Illinois Future PAC released a new television ad, Sold Us Out, making Raja Krishnamoorthi’s ten-year record of selling out Illinoisans clear and responding to misleading attacks from his stalled U.S. Senate campaign.
The ad highlights Krishnamoorthi’s decade long record of accepting campaign donations from an ICE contractor while repeatedly voting to fund Immigration and Customs Enforcement. During a period when immigrant communities in Chicago were facing aggressive raids and family separations under Donald Trump, Krishnamoorthi continued taking that money and even voted to honor ICE.
The new ad comes as Krishnamoorthi’s campaign escalates negative and misleading television attacks, a move that reflects his inability to defend his own record and failure to climb in the polls despite millions in spending.
Raja Krishnamoorthi is trying to distract voters with dishonest and desperate attacks while Juliana Stratton has a strong record of action in defending Illinois values. As Lieutenant Governor, Juliana has consistently stood with immigrant families, opposed Trump’s cruel immigration agenda, and worked with Gov. Pritzker to make Illinois a firewall of protections against federal overreach. She has been a clear, vocal advocate for humane immigration policies and a partner to community leaders fighting back against ICE abuses.
With enrollment plunging at many of Illinois’ regional universities, state leaders are again pressing a sweeping overhaul of higher education funding — one that would steer more money to smaller campuses despite firm opposition from the state’s flagship system, the University of Illinois.
The proposal, years in the making, stalled in the General Assembly last year. Now lawmakers hope a revised version could gain traction this spring and direct more support to universities that serve larger shares of low- and moderate-income students, even as Gov. JB Pritzker cautioned last week that a final agreement remains far from certain. […]
The concept has won support from every public university system in the state except the University of Illinois, whose leaders have argued the proposed formula fails to account for fiscal nuances among universities, especially large institutions like U. of I. […]
If passed, the bill would instruct the Board of Higher Education to determine who qualifies as underserved every three years by identifying demographic, geographic and income gaps in “enrollment, retention, or completion” compared to the average.
* HB5024, filed by House Speaker Chris Welch, has been assigned to the Executive committee. Michael McLean…
Legislation has been filed in Illinois by the speaker of the house to ban detention centers around a lot of common land uses
A bipartisan effort is underway to eliminate the option of eminent domain for carbon dioxide pipelines in Illinois.
Carbon sequestration advocates say the process of storing carbon dioxide could benefit the environment and provide future energy options. Getting the industrial byproduct to storage locations requires pipelines. […]
“We just want to pass a simple bill. No eminent domain. Just like South Dakota, just like Iowa was trying to pass. Just like Minnesota. And that’s all we want,” [property rights advocate Kathleen Campbell] said.
With bipartisan support, Illinois Senate Bill 2842 has been assigned to the Senate Energy and Public Utilities Committee.
* Sen. Graciela Guzmán…
Together with advocates, colleagues and constituents, State Senator Graciela Guzmán spoke about the importance of establishing a Prescription Drug Affordability Board in Illinois to keep costs of essential medications down for working families and her plans to champion legislation establishing this board during spring legislative session. […]
A Prescription Drug Affordability Board is an independent board responsible for assessing which prescription drugs present affordability challenges to a state’s health care system. Senate Bill 66 would establish a Health Care Availability and Access Board in Illinois, which would be required to conduct cost reviews of specific prescription drugs to determine which are high-cost drugs and inaccessible to patients, as well as to impose maximum payment limits on purchases or payment plans on prescription drugs in the state. This will ensure prescriptions are not too expensive for working Illinoisans to afford them.
“Research shows we are able to keep costs down—we just need the courage to stand up to the large corporations interested in lining their wallets with working people’s money,” said Guzmán. “It is long past time to hold them accountable and deliver on our promises for everyday Illinoisans, and this measure is the first step.”
Senate Bill 66 awaits assignment to a legislative committee.
* Home for Good…
The Home for Good Coalition will host a press conference Wednesday to unveil legislation to create safer, stronger communities by improving housing and support services for people returning from prison to prevent homelessness, while increasing public safety and saving taxpayers money.
WHO:
Ahmadou Dramé, Director, Illinois Justice Project
Sen. Adriane Johnson, D-Buffalo Grove
Rep. Maurice West, D-Rockford
Maria Garza, Co-Founder of Challenge II Change
Andre Ruddock, Outreach Coordinator at the Chicago Area Fair Housing Alliance and Founder of Returning Citizens in Memory of Henry Dee
WHERE:
Illinois State Capitol Blue Room
401 S. 2nd Street
Springfield, Illinois
For anyone looking to take a passenger train from Quincy or Macomb to Chicago, or vice versa, making it to the station on time requires an early start or a late night. A new bill in Illinois aims to change that.
If adopted, the Passenger Rail Planning Act (H.B. 4279) would require the Illinois Department of Transportation to plan for increased frequency of passenger train departures at stations across Illinois as it outlines future investments.
“We would like to have the state create a long-range plan for every route in the state, including a train departing every four hours from Quincy and Macomb to head toward Chicago,” said Rick Harnish, executive director of the High Speed Rail Alliance (HSRA).
Harnish said the bill could bring six train departures a day to and from Quincy and Macomb, up from two (one in the morning, one in the evening).
* Rep. Rick Ryan…
State Rep. Rick Ryan, D-Evergreen Park, is holding a press conference to announce filing a bill to name the Italian beef sandwich as the official state sandwich of Illinois on Friday, Feb. 27 at 11:30 a.m. at Pop’s Beef, located at 10337 S. Kedzie Ave. in Chicago.
“The Italian beef sandwich has long been a staple of Illinois meals,” Ryan said. “It’s our most well known sandwich, and I’m excited to see this officially named as our state sandwich. It really represents a part of Illinois culture that so many of us enjoy.”
Ryan sponsored House Bill 4669 to officially name the Italian beef sandwich as the state sandwich. The measure received bipartisan support and passed unanimously out of committee. It awaits a full vote in the House later in the spring.
* This recent story in Fortune magazine started me thinking about the governor’s proposals to ban mobile phones in school classrooms and the “Children’s Social Media Safety Act”…
YouTube cofounder Steve Chen said at a talk at the Stanford Graduate School of Business last year that he wouldn’t want his kids consuming only short-form content, noting that it might be better to limit kids to videos longer than 15 minutes. […]
At the 2024 Aspen Ideas Festival, early Facebook investor and billionaire Peter Thiel joined Chen among the ranks of tech leaders who are setting strict limits on screens. Thiel said he only lets his two young children use screens for an hour-and-a-half per week, a revelation that prompted audible gasps from the audience. […]
Other tech CEOs, including Microsoft’s Bill Gates, Snap’s Evan Spiegel, and Tesla’s Elon Musk, have also spoken about limiting their children’s access to devices. Gates has said he did not give his children smartphones until age 14 and banned phones at the dinner table entirely. Snap CEO Evan Spiegel, in 2018, said he limits his child to the same 1.5 hours per week of screen time as Thiel. And finally, Musk, who bought the social media company X, formerly Twitter, in 2022, said it “might’ve been a mistake” to not set any rules on social media for his children. […]
Scientific research backs up their parenting instincts. A 2025 study of nearly 100,000 people found that short-form video use was consistently associated with poorer cognition and a decline in many aspects of mental health across both younger and older social media users.
* From the governor’s one-pager on the classroom phone ban…
School districts would be required to adopt the set of policies that best fits their needs within the following parameters:
• Banning Personal Devices During the School Day: Wireless communication devices will be banned for the entire school day, with the following exceptions:
o Schools must allow exceptions:
▪ When a medical professional determines that the possession or use of a wireless communication device is necessary for the management of a student’s health care.
▪ To fulfill an Individualized Education Plan or 504 plan.
▪ When the device is necessary for students who are English learners to access learning materials, participate in class, or otherwise facilitate communication.
▪ When a student is a caregiver and is routinely responsible for the care and wellbeing of a family member.
o Schools may choose to allow exceptions:
▪ For high school students to access their phone during their lunch period.
▪ In the event of an emergency or in response to an imminent threat.
▪ When a teacher or instructor has authorized the student to use a wireless communication device for educational purposes—e.g. Chromebook use, technology-based activities, etc.
o Enforcement of these policies via fines, fees, suspensions, expulsions, ticketing, or deployment of a School Resource Officer or a local law enforcement officer will be prohibited.
• Creating Device Storage Options: Each school district will identify guidelines for wireless device storage during the school day that best fits their needs to prevent use, loss, or theft.
* And this is from the governor’s summary of the Children’s Social Media Safety Act (HB5511/SB3977)…
Big tech companies have abandoned their responsibility to keep kids safe online, with social media presenting as a growing concern for parents and families in Illinois and across the nation. Numerous studies show that tech companies have knowingly designed features and algorithms designed to encourage overuse—leaving young people vulnerable to numerous health concerns like eating disorders, depression, and anxiety. In addition to algorithms, strangers have made more inroads than ever before to exploit and potentially harm children. Parents need more tools to protect their kids, and kids need to know they are safe when they’re online.
The Children’s Social Media Safety Act will:
• Prohibit social media companies from providing an addictive feed and sending nighttime notifications for users under 18, decreasing the harmful effects of social media use.
• Increase child safety online by requiring social media companies to apply default privacy settings based on a user’s age to protect the user’s location data and profile information.
• Prevent financial abuse by requiring apps and websites to obtain parental consent for in- app purchases and financial transactions between children and unknown users.
• Allow parents to choose which online actions they want their children to engage in.
How will this work for families?
When a parent or guardian is setting up a new device with their child, the device’s operating system will be required to confirm the child’s age. The device will share the child’s age with apps when downloaded, which will then be required to enact default settings based on that age. Once that’s done, the Children’s Social Media Safety Act requires the device to share a general age range with websites and apps who are required to use the following default settings for kids:
• No addicting algorithmic feeds
• No nighttime notifications
• No on-platform location sharing
• No user profile sharing
• No in-app purchases without parental consent
• No financial transactions between children and unknown users
As we’ve discussed, he’s also proposing a $200 million “fee” on social media companies that’s advertised as going to education.
Today, Ted Dabrowski, conservative candidate for governor, released new ads that will air on television, digital & social media platforms and radio. The spots hold the tandem of J.B. Pritzker & Brandon Johnson — and they are a tandem — accountable for both their anti-law-enforcement rhetoric and their shared, dismal public safety record.
In addition to standing with the victims and their families in the tragic and shocking cases referenced, Dabrowski is aligned with police and state’s attorneys statewide and even the former Democrat Clerk of the Cook County Circuit Court who warned of, and since documented, the devastation wrought by JB’s purge law and BJ’s support of defunding police.
Dabrowski’s top priority is to restore public safety by repealing the SAFE-T Act and sanctuary state statute and backing law enforcement statewide.
JB & BJ are the liars and the fearmongers. They are the sickness that is killing Illinois and Illinoisans.
They give sanctuary to foreign predators and sanction to domestic, repeat offenders while vilifying police.
A Cook County study found 74% of criminal defendants failed to show up to court after being released under Pritzker’s SAFE-T Act.
I will repeal Pritzker’s Purge Law and end JB and BJ’s killing spree before it hits you.
The “study” referred to in the ad was widely panned…
But in response to questions on Wednesday, Martinez declined to discuss her office’s methodology or explain how it reached some of the figures cited in the letter. For example, the total number of cases during the period Martinez cited was 30,000 higher than those released by Chief Judge Timothy Evans’ office.
And an independent study had completely different results…
In 21 counties examined, overall FTA rates (with and without a warrant issued) decreased after the PFA, from 25.1% to 22.8%.
JB & BJ are the liars and the fearmongers. They are the sickness that is killing Illinois and Illinoisans.
They give sanctuary to foreign predators and sanction to domestic, repeat offenders while vilifying police.
Listen to this suburban police chief…”Who are we keeping safe here when you call it the SAFE-T Act?”…not you.
I will repeal Pritzker’s Purge Law and end JB and BJ’s killing spree before it hits you.
The police chief in question complained loudly that he couldn’t keep someone behind bars for a misdemeanor theft charge.
Also, “JB and BJ’s killing spree.” Whew.
* Let’s move on to Holly Kim’s new digital ad. Press release…
Holly Kim, candidate for Illinois State Comptroller, this weekend released her first state-wide digital ad ahead of the March 17th primary.
Titled “Protector,” the ad features scenes from the campaign trail, highlighting Kim’s months-long state-wide ground game making her case directly to voters. The ad also underscores Kim’s experience as the only candidate in the race already doing the job.
Raja: I’m Raja Krishnamoorthi, and I approve this message.
VO: Juliana Stratton keeps getting caught. Stratton says she doesn’t take corporate or MAGA money, but that’s just not true. Stratton’s taken hundreds of thousands of dollars from corporate lobbyists and Trump donors. Stratton super PACs caught taking money from a company that helps run the worst ICE facility in Chicago. And even violating federal election law.
Juliana Stratton, corporate and maga donations, ICE contractor money, accused of breaking federal laws. Hypocrisy we can’t trust.
* Back to Raja’s press release…
Stratton’s hypocrisy has already been exposed. Don’t take our word for it — see the reporting below.
THE TRUTH: Stratton has taken hundreds of thousands of dollars from corporate, lobbyist, and Trump donors.
Chicago Sun-Times: “Stratton vows to not take corporate PAC money in Senate bid but has history of getting corporate backing.” “But Stratton has a history of accepting corporate PAC and direct corporate contributions into her state campaign funds since 2016….This year, she also received $5,000 in corporate PAC money and $46,000 from corporations in her super PAC.”
Chicago Tribune: “Federal campaign finance records show a separate committee she set up a few months before launching her Senate bid, Level Up PAC, accepted contributions from corporate PACs and directly from corporations.”
Capitol Fax: “Stratton’s Campaign Took Nearly $40,000, Or 2% Of Her Fundraising, From MAGA & Trump Donors.”
THE TRUTH: Stratton’s super PAC got caught taking money from a company that helps run the worst ICE facility in Chicago.
- CBS Chicago: “The Democratic Lieutenant Governor’s Association, which is helping get Stratton elected, has received a six-figure donation from ICE contractor CoreCivic.”
- WBEZ: “Prison company hiring for Chicago-area ICE centers ready to cash in on Trump deportation campaign.” “CoreCivic is looking for administrative workers to help U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Chicago and at ICE’s Broadview processing facility.”
THE TRUTH: Stratton’s other super PAC got caught breaking federal election law.
- Capitol News Illinois: “But within hours of its launch, the PAC had to update the ad after Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi’s campaign noted it appeared to violate federal campaign finance law by failing to disclose that it was not authorized by Stratton or her campaign.”
* The Juliana campaign fired back with a press release responding to Raja’s negative ad. But if it ain’t on TV, etc., nobody’s gonna know about it…
After spending more than $25 million on TV ads, Raja Krishnamoorthi went negative today, desperately resorting to attacking Juliana Stratton as momentum solidifies behind her campaign. Krishamoorthi has flooded the airwaves since July with little movement in the polls. Entering the final stretch of the race, Juliana’s campaign is soaring with major endorsements, standout debate performances, and a clear belief among voters that she’s the strongest candidate to take on Donald Trump and fight for Illinois in the U.S. Senate.
Statement from Juliana for Illinois spokesperson Allison Janowski:
“Juliana Stratton has the momentum in this race, and Raja Krishnamoorthi has gotten desperate. Despite spending $25 million, he’s failed to move the needle because voters know who he really represents: corporate PACs, MAGA allies, Trump advisors, and ICE contractors. It’s clear Juliana is the strongest candidate to take on Donald Trump and fight for Illinois in the U.S. Senate, and no amount of Raja’s lies can change that.”
The content of the attack ad shows that Raja is trying to run from his own record of being weak on Trump and weak on ICE. Reporting from the Chicago Sun-Times in December revealed that Raja has taken more $90,000 dollars from key Trump and MAGA allies, including $30,000 from the Chief Technology Officer of Palantir, an ICE contractor that helped enable the agency’s terror campaign in Chicago and across the country.
THE FACTS:
Palantir CTO Shyam Sankar contributed more than $30,000 to Krishnamoorthi’s campaign. Sankar personally toured “a new high-tech immigrant tracking system” with DHS Secretary Kristi Noem and is profiting off of Trump’s deportation agenda, becoming an “overnight billionaire” during his administration. Krishnamoorthi doubled down on the donations before donating it after facing public backlash.
- Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi didn’t just take ICE contractor money – his record in the House shows he refuses to stand up to ICE when it counts. In June, Krishnamoorthi joined Republicans on a resolution to “express gratitude” to ICE “for protecting the homeland.” The vote came as ICE was already making arrests in Chicago’s South Loop and executing mass immigration raids in Los Angeles. He knew what ICE was doing, and he still chose to thank ICE.
- Krishnamoorthi has also faced criticism for accepting tens of thousands in campaign funds from donors with direct ties to Trump’s MAGA agenda, including a Project 2025 author and Heritage Foundation advisor.
- Krishnamoorthi also accepted $30,000 from Dr. Vijay G. Prabhakar, who “saluted Trump’s historic leadership,” and praised Kristi Noem for her role in Trump’s “Leadership Team Built for Victory.”
- Krishnamoorthi took $5,000 from Space X even after Elon Musk was announced as the head of DOGE and joked about Joe Biden and Kamala Harris being assassinated. He only returned it when he got caught.
- Juliana’s campaign is not taking any money from corporate PACs, ICE contractors, or MAGA allies. The Krishnamoorthi campaign knows this, but is resorting to launching misleading attacks on third party organizations to distract from the fact that he has personally solicited and accepted money from ICE contractors, corporate PACs, and MAGA allies for the past decade to fund his Senate campaign.
* More…
* Sun-Times | As Stratton airs ad with anti-Trump expletive, Krishnamoorthi launches first negative TV ad attacking her: The final weeks of a heated U.S. Senate race have proven to be feisty during live forums and debates, but a bit tamer on television — until now. Krishnamoorthi’s foray into an attack ad is the first to go negative on television in the statewide race to replace retiring U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin. And it comes as Stratton airs her first TV ad — and a pro-Stratton super PAC with $5 million of Gov. JB Pritzker’s dollars being used to run pro-Stratton ads.
* Press release | International Association of Machinist and Aerospace workers endorses Juliana Stratton for US Senate: Today, the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) endorsed Lt. Governor Juliana Stratton for United States Senate. IAM represents more than 600,000 members across the country. Juliana has been a champion for workers across her career, and has worked hand and hand with organized labor to make Illinois the best state to work. “I’m deeply honored to be endorsed by the Machinists’ Union. For generations, IAM members have shown that when working people stand shoulder to shoulder, they create real change,” said Juliana Stratton. “We share a commitment to protecting workers’ rights, fighting for fair wages, and ensuring safe, dignified working conditions. Together, we’ll build an economy that respects the value of every worker and proves that our greatest strength has always been our solidarity.”
* Text from a prominent subscriber over the weekend…
New Indiana fiscal note dropped Friday night. An absolute cornucopia of new taxes.
Admissions tax established. New one percent food and beverage tax in Lake and Porter County. New Lake County 5% hotel tax. Creation of special taxing district in Hammond that captures sales, use tax, and income tax(!) paid within the district. Two new funds created for the collection of “all excise taxes.” Incremental sales and property tax growth in district is captured. Tollway pays for any related road improvements in a 7 county area. One provision reads: “at least 50% of the cost of the project to construct a professional spoon facility must be provided by private investment” — which kinda implies the taxpayers will be on the hook for 49%
I’m probably missing stuff.
Whew.
Click here to see what the subscriber missed, if anything.
After jolting Illinois leaders by praising Indiana’s stadium push, the Chicago Bears now say they are moving forward on legislation in Springfield.
“We continue to work with Illinois’ leadership and appreciate the progress being made,” Bears CEO Kevin Warren said today in a statement shared with Crain’s.
The shift in tone comes two days after the team hailed an Indiana House committee’s approval of a stadium finance authority in Hammond as the “most meaningful efforts in our stadium planning efforts to date” — a statement that drew a sharp rebuke from Gov. JB Pritzker, who said he was “surprised, dismayed and very disappointed” by that messaging.
Pritzker noted that the Bears’ enthusiastic assessment of Indiana’s efforts came just a day after his staff, legislators and team representatives met for three hours to discuss legislation the team is seeking in Illinois.
Wherever the Bears end up, city and state officials are laying the groundwork for a Bears-less future at Soldier Field. Fox 32 Chicago has learned that members of the Chicago Park District have been quietly pitching a plan for the 101-year-old stadium to state lawmakers and the governor’s office in recent weeks.
The plan involves transforming the stadium into a massive concert and special event venue, and it carries an expected price tag of $630 million, according to a draft of the presentation shared with Fox 32 Chicago.
Sources say the money breaks down to $130 million in direct stadium renovations, including a new sound system and new dressing rooms, and half a billion in surrounding infrastructure to tackle traffic management and parking.
Park District officials say a chunk of the cost could be covered by the Bears — who will owe nearly $90 million if they break their lease with the Park District before 2033. Park District officials are pitching state lawmakers on a funding package that would include money from the state’s road fund — paid for by motor fuel taxes — to help with the infrastructure upgrades.
As Indiana and Illinois lawmakers spar over where the Chicago Bears should build a new stadium, even Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker acknowledged Friday that the team’s next home is unlikely to rise within Chicago’s city limits.
“I think now there’s a common understanding by most of the (Illinois) General Assembly that they’re not going to be able to build in the city of Chicago,” Pritzker said.
Pritzker’s pronouncement came a day after Indiana lawmakers took another step toward potentially luring the Chicago Bears across the border to Hammond, as a key Indiana House committee approved a plan to create an agency that would build a new stadium for the team.
The vote more firmly pits Indiana versus Illinois as the Bears weigh a move from Soldier Field, their home for more than half a century. And given the lack of movement on any stadium projects near Soldier Field or elsewhere in Chicago, Pritzker’s latest comments suggest that Illinois’ only viable option is the land the Bears own in northwest suburban Arlington Heights.
The poll is here. They didn’t ask about the Bears stadium for some reason.
Also, the Indiana Capital Chronicle has a couple of good stories on this Bears topic, plus this tidbit…
Gov. Mike Braun gave several television interviews over the weekend on the topic saying the likelihood of the move is now “better than 50/50.” In another interview he said he hoped to “ink” the deal “within a month or two.”
Monday, Feb 23, 2026 - Posted by Advertising Department
[The following is a paid advertisement.]
The Illinois General Assembly is considering legislation (HB 3799, SA 2 &3) that could make homeowners insurance unaffordable for many Illinoisans.
The proposal would destabilize a healthy, competitive market, creating a regulatory framework that is more extreme than what exists in any other state. This will increase premiums and reduce competition.
Our robust insurance market has kept homeowners’ rates middle-of-the-pack nationally, even though Illinois has more hail damage claims than any other state except Texas.
To protect affordability and consumer choice, lawmakers should VOTE NO.
As expected, we did not see a whole lot of spending increases in Gov. JB Pritzker’s state budget proposal last week.
Last year, Pritzker said his budget limited discretionary spending to less than a 1 percent increase. The plan unveiled last week limits discretionary spending to less than a half a point increase.
An education funding lobby day was held the day before the budget address in Springfield. The teachers unions decried the state for not living up to its evidence-based funding law, which was supposed to bring all schools up to 90% “adequate” funding levels by next year.
Instead, the annual evidence-based funding ramp is way behind, and the unions say the state won’t reach its target until 2034. So, they claim, the state “owes” K-12 schools $5 billion and “owes” higher education another $1 billion. And, as they’ve been demanding for a while, they want it all now.
Pritzker’s budget proposal does increase spending on “mandated categoricals” for K-12 schools (things like special education, transportation and school lunches) by $51 million which, the governor’s office says, “benefit all districts.”
But the governor’s plan will raise the annual evidence-based funding plan ramp payment increase by just $5 million, to $305 million. Higher education spending will be limited to a 1 percent increase, similar to last year, and way behind inflation.
The day before the governor delivered his proposed budget to lawmakers, rumors circulated among legislators that K-12 education would receive an additional $200 million. Some people assumed that money would be used to boost the state’s evidence-based funding law.
The governor’s budget proposal did indeed project $200 million in revenues from imposing a new “social media platform fee,” and the money was earmarked for education. But, as I noted above, evidence-based funding was given only an additional $5 million on top of its (mostly) usual $300 million annual increase.
According to a PowerPoint presentation from the governor’s budget office, that $200 million, if approved and if the fee survives a legal challenge, would be “dedicated to supporting education.”
My associate Isabel Miller asked Pritzker during his post-address news conference where that $200 million would go.
“Well, guess what? The Legislature has a lot to say about how the money would be spent, but I think the important thing is that our education system, our K-12 system across the state, needs that kind of support,” Pritzker said. Then he moved on before she could follow up.
But wait, this is Pritzker’s own budget proposal. And all the revenue from that new fee are included in his spending plan. The governor’s budget wouldn’t balance without it.
So, I followed up with the governor’s office to ask where, specifically, that money was going.
“The proposal is to deposit it into the Common School Fund — the same place the Lottery is deposited — to support the cost of K-12 education. The Common School Fund is one of the General Funds, so the deposit is reflected in the General Funds budget proposal.”
OK, but according to the governor’s budget book, the Common School Fund is expected to grow by $103 million in the coming fiscal year — roughly half of the $200 million it’s receiving. And the Lottery’s contribution to the fund is projected to grow by $17 million (to $832 million out of a $6.96 billion fund budget).
Ironically, this sort of thing used to happen with the Lottery all the time. The gambling cash didn’t really add new money to school funding, but it did help the state shift an equal amount away to the rest of the budget every year.
In this case, $200 million is being added to the school fund, but, in the process, $114 million appears to have been shifted out of the fund to the rest of the budget.
Pritzker held a news conference Friday to tout his new proposal to ban cellphones in classrooms.
Afterward, the Illinois Federation of Teachers had seen enough and issued a sharply critical statement.
“What educators will tell you is that creating more unfunded mandates while failing to fund the ones already on the books — special education, nutritional supports for hungry children and school transportation — is out of order,” said the federation’s Executive Vice President Cyndi Oberle-Dahm via news release.
“The state of Illinois owes its students $6 billion for pre-K to Ph.D., and that is where the governor should start.”
Monday, Feb 23, 2026 - Posted by Advertising Department
[The following is a paid advertisement.]
Illinois’ competitive system protects consumers and keeps carriers investing here—let’s not break what works. Independent research shows slow, uncertain rate reviews push insurers out and costs up. HB 3799 was already defeated in Veto Session—keep it that way. Vote NO.
* Biss goes after Sen. Laura Fine in his own ad. Press release…
Today, Biss for Congress (IL-09) announced the release of “Not Standing With Us,” a new broadcast and digital ad highlighting the overwhelming amount of AIPAC and Trump donor money powering Laura Fine’s campaign for Congress.
Fine has taken more than $1 million from donors to AIPAC and nearly $60,000 from donors to Donald Trump, raising more money from Trump donors than she did from residents of the 9th District last quarter. Last week, she admitted at a forum that she is the only candidate for IL-09 who is taking contributions from donors to Donald Trump. Laura Fine won’t stand up to MAGA – because MAGA is funding her campaign.
Transcript:
Do you take donations from Trump supporters? [Fine holds up “YES” sign]
Laura Fine’s campaign is bankrolled by MAGA donors and hard-right groups.
Fine accepted over a million dollars from supporters of AIPAC, a Trump-aligned pro-Netanyahu lobbying group.
She’s taken $60,000 from Trump donors and a MAGA-aligned group even called her a fighter of her own.
Laura Fine doesn’t want you to know who’s standing with her because then we’ll know she’s not standing with us.
The Biss for Congress campaign released the following statement:
“Daniel Biss is running for Congress because he understands that this moment needs real leaders with a proven track record of fighting Donald Trump. Laura Fine is running for Congress to be a rubber stamp for AIPAC and her MAGA donors – just like she was a rubber stamp for Mike Madigan and the health insurance lobby in Springfield. Ninth District voters won’t be fooled by these slimy dark money ads, and they won’t allow right-wing special interests to pick our next member of Congress.”
Daniel Biss was one of the first leaders in Illinois to call for Mike Madigan’s resignation – Laura Fine stayed quiet. In 2018, Biss became the first legislative Democrat in Illinois to call for Madigan’s resignation as Illinois Democratic Party chair as sexual harassment allegations. In 2020, Biss was one of 53 Illinois Democratic leaders to call for Madigan’s resignation in an open letter. Laura Fine was notably absent.
The “Madigan-funded super PAC” referenced in AIPAC’s ad was an anti-Trump PAC funded by JB Pritzker, Illinois labor unions, and prominent Laura Fine donors. The PAC the ad attacks spent all of its funds on ads against Donald Trump in 2016. Its largest donors included JB Pritzker and prominent unions while its single largest donor was Michael Sacks (a donor to Laura Fine).
In 2012, Daniel Biss and the state legislature voted to save Medicaid from “the brink of collapse.” State legislators overwhelmingly passed a bipartisan legislative package to protect Medicaid for more than 99% of enrollees by bringing the program in line with other states and passing a $1 per pack tax increase on cigarettes. The National Association of Medicaid Directors said Illinois’ actions were considered “very consistent with what you’ve seen in other states.”
Laura Fine voted to cut Medicaid for 30,000 Illinoisans just last year. In 2025, Illinois passed a budget that eliminated the Health Benefits for Immigrant Adults program, which provided Medicaid-like coverage to immigrants in Illinois. While Laura Fine skipped the final vote, she voted for an earlier version of the budget just two days earlier. This program, which Fine voted to cut, had covered 30,000 Illinois residents.
In Springfield, Laura Fine voted with Republicans to kill health insurance reforms and then took tens of thousands of dollars from insurance and pharma companies. Fine was just one of just a handful of Democrats who split from the party, voting with every Republican and the insurance industry, to block HB 23, a bill to create an independent Office of the Consumer Health Insurance Counsel that would have represented the interests of consumers against health insurance companies. Perhaps that’s why insurance and pharma companies have given Fine tens of thousands of dollars worth of campaign donations.
Monday, Feb 23, 2026 - Posted by Advertising Department
[The following is a paid advertisement.]
At Internode Greenery & Home, owner Michele Arana-Bianchi is helping historic downtown Joliet bloom. Filled with lush, easy-care plants, artisan home goods, and hands-on workshops, the shop is a colorful hub for connections and community. When visitors stop in, they can grow something beautiful.
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- Meta is preparing to spend $65 million this year to boost state politicians who are friendly to the artificial intelligence industry, beginning this week in Texas and Illinois, according to company representatives.
- In Illinois, Making Our Tomorrow is set to begin spending in at least four State House races, according to a representative for the group. The money will go toward positive digital ads and direct mail sent to voters.
- Meta last year struck a deal in Illinois to buy power from a nuclear power plant. The state’s Democratic-run legislature has proposed several A.I. regulations, some of which have been passed and signed into law by Gov. JB Pritzker.
340B hospitals charge big medicine markups. Illinois pays the price.
340B medicine markups are big business for hospitals. Under the federal 340B program, nonprofit hospitals can buy medicines for pennies, then charge huge markups – even on life-saving medicines. Big hospital systems pocket the program profits – passing the bill to Illinois patients, employers and taxpayers who are hit with higher medicine costs. The program’s lack of oversight has led to 340B becoming a profit engine for hospitals, PBMs, private equity firms and big chain pharmacies. It’s time for Congress to hold hospitals accountable and fix 340B. Read more.
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*** Isabel’s Top Picks ***
* Illinois Answers Project | Edwardsville Officials Assured Residents on Facebook The City Had ‘No Formal Proposal’ For a Data Center — But City Emails Tell a Fuller Story: In a post on the city’s official Facebook page on Feb. 10, it noted that while data centers were a hot topic in the Metro East and that the city had gotten “an inquiry” on the process to build such a center in town, it had received “no formal proposal.” But that post does not tell the full story, according to dozens of emails reviewed by Illinois Answers Project between top Edwardsville city officials and a firm looking to develop massive data centers in the region. For almost a year, the developer, Cloverleaf Infrastructure, has discussed in detail a proposal and site selection in Edwardsville with city and county officials, according to the nearly two dozen emails reviewed by Illinois Answers.
* WBEZ | Pritzker budget proposal leaves funding flat for the arts in Illinois in 2026-2027: In 2025, the state made a big increase in funding for the arts, growing the budget from $15.5 million to $25.5 million annually. Still, the Arts Alliance says the state has not supported the arts the way it did two decades ago. “We’re grateful to not see any cuts in a tough budget year, but we’re not where we need to be in terms of per capita funding for arts and culture,” said Claire Rice, executive director of Arts Alliance Illinois. “We really want to see that number higher, particularly since arts funding is such a small fraction of the total budget. Even modest increases in the grand scheme of the budget means a lot to our creative community.”
*** Statehouse News ***
* Sun-Times | State Sen. Emil Jones III survived federal charges, but now faces challengers in March primary: “Senator Jones has a strong political apparatus and has demonstrated time and again he’s more than capable of running a good campaign that delivers his track record and message to the voters of his district. We’re keeping a close eye on that race,” said a spokesman for Illinois Senate President Don Harmon, who hasn’t formally endorsed Jones.
* Press release | Dabrowski releases new ads promising to end SAFE-T, sanctuary laws: oday, Ted Dabrowski, conservative candidate for governor, released new ads that will air on television, digital & social media platforms and radio. The spots hold the tandem of J.B. Pritzker & Brandon Johnson — and they are a tandem — accountable for both their anti-law-enforcement rhetoric and their shared, dismal public safety record. In addition to standing with the victims and their families in the tragic and shocking cases referenced, Dabrowski is aligned with police and state’s attorneys statewide and even the former Democrat Clerk of the Cook County Circuit Court who warned of, and since documented, the devastation wrought by JB’s purge law and BJ’s support of defunding police.
* The Hill | Pritzker tells Trump to ‘cut the check’ after tariffs ruling: Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker (D) on Thursday called on President Trump to “cut the check” and issue refunds to American taxpayers after the Supreme Court struck down a cornerstone of his economic agenda, tariffs. “The Supreme Court just confirmed what we already know. Trump’s tariffs are illegal. He did it without the support of Congress or the voters, and you paid the price,” Pritzker said in a short video posted on the social platform X. He claimed Trump “illegally took $1,700 from every American family,” a figure that falls within the range cited in Yale Budget Lab research from March of last year, which projected an average household loss of between $1,600 and $2,000 due to the tariffs.
*** Chicago ***
* Sun-Times | Business license fees increased this year, some by as high as 400%: For example, fees for two-year regulated business licenses jumped from $250 to $1,000 on Jan. 1. The new fees also apply to license renewals. On Feb. 1, the annual license fee for a charter/sightseeing vehicle increased to $1,000 from $500. Some advocates contend higher business license fees are yet another burden for small businesses facing economic headwinds, including inflation, tariffs, and higher costs for health care and labor. Weaker consumer demand and raids by federal immigration agents last fall have also hurt many small businesses in Chicago.
* WTTW | Chicago Police Department’s Compliance With Consent Decree ‘Too Slow’: Federal Judge: CPD has fully complied with 22% of the consent decree’s requirements, according to the most recent report from the independent monitoring team charged with keeping track of the progress of reform. The binding court order will mark its seventh anniversary on March 1. Pallmeyer’s statements represent the first time since December 2024 that she has expressed concerns about the pace of reforms.
* Fox Chicago | Chicago Park District pitches $630 million plan for a post-Bears Soldier Field: Sources say the money breaks down to $130 million in direct stadium renovations, including a new sound system and new dressing rooms, and half a billion in surrounding infrastructure to tackle traffic management and parking. Park District officials say a chunk of the cost could be covered by the Bears — who will owe nearly $90 million if they break their lease with the Park District before 2033. Park District officials are pitching state lawmakers on a funding package that would include money from the state’s road fund — paid for by motor fuel taxes — to help with the infrastructure upgrades.
* Sun-Times | Chicago clergy kick off funeral services with tribute to Rev. Jesse Jackson: Jackson’s wife, Jacqueline Jackson, and children sat in the front row during the forum while members of the community filled almost every seat in Rainbow PUSH’s South Side auditorium. Rev. Ciera Bates-Chamberlain said the best way to honor Jackson was to continue to “keep hope alive,” the signature rallying cry of the late reverend. “Dr. King gave us a dream and he spoke of a dream,” said Bates-Chamberlain, executive director of Live Free Illinois. “The Rev. Jackson spoke of hope.”
* John Owen’s | The Election of Harold Washington, Forty-Three Years Later: Long before the result was inevitable, the campaign was predicting victory and was considering what comes next. What struck me was how he frames the transition not just in managerial terms but in almost philosophical ones. The document breaks objectives into “political, administrative and spiritual” categories. Political and administrative make sense. But spiritual? That’s not campaign jargon. That’s movement language.
* WTTW | Birders Capture Image of ‘Odd’ Duck and Accidentally Make a Key Scientific Discovery: The curious cluster of non-native swamp crayfish (Procambarus clarkii) at River Park, where the North Branch and North Shore Channel converge, happens to be a focus area of study for Loyola professor Reuben Keller, who specializes in aquatic invasive species. One of Keller’s graduate students, Tava Oosterbaan, had recently wrapped up a study looking at the presence of microplastics in the crayfish. While it had already been established that fish in the river were eating the crustaceans, it was pure speculation birds were doing so as well.
* Naperville Sun | Naperville D203 to offer teacher retirement incentives as $12.4M deficit looms: A memorandum of agreement between the district and its teachers union, Naperville Unit Education Association, approved by the board with a 5-1 vote Tuesday, is a means through which the district can begin to close a projected $12.4 million budget deficit. As part of the agreement, eligible employees can agree to an irrevocable intent to retire this year by March 6 and receive full retirement benefits with the Teachers’ Retirement System. Employees who previously informed the district of their intention to retire at the end of the 2026-27 school year or later are also allowed to update their terms so they may retire this year.
* Daily Southtown | Chicago Heights-based employment training program gets state funding boost: Mandela and dozens of her colleagues enrolled in a pre-apprenticeship program at Bethel Family Resource Center in Chicago Heights. They had 25 different trades to choose from in the program, including instruction in heating, ventilation, air conditioning, electric, plumbing, carpentry, labor and sheet metal work. After their completed training, they receive help applying to unions that specialize in their chosen fields. The 13-week Illinois Works Pre-Apprenticeship Program, which has been going on at Bethel since 2022, offers candidates a program that is tuition-free while paying a stipend and offering other support services. Instructors also teach about employability, practicing for interviews and ways to “make yourself more sellable to people,” Mandela explained. They also become certified in CPR and learn about sexual harassment prevention.
* Daily Southtown | Respond Now pantry reopens in Chicago Heights, now faces SNAP changes: The building has a larger food pantry space, a new conference room, nicer bathrooms and is overall more warm and comfortable, Wolf said. Wolf said he expects several other projects to be completed in the next few months, such as landscaping, self-service food pantry stations, extended food pantry hours and a renovated clothing room, where people can donate clothes for families in need.
* Daily Herald | ‘Everyone deserves a cake for their birthday’: Grayslake teen baker donates creations to food pantry: The self-taught baker pledged to donate 26 cake kits each month to the food pantry this year. Next year, she hopes to increase that number to 27. The idea came to her last fall after the federal government shutdown resulted in the suspension of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program that provides food assistance to low-income families.
*** Downstate ***
* WICS | Sangamon County board members to issue moratorium on data center vote: County board members Marc Ayers and David Mendenhall are filing a moratorium–or a 180 day pause– on the data center. Marc Ayers said a moratorium doesn’t halt the project completely–but gives county leaders time to evaluate infrastructure, environmental impacts, and community input before moving forward.
* WGLT | ISU trustees approve 5% tuition increase for new students this fall: “If we actually were covering the entire cost next year of our expenses, the tuition increase would be even greater than 5%,” said Nelson. He said the general inflation rate on many expenses, plus an increased cost from a 3% pay raise for workers, means an $8.6 million jump in the cost to run the institution. The tuition hike, he said, will generate revenue to cover less than a third of that increase because it applies only to new incoming students and graduate students.
* WCIA | Sonya Massey’s father backs ballot measure to hold officials accountable: After the 2024 fatal shooting of his daughter, Sonya Massey, James Wilburn is stepping into local politics to support a candidate he said is championing voters’ voices in Sangamon County. Wilburn has endorsed Sam Cahnman, a candidate running for re-election for his District 18 seat in the Sangamon County Board. Cahnman is pushing to place a binding referendum on the November ballot. If approved, the measure would allow voters to remove local leaders from office. The county board member will need to secure 5,000 signatures to have the referendum on the ballot.
* WICS | County voters given say in Budget deficit solution: Champaign County leaders are facing a nearly $2 million deficit in the general fund and are turning to voters for direction on how to close the gap. “Do they want us to reduce staff? Do they want us to reduce the amount of county services that are available to the public? Or would they like us to look at other options?” said Emily Rodriguez, co-chair of the Champaign County Board.
* 25News Now | Peoria Fire Chief: Drought conditions brought on more brush fires than usual for winter: Peoria County is experiencing a drought, which is leading to an increase in brush fires for the time of year. Since December, Peoria County has been experiencing a severe drought, as classified by the U.S. Drought Monitor. Peoria Fire Chief Shawn Sollberger said it has caused more brush fires than they are used to tackling at this time of the year. “We’ve had 21 incidents,” he said. “That is significantly higher than what we’ve experienced in years past.”
* The Southern | FBI tip leads to Carterville school sex abuse probe: “This matter remains an active and ongoing investigation,” the sheriff’s office said in a release. “All persons are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.” No charges have been filed at this time, and authorities have not released the employee’s name.
* WAND | Over 25 women-owned businesses to be featured in Springfield vendor fair: The fair will also feature five non-profit organizations empowering women, girls and their families in the area. The nonprofits include the Girl Scouts of Central Illinois, Mini O’Beirne Crisis Nursery, Prairie Center Against Sexual Assault, Springfield Urban League, and Wooden It Be Lovely.
*** National ***
* The Guardian | DoJ cases against protesters keep collapsing as officers’ lies are exposed in court: ICE director Todd Lyons said ICE and the DoJ had opened an investigation into the case after videos revealed “sworn testimony provided by two separate officers appears to have made untruthful statements”, marking a rare acknowledgement of possible wrongdoing by DHS officials. “It is very unusual for the government to move to dismiss its own case with prejudice,” Frederick Goetz, a lawyer for one of the men, said in an interview. He praised the government for launching investigations: “If you make false statements to a federal agent, that is a crime.”
* AP | TSA says PreCheck still operational after previous announcement of suspension during funding fight: “As staffing constraints arise, TSA will evaluate on a case by case basis and adjust operations accordingly,” the agency said. It was not immediately clear whether Global Entry, another airport service, would be affected. PreCheck and Global Entry are designed to help speed registered travelers through security lines, and suspensions would likely cause headaches and delays.
* Sun-Times | Congress passed Trump’s sweeping tax bill. Here’s how it’ll affect your returns: The child tax credit was increased for 2025 by $200, making the credit $2,200 per qualifying child for parents or guardians with an annual income of less than $200,000, or $400,000 if filing jointly. And the value of the credit adjusts for inflation in subsequent years. But now the child and taxpayer — or couple, if filing jointly — must have a Social Security number to claim the credit. The requirement would make more than 4.5 million children in the U.S. ineligible, the vast majority of whom are citizens, because one or both of their parents lack a Social Security number, according to the National Immigration Forum.
* TIME | Pope Leo Will Spend July 4 Visiting Island Known For Migrant Crossings:The Vatican announced this week that the first American leader of the Catholic Church will visit Lampedusa, a small Italian island that has for years served as a gateway for migrants and refugees traveling to Europe from Africa and the Middle East. The island is a stop on one of the deadliest migration routes in the world, and migrants who arrive there have often made a perilous journey across the sea.
* AP | The U.S beats Canada 2-1 in overtime to win its first men’s hockey championship at the Olympics since 1980:
Jack Hughes scored in overtime and the U.S. beat Canada 2-1 in the gold medal final at the Milan Cortina Olympics on Sunday, earning the nation’s third men’s title at the Games and its first since the “Miracle on Ice” in 1980 — 46 years to the day of the upset over the mighty Soviet Union, too. Unlike that ragtag group of college kids that pulled off one of the biggest shockers in sports history, the Americans in Milan were a machine that rode goaltender Connor Hellebuyck and a roster full of NHL players through the tournament unbeaten. Still, they were underdogs again against the stacked Canadians and came out on top — again.
