|
Isabel’s afternoon roundup
Monday, Jul 14, 2025 - Posted by Isabel Miller * WGN…
* Raja Krishnamoorthi also announced endorsements from across the state…
* Illinois State Board of Education…
* Crain’s…
* Press Release | Governor Pritzker Announces $7 Million Tech Incubator Enhancement Grants: This program will enable the State of Illinois to provide capital grants to support facilities and equipment to establish new incubators in parts of the state where entrepreneurs do not have access to these services. By supporting existing incubators’ adaptation to a changing business environment, the State is increasing their resilience so they can continue to play a foundational role in Illinois. * WBEZ | Chicago was supposed to warn residents about toxic lead pipes. It’s barely started: Months past a federal deadline, more than 90% of at-risk Chicagoans haven’t been told their drinking water could be unsafe. Of the 10 cities with the most lead pipes, only Chicago has confirmed it hasn’t finished sending out notices. * Block Club | ‘Call Me Red’: Walter Burnett’s Son Wants His Own Legacy As Alderman: The younger Burnett is aware his appointment could be viewed as classic Chicago nepotism. But, he said, he’s earned his place at the table through his community involvement. “I’m not a slouch,” Burnett said. “I’ve done a lot to participate within my community … I am a steward of this community, regardless of if I’m afforded the opportunity to be in this aldermanic seat or not.” * Tribune | Chicago-area officials are bracing as summer storms roll in following Texas tragedy and weather service budget cuts: So far, the Chicago area has felt less of an impact from those staffing reductions than other regions, particularly less-populated areas served by weather service offices in the Quad Cities and downstate Lincoln, 30 miles northeast of Springfield. But Trump’s budget proposal for the upcoming fiscal year, which starts in October, calls for further cuts at other agencies within the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, including the elimination of research centers that study climate. While Chicago has so far been spared, Illinois Democrats in Washington, D.C., remain critical of the cuts and note that any trims to weather service offices downstate will have an impact on Illinois residents. * Tribune | Man charged with threatening to bomb West Side alderman’s office on Fourth of July: Kenneth Weddington, 28, faces one count of threatening a public official and one count of felony disorderly conduct via a false bomb threat, Chicago police said. He is accused of posting on Facebook on July 4, “BOMB PLANTED AT YOUR OFFICE FOR SUPPORT THIS (expletive) AND BEING A FOLLOWER,” according to the police report, which says Weddington was referring to Ervin. Weddington was arrested Friday evening on the sidewalk in the 200 block of South Michigan Avenue “without incident” and due in court Monday afternoon, police said. In 2021, Weddington was sentenced to two years of probation after pleading guilty to one count of aggravated battery to a peace officer, court records show. * Crain’s | Johnson avoids financial rebuke as City Council committee rejects stricter bond rules: The ordinance would have required a two-thirds majority vote in the City Council to issue city bonds, up from the simple majority needed under current law. But in a 17-16 vote, the Finance Committee rejected the measure, with opponents arguing they needed more time to consider the proposal or that, if approved, it would allow a small group of aldermen to grind city spending to a halt during the final years of Johnson’s first term. * Dan McGrath | The joy and agony of waxing nostalgic for the ‘05 White Sox: But anyone who witnessed it would agree that El Duque’s cold-blooded Fenway shutdown set the stage for all of it. And as the weekend’s festivities unfolded at Rate Field, an underlying question was why didn’t the magic last? Why couldn’t a talented, balanced, undeniably appealing team make some inroads into the Cubs’ market domination at a time when the North Side Nine was vulnerable? * Tribune | From fast casual to fine dining: 50 years of the American gyro, and a look at the dish’s Chicago history: In 1974 and 1975, only a few years after Dengeos first opened, two Chicago-based companies, Grecian Delights and Kronos Foods, began mass-producing the world’s first hydraulically pressed gyro cones. This modern marvel of rotisserie meat allowed for a more consistent, and therefore easier-to-sell, product. Eventually, the two companies merged in 2020, but in the years prior, they helped turn an ancient dish (some estimate the cooking techniques behind the gyro could be at least 2,000 years old) into a fast-casual staple, one that launched as many Dengeos-style Greek eateries as Helen launched ships from Troy. * Sun-Times | Scream Club Chicago offers a safe release of bottled-up energy: On a breezy evening at the North Avenue Beach, a small group gathered for an unusual Sunday night ritual: screaming toward the lake. The new weekly event, dubbed Scream Club Chicago, was created by Manny Hernandez, who recently moved to the city from Los Angeles. Hernandez is a breath work practitioner and men’s transformational coach, and he said the idea for a Sunday night scream session came from his own experience with breath work and the emotional release he has witnessed with clients. * Daily Herald | Citing safety risks for election officials, McHenry County clerk seeking 35% pay hike: McHenry County Clerk Joe Tirio went in front of a county board committee last week to make the case for a raise in salary for his position and others. Among the offices being reviewed for salary increases are treasurer, sheriff and clerk, who also handles the responsibilities of the recorder. All three seats are up for election next year, and the incumbents — Tirio, Sheriff Robb Tadelman and Treasurer Donna Kurtz, all Republicans — are seeking reelection. Salary changes would go into effect after the next election and, historically, the county has approved them before the primary election for those offices, Tirio said. The 2026 primary is March 17. * Crain’s | Suburban office vacancy hits another record — but not for everyone: The share of available workspace in the suburbs inched up during the second quarter to an all-time high of 32.4% from 32.2% at the end of March, according to data from real estate services firm Jones Lang LaSalle. The suburban office vacancy rate is up from 31.3% one year ago and 22.1% at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, having now hit new record highs every quarter for 4 1/2 years. […] The end of the post-pandemic pain looks closer for owners of top-tier, or Class A, suburban office properties, where the vacancy rate has dropped slightly since the end of 2024, JLL data shows. Companies trying to encourage in-person work keep gravitating to buildings updated with modern amenities, which is why 73% of leases signed over the past three months were in Class A buildings, according to JLL research. * Tribune | E-bike laws a confusing patchwork for suburban riders: Illinois law divides e-bikes into three classes based on their maximum assisted speed and whether the motor requires the rider to pedal. No one under 16 is allowed to ride a bike that can reach more than 20 mph under Illinois law. State regulations also require riders to label their bikes with the motor wattage and classification type. Elk Grove Village officials, however, believe it’s more important for riders to follow the rules of the road, said Scott Eisenmenger, the deputy police chief. * Daily Herald | Carpentersville honored for project to remove lead water lines: Construction on the project began in October 2023 and involved replacing 400 lead water sources in the community. Lead in water sources has been shown to cause several health issues, including cognitive and learning disabilities, developmental problems, and kidney damage, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. In June 2023, the village received $4 million from the Illinois EPA’s Public Water Supply Loan Program. The funding ensured the entire program came at zero cost to village residents. * Daily Southtown | Work continues, but Tinley Park’s Harmony Square still set to debut on Friday: Amanda Gaus, Tinley Park events specialist, said Friday the square’s turf still needs to be finalized, mulch needs to be put down and items for the stage, such as speakers and lighting, need to finished. Eventually, she said, there will be more landscaping, such as perennial flowers plants, outside of the mulch and turf planned for the 2-acre square. The property is 6 acres total, including the planned townhouses and apartments, according to the village. * Daily Herald | St. Charles philanthropic group aims to expand giving: The Fox River Business Alliance raised $27,000 for Kane County charities in 2024, and group members hope to outdo that record this year as efforts expand. The FRBA, a philanthropic group of business people based in St. Charles, established an advisory fund in 2021 to support local charities that benefit the group’s families, friends and neighbors in the Fox Valley. FRBA treasurer Lee Kolodziej said the fund starts from scratch each year, since 100% of the funds raised get donated and no management fees or costs are incurred. * BND | DCFS visited Fairview Heights foster home two days before death, report shows: A 2024 report by the Illinois Department of Child and Family Services Office of Inspector General says the placement worker made “regular visits” and last saw Felmlee on May 9, two days before she died. During pretrial hearings for Williams and Reid in June, St. Clair County prosecutors described their treatment of Felmlee as “torture” and showed photos taken from Williams’ cellphone documenting what they called a pattern of abuse. They included pictures of Felmlee sitting in a car with clear bruising and abrasions to her face, head, shoulder and arm, which were taken on May 7, two days before the placement worker’s final visit. * The 21st Show in Vermilion County | Why are young people leaving small towns in Illinois?: On the Friday, July 11, 2025 edition of The 21st Show, we took our program on the road to Vermilion County, which sits on the Illinois/Indiana border. We talked to a panel of students about why they are less likely to stay in the small communities where they grew up. It’s something we’ve heard before in Carbondale and Peoria. Our conversation took place at Danville Area Community College. * BND | Metro-east shut out of federal radiation exposure compensation funds: However, residents of Venice, Madison and Granite City will again be stuck waiting to be included in the fund for people with radiation-related illnesses tied to Manhattan Project-era nuclear bomb making, after their single Illinois ZIP code didn’t make it in the final bill. The latest action by Congress serves as yet another example of the metro-east victims going unnoticed in their fight for compensation. “This small group of people here in Venice and Madison in Illinois have been left out once again,” said Larry Burgan, a former employee of the factory that processed uranium and thorium and a longtime advocate for RECA. “In part, I believe it’s because of their status, where they stand in life: They’re a poor Black community.” * WGLT | 50+ supporters write letters for Aaron Rossi ahead of sentencing in criminal case: Lawyers for former Reditus Labs CEO Aaron Rossi are pointing to his traumatic childhood and a desire to “prove his worth to everyone” in seeking leniency from a judge sentencing him this week. Rossi will be sentenced Tuesday on health care fraud and wire fraud charges, to which he pleaded guilty in April. It’s among the last steps in resolving multiple criminal investigations into Rossi’s alleged profiteering during the pandemic, when Pekin-based Reditus became a major player in COVID-19 testing. A federal civil lawsuit is also nearing a settlement. […] Reditus made hundreds of millions of dollars from state contracts for COVID-19 testing and brought hundreds of jobs to Pekin. Reditus had testing contracts with the Illinois Department of Public Health and the Illinois Department of Corrections. It ran the COVID testing site at Bloomington’s Interstate Center for much of the pandemic. * WIFR | Part of Illinois 72 to close for a week for maintenance: The Illinois Department of Transportation announces Illinois Route 72 will be closed at the Illinois Railway crossing in Davis Junction in Ogle County beginning on Monday, July 14. The crossing is located nearly a mile west of Illinois 251. The closure will allow the railroad to perform needed maintenance to their at-grade crossing. The road is anticipated to be closed for a week. A detour will be posted directing traffic to use Illinois 251, Illinois 64 and Meridian Road. * NYT | Chinese Students Flocked to Central Illinois. Their Food Followed.: Surrounded by miles of flat, green fields of soy and grain corn, the cities have a combined population of about 127,000 people and a skyline that rarely pokes above 15 stories. The area isn’t anybody’s idea of a major metropolitan center. It certainly isn’t the first place you’d think to look when you are in the mood for serious Chinese food. After a quick walk from the university’s main quad, though, you can sit down to a faithful rendition of spicy bullfrog hot pot in a Sichuanese broth studded with green peppercorns. A nearby restaurant serves yangrou paomo, a Shaanxi lamb soup with floating scraps of flatbread that is a favorite in Xi’an. If you are struck by a late-night craving for stinky tofu in the style of Changsha, you can get it after 8:30 p.m. from a chef who dresses fried black cubes of fermented bean curd in a glistening orange chile oil, the way vendors do on the streets of Hunan’s capital city. * Muddy River News | Fanning the flames: Local coach builds a homegrown Special Olympics team from the ground up: Since fall of 2024, the Quincy Embers have grown from a small group of seven players into a full team of fifteen, competing in tournaments across the region. But their story isn’t just about wins and losses. It’s about second chances, belief, and the power of community. “I was told once during an anger management course that sometimes there’s only one shot at a particular opportunity,” said Hinkamper. “When I found out the only thing stopping Joshua Hill, a close family friend, from playing was needing a coach, I said, ‘Is that all?’” * AP | Trump appointees have ties to companies that stand to benefit from privatizing weather forecasts: “It’s the most insidious aspect of this: Are we really talking about making weather products available only to those who can afford it?” said Rick Spinrad, who served as NOAA administrator under President Joe Biden, a Democrat. “Basically turning the weather service into a subscription streaming service? As a taxpayer, I don’t want to be in the position of saying, ‘I get a better weather forecast because I’m willing to pay for it.’” * WaPo | Defense Department to begin using Grok, Musk’s controversial AI model: On Monday, xAI said its products will be “available to purchase via the General Services Administration (GSA) schedule,” allowing “every federal government department, agency, or office” to buy them. In a news release, the Defense Department said the contract award is worth up to $200 million. The department issued similar awards to Google, Anthropic and OpenAI, it said. […] Grok came under fire last week after launching into an antisemitic rant and invoking Adolf Hitler after it was a programmed to be less politically correct. The incident prompted the company to say it would improve its model. A day later, xAI unveiled a sweeping update that it claimed put Grok on the cutting edge of AI development. * The Atlantic | The AI Mirage: It turns out that I would have needed an entirely new phone for Siri to have surmised that I wanted to go to the store. Craig Federighi, Apple’s senior vice president of software engineering, said in an interview last month that the latest version of Siri has “better conversational context”—the sort of thing that should help the software know when I’m asking to be guided to the home-improvement store rather than to a guy called Lowe. But my iPhone apparently isn’t new enough for this update. I would need cutting-edge artificial intelligence to get directions to Lowe’s. * 404 Media | The Media’s Pivot to AI Is Not Real and Not Going to Work: Despite the fact that generative AI has been a destructive force against their businesses, their industry, and the truth more broadly, media executives still see AI as a business opportunity and a shiny object that they can tell investors and their staffs that they are very bullish on. They have to say this, I guess, because everything else they have tried hasn’t worked, and pretending that they are forward thinking or have any clue what they are doing will perhaps allow a specific type of media executive to squeeze out a few more months of salary. * Harper’s Magazine | Shadow of a Doubt: How OCD came to haunt American life: The disorder has racked some of Western civilization’s most luminous minds. Martin Luther, who some historians suspect had OCD, was hijacked by thoughts of cursing Jesus and mental images of Satan’s ass, which moved him to take confession with such frequency that he alienated his fellow priests. When the artist William Hogarth met Samuel Johnson, another apparent sufferer, around 1750 at the house of Samuel Richardson, he found the lexicographer standing at a window “shaking his head and rolling himself about in a strange ridiculous manner” and, not knowing who he was, figured Johnson “an idiot” who’d been entrusted to Richardson’s care. Then Johnson opened his mouth, displaying “such a power of eloquence” that Hogarth sat astonished, concluding that he had been divinely inspired.
|
|
Pritzker signs tariff-related EO
Monday, Jul 14, 2025 - Posted by Rich Miller * Click here for the full EO. Click here for a press release containing actions by other Democratic governors. Press release…
Regarding that last sentence, as we discussed earlier, Illinois won’t have to backfill all of the SNAP costs if the state lowers its SNAP payment error rate.
|
|
Today’s quotable
Monday, Jul 14, 2025 - Posted by Rich Miller * Block Club Chicago…
Discuss.
|
|
First of the ‘ComEd Four’ sentenced: Hooker gets 1.5 years in Madigan bribery case
Monday, Jul 14, 2025 - Posted by Isabel Miller * First, some background from the Tribune…
* Sun-Times Federal Courts Reporter Jon Seidel is in the courtoom…
* Capitol News Illinois’ Hannah Meisel…
* Earlier in the hearing, Judge Shah focused on testimony Hooker gave in 2023. Tribune…
* The Tribune’s Jason Meisner… 
|
|
SB 328 Puts Illinois’s Economy At Risk
Monday, Jul 14, 2025 - Posted by Advertising Department [The following is a paid advertisement.] In the final hours of the state’s legislative session, SB 328 was quietly introduced and passed giving lawmakers and the public little time to review and debate this legislation. Now, it’s sitting on the Governor’s desk. If signed, it will allow trial lawyers to drag companies into Illinois courts for lawsuits that have nothing to do with Illinois. Businesses could be sued here simply for being registered in the state — even if the alleged harm occurred elsewhere. And it puts jobs and our state’s economy at risk. Even New York Gov. Kathy Hochul vetoed a nearly identical bill twice, calling it a “massive expansion” of jurisdiction that would deter job creation and burden the courts. Governor Pritzker has a choice: Veto the legislation to protect Illinois jobs and businesses — or signal to employers that Illinois is open season for out-of-state lawsuits. Learn more and make your voice heard: 
Comments Off |
|
It’s time for an all hands on deck response from Pritzker
Monday, Jul 14, 2025 - Posted by Rich Miller * My weekly syndicated newspaper column…
|
|
When RETAIL Succeeds, Illinois Succeeds
Monday, Jul 14, 2025 - Posted by Advertising Department [The following is a paid advertisement.] Findings of a recent economic study were clear — the retail sector is a cornerstone of the state’s economy and crucial to our everyday lives. Retail in Illinois directly contributes more than $112 billion in economic investment annually – more than 10 percent of the state’s total Gross Domestic Product. Retailers like Chris in DeKalb enrich our economy and strengthen our communities. We Are Retail and IRMA showcase the retailers who make Illinois work.
Comments Off |
|
Open thread
Monday, Jul 14, 2025 - Posted by Rich Miller
|
|
Isabel’s morning briefing
Monday, Jul 14, 2025 - Posted by Isabel Miller * ICYMI: Illinois Head Start leader tells providers to hold off on Trump edict. Sun-Times…
- The Trump administration on Thursday announced that it’s reinterpreting a 1996 law to shut off access to a series of federal programs to anyone who can’t prove they’re legal immigrants — including the Head Start early childcare and education programs for babies and toddlers — kids too little for kindergarten. - “We have never asked for [the] status of our children that we’re serving, and to do so creates fear and anxiety among our community,” said Lauri Morrison-Frichtl, head of the Illinois Head Start Association, which supports about 600 centers statewide serving the 28,000 students in Head Start in the state. * Related stories…
∙ LA Times: New Trump rule immediately bans undocumented immigrants from Head Start child care ∙ Fortune: RFK Jr. says HHS will cut off Head Start preschool program for immigrants without legal status * Capitol News Illinois | Trump’s ‘big bill’ takes center stage in Illinois’ U.S. Senate race: “In polling and different things that we’ve done, half of the population doesn’t even realize what’s going on,” Kelly said. Kelly played up her relationship with U.S. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, saying she has been part of a coalition of House Democrats that have been traveling the country holding town hall meetings about federal spending cuts. * WGLT | State Farm says Pritzker’s rate hike claims are ‘factually incorrect’ political rhetoric: The Bloomington-based company has responded forcefully to Pritzker’s claims, which became public Thursday in a statement to the media. Pritzker claims an Illinois Department of Insurance analysis suggests “State Farm is shifting out-of-state costs onto the homeowners in our state.” He called the rate increase “unfair and arbitrary.” In a statement Friday, State Farm said that “Illinois families deserve an honest conversation about insurance economics rather than political rhetoric.” “Governor Pritzker’s statements are factually incorrect. State Farm does not shift costs between states, and we have provided information to the Illinois Department of Insurance to demonstrate this fact. Our Illinois rates reflect Illinois-specific claims and risks,” the company said. * Gallup | Surge in U.S. Concern About Immigration Has Abated: Americans have grown markedly more positive toward immigration over the past year, with the share wanting immigration reduced dropping from 55% in 2024 to 30% today. At the same time, a record-high 79% of U.S. adults say immigration is a good thing for the country. These shifts reverse a four-year trend of rising concern about immigration that began in 2021 and reflect changes among all major party groups. * Proviso Democrats…
* QC Times | Illinois State Senator Neil Anderson announces reelection bid: Illinois State Senator Neil Anderson, R-Andalusia, has announced he is running for reelection for the Illinois 47th District. Anderson, who is the Senate Republican Caucus Chair, said he remains focused on providing constituent service to the 15 counties he serves across Western Illinois and focused, effective leadership in the General Assembly. * Daily Herald | Legislation prompted by Mundelein impact fee fight awaits Gov. Pritzker’s signature: The bill’s primary champion, Democratic state Rep. Daniel Didech of Buffalo Grove, confirmed this week that he’s lifted a procedural hold that had been in place since it cleared the General Assembly in May. Pritzker has until Aug. 23 to sign the bill into law. A spokesperson this week said it’s under review. “I trust the governor and his team to give this matter thoughtful consideration,” Didech said. “Regardless, we will continue to evaluate any necessary next steps to protect taxpayers and support our local schools.” * Naperville Sun | Will County Board member from Naperville announces bid for Senate seat: Will County Board member Julie Berkowicz, a Naperville Republican, has announced plans to run in the 2026 primary for the state senate seat representing District 21, which covers portions of Will and DuPage counties. The position is currently held by Sen. Laura Ellman, a Naperville Democrat elected to the post in November 2018. Berkowicz said at the county level, she advocates for lower taxes and smaller government and has been frustrated in recent years with the increased tax levies that have been approved. Financial votes tend to break along party lines, she said. * WICS | Unknown powder found in Stratton Building deemed non-hazardous by officials: An unknown powder substance discovered in the U.S. Mail on the 7th floor of the Stratton Building on Friday afternoon prompted an immediate response from authorities. […] After conducting tests, the Springfield Fire Department Hazardous Materials Unit determined that the powder was non-hazardous. * Sun-Times | Illinois opioid settlements share could be at least $23 million: Illinois could get up to $23 million from settlements with pharmaceutical companies that used deceptive practices to increase opioid prescriptions, helping fuel the nationwide opioid crisis. The settlements, totaling $720 million, will go to nine states in a deal with eight pharmaceutical companies, with each company paying different amounts over varying periods, Attorney General Kwame Raoul announced. “As long as Illinois families continue to experience the devastating impacts of opioid addiction, my office will continue to work with other attorneys general to hold companies responsible for fueling the opioid crisis,” Raoul said. * Tribune | Upcoming Chicago budget ‘grimmest picture of all’ for Mayor Brandon Johnson, aldermen: Two days after that roundtable, Johnson’s finance team would disclose the city ended 2024 with a $161 million deficit, emptying one of its key emergency funds. Adding to the bad tidings last week was a final $7 billion estimate for the cost of a state bill boosting benefits for police and fire pensioners through 2055. That zeroed out “unallocated” reserve balance is even lower than the depths of the 2008 recession, when it held just $226,000, according to the city’s annual financial reports. It represents a serious financial alarm for the cash-strapped city, according to Justin Marlowe, the director of the Center for Municipal Finance at the University of Chicago “I don’t think we can overstate how important that is,” Marlowe said. “It is the single most closely watched number in all of municipal finance.” * ABC Chicago | Mayor Johnson discusses crime, budget deficit, sanctuary city lawsuit after church chat: The Chicago Teachers Union said it wants Governor JB Pritzker to allocate more than $1 billion to CPS. Mayor Johnson supported that move on Sunday during his church discussion. “The city of Chicago and districts across the state are not fully funded by the state of Illinois,” Johnson said. “It’s one of those areas where I’m gonna need more people to get active, to challenge not just city government, but the state government as well to fully fund our schools, because the crisis that we are experiencing is a crisis of the result of failures of the past.” * Tribune | Chicago’s safety net hospitals face potential service cuts, layoffs after signing of ‘big, beautiful’ tax bill: Humboldt Park Health will likely see an additional $5 million to $7 million in losses annually once the changes go into effect, said CEO Jose Sanchez. The hospital typically has an operating margin of about $1 million annually. “I came in this morning and met with senior leaders and said, ‘We’ve got to begin to think about how do we position ourselves to face the potential cuts we’ll have,’” Sanchez said earlier this week. * Tribune | Chicago father becomes face of lawsuit against ICE as judge hears challenge to warrantless arrests: Abel Orozco was getting home after buying tamales for his family, like he did most weekends for the past 30 years. They would have breakfast and head to church. Instead, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents detained the Mexican immigrant outside his home in suburban Lyons without a federal warrant. Now, nearly six months later, he is still detained. Immigration and civil rights attorneys argue that his arrest was not only unfair but illegal. Thanks to the video his son recorded of the arrest, Orozco has become the face of a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and ICE. Attorneys say the two government agencies violated the constitutional rights of Orozco and at least 25 other people, including one U.S. citizen, during the first week of increased immigration enforcement in the Chicago area after President Donald Trump took office. * Block Club | Activists Call On State To Fill Nearly $1 Billion Transit Funding Gap: ‘I Don’t Know How I’m Going To Get Around’: At Saturday’s rally, transit advocates and local leaders demanded Pritzker call legislators back to Springfield to solve the transit budget deficit, with some protesters questioning the Democratic Party’s allegiance to their constituency. “What do we need?” demonstrators chanted. “A special session! When do we need it? Now!” * CBS Chicago | Record turnout at Barrio Arts Festival in Chicago after fears of potential ICE raids: “I think people wanted to send a strong message to the administration that we’re going to stand together,” said Billy Ocasio, executive director of the National Museum of Puerto Rican Arts and Culture and a former Chicago alderman. “I think that’s the reason we have so many people here.” * CBS | Children Harmed: The children left behind and the hidden toll of domestic violence in Chicago : According to an analysis by the CBS News Data Team, the number of children present during domestic violence crimes in Chicago jumped 35% the first year of the pandemic, from about 8,200 kids in 2020 to about 11,000 kids in 2021. Most of the crimes children were present for were domestic batteries, but they were also exposed to nonviolent domestic crimes such as phone threats, stalking, property damage to homes and cars, and violating orders of protection. * New Yorker | What We Get Wrong About Violent Crime: The Chicago Police Department estimates that arguments lie behind seventy to eighty per cent of homicides. The numbers for Philadelphia and Milwaukee are similar. And that proportion has held remarkably steady over time. Drawing on data from Houston in 1969, the sociologist Donald Black concluded that barely more than a tenth of homicides occurred during predatory crimes like burglary or robbery. The rest, he found, arose from emotionally charged disputes—over infidelity, household finances, drinking, child custody. Not calculated acts of gain, in other words, but eruptions rooted in contested ideas of right and wrong. * Shaw Local | Chicago Bears reportedly extend general manager Ryan Poles: Bears general manager Ryan Poles is set to stay in Chicago. The Bears reportedly signed Poles to an extension that will keep him in town through the 2029 season. ESPN’s Adam Schefter was the first to report the extension. According to Schefter, Poles had two years remaining on his contract before the Bears added three more with the extension. * Streets Blog Chicago | Why the Suburban Mayors Coalition’s claims about proposed development policies in state transit reform/funding legislation are bogus: Local planning goals are documented in a municipality’s comprehensive plan, which guides future development by shaping zoning ordinances. Again, the area around transit that NITA would be able to build on is limited, hardly the “broad swaths” that the signees mention. In this limited area, a suburb would have almost total control over what NITA could build, just like the municipality has for any other (also unelected) private developer. * Daily Herald | Delays and declining revenue: Are red-light cameras in the suburbs on their last legs?: Several suburbs are finding it increasingly difficult to bring red-light cameras back online after they’ve been deactivated for construction projects or a change of equipment vendors. Gurnee officials announced last week they were scuttling their red-light program after 16 years due to what Village Manager Pat Muetz called “operational challenges we’ve faced combined with expiration of the contract.” Muetz said the operational challenges largely were caused by the Illinois Department of Transportation taking the cameras offline for road construction projects in the area and keeping them down even after construction was complete. He said driver behavior and a reduction of crashes at intersections where the cameras were located also played a part in the village’s decision to end the program. * Daily Herald | Police chief ‘not going anywhere,’ despite vote of no-confidence: There’s a big rift in small-town Gilberts’ police department. At least that’s according to a letter sent to the Kane County community’s village board last month outlining why the rank-and-file passed a vote of no confidence against Chief Todd Block. Submitted by Metropolitan Alliance of Police Lodge 423, the 18-page memo is a scathing critique of Block, portraying him as rude, mean and sexist. * Daily Herald | Slowed by obsolete toll plaza infrastructure? Tollway is removing gates and barriers: The initiative will “convert our system to a barrier-free system to improve traffic operations at these plazas, as well as remove the aging infrastructure that we no longer need because we’re not collecting cash,” Chief Engineer Manar Nashif said Wednesday. It should save time for drivers and money for the tollway by slashing maintenance costs. “At the end of the day, it will be a much more open field. Ultimately, with no barriers, there’s fewer obstacles as traffic passes through it,” Nashif noted. * Daily Southtown | New Governors State University president sees opportunity in her return to region: Since her July 1 start date as president of Governors State University, Joyce Ester says she has been busy meeting with campus community members and embracing change in the south suburbs. Ester, originally from Phoenix and a graduate of Thornridge High School in Dolton, recently moved back to the region after ending her tenure as president of Normandale Community College in Bloomington, Minnesota. “This area is very different physically than when I left almost 20 years ago,” Ester said. “When I was a young girl in this community, there wasn’t a lot out here. Seeing new stores and new developments and new businesses that weren’t here when I was a child — it’s really nice to be able to see that and see the pride that people have in this institution.” * Daily Herald | Prospect to remove first principal’s name from theater over ties to controversial teachings: The last name of Prospect High School’s first principal will be removed from the entrance to the school’s theater, Northwest Suburban High School District 214 school board members have decided. The unanimous decision late last week to rescind the honorary naming follows publication of a student journalist’s investigation into former Principal Alvin Kulieke’s ties to a fringe religious group and its early embrace of eugenics principles. Superintendent Scott Rowe said sophomore Sage Gilliland’s reporting, published in the May 16 edition of The Prospector school newspaper, shined a light on historical information about the theater’s namesake that is “not in line with the beliefs of Prospect High School or District 214 today.” * Daily Southtown | Animal Welfare League defends annual six-figure payments for legal services: The nonprofit, led by President Chris Higens, reported on its most recent tax form from 2023 that bills to Nixon Peabody law firm made up about 15% all its expenses that year. Animal Welfare League paid Nixon Peabody about $212,000 in 2020, $348,000 in 2021 and $489,000 in 2022. It is unclear whether Animal Welfare League contracted exclusively with Nixon Peabody before 2020, as tax forms did not require the organization to write in the name of their contractor. Higens on Friday defended the nonprofit’s spending on legal services, saying in an emailed statement to the Daily Southtown that “every cent received is being spent wisely.” * WCIA | ‘We can survive this’: Mattoon community reflects following days without tap water: Mattoon has lifted the “do not drink order” after test results came back on Sunday and showed that the city’s water is safe. But over the last four days — without water from the taps — people realized the value of modern convenience and of community. […] Beyond Mattoon, surrounding cities have also stepped up — offering showers and the chance to do laundry for those in need. “When somebody’s in crisis, people will jump in in a heartbeat,” Love said. * 25News Now | Millions of dollars in sales taxes to fund McLean County mental health and public safety programs called into question: A pair of resolutions presented to the county board’s executive committee also calls for an auditor to determine how the sales tax dollars are being spent. Bloomington and Normal have been collecting a 1% sales tax since 2016 and sending that money to the county. However, the resolutions indicate the county’s “Special Mental Health and Public Safety Fund” currently has a balance of about $20 million, which Normal Town Councilwoman Kathleen Lorenz said is excessive. * Press Release | Carbondale Police Department adds new technology to investigate gun crimes: The new technology will reduce the time required for shell casings found at the scenes of shooting incidents to be analyzed. In the past, fired shell casings found at shooting scenes were sent to the Illinois State Police Crime Lab to be analyzed. Due to large caseloads statewide, this process could take weeks or months. Now, Carbondale officers and investigators can quickly determine that a particular firearm fired the cartridge casing in question within hours or days of the incident. * WGEM | Teachers and students reconnect at historic school tour of Adams County: “It was wonderful to teach out here, and the thing is that the students, their parents, their grandparents were all a part of an educational family, and it was so joyful, it was so rewarding when I started in 1972,” said Bob Winkeljohn, Former Payson-Seymour Elementary 3rd Grade Teacher. Winkeljohn said being able to see his former students on Saturday was a full-circle moment for him, and it makes him feel like he’s made a difference. * Herald-Whig | Feature-length movie set to film in Quincy: Set in the late 19th century, the independent feature-length film “Death of a Brewer” is based on a true story from Iowa and explores the complexities of the brewing industry in the lead-up to Prohibition. “As much as it’s an Iowa City story, it’s an Americana Midwest story. The more I hear about towns that did have breweries, I start to hear stories that are so similar,” said Mokotsi Rukundo, the film’s Los Angeles-based director and writer * WTVO | Rockford organization revitalizes Civil War veterans’ graves: Sunday wasn’t the first time the group of volunteers has cleaned the graves. Jenkin said they frequent Cedar Bluff Cemetary, and she said outsiders have noticed their work. “I’ve had a family in California reach out to me saying ‘Hey I saw that you cleaned the gravestone, thank you so much for doing that,’” Jenkin said. The organization also works to replace or repair damaged graves. Jenkin said they have built stones headstones for fallen veterans that didn’t previously have one. * The Pantagraph | Lincoln’s Bloomington speech ‘lost,’ but legacy lives on: Greg Koos, executive director emeritus of the museum, delivered a presentation on the “Lost Speech” in 2008 titled, “Lost or Not.” Referencing the “Lost Speech” memorial on the corner of East and Front streets in Bloomington, he said, “When we made an effort to publicly commemorate the most important event ever to take place locally — we lost the fact that it was about African American people.” The original 1946 plaques included no reference to enslaved or African American people. In 2009, the Looking for Lincoln Heritage Coalition established a series of new outdoor wayside exhibits that addressed this issue. * Fox Chicago | USPS raises stamp prices again — What to know: The new rates include a 5-cent increase in the price of a First-Class Mail Forever stamp from 73 cents to 78 cents. The changes would also increase domestic shipping rates by about 6.3% for Priority Mail, 7.1% for USPS Ground Advantage, and 7.6% for Parcel Select, while rates for Priority Mail Express would remain unchanged. * NPR | When The U.S. Government Tried To Replace Migrant Farmworkers With High Schoolers: Problems arose immediately for the A-TEAM nationwide. In California’s Salinas Valley, 200 teenagers from New Mexico, Kansas and Wyoming quit after just two weeks on the job. “We worked three days and all of us are broke,” the Associated Press quoted one teen as saying. Students elsewhere staged strikes. At the end, the A-TEAM was considered a giant failure and was never tried again. This experiment quickly disappeared into the proverbial dustbin of history. In fact, when Stony Brook University history professor Lori A. Flores did research for what became her award-winning 2016 book, Grounds for Dreaming: Mexican Americans, Mexican Immigrants, and the California Farmworker Movement, she discovered the controversy for the first time. Until then, the only time she had heard of any A-TEAM, she now says with a laugh, “was the TV show.” * Bloomberg | Invenergy urges Trump not to kill $11 billion power line: The Grain Belt line would carry electricity generated by wind farms and other energy sources in Kansas across Missouri and Illinois to Indiana. The project is capable of delivering four nuclear power plants’ worth of electricity and would be the highest capacity and second longest line in US history, according to the company. […] The request comes a day after Republican Missouri Senator Josh Hawley said in a statement that he had gotten a commitment from Wright to stop the project and end a $4.9 billion conditional federal loan guarantee offered in the final months of the Biden administration. The Energy Department and Senator Hawley’s office didn’t immediately return requests for comment. * AP | Judge orders Trump administration to halt indiscriminate immigration stops, arrests in California: Judge Maame E. Frimpong also issued a separate order barring the federal government from restricting attorney access at a Los Angeles immigration detention facility in response to a request from nonprofit law firm Public Counsel. Frimpong issued the emergency orders, which are a temporary measure while the lawsuit proceeds, the day after a hearing during which advocacy groups argued that the government was violating the Fourth and Fifth amendments of the Constitution. * CBS | 18-year-old U.S. citizen detained by border officials said conditions were so bad he lost 26 pounds, almost self-deported: The teen said he lost 26 pounds during his time in the immigrant detention center, and said officers didn’t provide him with enough food. He was crammed into an overcrowded holding area with 60 other men. They slept on the floor with aluminum-foil blankets — some even had to sleep in the bathroom area, he said. Some of the men were very sick and were bitten by ticks, but were afraid to ask for a doctor because CBP officers told them their stay would start over if they did, Galicia said. * Democracy Docket | Election Officials Have Been Under Attack For Years. Now The DOJ Wants to Criminally Charge Them: In recent months, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) sent letters to states including Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Arizona, and Colorado, pressing for information about voter roll management, demanding to see state voter rolls, and threatening to sue over alleged voting law violations. But the department’s campaign has gone much further. Criminal prosecutors at DOJ sent separate broad requests for information to election officials in at least two states, people who have seen the requests told Democracy Docket.
|
|
Protected: SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - Supplement to today’s edition
Monday, Jul 14, 2025 - Posted by Rich Miller
Comments Off |
|
Protected: SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - Today’s edition of Capitol Fax (use all CAPS in password)
Monday, Jul 14, 2025 - Posted by Rich Miller
Comments Off |
|
Selected press releases (Live updates)
Monday, Jul 14, 2025 - Posted by Isabel Miller
|
|
Live coverage
Monday, Jul 14, 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.
|
| PREVIOUS POSTS » |
