* ICYMI: Pritzker to present 8th budget as Illinois faces federal funding uncertainty. Capitol News Illinois…

- Gov. JB Pritzker will present his eighth budget on Wednesday and outline a plan to deal with limited revenue growth and significant uncertainty over the future of federal funding for the state.
- Rep. Kam Buckner, a top House Democrat budget negotiator from Chicago, said one of the goals of this year’s budget will be to play “defense.”
- Pritzker and his team have already started setting expectations for a conservative budget, telling agency leaders in memos and signaling to legislators that it will be difficult for the state to fulfill funding requests this year.

* Related stories…

• Capitol News Illinois: A look back at Pritzker’s first seven budgets
• Tribune: Gov. JB Pritzker expected to target budget gap — and President Donald Trump — in Illinois statewide address
• Crain’s: Pritzker puts a price tag on federal cuts looming over Illinois budget

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

*** Isabel’s Top Picks ***

* WBEZ | Rev. Jesse Jackson, a symbol of Black politics and Black America, dies at 84: Perhaps the nation’s most recognizable civil rights icon the past half century, Jackson was a symbol of Black politics and Black America. The images of him — as a young lieutenant to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on a Memphis balcony in 1968 to his exhortations of “I Am Somebody” or “Keep Hope Alive” in front of racially diverse audiences on the campaign trail in the 1980s to him weeping in Grant Park at the election of this nation’s first Black president in 2008 — are seared in our collective memories. A global presence, Jackson spoke out against apartheid, championed Palestinian rights and negotiated the release of U.S. soldiers in Syria, Iraq and Yugoslavia.

* Bond Buyer | Capital spending may increase due to rising needs: Analyst: State and local governments’ capital spending is likely to increase in coming years, supported by expanded borrowing, a Moody’s Ratings analyst said Thursday. This sort of capital spending was flat during the COVID-19 period of 2020 to 2022 but has since increased, Moody’s Ratings Vice President of Public Finance Dan Seymour said. While some analysts call the increase a blip that will soon die, others see the start of a prolonged increase. Seymour is in the latter camp Big issuers are telling Moody’s they are planning to increase their capital spending, Seymour said Thursday during The Bond Buyer’s National Outlook Conference’s seminar, “Planning for Resilient Infrastructure in a Higher-Cost Environment.”

* Tribune | Proposed cuts to housing-first programs would be ‘going back like 30 years,’ advocates warn: The looming funding cuts could force people in permanent housing programs across the state back into homelessness. Five regions in Illinois — a state with over 14,000 total permanent supportive housing units — rely on HUD funding for all of their permanent supportive housing programs. Chicago has over 9,000 permanent supportive housing units, around 60% of which are financed by HUD, according to data from the National Alliance to End Homelessness. Of the combined $120 million in HUD funding that Chicago homelessness organizations are receiving, 80%, or $96 million, goes to permanent housing programs.

*** Statewide ***

* WGLT | Ranked choice voting stalled in Illinois, waiting for clarity from the courts: Voters in Evanston, a suburb north of Chicago, passed a referendum in 2022 to implement ranked choice voting, but the Cook County Clerk — which oversees elections in Evanston — said current election laws only allow a person to vote for one candidate. The nonpartisan good government group Reform for Illinois and the City of Evanston sued, but are still waiting for the case to be heard. Two other Cook County communities that have approved ranked choice voting, Oak Park and Skokie, also may be left waiting for the court to rule or for state legislation to provide clarification. Peoria also passed a nonbinding referendum in 2024 to research ranked choice voting, but currently has no plans to implement it.

* Capitol News Illinois | Penny shortage causes headaches for retailers in the Land of Lincoln: Sen. Dave Syverson, R-Cherry Valley, wrote a note on his website in November applauding the U.S. Treasury’s decision to halt production, saying it was “more of an inconvenience than a useful part of the economy.” He said no steps were currently being taken to address the shortage at the state level and that he would await guidance from the federal level. “It’ll be something that they’ll obviously start working on addressing more and more as the pennies become less in circulation,” he told Capitol News Illinois. “It doesn’t look like people have to worry about it at all for 2026. I’m guessing that the soonest there’d be any guidance would be ’27, when they would maybe set some rules about requiring businesses to accept whatever rounding decision that gets made.”

*** Statehouse News ***

* Tribune | Illinois Republican governor candidate Darren Bailey rebukes national GOP for post mocking Pritzker’s weight: Bailey, the GOP’s unsuccessful 2022 nominee against Pritzker who is seeking a rematch as he runs against three rivals in the GOP primary, responded to the RNC’s post by citing his own personal struggle with weight and said that “this kind of rhetoric isn’t helpful.” “It doesn’t solve problems, it just creates more division,” Bailey said in an X post of his own. “We can and should have real debates about policy, priorities, and the future of our state. But attacking someone over their weight is unnecessary, unproductive, and has no place in our politics.”

* Daily Herald | Candidates spar over which Democrat should represent the 52nd District: Peterson points to her narrow loss to McLaughlin in 2024 — she lost by 47 votes. She also pointed out she came within 661 votes when running for the Lake County board in 2018. She also lost by 385 votes to Republican Dan McConchie in the race for Senate district 26. “It is my three races that have proven that I do the work,” she said. “I have built the relationships, and I have turned this district from a double-digit red district to purple.” Chan Ding countered, “I believe that the district should have flipped then (in November 2024). There’s going to be even more chance for us to flip it now. We just need the right Democrat to do it.”

* WGN | ‘We are ready to fight’: Summit draws hundreds as immigrant rights groups push 2026 agenda: This year’s priorities include protecting Chicago and Illinois as a welcoming city and state, pushing for increased state funding for programs that support immigrant communities, and protecting residents’ personal data from Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The coalition has also pushed to rein in ICE and Border Patrol, calling attention to the Department of Homeland Security shutdown after lawmakers failed to agree to reforms.

* Tribune | Aja Kearney, Cleopatra Cowley seek Democratic nomination in 34th House District: Kearney said she would focus on building relationships and learning how to best address issues of importance to the district. Priorities include addressing environmental issues, public safety, health care access and economic development, Kearney said. In the 6th Ward in particular, Kearney said, the lack of a nearby trauma center creates challenges when emergencies arise.

* Sun-Times | Formerly incarcerated celebrate passage of Illinois’ Clean Slate Act: Artinese Myrick, deputy director of Live Free Illinois, a faith-based community group focused on addressing social issues, explained the law has been years in the making. When Myrick was 9, her mother, father and stepfather were all incarcerated at the same time. “They were being denied jobs because of their background and the stigma itself,” Myrick said. “Because of that, I’m interested in making sure that systems can be of support for families like mine.”

*** Chicago ***

* Crain’s | Johnson vetoes intoxicating hemp ban: In a letter to the City Council, Johnson said the ordinance is “premature.” A federal law, set to kick in this November, would effectively ban intoxicating hemp unless the U.S. Congress changes course and instead chooses to regulate the industry. “The most responsible path forward for the city’s hemp regulation is to align with the forthcoming federal guidelines, rather than acting prematurely in a rapidly shifting regulatory landscape,” the letter said.

* Bloomberg | Chicago to sell $1B in debt from unpaid fees despite uncertain buyers: Johnson opposed the move, arguing that it would hurt taxpayers who could become victims to debt collection firms. The mayor neither signed nor vetoed the budget after aldermen passed it by a majority, expressing skepticism about their revenue projections. […] Steven Mahr, who was recently named interim chief financial officer, is working with financial advisers to develop a request for information for the debt collection, according to the Feb. 6 letter from Belsky. It will be issued this month, with investment banking firms and certain institutional investors expected to respond, the letter said.

* ABC Chicago | Mayor Johnson takes aim at corporate media, some Democrats in livestream with Hasan Piker: As he has done several times, Johnson took aim at Chicago Democratic donor Michael Sacks and former Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel. In addition, there was a slight dig at former President Barack Obama. “The Emanuel administration embodied the 1% of society,” Johnson said. “The Obama administration as well,” Piker said. “Oh, absolutely. This might be a good time to just insert a ‘Thank you, Obama’ if we are going to criticize him,” Johnson said.

* ABC Chicago | Environmental work at The 78 in South Loop, which will have Chicago Fire stadium, to begin this week: During this time remediation materials and impacted soil will be moved by trucks. This will kick off the groundwork for the $8 billion project in the South Loop. The project includes a $750 million privately funded stadium for the Chicago Fire. The 78 site will also have businesses, parks, more than 5,000 apartment units.

* Sun-Times | Artist Judy Chicago logs out of Google renovation project over artistic differences: Chicago said the first problems arose when Google failed to provide construction drawings needed to help the couple figure out sizing and dimensions of their proposed work. “Getting the renovation plans and accurate architectural drawings was a nightmare,” Chicago said. “Donald had to do most of that himself from his photographs that he took when we were there.” The artists said another point of difficulty was Google’s desire to lay the new terrazzo title over the existing one.

* Sun-Times | After Time Out Market’s abrupt closure, is Chicago’s food hall era over?: COVID-19 killed some food hall projects, including Politan Row and Wells Street Market. In a statement, Time Out Market CEO Michael Marlay attributed its closure last month to the pandemic and inconsistent foot traffic due to remote work, though vendors have since pointed to loss of revenue due to neglect and lack of investment, according to reporting by Eater.

* Block Club | Chase No Longer Issuing Chicago Skyline Debit Card: Chicago is the only market in the country where Chase offers a debit card featuring the local skyline, a spokesperson told Block Club. “The way we process and produce debit cards has evolved,” a spokesperson said. “That image became outdated and updating it would have required a significant investment. Rather than invest in a single card design, we’re focusing our resources on enhancing the overall customer experience for all our cardholders.”

*** Cook County and Suburbs ***

* Chicago Mag | What’s Behind the Cook County Board President Attack Ads: The race for County Board President has become so bitter because it’s a proxy for the divisions in contemporary Chicago Democratic politics. Reilly, who represents the headquarters of most big local corporations on the City Council, stands for the business wing of the party. Preckwinkle, who is a product of the Kenwood/Hyde Park independent movement, stands for its progressive wing. We’ve already seen those divisions play out on the City Council. A group of alders, including Reilly, a leading member of the so-called Common Sense Caucus, voted to pass a budget that didn’t include Mayor Brandon Johnson’s pet corporate head tax, which would have been anathema in Reilly’s ward. Reilly endorsed pro-business Paul Vallas in the 2023 mayoral election.

* Press release | Illinois Speaker Chris Welch and Proviso Township Democrats Endorse Pat Hynes for Cook County Assessor: Illinois Speaker of the House Chris Welch and the Proviso Township Democrats today announced their endorsements of Pat Hynes for Cook County Assessor, citing his proven leadership, experience in government, and commitment to restoring fairness and accountability to Cook County’s property tax system. Their support adds to a growing list of elected officials, community leaders, and residents who believe Hynes is the best candidate to bring stability, transparency, and trust back to the Assessor’s Office. “Cook County families and small businesses deserve an Assessor’s Office that works for them, not one that makes a complicated system even harder to navigate,” said Speaker Chris Welch.

* Daily Southtown | Dolton Trustee Kiana Belcher challenges appointee Kisha McCaskill for 5th District Cook County Board seat: Belcher was elected a Dolton trustee in 2021. She was reelected in 2025 as part of now-Mayor Jason House’s Clean House slate in opposition to former Mayor Tiffany Henyard. “I think I may have a little bit more visibility because of the whole Dolton saga,” Belcher said. “People have seen that I don’t mind going against the grain, I don’t mind standing up for my residents, and I’ll do the same thing at the county level.”

* Aurora Beacon News | Kane County Board OKs Flock license plate reader contract renewal for Sheriff’s Office: The Flock license plate reader cameras have been controversial in some nearby communities, a few of which have recently ended their contracts with the company. In the past year, for example, both Oak Park and Evanston halted their contracts with Flock amid concern over information possibly being shared with federal immigration agencies. At a Kane County Board Judicial and Public Safety Committee meeting in January, Undersheriff Amy Johnson said that the license plate reader cameras help the Sheriff’s Office “a tremendous amount.” Asked by board member Jon Gripe at that committee meeting how many of the license plate readers the Sheriff’s Office would ideally want to have, Johnson said that they would ideally have 45-50 throughout the county, up from their current 25.

* Aurora Beacon-News | Kane County farmhouse verified as former Underground Railroad safe house in National Park Service initiative: It’s believed that the farm — when it was occupied by Joseph Bartlett and Julia “Ann” Bartlett — helped numerous freedom seekers, Krupa said. But one particularly well-documented story from history has been a central point in the home’s claim to fame as a safe house. […] Bartlett had been affiliated with the abolitionist movement during his time attending Phillips Academy in Andover, Massachusetts, Krupa explained. He became a teacher and farmer, and eventually settled in Kane County, where he was a local township supervisor and served in other local government roles. Bartlett also helped to establish the name Campton Township, according to Krupa.

* Daily Herald | ‘We see the injustice’: Suburban students pledge walkouts will continue, no matter the consequences: In what has become a weekly ritual, student walkouts have been held in Barrington, Elgin, Hampshire, Hoffman Estates, Schaumburg, Naperville and other suburbs. Most have been peaceful, though last week three East Aurora High School students were arrested during a march, leading some residents and a state lawmaker to question police tactics.

*** Downstate ***

* Capitol News Illinois | ICE agents detain five men on their way to work at a Du Quoin sawmill: Alstat Wood Products is a family-owned sawmill and logging company located just off of Illinois 127 in rural Perry County, Illinois. The company has been in operation since 1988 and is one of the few remaining sawmills in southern Illinois. Alstat said he has struggled at times to fill certain labor-intensive positions with local workers, particularly during parts of the year when demand is highest. Depending on the season, the company employs about 25 to 30 people, many of them family members. The visa and immigration status of the five individuals detained in Du Quoin is unclear. Alstat said he was told that the five employees he subcontracted had six-month work visas.

* BND | As data centers eye metro-east, officials juggle jobs, taxes and utility fears: “I would love to have one down here for the jobs that are created, but we just need to make sure that what they’re consuming isn’t going to hurt the local population,” Duckworth told Granite City Mayor Mike Parkinson. Representatives from Troy were not present at the meeting. Parkinson referred to data centers as “the future industry” with potential property tax revenue that could “change the fate of Granite City.” “It’s very intoxicating,” Parkinson said, “but there’s a lot of these issues that come with it.” He specifically noted the need to prevent utility rates from going “sky-high.”

* 25News Now | City of Peoria withdraws lawsuit in casino saga as long as land-based casino remains off the table: The City of Peoria is voluntarily dismissing their lawsuit against Boyd Gaming, the Illinois Gaming Board and the City of East Peoria after Boyd Gaming unveiled a plan to keep the Par-A-Dice on the water. Boyd Gaming unveiled the plan Feb. 5 at the Illinois Gaming Board’s last meeting. The plan as presented would move the casino to a “permanently moored barge design,” located directly on the water.

* WJBD | Salem City Council to Consider New Downtown TIF Agreement: The Salem City Council Tuesday night will consider an additional downtown TIF agreement with Jered Gambill who is preparing to renovate more downtown buildings. Under the proposal, Gambill would receive $47,000 in TIF money to purchase and renovate buildings at 122 West Main and 102, 104, and 106 North Walnut Street. Gambill would receive $10,000 for property acquisition. He would be paid the rest of the reimbursement after roof repair, tuckpointing and other measures to bolster and protect the structural integrity of the building are completed.

* WCIA | Village of Arthur to consider adding license plate readers at Monday night meeting: The village Board of Trustees will debate the installation of two ALPRs during its meeting Monday night. It’s one of several agenda items listed under new business on the meeting agenda. The ALPRs would be installed for $14,500 and would be under a two-year lease contract.

*** National ***

* NYT | Tom Pritzker, citing Epstein connection, steps down as Hyatt’s executive chair: Thomas J. Pritzker, a billionaire heir to the Hyatt Hotels fortune, stepped down from his role Monday as executive chair of the Hyatt Hotels Corp., becoming the latest person felled by an association with disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein. Pritzker, 75, cousin to Illinois Gov. JB Prtizker, said in a letter to the Hyatt board that he was retiring, effective immediately, adding: “Good stewardship also means protecting Hyatt, particularly in the context of my association with Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell which I deeply regret.” […] Recently released files revealed that Pritzker was in regular contact with Epstein in the years following Epstein’s 2008 plea deal on sex crimes charges, with the two frequently corresponding to confirm meals and appointments, including at Epstein’s New York City town house.

* AP | A judge says she’ll rule that the US still cannot force states to provide data on SNAP recipients: San Francisco-based U.S. District Judge Maxine Chesney last year blocked the U.S. Department of Agriculture from requiring states to provide the data, including on the immigration status of people who receive benefits and applicants, after 22 states sued over the policy. […] Chesney said during a hearing Friday that she intends to issue an order that says the federal government cannot act on its letters to the states from last year.

* NYT | Kennedy Allies Target States to Overturn Vaccine Mandates for Schoolchildren: So far, bills have been introduced in at least nine states that would eliminate all or nearly all school requirements, including Democratic states like New York where there is no chance of passage, to states such as New Hampshire, Georgia, Iowa and Idaho where the proposals have gained some traction. Many vaccine proponents view the state-level push as a second stage in the dismantling of the nation’s vaccine infrastructure, building on Mr. Kennedy’s significant reduction of federally recommended vaccines.

* The Atlantic | This is how a child dies of measles: Your daughter looks so small in her hospital bed, her face fitted with an oxygen mask. Nurses collect blood and urine; you hold the cup as she shivers on the toilet, then stroke her hair as the needle spears her vein. When you’ve regained some composure a couple of hours later, a doctor comes to speak with you. This is the first time anyone has used the word measles. The doctor tells you that your daughter has pneumonia, a complication arising in roughly 6 percent of measles cases, though some researchers suspect that the actual rate may be higher. There is no cure for viral pneumonia from measles, but the hospital will provide supportive care to treat the symptoms, including her scalding fever and rash. The doctor doesn’t tell you then that pneumonia is the most common cause of death in measles patients. You will learn that later on.

* Study Finds | We’re Not Just Receiving AI’s Hallucinations, We’re Hallucinating With It: The research introduces the concept of “distributed delusions,” where false beliefs, memories, and narratives emerge through coupled human-AI interaction rather than simply being transmitted from system to user. When someone routinely relies on generative AI to help them remember events, think through problems, or form narratives about themselves, the AI becomes integrated into their cognitive processes. And when those processes go awry (whether through AI errors or human delusions that AI validates and elaborates) the hallucination isn’t happening inside the AI or inside the person. It’s happening in the space between them.