* ICYMI: Gov. JB Pritzker expected to propose ‘maintenance’ Illinois budget, legislative leader says. Tribune…

- One day before Gov. JB Pritzker’s scheduled budget address, Illinois’ four top legislative leaders briefed on the plan Tuesday agreed it will have to hew to the line in a tight fiscal year, with one Democratic leader saying he doesn’t expect the governor to embrace calls by some progressive lawmakers to more aggressively tax Illinois’ highest earners.
- “I’m expecting another responsible, balanced budget proposal from the governor. It’s, as I understand it, likely to be very much a maintenance budget. We’re living in uncertain times, and we don’t know tomorrow morning what tweet’s going to blow another hole in our budget,” Democratic Senate President Don Harmon of Oak Park said.
- Separately from the leaders’ meeting, sources said some $200 million in the proposal is expected to come from a tax or fee related to social media companies.

I’ll have more on the Governor’s budget proposal shortly.

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* At noon, Gov. JB Pritzker will give his 2026 State of the State and FY27 budget address. Then at 3:40 pm, he’ll host a roundtable on his housing affordability agenda. Click here to watch.

* BlueRoomStream.com’s coverage of today’s press conferences and committee hearings can be found here.

*** Isabel’s Top Picks ***

* Tribune | Trump administration’s latest funding threat: $128 million withheld in highway dollars: The U.S. Department of Transportation said Tuesday that it was threatening to withhold $128 million in highway funds because a federal audit had revealed illegally issued commercial drivers licenses in Illinois. The Illinois Secretary of State’s office, however, said in a statement it “believes its CDL issuance policies and practices are substantially compliant” with federal requirements “and will not justify cutting federal highway funding.”

* Capitol News Illinois | Illinois Republican senator pushes to outlaw abortion, loses leadership spots: Senate Republican Leader John Curran said the bill is a “no” for the Republican caucus. “I don’t support his proposal, no other Republican legislator supports his proposal, House or Senate,” he said. “It’s an extreme proposal. I do not view it as a pro-life proposal, I view it as an anti-woman proposal about punishment.”

*** Statehouse News ***

* Press release…

Planned Parenthood Illinois Action is pleased to welcome Michael Ziri into the role of Senior Director of Public Policy. Mike will lead government relations and the advocacy work for both Planned Parenthood of Illinois and Planned Parenthood Illinois Action.  

Prior to PPIL, Mike served for 11 years as Director of Public Policy at Equality Illinois, the state’s civil rights organization for LGBTQ+ people. Mike has worked with LGBTQ+ community leaders across the state to spearhead an aggressive policy and political agendas to develop and maintain civic power for LGBTQ+ people and advance LGBTQ+ affirming policy initiatives at the State Capitol and with local governments. 

* Capitol News Illinois | DuPage County Sheriff James Mendrick focuses on public safety in GOP governor’s race: Mendrick also said he favors “school choice” policies, which generally allow private schools to receive public funding and parents are given more choices in deciding where to send their children. “That’s what makes college so competitive, is that if you’re not a good college, people aren’t going to come,” he said. “And if people want to pay more and travel a little bit further to another school, I think that’s the way to do it.”

* Daily Herald | ‘It creates confusion’: Dabrowski takes aim at ‘Tad’ of a mistake on ballot: So far, Ammons is not reprinting ballots, Dabrowski said. The lawsuit asks a judge to order new ballots and require early voters be handed a notice explaining the mistake. Ammon’s office did not respond to a request for comment. However, court documents show that Champaign County State’s Attorney Julia Rietz had reached out to Dabrowski noting the clerk created a specimen ballot with the correct spelling that will be posted at early voting sites and other locations as they open.

* Tribune | More than $1.1 billion in medical debt erased in Illinois, with the help of a state program: More than 500,000 Illinois residents have so far benefited from the program, with average debt relief of about $1,200 per person, according to the governor’s office. In some cases, the program terminated tens of thousands of dollars worth of medical debt for individuals, and, for one person, more than $300,000 worth of medical debt. So far, Illinois has spent about $10 million on the program, with $5 million in state funds left for this fiscal year. For each dollar Illinois spends on the program, more than $100 of medical debt is terminated, according to the governor’s office.

*** Rev. Jesse Jackson ***

* Andy Shaw | Covering Jesse Jackson — aka ‘The Rev’ — was never dull: Jackson was also one of my favorite newsmakers, both on the campaign trail, where I watched him mesmerize voters and exceed expectations in two exciting but ultimately unsuccessful Presidential runs in the 1980’s, and on the civil rights front in Chicago, where he was always charismatic and often — truth be told — annoyingly self-important, as he preached from pulpits, led protest marches, gobbled up TV soundbite opportunities, and engaged in repartee in our many informal sideline conversations.

* Daily Herald | ‘He was a giant’: Suburban leaders mourn passing of civil rights leader Jesse Jackson: “I owe all of my activist work, all of my political insightfulness and my community outreach work to Rev. Jesse Jackson because growing up in Chicago you had a voice due to a man who you heard loud and clear,” said Brent, president and founder of Unity Partnership and co-chair of the MLK Unity Project in DuPage County. “You couldn’t rest in his presence without standing up for what was right. And even though you had little means to do it, he made you feel really powerful regardless of the outcome. He was a giant.”

* NBC Chicago | How Rev. Jesse Jackson is being remembered at a Chicago school he once visited: James said they have “conversations all the time about the life and the legacy of Rev. Jackson and how he shows up in society” at St. Sabina Academy. Students told NBC Chicago the discussions have had an impact on their motivation to work hard in school. “Rev. Jackson said we all are somebody and we all matter,” said Tayor Robinson, a seventh grader at the school. “I think about that and always try to do my best.”

* Sun-Times | Civil Rights leader also became a pop culture presence: He could be inspirational, as he was on “Sesame Street” and during a 1989 appearance on the sitcom “A Different World,” talking about the role of young people in elections. But Jackson could also be quite funny, as evidenced by the straight-faced delivery of Dr. Suess’ “Green Eggs and Ham” on Saturday Night Live in 1991.

*** Chicago ***

* Tribune | Initiative to boost affordable homeownership on South and West sides wins Chicago Prize: Community organizations and developers from South and West sides formed Reclaiming Chicago, a coalition that plans to leverage the prize money, draw in more investment, and eventually create about 2,000 new for-sale homes throughout the Chicago Lawn, Roseland, Back of the Yards and North Lawndale neighborhoods. The coalition is convened through United Power for Action and Justice, a Chicago-based community organization. Instead of building individual homes on scattered sites, Reclaiming Chicago aims to transform whole neighborhoods at once, sometimes taking over large vacant lots and planting groups of more than 100 affordable homes.

* Block Club | How A College Student Is Shaping The Future Of His Neighborhood With Garfield Ridge 2050 Plan: Split into four aldermanic wards — including the 13th, 14th, 22nd and 23rd — Garfield Ridge is caught between conflicting political priorities, causing individual areas to “grow in very different directions,” Villalobos said. This separation has blocked policymakers from enacting a cohesive plan to transform Garfield Ridge into “the true active neighborhood that we want to see,” he said. Villalobos, 24, created Garfield Ridge 2050 on his own time and dime as a blueprint to guide the community’s growth and development over the next 25 years. The plan outlines four major goals: improving transit and walkability, reforming housing, increasing economic vitality and prioritizing parks and open spaces.

* Crain’s | If there’s a better two-mile dining stretch in Chicago, we still don’t know where it is: In 2019, we made the argument that Chicago Avenue — between Noble Street and California Avenue — is probably the best two-mile dining stretch in the city. You had mainstays like Cafe Central on the east end and Shokolad just west of Western Avenue, mingling alongside hot new restaurants like Bar Biscay and Funkenhausen. The street had a palpable energy that seemed like it would continue rising. Then the COVID-19 pandemic shut everything down and many of those restaurants closed for good. Today, that vibrancy is back as more places including Brasero, Omakase Shoji and Michelin-starred Feld have opened, drawing even more diners to this West Town stretch.

* Sun-Times | Bears will raise season ticket prices 13.5%: A jump in price was expected this year. The Bears, after all, raised ticket prices 10% last year despite coming off a 5-12 record and the first-ever in-season firing of their head coach. In 2024, Warren announced an 8% average increase in season ticket prices in the wake of a 7-10 season.

*** Cook County and Suburbs ***

* Tribune | Cook County leaders say spring property tax bills, revenues will go out on time: Second installment bills were months late last year. On top if it, the revenues collected from those bills took extra weeks to hit the bank accounts of the county’s thousands of taxing bodies. That cash crunch cost schools millions in lost investments and borrowing costs, officials estimated, and damaged local leaders’ trust in Pappas and Preckwinkle. Their joint news release said “first installment” bills will be mailed out this year on March 2 and will be due April 1. Property owners will be able to start paying their bills as soon as Feb. 20 on the treasurer’s website, according to the release.

* Crain’s | Why are Cook County property taxes a mess? Assessor candidates weigh in.: In a forum hosted by the Civic Federation at the Chicago Board of Trade Building and moderated by Civic Federation CEO Joe Ferguson, the two candidates repeated many of the same arguments they’ve made publicly as both homeowners and commercial landlords gripe about the way their bills are determined and recent fallout from Chicago’s largest residential property tax bill hike in at least 30 years.

* Tribune | Contractor admits to bribing McCook mayor, acting as bag man for other extortion payments: A suburban contractor swept up in the corruption investigation of then-McCook Mayor Jeff Tobolski admitted in federal court Tuesday he paid bribes in exchange for contracts with the village and also acted as the mayor’s bag man for other illicit payments. Simo “Sam” Krneta, 68, a former La Grange Park contractor who now lives in Albany, New York, pleaded guilty to a single count of filing a false tax return in 2017. Federal guidelines call for 10 to 16 months in prison, though he’s also eligible for probation.

* Pioneer Press | Skokie launches program, rules for Airbnb-type short-term rentals: The board voted Feb. 2 to launch the pilot program, which is scheduled to begin May 1. Village officials said the program will be reviewed at six- and 12-month intervals to evaluate its effectiveness and determine whether adjustments are needed. “I believe our obligation is to get something on the books so we can start the process of registration to provide protection to the residents who are proximate to investor-owned units where there have been problems,” Mayor Ann Tennes said. “The sooner we get an ordinance on the books, the sooner staff can start working toward that May 1 registration.”

* Daily Southtown | Dolton presents plans to pay $33.5 million judgment from fatal 2016 police chase: An Illinois Appellate Court in June 2024 affirmed the verdict on behalf of John Kyles, who died following a 2016 police chase in Dolton and Duane Dunlap, who was left severely injured. The Illinois Supreme Court denied Dolton’s appeal of the appellate court decision in March 2025. The village has yet to make payments on the $33.5 million, which has accrued 6% per year through interest, or $2.1 million per year per the a lawsuit petition. As of Feb. 20, the total amount owed is $40.6 million.

* Daily Herald | Elk Grove gateway project gets $700,000 more in public funds: The money comes from a village-controlled TIF fund set up in 2022 — where property taxes above a certain level were directed away from schools and other local governments — to fuel redevelopment of the former Elk Grove Woods Plaza on the southeast corner of Arlington Heights and Higgins roads.

* Evanston Now | HCDC approves strategic housing plan: Ald. Juan Geracaris (9th) said while he wanted a way to prevent retaliatory non-renewals, he also said there needed to be ways for landlords to be able to not renew bad tenants. “No one wants housing providers to renew the lease for a bad tenant that’s violating their lease,” he said. “But I think what’s happening is a lot of you all who are coming here to talk about ‘just cause’ and how terrible it is, you guys are helping out the bad actors.”

* ABC Chicago | Chicago-area interstates ranked worst bottlenecks in the country: The interchange where I-290 crosses and merges with I-294 and I-88 has the worst congestion of any interchange in the U.S., according to the American Transportation Research Institute. The average speed was 39.5 miles per hour. Its the first time that particular interchange, located in Hillside, has topped the list. I-80 at I-94 ranked 24 for the worst bottleneck in the country.

*** Downstate ***

* WCIA | Praise, pushback follows new Champaign Co. executive order on immigration: “This is something that’s historical. It predates Obama. It goes back to the Bush Administration,” Maria Jimenez, the executive director of Immigration Services of Champaign-Urbana, said. “So, families have been living in fear of deportation for a really long time. The difference is that now we’re seeing it on national television.” Jimenez said ICE enforcement has taken place in Champaign County, just not at the level seen in cities like Chicago or Minneapolis. And, it’s been going on longer than some might think.

* WGLT | Bloomington leaders updated on strategic plan for regional economy, Bridge shelter village: Burgess said nearly a month after opening, The Bridge was at 84% occupancy as of Tuesday. “Every single person that we have moved into The Bridge is somebody who had previously been staying outside, either at the encampment in the gravel pits, the encampment off of Adelaide [Street], or elsewhere in town,” said Burgess.

* WSIL | State leaders to host town hall in Carbondale on homelessness strategies: The Illinois Department of Human Services (IDHS) and the Office to Prevent and End Homelessness (OPEH) are partnering with the City of Carbondale to host a Town Hall and Listening Session on Wednesday, Feb. 25. The event is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. at the First Presbyterian Church. “This Town Hall allows us to strengthen the work being done in partnership with the Carbondale community,” said IDHS Secretary Dulce M. Quintero. “I am eager to hear from the people of Southern Illinois on how we can continue the work of preventing and ending homelessness. Safe housing is a human right”.

*** National ***

* The Hill | Battle over AI regulation hits the airwaves ahead of midterms: A super PAC backed by several major AI players, which boasts a multimillion-dollar war chest, is flexing its muscles with new ad buys in several congressional races. Meanwhile, several groups backing AI safeguards have launched ad campaigns calling for regulation or boosting candidates that support checks on the technology. “The stakes are very high right now for the AI sector when it comes to public policy,” said Andrew Lokay, a senior research analyst at Beacon Policy Advisors.

* NYT | Goldman Sachs to Drop D.E.I. Criteria for Board Members: Goldman will no longer explicitly consider race, gender and sexual orientation when evaluating a potential board member at the firm, according to two people with knowledge of the bank’s decision who were unable to discuss it publicly because of the confidential nature of the move. The decision is a result of a deal that Goldman struck with the National Legal and Policy Center, a conservative nonprofit group that has been pressuring numerous companies to drop diversity, equity and inclusion mandates, the people said. The group recently announced similar deals with American Express and the equipment manufacturer Deere & Company.