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Isabel’s afternoon roundup
Wednesday, Aug 27, 2025 - Posted by Isabel Miller * WTTW…
* Attorney General Kwame Raoul…
* The 74th House District is currently held by Rep. Bradley Fritts (R-Dixon). Shaw Local…
[Note from Rich: This district leans Republican. No word on whether the HDems will step in, but they have many other closer contests next year.] * Illinois Manufacturers’ Association | New Report Underscores Importance of International Trade to Manufacturers in Illinois and Across Midwest: In Illinois, Canada is the largest source of imports, with nearly $64 billion annually, followed by China at $42 billion with Mexico coming in third with $19 billion. Top imported products to Illinois include oil and gas, communications equipment, pharmaceuticals and medicines, computer equipment, and beverages. * WICS | Illinois tourism booms with record visitor spending in 2024: Illinois experienced a tourism surge in 2024, welcoming 113 million domestic and international visitors who spent a record $48.5 billion, according to data from Tourism Economics. This marked an increase of 500,000 visitors and $1.3 billion in spending compared to 2023. * Bloomberg Law | M.A.C. Cosmetics Violates Illinois Biometric Law, Class Alleges: M.A.C. Cosmetics’ virtual try-on feature, with which customers can virtually apply makeup via video live-stream, violate Illinois biometric privacy laws, according to a class complaint filed in Cook County Circuit Court. Plaintiff Fiza Javid went to a M.A.C. store at a mall in the Chicago suburbs and was offered the option to virtually try on lipstick and lipliner, after which a salesperson scanned her face, according to the complaint. * Chalkbeat Chicago | Days before budget vote, CPS tells school board it can borrow in the future in a ‘true emergency’: In a memo obtained by Chalkbeat, Chief Financial Officer Miroslava Mejia Krug said the district’s legal counsel advised that the school board can authorize emergency borrowing after the budget is passed through a simple majority vote, even though budget amendments typically require a two-thirds vote. “This would ensure that any additional borrowing would be used to prevent cuts to schools and core district operations — in line with the request from many board members regarding a contingency plan in the case of a revenue shortfall,” Krug wrote in the memo sent Tuesday to board members. * Block Club | Some Call It The ‘Death Hospital’: Inside The Northwest Side Medical Center Plagued By Problems: Then there is the facility itself, which is in disrepair. The hospital’s garage deteriorated so much that the city shut it down last summer, and it didn’t reopen for more than a year. In January, a water pipe burst, flooding portions of the emergency room’s ambulance bay. Despite these problems, since 2020, the hospital has spent more than $140,000 donating to state political committees, including campaign funds for Illinois House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch and Senate President Don Harmon, records show. * WTTW | Chicago Paid $100K to 14-Year-Old Boy Pinned to Park Ridge Sidewalk by Off-Duty CPD Sergeant: Records: Chicago Police Sgt. Michael Vitellaro was acquitted by a Cook County judge on felony charges of aggravated battery and official misconduct in connection with the incident that began when his son told him on July 1, 2022, that his bicycle had been stolen from outside the Park Ridge Public Library. Vitellaro, who was off-duty at the time of the incident, located the bicycle outside a coffee shop, and forced the teen he saw with the bicycle down to the pavement and pinned him there. The teen testified during Vitellaro’s trial that he thought he was going to die. * Sun-Times | Black Chicago cop sues city, claims he was called N-word by fellow officers: Officer Anthony Banks claims the racist onslaught came after he responded to a heated exchange involving another officer and a pregnant woman on March 17. Banks eventually stepped in and tried to deescalate when the other officer bumped into the woman, according to the lawsuit filed Tuesday in federal court against the city and a group of cops. Back at the district station later that day, the other officer pressed Banks about his conduct, the lawsuit says. Other officers then surrounded Banks and allegedly made a series of racially charged remarks, calling him the N-word and telling him to return to his old post in the Grand Crossing District, which the suit says “is known for having predominantly African-American officers.” “Go back to where you came from,” one officer allegedly said. * ABC Chicago | City unveils free Narcan Newsstands program ahead of International Overdose Awareness Day: City officials will launch the program during the Harm Reduction Fair on Wednesday at the Department of Family & Support Services at 845 W. Wilson Avenue. The public can get free naloxone at Nourishing Hope on Sheridan, Cornerstone Community Shelter on Clinton, ICA Building on Sheridan, and the Department of Family and Supportive Services on Wilson. * WGN | ‘It was a rush’: Fisherman’s epic catch on Chicago River goes viral: The 47-year-old Vivar has caught big carp over the years. But without a scale on Saturday night, the 235-pound, 6-foot-tall master fisherman could only offer a guess. Vivar estimates the catch to be close to 35-40 pounds. At the end of Saturday’s epic struggle, Vivar did what he always does: he released his catch back into the river. * Evanston RoundTable | Evanston shuts down license plate cameras, terminates contract with Flock Safety: A city news release issued Tuesday evening says that all 19 cameras operated by the city are “deactivated,” and that the city issued a notice to terminate its contract effective Sept. 26. The decision is attributed to the findings of a system audit ordered by Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias, which were announced Monday afternoon. “The findings of the Illinois Secretary of State’s audit,” the city’s statement reads, “combined with Flock’s admission that it failed to establish distinct permissions and protocols to ensure local compliance while running a pilot program with federal users, are deeply troubling.” * Daily Herald | DuPage County clerk a no-show for budget presentation: The DuPage County Clerk’s Office was a no-show for a scheduled budget presentation at the county board’s finance committee meeting Tuesday — one day after a judge ruled the clerk must follow the county’s accounting procedures. Neither DuPage County Clerk Jean Kaczmarek nor a representative from her office were on hand to review their proposed budget. “That makes her the only elected official who has refused to come before the board to present,” said Paula Deacon Garcia, who heads the county board’s finance committee. * Crain’s | A mystery semiconductor investment lands in Aurora: The investment in Aurora is part of a broader $700 million domestic R&D investment announced earlier by the company. “A portion of this investment will be used to develop its Aurora, Illinois, location into a state-of-the-art U.S. Technology Center,” Entegris said in a written statement. The company offered few details on the project, such as how much will be invested, how many jobs it will create or a specific timetable. Economic-development officials don’t have much to add, either, and the city of Aurora didn’t respond to a request for comment. * Evanston RoundTable | With deadline looming, council sets Sept. 8 discussion on grocery tax: Council members voted 5-3 to postpone further discussion until their Sept. 8 meeting on implementing a local grocery tax to replace the state tax, which expires Jan. 1. The tax generates roughly $2.5 million annually for the city and is one of its major revenue sources. After the vote, Mayor Daniel Biss informed members that the item will require six votes — the number needed to override a mayoral veto — if the council were to move ahead Sept. 8 on passing a grocery tax. Biss made it clear during discussions he supported a property tax hike as less regressive. * Shaw Local | DeKalb city budget deficit coming, city warns amid pension reform plea: DeKalb city staff acknowledged during a recent special joint meeting of the City Council and Finance Advisory Commission that they expect to run into budget shortfalls by 2034 due to pension obligations. For years, city leaders have been grappling with potential shortfalls between property taxes and what the city owes, officials said. Mayor Cohen Barnes said the city has a growing problem. “We have a shortfall between … all the property taxes that the city of DeKalb receives, all that economic development on the south side goes directly toward the police and fire crisis, and it’s not enough,” Barnes said. * Daily Herald | After ‘big misunderstanding,’ Mueller returning to Glenbard District 87 school board: Mueller recently took a job as a routing coordinator for busing provider Safeway, the district’s regular and special education transportation contractor, Glenbard Superintendent Jessica Santee said last month. […] But “on the mistaken assumption that this created an unlawful conflict of interest,” Safeway advised Mueller that she had to either resign from her job or resign from the board, Santee said. * Daily Herald | ‘It just doesn’t seem very Barrington’: Commission opposes gated community at former PepsiCo site: “It just doesn’t seem very Barrington,” Plan Commission Chairperson Anna Bush said. “It just doesn’t seem community focused.” Commissioner David Holtermann added: “I think gated community promotes things we don’t like. It promotes a sense of division. It reduces social cohesion.” * Daily Herald | A seasoned conductor agreed to conduct the Wheaton Municipal Band when he turned 100. He just kept his word: [Arnald Gabriel] turned 100 years old in May, but because he now struggles to walk, he couldn’t fly to Illinois. Moss found another way for Gabriel to keep his word. Moss sent a film crew to record Gabriel conducting two songs in his Alexandria, Virginia, condominium, last month. During the concert a week later, his wrinkled face, creased with experience, appeared on an auditorium screen, as CBS News first reported. * WCIA | Vermilion Co. union hosts meeting listing grievances against Viscofa: Union representatives say it started three years ago. Then, in the spring of last year, they say food casing manufacturer Viscofan tried to get rid of the union. The effort failed after employees voted to keep it, but workers at the factory say it didn’t end there. “They just want you to come in, do this job. If you don’t like it, that’s too bad,” said former employee Tim Miller. “You can leave. You know, we’ll get rid of you.” * WCIA | Meta, Constellation celebrate new partnership in Clinton: Executives and employees from both companies gathered at Clinton’s nuclear plant recognized the 20-year partnership. The plant’s current agreement with the State of Illinois expires in 2027. “Meta of course, is consuming electricity in other places on the United States electric grid and it’s important to them they can match up their usage with clean energy,” Constellation Chief Strategy and Growth Officer Kathleen Barrón said. * ProPublica | How DOGE Left Mohammad Halimi’s Life in Tatters: It was early morning on April 1 when Mohammad Halimi, a 53-year-old exiled Afghan scholar, got a panicked message from his son. Halimi’s name had just appeared in a viral post on X, shared by none other than the site’s owner and the world’s richest man, Elon Musk. […] The work he was pursuing with USIP had nothing to do with supporting the Taliban. It was the opposite. ProPublica has obtained records making clear that Musk and his team at the newly formed DOGE should have known this too. Halimi’s work at USIP was spelled out in precise detail in the agency’s records, down to the tasks he performed on specific days. His role at the institute was far from top secret, but it had been treated as highly sensitive and confidential. Among other tasks, it involved a program gathering information on the ground about living conditions for Afghan women, who are largely barred from education past primary school or from having a role in public life. * WIRED | The Magic Phrase Behind Donald Trump’s Power Grab: Nestled in the order was a phrase that’s become increasingly familiar to me over the past seven months as I’ve read piles of boring documents issuing from the administration, trying to figure out what it’s doing. “Discretionary awards must, where applicable,” it read, “demonstrably advance the President’s policy priorities.” This phrase, and variants, come up a lot. It has popped up everywhere from the White House’s description of the Office of Presidential Scheduling (it works to “create an agenda that strategically advances the President’s priorities,” apparently) to a website where the Coast Guard explains that its secretary is assigned to “fully align the Service to execute the President’s priorities.” * AP | ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ will likely be empty within days, top Florida official says: top Florida official says the controversial state-run immigration detention facility in the Everglades will likely be empty in a matter of days, even as Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration and the federal government fight a judge’s order to shutter the facility dubbed “Alligator Alcatraz” by late October. That’s according to an email exchange shared with The Associated Press. In a message sent to a South Florida rabbi on Aug. 22 related to providing chaplaincy services at the facility, Florida Division of Emergency Management Executive Director Kevin Guthrie said “we are probably going to be down to 0 individuals within a few days.” The rabbi’s executive assistant who sent the original email to Guthrie confirmed its veracity to the AP. * AP | FDA approves updated Pfizer COVID shots but limits access for some kids and adults: Pfizer said in a release its vaccine is now approved for all seniors to protect against the virus this fall. But the Food and Drug Administration narrowed its use for younger adults and children to those with at least one high-risk health condition, such as asthma or obesity. That presents new barriers to access for millions of Americans who’d have to prove their risk — and millions more who may want to get vaccinated and suddenly no longer qualify. * WaPo | National Guard troops deployed in D.C. add sanitation, landscaping duties: Typically, custodial work like this falls to the National Park Service, which was already facing staffing shortfalls when the Trump administration this spring directed additional cuts as it gutted the federal workforce. The service used to have 200 people assigned to maintain thousands of acres of trees and gardens in D.C., and now there are 20, a Park Service official told The Post.
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Tariffs Impact Everyone
Wednesday, Aug 27, 2025 - Posted by Advertising Department [The following is a paid advertisement.] At Hello Tokyo, a variety store in Niles, one hundred percent of the merchandise is imported from overseas with much of the inventory originating in Japan and China, thus putting the store directly in the crosshairs of the global tariff battle now taking shape. Tariffs impact everyone. Hello Toyko’s owner, Jin Park, says his store is in a holding pattern to see what to do next, because there’s still a lot of uncertainty. Retailers like Jin enrich our economy and strengthen our communities, even during the uncertainty of increased tariff expenses. IRMA is showcasing some of the many retailers who continue to make Illinois work.
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Tracy says he put $2 million into his US Senate campaign (Updated)
Wednesday, Aug 27, 2025 - Posted by Rich Miller * Press release from a Republican US Senate candidate…
Discuss. Also, I’m assuming this is a loan, but I’m awaiting a response on that point. …Adding… The campaign confirmed that this is a loan.
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Insurance company claims Wyndham hotel damage was inside job, refuses to cover losses
Wednesday, Aug 27, 2025 - Posted by Rich Miller * Some background from a WAND TV report in March…
* And now a new bombshell report from WAND…
Mr. Rajabi’s lawsuit is here. * From the insurance company’s counter-suit…
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Navy captain: Potential federal surge in Chicago will focus on downtown
Wednesday, Aug 27, 2025 - Posted by Rich Miller * Sun-Times…
* Scroll down…
At least it’ll be convenient for most of the Chicago teevee stations, which may be the whole point. I do feel sorry for all those folks who will have to suffer through commuting on the expressways every day. Maybe they should look into buying monthly passes from Metra.
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More state bashing
Wednesday, Aug 27, 2025 - Posted by Rich Miller * Earlier yesterday, Mayor Brandon Johnson spoke at an organized labor event alongside several Democratic state legislators. He turned on them later. From a Tribune city hall reporter…
The legislators who were with him earlier yesterday are all in favor of progressive revenue. But then he threw them under the bus with everyone else? Between the Johnson folks and the Eastern Bloc, I’m really not sure who’s the more tiresome Illinois bashers. * More from Alice’s thread…
* Fox 32 was also there…
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Consumers Are Getting Slammed With Higher Electric Rates – Don’t Add Fuel To The Fire With ROFR
Wednesday, Aug 27, 2025 - Posted by Advertising Department [The following is a paid advertisement.] Illinois consumers are feeling the heat, both from triple-digit temperatures and soaring electricity bills. Ameren customers are seeing 18–22% rate hikes. ComEd has customers paying as much as triple-digit increases. And it’s going to get worse. In July, the PJM Capacity Auction hit another record high - a 22% increase on top of the record highs everyone just started paying. This will already lead to further rate increases next year! As frustration heats up, lawmakers must choose: support competition that drives prices down or fan the flames of electricity inflation with “Right of First Refusal” (ROFR) legislation. ROFR kills competition and boosts prices by giving incumbent utilities exclusive rights to build transmission lines. It’s so anti-competitive that both presidents - Biden and Trump - opposed it in 2020 and 2023. As the ICC has said, “The Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC) believes that competition among transmission developers spurs innovative results and helps control costs.”  ROFR would send electricity prices even higher. Springfield should focus on long-term strategies to lower electricity bills, not raise them. As ROFR may resurface this fall, legislators should reject it and stand up for cost-cutting competition that benefits consumers.
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Isabel’s morning briefing
Wednesday, Aug 27, 2025 - Posted by Isabel Miller * ICYMI: Former Illinois National Guard general says troops can’t act as law enforcement in Chicago. CBS Chicago…
- “They could stand on corners and basically do nothing. They could certainly protect federal property, that’s a reasonable thing to do,” Hayes said. “But it’s not a law enforcement function.” - Chicago is different than the Washington, D.C., deployment because, one: they don’t have a governor and the president does exert more control there than almost anywhere in the country over the National Guard. But because the National Guard doesn’t have the authority to arrest or handle law enforcement, they would be largely restricted to protecting federal buildings and federal agents in Chicago. * Related stories… * Governor Pritzker will join Black Men United at 11 am in Maywood for a ribbon-cutting to open a new affordable housing facility. Click here to watch. * WBEZ | Federal loan limits could turn off prospective social workers from going to school, advocates say: Starting July 2026, students will only be allowed to borrow $20,500 from the federal government per year. Master’s degrees in social work can cost upwards of $45,000 a year, particularly at private universities — and in most cases a graduate degree is needed to work in the field. […] “The rub is that colleges cannot reverse years of price increases overnight,” Granville wrote. “Students will still face high tuition bills and living costs despite the new borrowing limits, and they will shoulder the burden of this change if they want to continue to pursue higher education.” * Sun-Times | Trump’s planned Chicago blitz would use naval base to house ICE agents, possibly National Guard: Agents with the Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and U.S. Customs and Border Protection would be housed at Naval Station Great Lakes near North Chicago from Sept. 2-30, according to an email Monday from Navy Cpt. Stephen Yargosz to his leadership team. “These operations are similar to what occurred in Los Angeles earlier this summer. Same DHS team,” wrote Yargosz, the commanding officer of Naval Station Great Lakes. “… This morning I received a call that there is the potential to also support National Guard units. Not many details on this right now. Mainly a lot of concerns and questions.” * WAND | Wyndham owner faces allegations of intentionally vandalizing hotel: According to documents filed with the U.S. District Court Central District of Illinois, WAND News learned that the Springfield fire and police departments were investigating after they said it appeared that the property was intentionally vandalized. The State Fire Marshal shuttered the hotel March 28. Then in June, hotel owner Al Rajabi sued his insurance company, claiming Affiliated FM Insurance was stalling to pay the claim. Rajabi said he was losing thousands of dollars on cancelled reservations and events. * Center Square | WATCH: IL Hospital Association: $50B rural hospital fund ‘woefully inadequate’: Illinois Hospital Association President and CEO A.J. Wilhelmi acknowledged the $50 billion fund for rural hospitals. “But I think we would all agree that when we’re talking about $50 billion out of a trillion dollars in cuts to Medicaid, that is woefully inadequate,” Wilhelmi said sitting next to Pritzker Friday. “Nevertheless, these funds are critically important to rural hospitals and providers in this room and across the state of Illinois.” * WIFR | Illinois sees record-breaking tourism in 2024: According to data from Tourism Economics, Illinois saw 113 million domestic and international visitors spending $48.5 billion in 2024. That’s an increase of 500,000 visitors and $1.3 billion more than in 2023. Visitor spending generated $4.7 billion in state and local tax revenue, and supported nearly 300,000 jobs in the tourism and hospitality industry, according to the report. The increase in tourism also led to a 14% increase in hotel tax revenue, totaling $367 million. * Capitol City Now | Frank Lesko to run for Illinois Senate seat: Former Springfield Alderman, City Clerk and Park Board member Frank Lesko — the current Sangamon County Recorder — says he wants the seat in the Illinois Senate currently occupied by former city colleague and Democrat, Doris Turner. * Capitol News Illinois | Trump threatens Illinois’ federal funding for eliminating cash bail: “It’s clear that the president really hasn’t read any of the background or actually what’s happened as a result of the law being put in place,” Gov. JB Pritzker told reporters in Decatur on Tuesday. […] Illinois’ law does not automatically allow people charged with felonies to remain out of jail before their trial. Local prosecutors decide whether to petition a judge to keep a person detained as they await trial, and the law directs the justice system to cite and release most low-level, nonviolent offenders. * WNIJ | Illinois has significantly increased MAP grant funding since the budget crisis. What has it done for college affordability?: “If you go back a decade, the MAP grant (max award), at least at NIU, was covering about 38% of tuition and fees,” said Jensen. “Today, that is covering about 60% of our tuition fees.” Jensen says another thing to note about MAP is that it’s a first-come, first-served system. During the budget impasse, funding ran out quickly. At NIU, it meant that around 10% of students who qualified for awards didn’t get any. * Chalkbeat Chicago | Chicago Public Schools’ debt has hit over $28,000 per student. Here’s what that means: In the years before the 2008 financial crash, district officials also engaged in risky borrowing in an effort to lower interest rates on existing debt that backfired when the economy collapsed, as reported by the Chicago Tribune. And in the mid-2010s, at a time of intense financial strain before the state overhauled how it funded public education, Chicago’s school board did what officials today call “crisis borrowing” — much of it to pay for servicing its existing debt. * Chalkbeat Chicago | About 200 students with disabilities in Chicago don’t have classroom placements as second week of school begins: Although CPS added nearly 100 new cluster programs in the past two years with classes exclusively for students with disabilities, families were notified in an Aug. 15 letter that there are “limited seats available.” District officials said the delay is not impacting all special education programs, just students slated for placements in cluster programs. Cluster classrooms are only for students with disabilities and serve up to 10 students in early childhood education programs and 13 students from kindergarten up until a student ages out of the school district at 22, according to district officials. * Sun-Times | Civil rights attorney with history of suing CPD to serve as Mayor Johnson’s strategy chief: Sheila Bedi is a clinical professor of law at the Northwestern Pritzker School of Law and director of the Community Justice and Civil Rights Clinic. The clinic describes itself as providing “students with opportunities to work within social-justice movements on legal and policy strategies aimed at redressing over-policing and mass imprisonment.” […] Bedi was also the attorney who represented activist Miracle Boyd and persuaded the city to compensate Boyd with a $280,000 settlement for being roughed up and having her front tooth knocked out by a Chicago police officer during a 2020 protest at the Christopher Columbus statue in Grant Park. That statue has since been removed from its pedestal. And Bedi served on the legal team for the family of Dexter Reed, who was shot to death by police officers in 2024 after Reed shot and wounded one of them during a traffic stop. A $1.25 million proposed settlement that would have compensated the Reed family stalled in the Council’s Finance Committee amid opposition from pro-police Council members. * Tribune | Family members raise questions about arrest after video appears to show officers throwing punches: After about a minute, as Douglas continues to resist, the video appears to show one officer punch him in the stomach. “Why you punch me?” Douglas is heard asking. The officer replies: “You just punched me” as Douglas then says, “I didn’t punch you.” The second officer then swings twice at his face, according to the video. The video did not appear to show Douglas punch the officer, though the officers partially block him from view of the camera. * WBEZ | Johnson to appoint new CPS board member ahead of tight budget vote: Ángel Vélez is a diversity, equity and inclusion consultant with a doctorate in education policy, organization and leadership, from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He’ll be sworn in at Thursday’s board meeting to represent District 9A on the South Side, a seat that has been empty since June. In a statement, Vélez said he brings his professional experience and lived experience as an Afro-Latino man who went to Clemente High School in Humboldt Park and now lives in West Englewood. His child attends a Chicago public school. * CBS Chicago | Lawmakers call for federal relief after repeated flooding on Chicago’s West Side: Also Tuesday, leaders on the city’s West Side called for flood relief from the federal government. The West Side has been hit hard by flooding in recent years. This summer, many West Side residents had their homes inundated after significant rain on July 25. Some got hit again last week. Many residents are dealing with expensive repairs and costly mold removal projects. * Tribune | Chicago police issue community alert after latest antisemitic stickers, graffiti found in Hyde Park: Since June, vandals have tagged eight locations in the South Side neighborhood — including a mailbox, stop sign, emergency bell and lockers — with stickers or graffiti carrying antisemitic messages, the latest found Monday afternoon in the 1300 block of East 53rd Street, authorities said. * NBC Chicago | Restaurant launches legal fight to restore Chicago Riverwalk location: Robert Gomez, owner and operator of Beat Kitchen, says city officials pushed him out at the conclusion of a five-year contract without providing an explanation of why, and he’s fighting to get his location back along the Riverwalk. Tuesday marked the first hearing in civil court on the matter, with Gomez having filed a lawsuit against the city. * High Speed Rail Alliance | Metra’s South Chicago Branch and the Illinois Quantum Campus: The Quantum Campus brings attention to a unique Metra line: the Metra Electric District South Chicago Branch, a 4.7-mile spur from the Metra Electric Main Line, built in 1883 by the Illinois Central Railroad, and electrified with overhead wires in 1926. The South Chicago Branch is the only Metra line that operates entirely within Chicago, it’s electric, no freight trains operate on the branch, and it serves the densely populated urban neighborhoods of South Shore and South Chicago. With minimal upgrades, it would operate more like a CTA L line than a traditional Metra commuter rail line. * WTTW | Chicago Grocery Mart Owner Sentenced to 3 Years in Prison For Defrauding Millions in SNAP Benefits: Prosecutors alleged Alhawa maintained multiple checking accounts at different banks set up to receive benefit payments purportedly redeemed through his store. From 2011 to 2019, Alhawa fraudulently redeemed SNAP and WIC benefits for non-eligible items or cash even though no eligible food items were ever sold by Olive Mount Mart to those recipients or their designees. Alhawa admitted in a plea agreement with the government that he caused a loss to those programs of more than $8.3 million. * Daily Southtown | Calumet City calls for new trial in document destruction lawsuit against Clerk Nyota Figgs: The lawsuit claiming Figgs illegally shredded records shortly after Calumet City Mayor Thaddeus Jones first entered office was thrown out last month when Judge Joel Chupack found the city’s case “woefully insufficient.” Jones and Figgs independently won reelection to their seats this year in a race characterized by political divisions and personal attacks. Calumet City requested the judge hearing a separate lawsuit overrule Chupack’s verdict or grant a new trial, after Chupack denied a city request for extra time to file posttrial motions on Aug. 20. The city also filed a motion asking to enforce a settlement it says was reached with Figgs before Chupack ruled. * Daily Herald | ‘Hiring slushie’: Aurora mayor to limit filling of vacant city jobs: Aurora Mayor John Laesch plans to limit filling vacant municipal jobs, as he believes the city should rein in spending amid a potential $29 million budget deficit next year. Laesch outlined his plans Monday, as he and city finance officials discussed the general fund portion of the budget they are preparing for 2026. Laesch said he is instituting a “hiring slushie,” under which city departments won’t be able to hire new people to increase staff or fill vacancies without first getting approval from his office. * Naperville Sun | Gun-related arrests at Naperville Topgolf now top 15 for the year: Officers conducting a foot patrol of the Topgolf parking lot at 3211 Odyssey Court about 10:30 p.m. Aug. 21 observed a handgun in plain view inside an unoccupied Kia Forte, Naperville police spokeswoman Kelley Munch said. Upon further investigation, they learned the registered owner of the vehicle, identified as Wright, did not possess a valid FOID card or a concealed carry license, Munch said. He also had a previous felony conviction out of Indiana. * Evanston RoundTable | New Illinois law protecting students is ‘relief’ in Evanston immigrant community: Mendoza told the RoundTable that COFI members had brought up concerns about the safety of kids in schools. She specifically cited concerns about information and data privacy. Both Evanston/Skokie School District 65 and Evanston School District 202 are Safe Haven School Districts. Neither district asks for student or family immigration statuses, and they are never asked to provide documentation regarding their immigration status. * Daily Herald | Extra trains on track for Metra BNSF riders and more stops on the UP West: Here’s what it means to you: On the UP West Line from Chicago to Geneva, up to four stops will be added at off-peak hours. […] For BNSF riders traveling between the suburbs and downtown, two additional morning trains will make stops from Lisle to Downers Grove, then head straight to Union Station. On the evening commute, two trains will travel express from Chicago to Congress Park, then make all stops until Fairview Avenue; two other trains will express to Downers Grove, then stop at all stations to Aurora. * WCIA | Carle announces expanded services in CU as OSF shrinks: The healthcare landscape in Champaign-Urbana is getting a shakeup as one provider reduces services in the region and another expands its services in response. OSF previously announced that it will be consolidating its hospital system into two campuses and closing down several of its units in Urbana. Carle, meanwhile, expects that this will result in a substantial increase in the number of patients at its hospital, adding to an already high demand. * WGLT | Access-to-care gaps persist in updated Community Health Needs Assessment for McLean County: A foundational planning tool used to tackle some of McLean County’s most pressing health challenges has just been refreshed. It’s the first update to the Community Health Needs Assessment in three years. The document packed with data will be used in many ways, including the creation of a new three-year health improvement plan. The three significant health needs selected for action are access to care, behavioral health (including mental health and substance abuse), and healthy eating and active living, the same as last time. * BND | Controversy over cemetery solar farm draws Belleville Diocese into fray: For at least two decades, the Catholic Diocese of Belleville has been leasing a small section of Mount Carmel Cemetery land to a trucking company that’s digging a borrow pit and hauling out fill dirt, east of the burial grounds on the bluff. The operation didn’t attract much attention until last year, when a group of local residents began fighting the city of Belleville’s plan to buy nearby Mount Hope Cemetery, clear-cut 25 acres of woods and build a solar farm. City and solar officials addressed environmental concerns, in part, by portraying the solar farm as the lesser of two evils. Mount Hope’s fate would be so much worse, they said, if the trucking company or some other private developer got control of the land. * WCIA | Decatur PE teacher among those arrested during human trafficking operation: Olson is listed on the DPS staff directory as a PE teacher at Eisenhower High School, and on Tuesday, the district sent a recorded robocall to parents to address the matter. […] “ The district is aware of the recent arrest of an employee. In accordance with the court’s * WSIL | Cairo Alumni Launch Labor Day Revitalization Effort: Organizers are inviting all Cairo High School alumni to join the first annual Labor Day Revitalization event on Saturday, August 30, 2025. The community-wide effort will focus on cleanup and beautification projects designed to spark pride and show what’s possible when neighbors work side by side. Organizers say there are several ways to show your support. You can volunteer your time, donating supplies, make a financial contribution, or simply just spreading the word. * AP | Researcher who has distorted voter data appointed to Homeland Security election integrity role: Pennsylvania activist Heather Honey is now serving as the deputy assistant secretary for election integrity in the department’s Office of Strategy, Policy and Plans, an organizational chart on its website shows. The political appointment, first reported by Democracy Docket, shows how self-styled election investigators who have thrown themselves into election conspiracy theories since 2020 are now being celebrated by a presidential administration that indulges their false claims. Her new role, which didn’t exist under President Joe Biden, also comes as Trump has used election integrity concerns as a pretext to try to give his administration power over how elections are run in the U.S. * Working Economics Blog | Unions can play a critical role in safeguarding reproductive freedom: When looking at these state policies, it’s worth noting that many of the states with abortion protections are also states with higher levels of unionization. Our recent report documents the strong correlation between high union density and a range of economic, personal, and democratic well-being metrics. In the same way unions give workers a voice at their workplace, unions also give workers a voice in shaping their communities. * AP | A US tariff exemption for small orders ends Friday. It’s a big deal to some shoppers and businesses: Although the president previously ended the “de minimis” rule for inexpensive items sent from China and Hong Kong, having to pay import taxes on small parcels from everywhere else likely will be a big change for some small businesses and online shoppers. Purchases that previously entered the U.S. without needing to clear customs will require vetting and be subject to their origin country’s applicable tariff rate, which can range from 10% to 50%. For the next six months, carriers handling orders sent through the global mail network also can choose a flat duty of $80 to $200 per package instead of the value-based rate. * NBC Chicago | The CDC quietly scaled back a surveillance program for foodborne illnesses: As of July 1, the Foodborne Diseases Active Surveillance Network (FoodNet) program has reduced surveillance to just two pathogens: salmonella and Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC), a spokesperson for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention told NBC News. Before July, the program had been tracking infections caused by six additional pathogens: campylobacter, cyclospora, listeria, shigella, vibrio and Yersinia. Some of them can lead to severe or life-threatening illnesses, particularly for newborns and people who are pregnant or have weakened immune systems.
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Open thread
Wednesday, Aug 27, 2025 - Posted by Rich Miller * “The world’s first Grateful Drag band BERTHA performing ‘Mississippi Half Step’ by the Grateful Dead at the Gerald R. Ford Amphitheater in Vail, CO on June 17, 2025.” Well, OK then… They say that Cain caught Abel rolling loaded dice * What’s going on in your neck of the woods?
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Protected: SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - Supplement to today’s edition
Wednesday, Aug 27, 2025 - Posted by Rich Miller
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Protected: SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - Today’s edition of Capitol Fax (use all CAPS in password)
Wednesday, Aug 27, 2025 - Posted by Rich Miller
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Selected press releases (Live updates)
Wednesday, Aug 27, 2025 - Posted by Isabel Miller
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Live coverage
Wednesday, Aug 27, 2025 - Posted by Isabel Miller * Click here and/or here to follow breaking news. Hopefully, enough reporters and news outlets migrate to BlueSky so we can hopefully resume live-posting.
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