, Waymo provides hundreds of thousands of fully autonomous rides every week across fifteen major U.S. cities, from Los Angeles to Denver — navigating multi-lane expressways and dense city streets. The data shows Waymo’s technology is involved in 95% fewer crashes involving serious injuries or worse when compared to humans (as of 10/2026, see waymo.com/safety). Let’s bring safer rides to Illinois.  Waymo’s autonomous vehicles can support Illinois’ goals for road safety and enhanced accessibility for all communities. With 360° vision, Waymo helps protect pedestrians, cyclists, and other vehicles on the road.
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Isabel’s morning briefing: Judge scolds DOJ in Broadview Six case; Merchants sue over US moves to block Illinois’ swipe fee ban
Thursday, Nov 12, 2026 - Posted by Isabel Miller * ICYMI: Judge slaps DOJ effort to derail ‘Broadview Six’ hearing, calls AG’s evidence production ‘noncompliant’. Tribune…
- The situation escalated Monday after Woodward filed a motion stating communications with local prosecutors about the Broadview case are privileged and off-limits to Perry’s ongoing inquiry. - On Tuesday, Perry responded in a scathing minute order that the privilege log was “noncompliant,” in part because it failed to provide the author or recipient of any emails or which participants were involved in larger email chains — which she’d clearly ordered produced. * Related stories… * Gov. JB Pritzker has no public events scheduled today. * Sun-Times | Lawmakers consider independent oversight of state prisons: “Under our current system, we are relying on IDOC to investigate complaints about IDOC. We are asking the department to hold itself accountable, and that is not a sufficient hurdle,” said state Rep. Kevin John Olickal, D-Chicago, who is sponsoring a bill that would create an independent corrections ombudsperson. * Bloomberg Law | Merchants Sue Over US Moves to Block Illinois’ ‘Swipe Fee’ Ban: Federal regulators overstepped their authority when crafting rules that exempted national banks and credit unions from an Illinois law barring credit and debit card “swipe fees” on sales taxes and tips, retailers said in a pair of lawsuits. The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency and the National Credit Union Administration violated the Administrative Procedure Act in preempting state interchange fee laws for national lenders, according to separate complaints set to be filed Thursday by national and Illinois-based retailer trade associations and shared exclusively with Bloomberg Law. * Sun-Times | State Rep. Kam Buckner says he’s the right person to succeed Chris Welch as House speaker: If elected speaker, Buckner said he would work to implement a strict code of conduct making it “very clear what we will and what we won’t accept.” He would also change Welch’s much-criticized internal mandate that legislation garner support from 60 House Democrats to qualify for being called for a vote on the House floor. * Shaw Local | ‘Killing an entire industry’: State’s new hemp laws could mean end of line for farms, CBD products: If the Illinois Hemp Law goes into effect later this month – it was due to start Thursday, but that was put on hold by a judge – Amanda Montgomery expects to see 90% of the business she’s built disappear. She’s been continuing on her own since Phil died unexpectedly in January 2024. * Sun-Times | Illinois House speaker’s controversies run deep — and were well-known to other powerbrokers in Illinois: Neither Welch nor his aides responded to requests for comment. […] Manzo was a member of the District 209 school board with Welch in the early 2000s when Manzo said he was in the process of buying a home out of the district. He said he was planning to resign from the board and move, with his young daughter already attending kindergarten in a different community. Even though Manzo said Welch and others in District 209 knew this, someone videotaped the girl outside her school, Welch ended up with a copy, and it was played and discussed at a public board meeting. Manzo, who’s now an Oak Brook trustee, said it was a clear attempt by Welch to embarrass and harass him. * WMBD | Sen.-Elect Stratton continues strong opposition to Sen. Schumer: “What you just heard from voters so strongly over this last election a week ago, that they want new voices, new energy. They want people who are really tapped into what’s happening in our communities and are going to fight for us at a time that we now have the majority and can really deliver for people,” she said. But Stratton didn’t go as far as to voice who she would like to see lead instead. * Crain’s | Amtrak project tied to White Sox stadium plans faces fresh City Hall showdown: Amtrak and representatives of billionaire Justin Ishbia are being summoned back to City Hall to face questions about a controversial $900 million rail maintenance facility in Bridgeport, despite a new federal environmental report that finds the project would have little impact on the surrounding neighborhood. […] The hearings are unlikely to make a dent in local opposition to the project, but labor supporters of both Amtrak’s move and Ishbia’s proposed Railyards development in the South Loop are ramping up efforts to tout the potential benefits to the entire region. * Sun-Times | Peoples Gas customers to get bill credits in settlement over surcharges from pipe-replacement program: Customers of the Chicago gas utility will see $56.18 in bill credits, thanks to a settlement the utility reached with the office of Attorney General Kwame Raoul this spring. Customers will also receive approximately $42 in credits in both 2027 and 2028 from the $125 million settlement. * Tribune | United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby calls on FAA to help reduce aircraft taxi times at O’Hare: “We need to get the FAA fully staffed,” Kirby said. “And there’s a taxiway problem here at O’Hare. It’s the only airport in the country where aircraft that are taxiing can’t cross runways. That’s why it feels like you’re driving to Milwaukee sometimes.” It takes longer for a plane to travel from touchdown to arriving gate at O’Hare than at any other major airport in the nation, a Tribune analysis has found. Much of the consternation over taxi times has focused on the construction impacts from the airport’s sprawling terminal expansion project. * NBC Chicago | Meet the unexpected team filling Chicago’s mental health workforce shortage: To help fill the void, Chicago’s Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE) introduced Healing Arts Chicago, a paid job training program. “We thought about what would be a useful initiative to support artists and thinking long term about their sustainability,” said Meida McNeal, a deputy commissioner with DCASE. “This is giving validation, giving structure, also giving them more formalized pathways into healthcare.” * Crain’s | Richard Posner, influential Chicago federal judge and legal scholar, dies at 87: Appointed by President Ronald Reagan in 1981, Posner served on the Chicago-based 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals until his retirement in 2017. During that time, he wrote thousands of judicial opinions while maintaining a prolific career as a legal scholar and author. A longtime professor at the University of Chicago Law School, Posner was a leading figure in the law-and-economics movement, which applies economic principles to legal questions. His 1972 book, “Economic Analysis of Law,” helped establish the field. * Tribune | Chicago parents and students protest Google’s new no-AI, no-search policy with schools: Dozens gathered outside Google’s sleek Fulton Market office Wednesday, raising hand-painted signs and chanting as the rain beat down. “The whole point of going to school is to be learning from actual people,” said 16-year-old Reese Mackey, a junior at Kenwood Academy High School. “I don’t want to learn from a bot.” Google said last week it would turn its Gemini chatbot and other AI tools off for school districts unless administrators opt in, reversing an August decision that had made those services automatic. * Tribune | Open for business: Chicago’s first self-cleaning public toilet launched: La Spata, whose 1st Ward is home to the novel lavatory, led a City Council call for more public toilets in 2021 after a Tribune investigation found large swaths of Chicago have few or no publicly operated bathrooms. In 2024 La Spata announced to constituents that JCDecaux was ready to install several “high quality” public toilets as part of the French company’s broader contract with the city. The Northwest Side alderman then allocated around $315,000 in ward money to pay for installing the bathroom at the busy intersection of Milwaukee Avenue and Division Street. The structure itself was donated to the city by the company to launch a pilot program. * Daily Southtown | Higher property taxes didn’t stop south suburban voters from supporting tax referendums: Despite south suburban homeowners’ concerns about increased property taxes, several referendums sponsored by taxing districts such as public schools passed this month with majority support. Among the south and southwest suburbs, referendums were approved in Moraine Valley Community College District 524, Evergreen Park School District 124, Frankfort Fire Protection District, Hometown Fire Protection District and Palos Heights Fire Protection District. A Palos Heights District 128 request for a property tax rate increase was ahead by 29 votes as of Wednesday, though the results have not yet been certified. * Daily Herald | Vacant office complex could become site of first data center in Rolling Meadows: Austin, Texas-based data center developer Digital Realty’s plans call for a three-story brick and masonry building housing 156 megawatts of critical power, which would be supplied by a two-story, 240-megawatt ComEd substation, at 3800 Golf Road. In September, Digital Realty purchased the 40-acre Atrium Corporate Centre — at the confluence of the Jane Addams Tollway and Route 53 — for $81.5 million from Rosemont-based Brennan Investment Group. * Daily Herald | New streaming tax helps Arlington Heights avoid property tax levy hike: Because of the better-than-expected revenues, Arlington Heights is on pace to have a $4 million surplus in its 2026 budget. Though the plan is subject to year-end results and board approval, Gallagher recommends allocating $2 million to capital projects, $1 million to lower future pension levies, $500,000 to the parking fund, and $500,000 to the fleet fund. * Daily Southtown | ‘You look up and there it is’: Amazon Prime Air drone delivery service underway in south suburbs: The Markham site has generally hit its maximum capacity of 300 drone orders daily, Bailey said, with thousands of orders delivered by 21 drones across the 7.5-mile radius. Scaling up is “something that we’re always considering,” Bailey said. “For right now, we’ve thrilled to have launched the site just in time for the holidays,” Bailey said. “We’re also excited to be launching Matteson, which will also add to our capacity as well.” […] The drones are relatively loud when they are close to the ground, with the sound of takeoffs and landings occasionally drowning out speakers at a ribbon-cutting event Tuesday at the Markham center. * WCIA | New resolutions introduced in Sangamon Co. to cut down on plastic waste, recall Sheriffs: Sangamon County board member Sam Cahnman is trying once again to allow recall elections in Sangamon County. The effort has failed three times before, but Cahnman hopes a new resolution could help convince the board to adopt the measure. The new resolution is hoping to answer a question that has kept many on the board from supporting it in the past: Does the state constitution allow recall? * WAND | Champaign City Council approves $1M for 7 gun violence prevention groups: Since the plan began in 2021, the number of people shot has dropped 61 percent. But the need for these organizations has not changed. The hospital believes sharing resources with families can make all the difference. “A lot of it is resource awareness and sharing,” Cook said. “We tell people, ‘We have this resource available. Here’s the information. Let me share it with you so you and your family, friends and neighborhood can connect and reach out.’ That is truly the intent behind the blueprint.” * WCBU | Peoria to consider a ban on kratom, hemp-based THC products: A first reading of a proposed ordinance that would block stores from offering kratom, hemp-based THC and other synthetic alternatives was presented to the Peoria City Council during busy four-hour meeting Tuesday. “There are a number of fatalities that are partially attributed to the use of kratom mixed with other substances,” said city attorney Patrick Hayes. “So many communities throughout the state and nation have made it illegal to sell at retail kratom.” * Media Ite | ‘I Saw You Right Here With Minutes to Spare!’ TMZ DC Reporter Grills House Dem Who Blamed Traffic for Missing Hegseth Vote: “The vote last night was at 6:05 p.m. I saw you on the steps last night about 10 minutes before that,” Cotton told Jackson. “You claimed there was a traffic jam that prevented you from reaching the vote and voting, but I had seen you having arrived on the steps with minutes to spare. So, I’m sorry to put you in a tricky position, but I’m wondering why didn’t you vote? You were here!” “It’s not a tricky position,” Jackson replied. “I shared with you that I missed the vote. There was a traffic jam that was there. It’s inexcusable. It’s not making an excuse for it. We should have been able to make the vote.” * NBC | Democrat Scott Colom wins Mississippi Senate race, breaking the GOP’s grip on the state: In a major upset, Scott Colom has defeated Republican Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith in Mississippi, NBC News projects, capping off a string of Democratic victories by flipping the reddest seat yet in this year’s midterms. Mississippi last elected a Democrat to the Senate 44 years ago, just a few weeks before Colom was born in 1982. Colom will become Mississippi’s first Black U.S. senator since the post-Civil War Reconstruction era. * Pew Research Center | What We Know – and Don’t Know – About Flock’s License Plate Cameras: A USA Today investigation published in September requested raw search logs directly from 120 law enforcement agencies across 24 states. Those logs, spanning three-and-a-half years, showed that more than 200,000 users had conducted 75 million searches covering nearly 4 million unique license plates during that time. That’s about 59,000 searches per day. * NYT | Most transgender people have no regrets years after hormone therapy, study says : Though some patients did regret medically transitioning, those rates are relatively low compared to other medical interventions. The rates of regret for back, knee and gastric bypass surgery, for instance, are all higher.
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Good morning!
Thursday, Nov 12, 2026 - Posted by Isabel Miller
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Selected press releases (live updates)
Thursday, Nov 12, 2026 - Posted by Isabel Miller
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