Isabel’s afternoon roundup
Thursday, Feb 27, 2025 - Posted by Isabel Miller
* WCIA | ‘Drugs don’t work if you cannot afford them’: Rally held in Illinois Capitol to regulate prescription costs: Many people across Illinois are struggling to pay for their prescriptions, and around 250 people came together in the Capitol with an idea to curb the prices. Advocates are fighting for the Illinois lawmakers to pass a bill to create a Prescription Drug Affordability Board. That five-person board will cap the prices of certain drugs across the state to ensure residents can afford them. * Crain’s | Chicago sees dealmaking slump as early Trump moves drive uncertainty: Dealmaking has remained stuck in neutral in 2025 as uncertainty about the impact of President Donald Trump’s early actions has kept mergers and acquisitions activity light, belying forecasts for a long-awaited market surge this year. “It certainly has not materialized,” said Brad Haller, senior partner for mergers and acquisitions at business and technology consulting firm West Monroe. “In terms of new inbound activity, the first two months of this year, it has not met our expectations.” * Fox 32 | Why is Brandon Johnson testifying before Congress?: In January, the House Committee on Oversight and Reform sent a formal letter to City Hall, requesting Johnson’s participation in a public hearing on Capitol Hill. The letter cited concerns about the impact of sanctuary policies in Chicago and three other cities—New York, Boston, and Denver. It claimed such policies fail to comply with federal law and suggested, “Citizens of all four cities have suffered due to sanctuary policies.” House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) confirmed all four mayors will testify at the full committee hearing on March 5. * Bloomberg | Walgreens rises on report that Sycamore would split company: Sycamore, which has been reportedly exploring a purchase of Walgreens for months, is planning on splitting up the company’s US and UK pharmacy businesses, as well as its specialty pharmacy unit, the Financial Times reported Thursday. Walgreens shares rose as much as 7.3% when US markets opened. They had gained 18% this year through Wednesday’s close. Representatives for Walgreens and Sycamore declined to comment. The stock was up 4% at about $11.50 as of 11:50 a.m. on Thursday. * Sun-Times | Bears have 4th-most salary-cap space as NFL announces record-high $279.2 million cap: Regardless of where the final number fell, the Bears were set to have the fourth-most salary-cap space when the new league year begins March 12. After recent cuts of tight end Gerald Everett and defensive end DeMarcus Walker, they’re on track to have $79.5 million in space when they start negotiating with free agents March 10. That trails only the Patriots at $127.8 million, the Raiders at $96.5 million and the Commanders at $81.9 million. NFC North rivals the Vikings ($63 million) and Lions ($51.5 million) also are in the top 10, and the Packers have $48.8 million to spend. * Monica Gordon | Lives are lost in south suburban Cook County because it’s a trauma center desert: In the heart of the Southland, a critical health care gap has been widening, one that endangers lives every day. The absence of a trauma center in this region is more than an inconvenience; it is a public health crisis that demands immediate attention and collective action. As someone who has lived and worked in the south suburbs throughout my career and served as an elected official, I have seen firsthand the devastating impact of this health care void. Trauma centers are not just hospitals; they are lifelines. These centers significantly improve survival rates and patient outcomes for traumatic brain injuries, gunshot wounds, injuries sustained in motor vehicle crashes and so much more. * Naperville | Naperville craft brewers worried about potential impact of Trump’s aluminum tariffs: For Naperville’s Go Brewing, aluminum cans play a substantial role in manufacturing. Ask president and founder Joe Chura, and he’d say about 99.99% of the nonalcoholic craft brewery’s offerings are doled out in aluminum cans. So with President Donald Trump’s 25% tariffs on all imported aluminum set to go into effect on March 12, the potential local impact “is really on our mind,” Chura says. * Sun-Times | Graduate saddled with $138K debt for ‘worthless’ degree sues loan servicer Navient for fraud: An Aurora woman who attended a “predatory for-profit” college in the Loop filed a proposed class action lawsuit Wednesday on behalf of student loan borrowers who were shut out of getting their loans discharged, following a 2022 settlement against loan servicer Navient Corp. Amanda Luciano, 38, racked up more than $138,000 in debt and has paid off about $52,000. The lawsuit says Navient should have erased her loans because she attended a “predatory for-profit” school. Instead, the company refused and wouldn’t explain why. Luciano filed the lawsuit against Navient and its subsidiary, Navient Solutions, in Cook County Circuit Court, saying the servicer fraudulently and unfairly denied her request to have her loans discharged. Her complaint seeks class action status for other Illinois borrowers who also received “boilerplate” denials from Navient. * Tribune | Ex-sailor pleads guilty to terrorist plot to attack Naval Station Great Lakes in 2022: A former sailor at the Naval Station Great Lakes has pleaded guilty to a 2022 terrorist plot to attack the base in Chicago’s northern suburbs on behalf of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, purportedly to avenge the death of an Iranian general killed by U.S. forces. Xuanyu Harry Pang, 38, of North Chicago, pleaded guilty to conspiring to and attempting to willfully injure and destroy national defense premises with the intent to obstruct the national defense of the U.S., court records show. * WJBD | Demolition work underway for new operating and emergency room at Salem Township Hospital: Demolition work is now underway in the future area that will house the Salem Township Hospital emergency and operating room areas. Hospital CEO James Timpe says no surprises have been found. “Demolition has been underway for about three weeks, and we’re seeing the area downstairs that used to be the rural health center is being cleared out,” Timpe said. “It’s looking good, and we should have a plan from our architect in a couple of weeks. They’ll send that out for bids, and we’ll see if we can come in under budget.” * Shaw Local | Keast ousts Schore in Bourbonnais mayoral primary: The village of Bourbonnais will have a new mayor after the April 1 consolidated general election. Trustee Jeff Keast soundly defeated four-term incumbent Mayor Paul Schore in Tuesday’s Bourbonnais Citizens Party primary race. Keast has been a trustee for 10 years. According to unofficial results, Keast finished with 1,061 votes (60.7%) to Schore’s 686 votes (39.3%). * WJBD | Marion County Board hires new county highway engineer: The Marion County Board has hired Alex Kreke as its new county highway engineer, pending IDOT approval. Kreke is currently an engineer with the city of Wentzville, Missouri. Road and Bridge Committee Co-Chair Adam Smith says Kreke is originally from Dietrich and wanted to return to the Southern Illinois area. “He seems to be really motivated to be back in the area, and he seems like he’s very much interested in learning about the county highway business,” Smith said. “He’s got a lot of experience with city streets, sewers and infrastructure, so he ought to be a great fit for our county.” * Illinois Times | The Taste of Black Springfield: Celebrate Black History Month and experience the best of local Black-owned food, music and fun at the same time. This event’s menu ranges from barbecue to soul food to sweet treats. Entry is free but event attendees are urged to donate to vendors at the event. Fifteen Black-owned businesses are set to provide their specialties for this event. * Bloomberg | From egg prices to housing, US inflation is heating up again: “Our outlook is very much for inflation to be coming back. We’ve been saying second half of this year, but it seems like the pressures are already starting to build,” said Lauren Saidel-Baker, economist at ITR Economics. And between the administration’s policies on tariffs and immigration, there’s more to come, she said. “I want to be absolutely clear: there are upside risks to our inflation outlook.” * NYT | Organ Transplant System ‘in Chaos’ as Waiting Lists Are Ignored: For decades, fairness has been the guiding principle of the American organ transplant system. Its bedrock, a national registry, operates under strict federal rules meant to ensure that donated organs are offered to the patients who need them most, in careful order of priority. But today, officials regularly ignore the rankings, leapfrogging over hundreds or even thousands of people when they give out kidneys, livers, lungs and hearts. These organs often go to recipients who are not as sick, have not been waiting nearly as long and, in some cases, are not on the list at all, a New York Times investigation found. * The Atlantic | Inside the Collapse at the NIH: The lights at the NIH are on; staff are at their desks. But since late January, the agency has issued only a fraction of its usual awards—many in haphazard spurts, as officials rushed grants through the pipeline in whatever limited windows they could manage. As of this week, some of the agency’s 27 institutes and centers are still issuing no new grants at all, one NIH official told me. Grant-management officers, who sign their name to awards, are too afraid, the official said, that violating the president’s wishes will mean losing their livelihood. (Most of the officials I spoke with requested anonymity, out of fear for their job at the agency, or—for those who have left—further professional consequences.)
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Stop Credit Card Chaos In Illinois
Thursday, Feb 27, 2025 - Posted by Advertising Department [The following is a paid advertisement.] A last-minute provision called the Interchange Fee Prohibition Act (IFPA) was snuck into the budget process last May and will create chaos for small businesses and consumers across Illinois if it takes effect on July 1, 2025. The IFPA gives corporate mega-stores like Walmart and Home Depot — who pushed for this backroom deal — millions more in profits, while small business owners get new expenses and accounting headaches. What’s more, consumers could be forced to pay for parts of their transactions in cash if this law moves forward. A recent court ruling in the litigation challenging the law suggests IFPA is likely pre-empted by federal law for national banks and will only apply to credit unions and local Illinois banks, putting local banks at a disadvantage against their national competitors. Illinois lawmakers should repeal the IFPA and focus on protecting small businesses and consumers across the state — not lining the pockets of corporate mega-stores. Stop the countdown to chaos by supporting a repeal of this misguided and flawed policy. Learn more at https://guardyourcard.com/illinois/ ![]()
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DuPage County sheriff says he’s running for governor (Updated)
Thursday, Feb 27, 2025 - Posted by Rich Miller * DuPage County Sheriff James Mendrick’s Facebook page…
* Sheriff Mendrick went on Ray Stevens’ WLS program today. Core message…
Please pardon any transcription errors. * Regarding Gov. Pritzker’s rhetoric about President Donald Trump and whether that has had an impact on DuPage County…
* SAFE-T Act…
* Asked whether he has campaign donors…
In ten years, he’s raised $854K. As of the end of the last quarter, he had $87K in the bank. He had one race, in 2018, which he won. He was unopposed in 2022. * You’ll likely hear this question a lot from him…
…Adding… From DuPage County Board Chair Deb Conroy…
* Related… * Capitol News Illinois | Audit finds Illinois’ noncitizen health care programs far outstripped original cost estimates: The audit, which lawmakers requested in late 2023, comes one week after Pritzker delivered his annual budget proposal to the General Assembly. The governor’s plan would defund the newer of the two programs, which is aimed at noncitizens aged 44 to 64, while leaving in place the smaller program for noncitizen seniors aged 65 and older. * Tribune | Audit finds many were improperly enrolled in state health care program for noncitizens, while costs were vastly underestimated: The cost overruns were particularly pronounced in the program meant for recipients ages 42 to 64, with the actual expenditure of $485 million through the three years ending June 30, 2023, the period covered by the audit, coming in at nearly four times the initially estimated cost of $126 million, according to the report. During the same period, the actual cost of the program for those 65 and older was $412 million, nearly double the original projection of $224 million. * Crain’s | Illinois’ immigrant health plans cost taxpayers much more than projected, audit finds: Auditors found 6,098 enrollees designated as “undocumented” who had Social Security numbers. When that information was presented to the Illinois Department of Healthcare & Family Services, or HFS, the agency provided responses for a sample of 94 enrollees. Auditors determined that 19 of those 94 should have been designated as lawfully present or as being a legal permanent resident — an important distinction because legal permanent residents become eligible for Medicaid after five years in the U.S. * Sun-Times | Pritzker team vastly underestimated health care costs for adults who lack legal status, state audit finds: At a news briefing in Chicago Wednesday, Pritzker bypassed some of the errors spotlighted in the audit and focused on the fleeting nature of immigration status. He also spoke of his support for universal health care. “I think the thing that is missing from the reporting, and what I would point out to you, is that number one, people’s immigration status changes during the course of a year. You’ve got people who were eligible for the program, who became ineligible for the program,” Pritzker said. * WTVO | Audit finds Illinois vastly underestimated cost of noncitizen heathcare on taxpayers: Republicans have been critical of the program since its inception. “We’re the only state that puts this burden on Illinois tax on their own state taxpayers taking this on and to not run it properly and to have these large cost overruns, that’s how you end up with a budget deficit,” Senate Minority Leader John Curran (R-Downers Grove) said Wednesday. “That’s what’s crowding out spending on education. That’s what’s crowding out spending on other components of the state budget. That’s why we need an audit.”
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It’s just a bill
Thursday, Feb 27, 2025 - Posted by Isabel Miller * HB1710 from Rep. Kam Buckner was discussed in a subject matter hearing of the House Gun Violence Prevention Committee yesterday. WAND…
* Sun-Times…
More from ABC Chicago…
* WAND…
* Sen. Robert Peters…
* WCIA…
As of this morning, HB3614 has 24 Democratic co-sponsors.
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Open thread
Thursday, Feb 27, 2025 - Posted by Isabel Miller * What’s going on in your part of Illinois?…
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Isabel’s morning briefing
Thursday, Feb 27, 2025 - Posted by Isabel Miller * ICYMI: Pritzker announces round 3 of medical debt relief program at University of Chicago. WGN…
- The two previous rounds eliminated $345 million in debt for 270,000 Illinoisans. - Pritzker said that while the state is implementing programs to forgive medical debt, he remains concerned about potential cuts to vital services like Medicaid at the federal level, pointing out that cuts to programs like Medicaid threaten access to critical healthcare for Illinois families. - “If Donald Trump and the Republican congress eliminate the Medicaid expansion, we will have people who get sick and die because they don’t have coverage,” Pritzker said. * Related stories…
∙ Fox Chicago: Illinois slashes $220M in medical debt for 170K residents, more relief on the way * BlueRoomStream.com’s coverage of today’s press conferences and committee hearings can be found here. * Tribune | State representative blasts Metra for failing to release internal investigation results: State Rep. Kambium “Kam” Buckner called on Metra to release the findings of an internal investigation, expressing his “deep disappointment” in the rail agency’s decision to withhold the results of the work of an outside law firm. “At a time when fiscal constraints require us to scrutinize (transit) governance, operations and agency structures, this lack of transparency raises serious concerns,” he wrote in a letter to Metra’s board. “Simply put, you cannot ask taxpayers to pay for an investigation and then tell them they have no right to know the results.” * Capitol News Illinois | Audit finds Illinois’ noncitizen health care programs far outstripped original cost estimates: A pair of health care programs that benefit noncitizens – one of which is already on Gov. JB Pritzker’s budgetary chopping block – far outstripped its original estimated price tag and cost the state of Illinois $1.6 billion through last summer, according to a new audit of the programs published Wednesday. The report also found more than 6,000 people enrolled in the state-funded programs were classified as “undocumented” despite actually having social security numbers. Some of those people were green card holders who would have instead qualified for health coverage like Medicaid or traditional insurance. * ABC Chicago | Couple shocked by $26K water bill from city of Chicago, others come forward: ‘We’re on edge’: Elizabeth Finan and her husband have owned a North Side apartment complex for decades. She said every other month, they get a water bill for about $3,000, but her January bill made her jaw drop: $26,369.94. […] Finan said they called an engineer the next day to inspect the building for leaks, but nothing was detected. So, she called the city’s Department of Water Management. “She said the last actual reading was in 2017, and these are all estimated and when they came out and read the meter, this was the bill,” Finan said. * Press Release | Doug Scott confirmed to five-year term as ICC Chairman: Scott was reappointed to a five-year term by Governor JB Pritzker in January 2024 after serving out the remainder of former Chairman Carrie Zalewski’s term. […] “States are at the forefront of keeping the country’s clean energy ambitions apace. Three years ago, the Climate and Equitable Jobs Act (CEJA) charted Illinois’ path to a 100 percent clean energy economy, and in the years to come, the ICC will continue to play a critical role in steering Illinois toward its decarbonization goals,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “As a regulator, Doug Scott understands the importance of balancing reliability, safety, and affordability alongside these goals. Illinois is fortunate to have Chairman Scott at the helm of the ICC.” * Capitol News Illinois | Pritzker says federal funds still being withheld; warns of further spending cuts: Meanwhile, Pritzker also warned this week that as many as 770,000 Illinoisans stand to lose Medicaid health care coverage under a Republican-backed budget resolution that cleared the U.S. House Tuesday night. That resolution, which would amend the current federal fiscal year’s budget, calls for deep cuts in federal funding for Medicaid, a health insurance program for low-income and disabled individuals that is jointly funded with state and federal money. * WAND | Senator Rose responds to Health Alliance’s decision to end majority of coverage by 2026: State Sen. Chapin Rose (R-Mahomet) is also looking for answers. “I wish I had answers, I don’t, but we’re trying to get them. And I’ve already talked to CMS, the meeting is set for Tuesday of next week to to try and figure out where they’re going to go in open enrollment,” said Rose. Nearly 200,000 people are losing their health insurance. And 600 people are potentially losing their jobs. * Tribune | In anticipation of rush, DMV facilities to open on Saturdays for Real ID applicants: The extended hours begin this Saturday and will run through May 10. Twelve of the facilities will be open to walk-in customers on Saturdays for the first time, starting at 7:30 a.m. In addition to the Chicago DMV at 7301 W. Lexington Ave., the facilities in Addison, Aurora, Des Plaines, Elgin, Joliet, Lake Zurich, Melrose Park, Plano, St. Charles, Waukegan and Woodstock will have Saturday hours. * Tribune | To balance Mayor Brandon Johnson’s 2025 budget, Chicago installing 50 new speed cameras to ticket drivers: Chicago will add 50 speed cameras as part of Mayor Brandon Johnson’s plan to balance this year’s budget, increasing the stock of the devices used to ticket drivers by 30% citywide. The city’s Department of Transportation confirmed this week that it is “actively working” to install the 50 cameras this year but declined to share the locations, saying they have yet to be finalized. * Tribune | City Council passes Mayor Brandon Johnson’s $830 million infrastructure bond plan after pushback: Aldermen approved the plan in a 26-23 vote a day after Johnson’s administration proposed a version with clearer spending guardrails. While opponents decried the debt package as financially irresponsible, allies of the mayor defended it as a typical and crucial way to fund basic infrastructure work. “We are not mortgaging the future of our children. We are building the roads that they are going to use,” Ald. Pat Dowell, 3rd, said. * Sun-Times | After OKing plan to save 7 Acero charter schools, CPS may decide to close several of them after all: The about-face would suddenly leave three campuses shuttered at the end of this school year and the other four facing uncertain futures. But it’s not a done deal — some board members are pushing to keep at least five schools open next year. * Tribune | Trauma on trauma: Immigration agents detain Acero charter schools parent on eve of school board vote to shutter some locations: In a letter Wednesday, Acero officials said “Community Wellness Protocols” were immediately implemented at two schools, Victoria Soto High School and Jovita Idar Elementary, which share a campus, to “maintain the safety and security” of the schools’ community. Chicago Public Schools’ Office of Safety and Security was also engaged, according to the letter signed by the schools’ principals, Elizabeth Obrzut and Nicolle Macias. ICE agents did not attempt to enter either school, according to the letter. ICE did not immediately respond to a request for comment. * Crain’s | Tech incubator 1871 is leaving the Merchandise Mart: “As you all know, 1871 has not been immune to the post-COVID challenges that many organizations — especially nonprofits — have faced,” CEO Betsy Ziegler told members and partners in a letter today. “While our impact across Chicago and beyond has grown significantly, like many other businesses, we were not able to adapt our real estate model quickly enough to the evolving economic landscape. * Sun-Times | Federal lawsuit says Chicago police officers framed man in 2011 slaying of fellow cop: One of the men who was initially charged in the 2011 slaying of Chicago Police Officer Clifton Lewis has filed a federal lawsuit alleging fellow officers “perpetuated a wide-ranging scheme” to manufacture evidence to secure convictions in the case. Alexander Villa’s conviction was vacated and charges were dropped in October after the Cook County state’s attorney’s office learned that the defense had not been provided with some potentially exculpatory evidence — evidence that could have been favorable to their client. * Tribune | Suburban Chicago elections: Two high-profile politicians ousted, Larry Dominick keeps control of Cicero: Closer to Chicago in west suburban Cicero, town President Larry Dominick appeared to hang onto his seat, with 57% of the vote against challenger Esteban Rodriguez. Dominick started working for the town’s public works before becoming a police officer and then mayor in 2005. He said his major achievements include reducing local gang killings and improving town services. * Shaw Local | Nguyen likely secures ballot bid for DeKalb mayor race in April election: If unofficial results hold, Nguyen’s name will appear with three other challengers to be DeKalb’s next mayor: incumbent Cohen Barnes, 7th Ward Alderman John Walker and Kouame Sanan, who works in NIU’s IT department. * Fox Chicago | Chicago suburb approves ban on Delta-8 and Delta-9 THC edibles: The Elgin City Council has officially approved a ban on certain THC products, a move that will remove Delta-8 and Delta-9 THC edibles from store shelves. […] Unlike cannabis products sold at licensed dispensaries, these edibles are largely unregulated and have reportedly been linked to a surge in poison control calls. * Tribune | State police: Crete man sent threatening email to Gov. JB Pritzker : The email containing “a message of a threatening nature” was sent to Pritzker’s Office of Constituent Affairs from an email associated with Michael Dascenzo, 49, on Jan. 9, state police said in a news release. Authorities didn’t say exactly what the email stated but did say the email sparked an investigation that led to them obtaining an arrest warrant on Tuesday. * Herald Whig | One day after primary, Moore kicks campaign into high gear: Independent mayoral candidate Linda Moore kicked her campaign into high gear on Wednesday ahead of the April 1 consolidated election when she will face Mayor Mike Troup. “(It’s the) first day of the consolidated election cycle,” Moore told those gathered for her press event Wednesday afternoon. “I am so excited to be able to share with you my plan for how we’re going to fix and grow our city.” * WGEM | Prairie Farms announces Quincy expansion: At a Planning Committee meeting on Wednesday, Mayor Mike Troup announced plans for Prairie Farms to expand. Troup said the company bought two lots next to their property at 24th and Broadway. According to Troup, the expansion will add 10-15 jobs. * 25News Now | Bloomington non-profit suggests cabin village for housing city’s homeless: “The shelter village would really be able to cater to those individuals who really just need their own space to connect with others when they choose and to be alone when they want to be as well,” said Audrey Cail, Home Sweet Home’s Director of Client Services. It will cost about $2.5 million to build the village. HSHM plans to fundraise and apply for a grant through McLean County to pay for it. They need a lot of money to make this happen, but the Home Sweet Home staff, believe in what they’re doing. * Rockford Register Star | Rockford Public Schools: Girl’s tragic death is a ‘wake-up call’: An 11-year-old student in Rockford, Illinois, died by suicide on February 21st. The student’s family alleges that bullying at Eisenhower Middle School contributed to her death, but the school district says they have not found evidence of this. [Superintendent Ehren Jarrett] emphasized the importance of communication and encouraged students to report any concerns they have, assuring them that resources are available. * KWQC | Rock Island cancels meetings after protesters gather outside of city hall: The protesters are angry at the city after an officer fatally shot a driver on Jan. 5. After an investigation, the officer returned to duty and the county attorney’s office released body camera footage of the shooting. At one point Monday, Davenport police blocked access to the Centennial Bridge. * Florida Politics | Who will run for Byron Donalds’ seat in Congress?: Former Illinois state Sen. Jim Oberweis could also jump in. The investment manager and frequent CNBC guest now lives in Southwest Florida and could bring an opportunity to self-fund. Catalina Lauf, another former Illinois congressional candidate who worked in the Commerce Department under Trump, has also moved to Florida and been suggested as a possible candidate. * WaPo | Finally, something is puncturing conspiracy theories: A new paper in the journal Science by Thomas Costello of MIT’s Sloan School of Management, Gordon Pennycook of Cornell University and David Rand, also of Sloan, is so exciting. It finds hope in new technology: a conversation partner powered by artificial intelligence. In a pair of studies involving more than 2000 participants, the researchers found a 20 percent reduction in belief in conspiracy theories after participants interacted with a powerful, flexible, personalized GPT-4 Turbo conversation partner. The researchers trained the AI to try to persuade the participants to reduce their belief in conspiracies by refuting the specific evidence the participants provided to support their favored conspiracy theory. * NBC | FDA cancels meeting to select flu strains for next season’s shots: The email, Offit said, offered no explanation for the scrapped meeting. A spokesperson for the Department of Health and Human Services, which oversees the FDA, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The cancellation comes as the United States is in the midst of a particularly severe flu season. So far, 86 children and 19,000 adults have died this season, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. * NYT | The Covid Alarmists Were Closer to the Truth Than Anyone Else: Five years later, though the world has been scarred by all that death and illness, it is considered hysterical to narrate the history of the pandemic by focusing on it. Covid minimizers and vaccine skeptics now run the country’s health agencies, but the backlash isn’t just on the right. Many states have tied the hands of public health authorities in dealing with future pandemic threats, and mask bans have been implemented in states as blue as New York. Everyone has a gripe with how the pandemic was handled, and many of them are legitimate. But our memories are so warped by denial, suppression and sublimation that Covid revisionism no longer even qualifies as news. When I come across an exchange like this one from last weekend, in which Woody Harrelson called Fauci evil on Joe Rogan’s show, or this one from last year, in which Rogan and Tony Hinchcliffe casually attribute a rise in excess and all-cause mortality to the aftereffects of vaccination, I don’t even really flinch.
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Protected: SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - Today’s edition of Capitol Fax (use all CAPS in password)
Thursday, Feb 27, 2025 - Posted by Rich Miller
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Selected press releases (Live updates)
Thursday, Feb 27, 2025 - Posted by Isabel Miller
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Live coverage
Thursday, Feb 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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Isabel’s afternoon roundup
Wednesday, Feb 26, 2025 - Posted by Isabel Miller * WTTW…
* Baptist News Global | Be ‘hopeful doom-scrollers,’ Pritzker urges: “I want to thank you for the late nights and for your early mornings and for leaving your family functions to formulate legal strategy over Zoom calls,” he said. “And I want to thank you for canceling Friday night drinks with friends so you could file briefs and battle executive orders. Boy, do we need you. I know what the last six weeks have asked of you. You’ve had to be hopeful doom-scrollers. “You’ve had to wake up every single day and be your smartest and be your sharpest because you live well with the worry that anything less will mean the constitutional republic you love so much may slip away,” he continued. “You’ve been stepping up when it seems like everyone else is stepping back.” * WIFR | Free test prep courses offered at all public universities in Illinois: The Illinois Student Assistance Commission is working with Kaplan to provide more than 40 free courses through the Prepare for Illinois’ Future Program. Students will have access to Kaplan’s preparation for professional licensing exams, graduate-level exams and credential exams including the GRE, GMAT, LSAT, MCAT, NCLEX-RN, USMLE, Illinois State bar exam, real estate and securities exam and more. * Crain’s | Brandon Johnson’s $830 million borrowing plan narrowly approved in City Council: The plan, passed 26-to-23, had been blocked from a vote at a previous City Council meeting as opponents criticized a lack of clarity on the projects that would be funded by the bonds and worried the backloaded debt payments risked a further downgrade of the city’s credit rating. Johnson’s team tweaked the proposal to clarify the funding would not be used for operations expenses at Chicago Public Schools as some have claimed. Any capital spending for CPS would need to be approved by the local alderman. * Tribune | Park District boss stepping down after Mayor Brandon Johnson vow to purge holdovers: Chicago Park District Supt. Rosa Escareno is stepping down, the latest shakeup in Mayor Brandon Johnson’s administration after he vowed to purge officials who aren’t loyal to him. Escareno, a longtime City Hall veteran, submitted her letter of resignation on Wednesday after four years of helming the top job at the Park District, according to sources who are familiar with her decision. […] Her replacement was not immediately clear, but the Johnson administration is considering longtime ally Ald. Carlos Ramirez-Rosa, 35th. If confirmed, Ramirez-Rosa’s appointment would further increase progressive representation within Johnson’s leadership team, as the mayor hinted was the goal in his explosive Feb. 10 remarks. * Chalkbeat Chicago | Chicago school board to consider saving 4 of 7 Acero charter schools slated for closure: According to Chicago Public Schools officials, the funding needs for all seven Acero campuses on the chopping block exceed a legal state limit on how much money the district can provide to charter schools. A resolution included on the board’s agenda for its Thursday meeting calls for CPS to provide financial help to Acero in order to keep the Casas, Fuentes, Tamayo, and Santiago campuses open next school year. It then calls for CPS to figure out “the viability” of absorbing those campuses and turning them into district-run schools after next year. * Crain’s | Convention agency bringing McCormick Place management back in-house: It’s a notable shift by an agency that has lauded the privatization of McCormick Place management for giving the city a competitive lift. The convention center — one of the region’s most important economic engines — was publicly managed from 1960 until 2011, when a slate of labor reforms enacted by the Illinois General Assembly prompted the hiring of a private operator to streamline campus operations and lower costs for trade shows, conventions and other meeting-organizer customers. * Lake County News-Sun | Waukegan, North Chicago primaries set stage for mayoral elections: Claiming victory in the Waukegan Democratic primary, former Mayor Sam Cunningham enters a four-way race for the city’s top job against incumbent Mayor Ann Taylor — who unseated him four years ago — Ald. Keith Turner, 6th Ward, and former Ald. Harold Beadling, 4th Ward. Cunningham’s performance was one of four contests for Democratic nominations in Waukegan and North Chicago, with two setting the stage for the April 1 general election for mayor in both cities, and two others putting unopposed candidates on the April ballot. * Daily Herald | Complaint claims Arlington Heights trustee candidate violated donation limits: The campaign committee for Michele Hunter received in-kind contributions of $6,353.86 and $1,406.22 on Jan. 17 from the Illinois Republican Party for mailing and printing, according to disclosures filed with the Illinois State Board of Elections. Arlington Heights bars candidates for village trustee or mayor from accepting more than $1,000 from any single organization. * Daily Herald | Schaumburg, Zurich settle suit over public payments for workforce size: The settlement resulted in Schaumburg immediately paying Zurich $20 million in withheld reimbursement funds from the redevelopment area’s tax increment financing (TIF) district. Meanwhile, the maximum amount Zurich can receive over the life of the district was lowered from $100 million to $80 million. TIF funding generally pays for infrastructure improvements within the district for up to 23 years of the district’s existence. * Lake County News-Sun | Hundreds protest Musk at Libertyville Tesla dealership: ‘What Elon has done to the brand is just make it feel dirty’: “Elon Musk paid to own Donald Trump, who promised to bring down prices on day one, and now people are paying even more,” said Lauren Beth Gash, chair of the Lake County Democratic Party, who was helping run the protest. During Saturday’s protest, a small group of conservative counter-protesters were stationed just a dozen yards away, and the two groups traded barbs and insults. The word “traitor” was thrown back and forth. In the background of the politically charged confrontation was the Libertyville Tesla dealership. * WBEZ | The first Black-owned airport in the U.S. was in Robbins, Illinois: The Black men and women pilots who came after Coleman all attributed their work to her, explaining that they wanted to continue what she started. Two of these pilots, Cornelius Coffey and John Robinson, were highly skilled mechanics who were able to use their own knowledge of technology to teach, train, and further innovate the field of aviation. Coffey and Robinson met in Detroit and connected over their passion for aviation. After reading about the death of Bessie Coleman, the two were inspired to move to Chicago and apply to attend the Curtiss-Wright School of Aviation. They were the masterminds who built their own airport in south suburban Robbins with the help of Janet Harmon Bragg, the first Black woman to earn a commercial pilot’s license, and Willa Brown, the first Black woman to get both a pilot’s and commercial license. Both Bragg and Brown were trained by Coffey and Robinson, and became their colleagues. * Illinois Times | Sean Grayson’s attorneys seek change of venue: The trial of Sean Grayson, who is charged with first-degree murder in the July 6 death of Sonya Massey, needs to be moved outside Sangamon County because pretrial publicity would bias potential jurors, Grayson’s attorneys argued in court documents filed Feb. 26. “The print and electronic news media coverage relating to the death of Sonya Massey has been extensive nationally and worldwide, but especially in the local community,” Springfield defense attorneys Daniel Fultz and Mark Wykoff wrote in the request to Circuit Judge Ryan Cadagin. * Pantagraph | Bloomington to acquire Commerce Bank building, see other downtown sites torn down: On Monday, the Bloomington City Council approved two agreements: one with Consolidated Properties LLC to accept the former Commerce Bank building at 120 N. Center St. as a donation to the city, and one with Catalyst Construction to demolish three vacant properties south and west of the former bank to add surface parking at a cost of about $3.9 million. * BND | O’Fallon’s new emergency alert system wakes up only those who are needed, not everyone: The alert systems went in separately to the public safety building 20 years ago, fire station no. 3 15 years ago, and fire station no. 4 12 years ago. “They were built by three different companies,” Brueggeman said. “If we receive a lift assistance call at 1 a.m. and only need two paramedics, every single paramedic gets a call.” * Illinois Times | Manufacturing operations moving to Clinton: A manufacturer with more than 100 workers is closing two of its Springfield facilities and moving operations to Clinton after a dispute with the city over building-code violations. Mike Hoyle has owned Kwik-Wall for 19 years, a company that makes movable partitions for conference and convention facilities. Hoyle used an LLC to purchase the former Farm and Home building on North Dirksen Parkway for $2 million in April 2024, according to Sangamon County tax records, but soon found himself at loggerheads with city officials over changes made to the building. * WaPo | Elon Musk’s business empire is built on $38 billion in government funding: Over the years, Musk and his businesses have received at least $38 billion in government contracts, loans, subsidies and tax credits, often at critical moments, a Washington Post analysis has found, helping seed the growth that has made him the world’s richest person. The payments stretch back more than 20 years. Shortly after becoming CEO of a cash-strapped Tesla in 2008, Musk fought hard to secure a low-interest loan from the Energy Department, according to two people directly involved with the process, holding daily briefings with company executives about the paperwork and spending hours with a government loan officer.
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There’s No End To Credit Card Swipe Fee Greed
Wednesday, Feb 26, 2025 - Posted by Advertising Department [The following is a paid advertisement.] Credit card companies collect more than $172 billion in swipe fees from customers and businesses each year, but it’s not enough to satisfy their greed. As consumers and retailers continue to grapple with inflation, Visa raised swipe fees on January 1. Gov. JB Pritzker, Senate President Don Harmon, House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch and the General Assembly took a stand against swipe fee greed by passing the Interchange Fee Prohibition Act, which limits swipe fees from being charged on the sales tax and tip portion of transactions. This law will provide tangible relief to Illinois families and retailers of all sizes. While Visa and Mastercard fight to protect their unchecked duopoly in court, Illinois policymakers have sent a clear message that enough is enough.
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Audit finds thousands of improper enrollments in noncitizen healthcare program, massive cost underestimates (Updated)
Wednesday, Feb 26, 2025 - Posted by Isabel Miller * Tribune reporters Jeremy Gorner and Dan Petrella…
* From the Auditor General’s Health Benefits for Immigrant Seniors and Adults audit…
Click here for the full report. …Adding… Governor Pritzker was asked about the audit during an unrelated press conference… Reporter: Governor, there was an audit released this morning that showed that your administration underestimated the cost and the popularity of the immigrant healthcare programs that have been discussed in recents years. I’m wondering what happened to cause those estimates off, particularly for program for people under 65? Please pardon all transcription errors. …Adding… House Minority Leader Tony McCombie…
…Adding… Senate Republicans…
* Related…
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For crying out loud, Chicago: Legalize video gaming and ban these shady sweepstakes games
Wednesday, Feb 26, 2025 - Posted by Rich Miller * If Chicago and other municipalities don’t step in to ban these sweepstakes games, Illinois needs to do so as soon as possible. The unregulated “gray market” is really a “black market.” Sun-Times…
Enough already. These machines are operating out in the open and they need to go away. Chicago encourages this behavior by not legalizing video gaming within city limits. It’s just ridiculous, not to mention the revenues they’re giving up. More on Jimmy Weiss is here. * From the indictment…
Needless to say, a casino owner or a video gaming machine distributor couldn’t get away with doing that. * Overt acts…
Again, regulators would’ve caught this.
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It’s just a bill
Wednesday, Feb 26, 2025 - Posted by Isabel Miller * Sen. Bill Cunningham…
* WAND…
* Sen. Mary Edly-Allen…
* WAND…
* The Caucus Blog of the Illinois House Republicans…
* Politico…
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The Credit Union Difference
Wednesday, Feb 26, 2025 - Posted by Advertising Department
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Local results: Balich slate swept out in Homer Township; Henyard trounced in Dolton; Durbin candidate fails to make Aurora runoff; Dominick, Jackson win in Cicero and Riverdale
Wednesday, Feb 26, 2025 - Posted by Rich Miller * We saw some consequential election results last night. Let’s start with this one…
That’s pretty amazing. You may recall Supervisor Balich…
* This result was fully expected…
Oof… ![]() * According to the Daily Herald, Aurora requires a primary if four or more people run in the first round…
The third-place contestant Mesiacos was endorsed by US Sen. Dick Durbin…
Also, Durbin involves himself in lots of local races.
* And, apparently, so is Riverdale…
* Meanwhile… ![]() * More races… * Daily Southtown | Thaddeus Jones declares victory over James Patton in Calumet City mayoral race: Calumet City Mayor Thaddeus Jones celebrated his victory Tuesday night in the city’s Democratic primary. With all 21 precincts reporting, Jones had 2,326 votes, or 60%, compared to 1,533 votes for Ald. James Patton, according to unofficial results from the Cook County clerk’s office. Calumet City filings show no challenger to the Democratic nominee in the April 1 general election. … Several incumbent candidates on Patton’s slate were leading Tuesday night, including 2nd Ward Ald. Monet Wilson, 5th Ward Ald. DeJuan Gardner and City Clerk Nyota Figgs. Figgs had 2,019 votes compared to Cassandra Hobert Elston’s 1,812, and Wilson had 499 votes to Erica Jenkins’ 421. Gardner was leading Roger Munda with 422 votes, or 77%. Members of Jones’ slate leading Tuesday night included Shalisa Harvey in the 1st Ward, with 173 votes to incumbent Ald. Michael Navarrette’s 148. Miacole Nelson was leading in the 6th Ward with 295 votes to Garnadette Stuckey’s 248. * Shaw Local | Algonquin Township Supervisor Randy Funk appears headed for defeat along with his slate: Algonquin Township Supervisor Randy Funk is trailing behind challenger Richard Tado in the primary Republican election polls as of Tuesday night. … The Algonquin Township campaigns were marked by animosity, with incumbent trustees having filed nine censures against Funk from March 2023 through last December over how he ran the township. Candidates were split in two unofficial but sharply divided camps. * Shaw Local | Oswego Village Trustee Kit Kuhrt behind in bid for second term: With 26 of 28 precincts reporting, Oswego Village Board Trustee Kit Kuhrt was behind in his bid for a second term on the board, according to unofficial results from the Oswego Village Board Republican primary. With two precincts left to be reported, Kuhrt is in fourth place with about 15% of the vote. * Daily Southtown | Incumbents Jada Curry and Lawrence Jackson lead in Lynwood and Riverdale primaries: A passionate crowd of supporters gathered at Lynwood Bowling Center Tuesday night to rally behind Lynwood Village President Jada Curry, facing a challenge in the Democratic primary. Wearing shirts emblazoned with her slate’s campaign slogan, #LynwoodStrong, they gathered to show their support for the incumbent, who is in the lead with 62% of votes after all precincts reported, according to unofficial results from the Cook County clerk’s office. * Shaw Local | Here are Will and Grundy counties’ unofficial February 2025 primary election results * Peoria Journal-Star | ‘Full of gratitude’: Peoria mayor comfortably wins primary: Peoria Mayor Rita Ali and at-large City Councilmember John Kelly have secured their spots as Peoria’s mayoral candidates in April’s general election after emerging as the top two vote getters in Tuesday night’s primary election based on unofficial election results. With 100% of precincts reporting, mayoral candidate Chuck Grayeb, a city councilmember representing the 2nd District, does not have enough votes to advance in the race. * Herald-Whig | Troup secures nomination in reelection bid for mayor: Quincy Mayor Mike Troup is one step closer to earning a second term. Troup, 67, defeated former 6th Ward Alderman Dan Brink for the Republican nomination for mayor in Tuesday’s consolidated primary election. * WAND | Urbana and Lincoln Illinois’ Consolidated Primary Election results: In Urbana, Deshawn Williams is leading the mayoral race with over 64% of the votes, while Annie Adams has garnered 21% of the votes with 21 out of 23 precincts reporting. In the Ward 2 Alderman race, Christopher Evans edged out Larry Lister to win the Democratic primary. In Ward 6, Grace Wilken won the Democratic primary to hold onto her seat. * WCIA | Urbana one step closer to meeting new mayor as primary election ends: The months-long contest between Williams and Adams has had people heading to the polls long before Tuesday. Champaign County Clerk Aaron Ammons said of the about 23,000 registered voters in the city, about 3,000 had casted their vote as of Tuesday afternoon. At that time, he said about 370 people had voted in person, 1,161 cast their ballot early and 1,435 mailed in their vote. * Northwest Herald | Here are McHenry County’s unofficial February 2025 primary election results: Voters in McHenry County had their say in the February primary, which will help shape the coming April ballot. The results include early voting, vote-by-mail and Election Day ballots. * McHenry County Blog | Mike Shorten Wipes Out Incumbent Nunda Township Supervisor Leda Bobera-Drain: McHenry County Board member Mike Shorten, a former Township Trustee, challenged incumbent Leda Bobera-Drain. The results show Shorten winning over 60-40%.
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Open thread
Wednesday, Feb 26, 2025 - Posted by Isabel Miller * What’s going on in your part of Illinois?…
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Isabel’s morning briefing
Wednesday, Feb 26, 2025 - Posted by Isabel Miller * Subscribers know more. ICYMI: Pritzker and Illinois Dems say the state is being shorted $1.9B by Trump. Crain’s…
- Vought ordered federal funds to be paused, but judges stopped the order from being implemented, and OMB rescinded the order. - “Despite the OMB’s recision of the memo, we have continued to receive reports from agencies and organizations, detailing their inability to access funds,” the letter says. - Impacted agencies include those overseeing education, transportation, healthcare, and economic development. * Related stories…
∙ CNN: Illinois Gov. Pritzker warns against authoritarianism * Governor Pritzker is in Chicago to announce new medical debt relief for working families at 10 am. Click here to watch. * BlueRoomStream.com’s coverage of today’s press conferences and committee hearings can be found here. * Capitol News Illinois | Illinois banned life sentences for young offenders—but not for those already behind bars: Illinois is one of 28 states that has banned juvenile life sentences without the possibility of parole. In just over half of these states, the law applies retroactively. Illinois is not one of them.Sen. Rachel Ventura, a Democrat from Joliet, introduced a bill in the previous legislative session that would have made the ban on life without parole retroactive, but it failed. Republican Sen. Seth Lewis, of Bartlett, co-sponsored the measure. Though he declined an interview, a spokesperson said he “still agrees with the concept” but believes the bill’s language needs revisions. The spokesperson did not specify what changes he had in mind. * STLPR | Federal cuts to Missouri and Illinois national forests have unclear impact: Sources at the Mark Twain National Forest in southern Missouri and the Shawnee National Forest in southern Illinois confirm there have been positions eliminated but did not provide information on the number or job duties of those employees. They referred all questions to the main office of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which oversees the Forest Service. […] “To be clear, none of these individuals were operational firefighters. Released employees were probationary in status, many of whom were compensated by temporary IRA (Inflation Reduction Act) funding,” the statement said. * Press Release | Rep. Rita Named Illinois Park Districts Legislator of the Year: Rep. Rita sponsored a new law last year, in Senate Bill 2849, to give local governments such as park districts and forest preserves the power to control the flying of drones over their public spaces. The law was aimed at helping control potentially intrusive drone activity over softball and baseball games, swim meetings, trail hiking and other recreational activities. “Since joining the General Assembly in 2003, Representative Rita has been a champion of park and recreation agencies throughout Illinois,” IAPD President and CEO Peter Murphy said in remarks at the IAPD awards luncheon. “Throughout the years, Representative Rita has consistently demonstrated strong support for his local park districts through his unwavering dedication to community parks and recreational spaces.” * WBEZ | The pros and cons of banning cell phones in Illinois schools: The goal of the proposed cell phone ban is to improve student performance and social skills and fight cyberbullying. But it would also limit parents’ access to their kids. Reset checks in with an education reporter for more on the proposal and hears from an expert on the impact of screens on kids. * WTTW | Dozens of Illinois Communities Vote to Reinstate Grocery Tax, Many More Expected to Follow: Municipalities are now asking the state to give them more taxing authority, including for all municipalities’ elected officials to be able to enact a local sales tax on motor fuel to fund road and infrastructure improvements. Currently only non-home rule municipalities within Cook County or that have populations over 100,000 have the ability to pass an ordinance to locally tax gasoline at the pump, up to 3 cents a gallon (House Bill 1283). * Tribune | CTU leaders file motion to quash subpoena for their texts, depositions: The subpoenas are part of an ongoing lawsuit between Martinez and the Board of Education over arguments that board members obstructed the chief executive officer’s job duties. The legal dispute and the top CTU officials’ desire not to turn over information comes at a time of intense financial uncertainty for the fourth-largest school district in the nation — now facing several unsettled, high-stakes budget costs that led to the conflict between Martinez, Mayor Brandon Johnson and the teachers union that played a pivotal role in electing him. * Crain’s | Johnson pushing CPS to cover disputed $175M pension payment: Johnson won City Council approval of a 2024 budget amendment and 2025 budget that both relied on CPS covering the $175 million pension payment made to the Municipal Employees’ Annuity & Benefit Fund of Chicago on behalf of non-teacher employees at the school district. The city is statutorily required to make the payment on the district’s behalf, but former Mayor Lori Lightfoot began forcing the bill onto CPS’ books as it began its transition to an elected school board. Johnson opposed the move at the time as a member of the Chicago Teachers Union, but now wants to see it through as mayor. * Sun-Times | Rep. LaHood calls Trump policies a ‘priority’ as he opens search for new top federal prosecutor: Nearly two years after ex-U.S. Attorney John Lausch left office, U.S. Rep. Darin LaHood formally opened the search for Chicago’s next top federal prosecutor, insisting that person’s priority must be to ensure “the policies and priorities of the Trump Administration” are implemented here. “The importance of selecting a strong U.S. attorney who will understand the importance of implementing and enforcing our immigration laws, fight to stop rampant and rising criminal activity in Chicago, support our brave men and women in law enforcement, and prevent public corruption is now more critical than ever,” LaHood’s office said in a statement Tuesday. * WBEZ | Musicians David Byrne, Tom Morello to create new works for Goodman Theatre’s centennial season: The Talking Heads’ David Byrne and writer Mala Gaonkar are the creative team behind “Theater of The Mind,” which comes to the Goodman in the coming season (opening date to be announced). Directed by Andrew Scoville, it’s described as a “theatrical experience you’ll see, feel, taste and hear. Inspired by both historical and current neuroscience research, the show takes you on an intimate and immersive journey inside how we see and create our worlds.” Audiences will be guided through a series of rooms to participate in “thought-provoking neuroscience experiences.” * Daily Herald | More jurors seated for Highland Park suspect’s trial, as judge issues warning to media : According to Rossetti, a media outlet published a detailed description of a potential juror that included information on that individual’s employment, job location and spouse’s employment. The court previously had told possible jurors - referred to in court by numbers, not names - that personal information that could identify them would not be published. Publishing such information puts a juror’s ability to be fair and impartial at risk, said Rossetti. It also could have a chilling effect on jurors answering questions honestly, she said. * WBEZ | Palestinian American mother testifies during murder trial: ‘My son screaming, screaming, screaming’: Shaheen testified that she told Czuba she was Muslim and from Jerusalem when she moved into his property in 2021, and that he expressed no issue at the time with her religion or nationality. That changed, she said, after the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks in Israel. A few days later, Shaheen said she saw Czuba in one of the home’s common areas, and he told her; “Your people are killing Jewish [people] and babies in Israel. Muslims are not welcome here, not in my home.” * WCIA | Plans moving forward for estimated $8 million Oberheim Park in Monticello: Plans for Monticello’s Oberheim Park are moving forward. City Council members approved five acres from the Allerton Public Library to be transferred to the city for the project off of Old Route 47. Terry Summers, the city administrator, said design engineers estimate it’ll cost about $8 million. The money would come from the reserve and general funds. * BND | Under Trump, trans discrimination lawsuit against metro-east pig farm may be dismissed: President Donald Trump’s policies on transgender issues have prompted a federal agency to ask the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Illinois to dismiss its civil lawsuit against a rural New Athens pig farm accused of discriminating against a transgender employee. Court documents show that the employee admitted during questioning that she had provided the farm, Sis-Bro Inc., with a fake Social Security number and was working illegally in the United States. * AP | Apple shareholders reject proposal to scrap company’s diversity programs: After a brief presentation about the anti-DEI proposal, Apple announced shareholders had rejected it. In a regulatory filing submitted Tuesday evening, Apple disclosed that 97% of the ballots cast were votes against the measure. The outcome vindicated Apple management’s decision to stand behind its diversity commitment even though Trump asked the U.S. Department of Justice to look into whether these types of programs have discriminated against some employees whose race or gender aren’t aligned with the initiative’s goals.
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Protected: SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - Today’s edition of Capitol Fax (use all CAPS in password)
Wednesday, Feb 26, 2025 - Posted by Rich Miller
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Live coverage
Wednesday, Feb 26, 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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Selected press releases (Live updates)
Wednesday, Feb 26, 2025 - Posted by Isabel Miller
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Isabel’s afternoon roundup
Tuesday, Feb 25, 2025 - Posted by Isabel Miller * Some good news from the Illinois State Board of Education…
* Spotted!…
* WCIA | Illinois legislators introduce proposal for more clean energy storage: A bill in the Illinois State Capitol aims to create 15 gigawatts of energy storage to help prep for a clean energy grid. The bill expands on the Clean Energy and Jobs Act, Illinois’ goal to curb carbon emissions coming from transportation and energy that was signed into law in 2021. The storage would keep excess solar and wind power to use later when the weather is not ideal. * Crain’s | Raoul and other AGs urge Supreme Court to protect preventative services in ACA: As the U.S. Supreme Court considers the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act’s preventative care provision, Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul and 22 other attorneys general are urging it remain protected. Raoul’s office said he led the coalition in filing an amicus brief with the court in the case of Kennedy v. Braidwood Management Inc., in which the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit ruled the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force is unconstitutional. The U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, led by Robert F. Kennedy Jr., is appealing the 5th Circuit decision. * Crain’s | City Hall’s legal chief and inspector general trade barbs over ethics ordinance: The city’s corporation counsel, Mary Richardson-Lowry, today said an ordinance put forward by Ald. Matt Martin, 47th, at the request of Inspector General Deborah Witzburg “not only flies in the face of 30 years of precedent, it’s just legally deficient on its face.” Witzburg urged the City Council to take up the ordinance in a memo sent to members of the Ethics Committee Martin chairs. Her memo followed a meeting where members questioned why Office of Inspector General investigations take so long to move forward. * Block Club | Alderman’s Office Kicks Reporter Out Of Meeting On Controversial Bar Reopening: “It very well could be a First Amendment violation,” said attorney Matt Topic, who specializes in government transparency and media laws. “We’re at a time when there are enough attacks on the press already and they shouldn’t be coming from members of the Chicago City Council.” Sigcho-Lopez Lopez dismissed these concerns, saying it is a “tragedy” when “corporate media” centers a story “around some sort of First Amendment rights that are being made up.” * Tribune | Search for next US attorney in Chicago underway, again, in dramatically changed landscape: After nearly two years without a permanent leader, the search for the next U.S. attorney in Chicago is officially underway in a dramatically changed landscape that has seen years of political turmoil and a steep drop in productivity. U.S. Rep. Darin LaHood, a Peoria Republican, announced in a news release Tuesday that he is leading the search for potential nominees to give to President Donald Trump, who’s ultimate selection for the plum job would then go through a confirmation process in the U.S. Senate. * Block Club | Kenwood Shelter To Stay Open As State Plans To Transfer Operations To City: Illinois’ funding to operate the Best Western shelter ends June 30, after which the state plans to transfer it to the city, local officials told residents at a public meeting last week. The shelter would continue serving new arrivals and longtime Chicagoans alike. The Chicago Department of Family and Support Services will soon issue a request for proposals, seeking a nonprofit or another agency to operate the facility once the city takes over July 1, said Christine Riley, the city’s director of homeless prevention, policy and planning. * Bloomberg | Southwest Airlines plane narrowly avoids runway collision in Chicago: Video shared on social media showed the Southwest Boeing Co. 737 abort its landing moments from touching down before rapidly ascending again after the smaller jet began crossing the runway from a taxiway. “The crew followed safety procedures and the flight landed without incident,” Southwest said in a separate statement. “Nothing is more important to Southwest than the safety of our customers and employees.” * Tribune | Cook County housing authority union workers say they struggle to afford rent, mortgage payments: Rachel Dubose had just bought a house and started a new full-time job at the Housing Authority of Cook County as a housing specialist, helping low-income county residents obtain and maintain their subsidized housing. She made $40,000 a year at HACC in 2022. Her bills piled up. While she never fell behind on her mortgage payments, her credit card debt was “getting too out of control,” Dubose said. She started a part-time job at Walmart. Some days she would go straight from her job at HACC to Walmart until 10 p.m., having been up since 5 a.m. It “took a toll,” she said. * CBS Chicago | High early voter turnout for Dolton, Illinois primary with embattled Mayor Tiffany Henyard on ballot: Along Sibley Boulevard in Dolton, a crew has been trying to convince anyone going grocery shopping to get out and vote. Under the brand “Clean House,” Dolton Village Trustee Jason House is running against Henyard. House and Henyard were part of the same ticket in 2021. Now they are rivals. * Daily Herald | Defendant returns to court as jury selection continues for accused Highland Park parade shooter: After skipping court Monday afternoon, the 23-year-old Highwood man accused of fatally shooting seven people and injuring dozens of others during Highland Park’s Independence Day parade in 2022 returned Tuesday morning for the second day of jury selection. Lake County Judge Victoria Rossetti has admonished Robert E. Crimo III several times that the trial will continue despite his absence. * WSIL | Rep. Mike Bost issues statements after constituents upset in regards to Telephone Town Hall: During Bost’s Telephone Town Hall meeting, many community members complained to News 3 they never received a phone call and were angry about not getting an opportunity to speak with Bost. […] “I apologize again to any constituent who registered but was unable to participate in Monday night’s telephone town hall. To connect with more people during a time of high political engagement, we expanded the number of households we reached out to by 50%. In doing so, it may have caused technical issues that are currently under review to minimize the chances of them happening again. We have scheduled another telephone town hall for March 11th and made the decision to work with a new service provider moving forward. We will also work to best inform constituents in advance about why their phone numbers could be automatically filtered out of the system, particularly by carriers flagging the calls as spam. I remain committed to being accessible and accountable to the people I’m blessed to represent,” [Bost said in a statement.] * Press Release | SIU Simmons Law School to host Illinois Supreme Court arguments: Southern Illinois University Carbondale’s Simmons Law School will host the Illinois Supreme Court as justices hear oral arguments in two cases on March 18 in the Student Center. “This is an extraordinary opportunity for our students and the broader Southern Illinois community to witness the Illinois Supreme Court in action,” said Angela Upchurch, SIU Simmons Law School acting dean. “This experience provides students in our community with direct exposure to the judicial process, enhancing their education and inspiring future careers in law. We are honored to partner with the Illinois Supreme Court to bring this historic event to our campus.” * Muddy River News | Adams County CARES initiative to address local child care worker shortage with comprehensive approach: A new program to address the local child care shortage was announced Monday afternoon by the Community Foundation Serving West Central Illinois & Northeast Missouri and its partners. Adams County Child Care Advancement and Recruitment Effort (CAREs) will offer scholarships, paid internships and sign-on bonuses to “encourage and incentivize individuals to enter and remain in the child care field,” according to the program’s newly launched website. * WCIA | Champaign Central High School hires first African American principal in school history: The Champaign School Board has approved a new high school principal who is making history. Montia Gardner was officially appointed at Monday’s night meeting. The vote for Gardner’s appointment was unanimous. District officials told WCIA they believe she is the first African-American principal at the school. * WCIA | Actor Nick Offerman returns to U of I for book signing: On March 8, Offerman will be interviewed by Emmy Award Winning Documentarian Alison Davis during an “intimate gathering,” at the University of Illinois. After the interview, attendees will have the chance to meet Offerman and have their copies of his book signed. * NYT | DOGE Quietly Deletes the 5 Biggest Spending Cuts It Celebrated Last Week: The “wall of receipts” is the only public ledger the organization has produced to document its work. The scale of that ledger’s errors — and the misunderstandings and poor quality control that seemed to underlie them — has raised questions about the effort’s broader work, which has led to mass firings and cutbacks across the federal government.
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Chicago Mayor Johnson says the state will have to ’show up in a stronger way’ if there are federal grant cuts
Tuesday, Feb 25, 2025 - Posted by Isabel Miller * Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson was asked if his budget requests have shifted during a press availability today…
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Question of the day
Tuesday, Feb 25, 2025 - Posted by Isabel Miller * Capitol News Illinois in January…
This is far from the first time a bill to ban plastic bags has been introduced in the Illinois General Assembly (2022, 2023, 2024), but none have gained significant traction. * World Economic Forum last month…
* The Question: Do you support a plastic bag ban in Illinois? Make sure to explain your answer…
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It’s just a bill
Tuesday, Feb 25, 2025 - Posted by Isabel Miller * Crain’s…
* WAND…
* Illinois Municipal League…
* Crain’s…
* HB1428, sponsored by Rep. Kevin Olickal, is set for a hearing in the House Judiciary-Criminal Committee this afternoon…
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Stop Credit Card Chaos In Illinois
Tuesday, Feb 25, 2025 - Posted by Advertising Department [The following is a paid advertisement.] A last-minute provision called the Interchange Fee Prohibition Act (IFPA) was snuck into the budget process last May and will create chaos for small businesses and consumers across Illinois if it takes effect on July 1, 2025. The IFPA gives corporate mega-stores like Walmart and Home Depot — who pushed for this backroom deal — millions more in profits, while small business owners get new expenses and accounting headaches. What’s more, consumers could be forced to pay for parts of their transactions in cash if this law moves forward. A recent court ruling in the litigation challenging the law suggests IFPA is likely pre-empted by federal law for national banks and will only apply to credit unions and local Illinois banks, putting local banks at a disadvantage against their national competitors. Illinois lawmakers should repeal the IFPA and focus on protecting small businesses and consumers across the state — not lining the pockets of corporate mega-stores. Stop the countdown to chaos by supporting a repeal of this misguided and flawed policy. Learn more at https://guardyourcard.com/illinois/ ![]()
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Open thread
Tuesday, Feb 25, 2025 - Posted by Rich Miller
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Isabel’s morning briefing
Tuesday, Feb 25, 2025 - Posted by Isabel Miller * ICYMI: Jim Edgar hopes to beat pancreatic cancer: ‘But to be very truthful, if it ended tomorrow, I’ve had a great life.’ Sun-Times…
- Edgar, 78, has been undergoing chemotherapy for three weeks after a diagnosis last month, the downstate Republican told the Sun-Times Monday night. - Edgar, who also served as Illinois secretary of state, and leads the Edgar Fellows program at the University of Illinois’ Institute of Government and Public Affairs, wrote in an email to the program’s fellows that he and his wife, Brenda, are “facing a new, significant challenge.” * Related stories…
∙ WGN: Former Illinois governor reveals cancer diagnosis * KSDK | ‘I just want to promote this program that changed my grandson’s life’: Illinois apprenticeship program helps students with disabilities: A southern Illinois county is changing lives, one job opportunity at a time. It’s all through a registered apprenticeship program specifically for students with disabilities. The program gives high school students, who are often overlooked, an opportunity for real-world job experience. The goal at the end is to ultimately lead to full-time employment. * Elizabeth Whitehorn | More uninsured Illinoisans would be ruinous for the state: Imagine being cut off from your prenatal doctor’s visits halfway through your pregnancy. Imagine having to choose between your child continuing therapy or buying groceries. Imagine forgoing a critical procedure to avoid out-of-pocket expenses that could become medical debt. These are the choices that millions of Americans will have to make if the Trump administration and congressional Republicans succeed in passing any Medicaid cuts. * WHBF | Gov. Pritzker’s proposal to fund resources for the homeless in Illinois: Advocates for the homeless in Illinois worry about the resources coming from the state and federal governments, as cuts to the federal workforce hit the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development hard. * Chalkbeat Chicago | Illinois schools chief tells districts to follow state law, not Trump threats: In his weekly message sent Wednesday, Sanders said Illinois law prohibits discrimination against marginalized groups. “Black history is American history,” wrote Sanders, who noted that these and other topics are required by Illinois mandates for classroom instruction. “The study of events related to the forceful removal and illegal deportation of Mexican-American U.S. citizens during the Great Depression is American history. The study of the role and contributions of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people is American history.” * Sun-Times | Medical schools enroll fewer Blacks, Latinos from Illinois after Supreme Court’s affirmative action ban: While other factors are also at play since the ruling, the number of Hispanic medical students from Illinois plummeted by 42.6% between the 2023-24 school year and this year, data shows. The number of Black students decreased by 6.5%, and mixed race students decreased by 8.3%. * Crain’s | Johnson pressured to amend $830M borrowing plan before City Council vote: Johnson and his senior aides spent the weekend listening to what changes may be needed to avoid a loss at Wednesday’s City Council meeting after a vote on the plan was blocked last week. Further negotiations are expected to carry on through the week. The borrowing proposal has been criticized for its payment structure — which pushes off paying down the principal until 2045 — and a lack of trust among some in the council who say they want assurances that the funds go towards capital projects as intended. * Sun-Times | Mayor Johnson’s office intensifies push for CPS borrowing to avoid leaving city in the red: City Chief Financial Officer Jill Jaworski tells WBEZ the city will have to reach into reserves to cover the shortfall, which would likely be concerning to credit rating agencies. The city’s rating was recently downgraded to two notches above junk rating, which will result in city taxpayers being forced to pay higher interest rates on loans. Meanwhile, dipping into reserves would face scrutiny from a wary City Council that fiercely butted heads with Johnson during a drawn-out budget fight last year. Alderpersons, depending on where they stand politically, would likely blame both the city and the school district for the financial quagmire. * Tribune | Chicago craft brewers expect Trump’s aluminum tariffs to raise the price of a six-pack: “Imagine something that you’re buying every day goes up 25% overnight,” said Jason Klein, 42, co-founder of Spiteful Brewing. “We would have no choice but to raise prices — there’s no way we can absorb that.” A niche segment of the beer industry, craft brewing has become big business in Illinois, with hundreds of mostly small manufacturers generating $3.1 billion in economic impact in the state in 2023, according to the Brewers Association, a Colorado-based trade group. But after years of explosive growth, craft brewers have struggled in the post-pandemic landscape amid a glut of competitors, with a number of high-profile brewery and taproom closings in the Chicago area. Tariffs may be another blow. * Sun-Times | Passengers at O’Hare know flying is safe, but some have concerns after plane crashes: The 43-year-old said she reconsidered her flight “for about a second” before remembering that flying is still the safest way to travel. She brushed the momentary worry aside and boarded a plane with her daughter and her daughter’s best friend last week for a birthday celebration. “I just feel like you pray and you pack your bags. You don’t let [doubt] stop you from doing anything that you want to do,” Katrina said after landing Thursday at O’Hare from Baton Rouge, Louisiana. * CBS Chicago | Dolton, Cicero, Aurora are among Illinois communities holding contentious primaries Tuesday: Tuesday is primary election day in Illinois. Chicago does not have any races this cycle, but dozens of suburbs do. Among the cities, villages and townships with primary elections on Tuesday, few races will be watched as closely as Dolton — as their embattled mayor is up for re-election. * Sun-Times | Highland Park massacre suspect skips court half way through first day of jury selection: Seven of the jurors who will decide the fate of the Highland Park parade shooting suspect were chosen Monday — but the defendant in one of the worst massacres in Illinois history declined to return to the courtroom after the day’s lunch break. Among those initially selected for the panel in the murder trial of Robert Crimo III are a business analyst, a hospice nurse, a nursing home chef, a summer camp counselor and an accountant. * Daily Herald | Nine-term incumbent and library trustee vie for office of Streamwood village president: The April 1 election for Streamwood village president sees Poplar Creek Library Trustee Asad Khan challenging nine-term incumbent Billie Roth for the opportunity to lead the village through the spring of 2029. Khan said he’s concerned about a declining population in the village, which he believes hurts revenues. “Shocking information is that in 2015 we were 40,000 people,” he said. “The new numbers are 36,000 and some change. That’s a 10% drop, which is unbelievable. People are leaving. Why? Why are people leaving, and what are we doing to address that?” * Evanston Round Table | Chow, Suffredin trade blows as Sixth Ward race stays tense: No City Council race has made noise this campaign season quite like the heated competition for the Sixth Ward seat between incumbent Tom Suffredin and challenger Candance Chow. The two candidates have been trading blows for the last three weeks, since Chow suddenly called for a ban on elected officials acting as lobbyists on behalf of other municipalities. The move took direct aim at Suffredin, who is a lobbyist by day and represents clients like the Chicago Teachers Union and Amazon at the state house in Springfield. * BND | St. Clair County fired HR director for investigating official’s relative, he alleges: As human resources director, Bergman states that he also investigated inappropriate actions by Austin Thomas, who the complaint identifies as Jordin Simmons’ friend. Both men were dispatchers for the St. Clair County Emergency Management Agency, according to county salary information compiled by the Illinois Answers Project. Bergman filed the lawsuit late last year in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Illinois against the county, Herb Simmons, County Board Chairman Mark Kern and Bob Jones, an attorney who represented Jordin Simmons and Thomas during Bergman’s investigation. * WJBD | Salem Police no longer responding to non-violent mental calls: Deputy Police Chief Tyler Rose says the department is participating in a pilot program ahead of a new law that prohibits initial response to mental calls that takes effect in July. “If it is non-violent, there are no weapons, there no threat to another individual, it’s someone simply having a mental health crisis, the legislation forbids us from dispatching officers right away,” Rose said. “That will have to be referred to these mobile crisis units. For Salem, it’s going to be members of the Community Resource Center that come out and make contact with that that individual.” * WIFR | Former Jackson Charter School executive director accused of stealing thousands: Emily Wallen, 39, of Rockford is accused of one count of theft ($10,000-$100,000) and one count of official misconduct. ISP reports its investigation began in September 2024 after the agency received a tip alleging theft and official misconduct against Wallen. Wallen was previously the executive director for Jackson Charter School, 315 Summit St. in Rockford. * WTVO | No property tax on new homes? Rockford considers extending 3-year program: The Three-Year Property Tax Rebate Program for Newly-Built Residential Construction went into effect in 2023 and is coming up for renewal. “If you pulled a permit to build that home in 2024, you get a three-year tax rebate. So for the next three years, you don’t pay property taxes [and then] year four, year five, you start to pay property taxes,” said Mayor Tom McNamara. * WREX | Rockford City Council Committee votes to keep “All People Are Welcome” sign: Alderwoman Torina responded by highlighting the city’s commitment to inclusivity and diversity, referencing the guiding principles that were written two years ago. The guiding principle was then read aloud in the meeting: “Rockford provides a welcoming, nurturing, inclusive community that values diversity, where community members feel safe and respected…” said Todd Cagnoni, City Administrator. * News-Gazette | All 6 taxing districts OK agreement to bring $750 million plant to Douglas County: Six taxing districts have voted, and not one “no” was cast. In question was an agreement that will clear the way for the siting of a $750 million corn wet-milling plant west of Tuscola. All that’s left is for company officials to decide where the plant will be located. * The Hill | EPA to make higher-ethanol gas available year round beginning in April: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will proceed with Biden-era plans to allow the year-round sale of higher-ethanol E15 fuel, a longtime ask of midwestern lawmakers and the biofuels industry. EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin said the agency would maintain the agreed-upon date of April 28 to make the fuel available in eight states. The governors of Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Ohio, South Dakota and Wisconsin had requested waivers to sell the fuel throughout the year rather than only the high-demand summer months. * WaPo | Firings of some federal workers should be halted, watchdog recommends: Hampton Dellinger, the head of the independent Office of Special Counsel whom President Donald Trump has tried to oust but a judge has temporarily kept in place, said the firings are likely illegal * Forbes | mRNA Vaccine Shows Promise In Pancreatic Cancer Trial: “The latest data from the phase 1 trial are encouraging,” said Vinod Balachandran, MD, surgeon-scientist from Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York and principal investigator of the trial. “They suggest this investigational therapeutic mRNA vaccine can mobilize anti-tumor T cells that may recognize pancreatic cancers as foreign, potentially years after vaccination,” said Balachandran, also senior author of the new publication.
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Protected: SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - Supplement to today’s edition
Tuesday, Feb 25, 2025 - Posted by Rich Miller
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Protected: SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - Today’s edition of Capitol Fax (use all CAPS in password)
Tuesday, Feb 25, 2025 - Posted by Rich Miller
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Live coverage
Tuesday, Feb 25, 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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Selected press releases (Live updates)
Tuesday, Feb 25, 2025 - Posted by Isabel Miller
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