* ICYMI: Gov. JB Pritzker, Attorney General Kwame Raoul look back on first year of Trump 2.0. Tribune…

- Since Trump took office Jan. 20, 2025, Raoul said, his office has filed more than 50 lawsuits — often partnering with other states’ attorneys general.
- In a tight budget climate in Illinois, especially amid uncertainty about how much federal money the Trump administration will deprive the state, Raoul has pushed for his office to receive more state funding as it files more lawsuits and challenges Trump’s measures.
- Raoul said he’s hopeful the U.S. Supreme Court, despite its 6-3 conservative majority, will issue more favorable rulings for his office as it did in late December when the high court refused to allow Trump to deploy Illinois National Guard troops to Chicago-area streets. But Raoul has also noted that his office’s efforts prompted the Trump administration to back off or second-guess its moves.

* Related stories…

• Capitol News Illinois: ‘365 days of chaos’: Illinois Democrats reflect on 1st year of Trump’s 2nd term
• Sun-Times: One year and 51 lawsuits later, Illinois Democrats lament ‘chaos’ of second Trump administration

*** Isabel’s Top Picks ***

* The Detroit News | Construction of Asian carp barrier in Illinois hits another snag: The Democratic senators from both states wrote to the White House budget director and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, urging them to end the pause, review, and release the federal funds that Congress already approved to allow the project to proceed. They expressed concern that continued delay could soon affect the next round of contract awards and cause the long-delayed project’s cost to spike after more than a decade of study, engineering work and planning. “The federal investment currently is on hold without justification, and additional contracts for the project cannot be awarded due to the funding pause,” the senators wrote.

* Capitol News Illinois | Illinois lawmakers’ 2026 theme: affordability: “We’re going to focus on things that help folks in their household budget,” Welch told Capitol News Illinois. “We’re going to focus on things that help create good jobs, wage growth and opportunity. We’re going to help our small businesses continue to grow and succeed.” “Affordability” will be the word of the year, and Welch said members of his House Democratic caucus will be making decisions about their priorities through that lens.

* Tribune | Daily Herald, longtime suburban Chicago newspaper, notifies state of potential sale: In a Jan. 6 letter to the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, Paddock Publications said it was notifying the state and its employees 120 days before the potential sale, a requirement of a new law to support the dwindling number of local news outlets across Illinois. Executives at Paddock Publications did not respond to a request for comment, and the name of the prospective buyer was not disclosed in the filing.

*** Statehouse News ***

* Tribune | Gov. JB Pritzker’s office inks new deal with outside lawyer to advise in Chicago Bears stadium talks: Gov. JB Pritzker’s office signed a new $25,000 contract late last month with an outside attorney to continue advising the administration in negotiations with the Chicago Bears through the end of June as the NFL franchise seeks to pressure Springfield to act this spring on a proposal that would aid plans for a new stadium in Arlington Heights. The Pritzker administration’s top lawyer signed the agreement with Steve Argeris, a partner with New York-based law firm Weil, Gotshal & Manges, on Dec. 22, five days after the Tribune first reported Bears executives were widening the scope of their stadium-site search to include northwest Indiana. The team’s announcement in a letter to season ticket holders came a few weeks after Bears brass met with Pritzker and top aides in the governor’s Chicago office.

* Tribune | Republican hopeful Ted Dabrowski defends TV ad likening Gov. JB Pritzker to communist Poland, Ecuador turmoil: “So the big difference between me and him — right off the bat — is I’m from Cook County, my running mate’s from Cook County, we’re professionals. I think we know how to, what’s the right word, operate and work with people in Cook County and the suburbs,” Dabrowski said of himself and running mate Carrie Mendoza of Glencoe. “I don’t think Darren understood how to handle or understands how to handle up here. He’s a farmer, and I respect farmers. I value the heck out of farmers, but I don’t think he knew how to operate here.”

* ABC Chicago | Trump’s record set to be major talking point in Illinois gubernatorial race: “So, during this Republican primary, Darren and I are going to be spending a little bit of time in southern Illinois. But the second this primary is over, we’re going to be spending 100% of our time up north in the collar areas,” Del Mar said.

* WSIU | Darren Bailey/Aaron Del Mar launch ‘Take Back Illinois’ Bus Tour: The 5-day tour will make its way to southern Illinois on Thursday, January 22 with stops at Culver’s in Mt. Vernon from 4-5:30 p.m. and then Kiki’s Coffee House and Cafe in Anna 7- 8:30 p.m.

*** Chicago ***

* ABC Chicago | Chicago City Council to consider teen curfew, hemp ban, CPD settlements in 1st meeting of year: “Rule 41 Notice” was filed by 13th Ward Alderman Marty Quinn. He’s calling for a vote to prohibit the sale of any hemp-derived cannabis products on any location required to be licensed by the city. The council will also overview court settlements on Wednesday, which total about $22.8 million. $22 million could go to the family of Angel Eduardo Alvarez Montesinos, who claim police recklessly broke department rules as they pursued a fleeing car that fatally struck the 25-year-old in North Lawndale in 2023.

* Sun-Times | Lurie Children’s Hospital pauses gender-affirming meds for new patients under 18 after feds threaten probe: n a statement to WBEZ on Tuesday afternoon, Lurie Children’s Hospital said it won’t give any prescriptions to patients younger than 18 who would be new to gender-affirming care at its hospital, including if they had previously been prescribed the care at another hospital. Lurie has one of the oldest gender-affirming programs in the country. “Actions by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, including their announcement on January 15th of a referral for an investigation of Lurie Children’s, have resulted in this decision,” hospital spokesperson Julianne Bardele wrote. “This threatens our ability to care for all of our patients. … We remain committed to our patients and families and their ability to access expert medical care.”

* Tribune | Jury selected in trial of Chicago man accused of promoting gang bounty on Greg Bovino: The jury of six men and six women, plus two alternates, was sworn in about 3:30 p.m. to hear the case against Juan Martinez Espinoza, then promptly excused until opening statements Wednesday morning. The trial is expected to end by Friday. Few details on each of the jurors were discussed in open court. One is a man who said he works as a contracted truck driver. Another man takes care of an elderly family member. One juror, a woman, said she once served on a jury in California. Another male juror told the judge he’d just landed a second interview for a new job.

* ABC Chicago | Heating issues force Near North Side senior living residents to use ovens, portable heaters: As frigid air moves into the Chicago area, some senior residents at Evergreen Tower say they have had to use portable heaters and their own ovens to stay warm since, they say, many of the units have heating issues. “The more we complain, the more we get, ‘We’re working on it.’ And that’s the honest to God truth,” said Evergreen Tower resident Patricia Jordan.

* WTTW | Chicago Park District Is Giving Residents a Say in How to Spend $500K: People can submit park improvement ideas via an online portal through March 31. Look for submission forms at in-person park events as well. Realistic projects that could be funded through this process include fieldhouse security cameras, a nature play space, and ADA-accessible drinking fountains, benches and bleachers.

* WBEZ | Chicago to host monthlong UNESCO International Jazz celebration, including Herbie Hancock, Dianne Reeves and Ernest Dawkins: The global event will kick off April 1 with weeks of educational programming, master classes and special performances to the city. The month will culminate in the All-Star Global Concert on April 30 at Chicago’s Lyric Opera House. It will feature more than 40 international artists, including Hancock, Elling, Dianne Reeves, Ernest Dawkins, Dee Dee Bridgewater and Terence Blanchard.

* NYT | Mets bolster outfield defense by acquiring Luis Robert Jr. from White Sox: According to league sources, the Mets agreed to acquire center fielder Luis Robert Jr. from the Chicago White Sox late Tuesday night in exchange for infielder Luisangel Acuña and right-handed pitcher Truman Pauley. Robert is the fifth center fielder Stearns has acquired in two-plus years leading the Mets.

*** Cook County and Suburbs ***

* WGN | Naperville City Council rejects plan for data center after months of debate: City councilors rejected the proposal in a 6-1 vote, with two abstentions, late Tuesday night. […] Ahead of the vote, more than 5,000 people signed a petition urging the Naperville City Council to reject the proposed data center near a residential neighborhood.

* Evanston Now | D65 sets Kingsley closure vote for Thursday: The Evanston Skokie School District 65 board has scheduled a special meeting Thursday evening at which it’s scheduled to take a final vote on whether to close Kingsley Elementary School in June. The board has also scheduled three 90-minute public hearings this week on the Kingsley closure proposal — at 6 p.m. Wednesday and 9:30 a.m. and 7:15 p.m. Thursday.

* Daily Southtown | Case dropped against Harvey Park Board member who alleged politically motivated arrest: Brown-Oneal was arrested Dec. 29 following an allegation of domestic violence. Brown-Oneal told the Daily Southtown she was not the aggressor and said she suspected her arrest was an act of political retaliation. Brown-Oneal is one of two board members at the Harvey Park District suing other members for allegedly preventing her from conducting her duties. Prosecutors said the case would be dismissed because the accuser did not wish to proceed and the state did not otherwise have sufficient evidence to prosecute the case.

* Daily Herald | Palatine pausing Street Fest this summer: Palatine officials announced this week the annual Street Fest will not be held this summer, due to upcoming improvements in the downtown. In its place, though, will be two summer food truck events. Village Manager Reid Ottesen told the village council Monday the village could have had a condensed version similar to the village’s Oktoberfest, held just three weeks later.

*** Downstate ***

* Capitol News Illinois | Case of Legionnaires’ disease confirmed at state-operated developmental center: In a joint statement from IDPH and the Illinois Department of Human Services released late Tuesday, the agencies confirmed a single case at Shapiro Center — home to adults with intellectual or developmental disabilities. “Immediate control measures were taken to restrict use of potential sources of exposure, and testing those sources is underway,” the agencies said in a statement. “Those test results are still pending. IDPH and IDHS continue to work with facility staff to ensure all appropriate safety measures are implemented, including monitoring staff and residents for symptoms of Legionnaire’s disease, and prompt testing as needed.”

* WGLT | McLean County has plan for more timely audits, bill paying: “One of the things that we did highlight was the breakdown last year in communication between the auditor’s office and our external vendors. We’re making an effort to keep that conversation going, keep that communication live so that we don’t have any hiccups this year,” said Johnston. The county is hiring a records management coordinator and has just finished implementation of a piece of the Record Management System [RMS] software. Johnston said the coordinator is important in efforts to navigate a “massive amount of information” and make the system as efficient as possible.

* STLPR | Arch group has identified land for national park expansion in Illinois: East St. Louis has already acquired roughly 50 acres of developable land along the riverfront to the north and south of the park, according to St. Clair County property records. East St. Louis has also secured grant funding from the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency to clean up the land, said City Manager Robert Betts. “We believe that this is the engine that could really be the catalyst to drive economic development in the East St. Louis downtown corridor as a whole,” Betts said. “So, we’re excited about the possibilities of what lies ahead.”

*** National ***

* AP | IRS head announces a shake-up on the eve of the 2026 tax season: In a letter addressed to the agency’s 74,000 employees and viewed by The Associated Press, Chief Executive Officer Frank Bisignano announced new priorities and a reorganization of IRS executive leadership. Notably, Gary Shapley, the whistleblower who testified publicly about investigations into Hunter Biden’s taxes and served just two days as IRS Commissioner last year, was named deputy chief of the Criminal Investigation division. Guy Ficco, the head of Criminal Investigation, is set to retire and will be replaced by Jarod Koopman, who will also serve as chief tax compliance officer alongside Bisignano. Joseph Ziegler, another Hunter Biden whistleblower, was named chief of internal consulting, the letter said.

* NYT | DOGE Employees Shared Social Security Data, Court Filing Shows: Employees with the Department of Government Efficiency who were detailed to the Social Security Administration last March shared sensitive data through a nonsecure third party server, in violation of agency security policies, the Justice Department disclosed in a court filing. The Social Security Administration does not know what data was shared on the server or whether it still exists there, the Justice Department said in a Jan. 16 formal correction to statements that Social Security Administration officials made to a federal court in Maryland last spring.

* 404 Media | Feds Create Drone No Fly Zone That Would Stop People Filming ICE:
The order is particularly notable because it does not apply just to static locations like DHS offices, but also to “vessels and ground vehicle convoys and their associated escorts.” The notice classifies areas within 3,000 feet horizontally and up to 1,000 feet of altitude as no fly zones and as “national defense airspace,” meaning the skies up to a half mile from ICE vehicles in Minneapolis, for example, could fall under this new jurisdiction. The notice states that people who violate the restrictions can be charged criminally, could face civil penalties, and may lose their authority to fly drones in the future.