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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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Isabel’s afternoon roundup
Monday, Feb 24, 2025 - Posted by Isabel Miller * Bloomberg…
* Click here for some background. CBS…
* Tribune | Cook County moves to change how it offloads delinquent taxes: The bill, backed by county Treasurer Maria Pappas, calls for an open auction after a tax sale, through which a property owner could recoup some of its value. As it stands today, people who buy a home’s unpaid taxes can eventually get the deed simply by paying late property taxes and fees, effectively pocketing the home’s value. Pappas may not have much choice but to seek changes. The Supreme Court recently sided with a Minnesota homeowner who lost her condo because of overdue taxes. Her attorneys successfully argued that systems similar to Cook County’s rob delinquent homeowners of equity. A similar local lawsuit from Cook County property owners is seeking class-action status. * WTVO | It will soon be easier to get a car loan in Illinois thanks to new electronic lien and title system: Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias made the announcement Monday that Illinois will join 25 other states that have active Electronic Lien and Titling available when purchasing a vehicle from a participating dealer. “An electronic lien and titling program will make the process of buying a car significantly faster, more convenient and more secure than the paper system. What used to take months can be done with a few clicks, dramatically reducing the ‘Time Tax’ customers were forced to pay when titling a vehicle,” said Giannoulias. “Implementing new technology strategically enables our office to create efficiencies and benefit consumers. These investments are crucial to providing convenience, but more importantly security, for our customers and their data.” * Crain’s | Trump and Musk take aim at Loop’s Kluczynski, Metcalfe buildings: The Trump administration is planning to shed half of the office space it occupies in Chicago and Illinois, with two huge properties, the John C. Kluczynski Federal Building and Ralph H. Metcalfe Federal Building, heading the list of structures on the chopping block. That’s the word from Chicago U.S. Rep. Mike Quigley, a ranking Democratic member of the House Appropriations Committee, whose district is home to thousands of federal workers whose jobs have been or are being eyed for elimination. * Chalkbeat Chicago | Parents Defending Education challenges Chicago district’s Black Student Success Plan as discriminatory: An out-of-state advocacy group filed a federal antidiscrimination complaint challenging Chicago Public Schools’ Black Student Success Plan the day after the district released its long-awaited blueprint. Parents Defending Education, which has challenged race-based initiatives and the teaching of topics involving race and gender in schools, submitted a complaint to the Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights, asking it to block the five-year plan’s implementation. It invoked the Constitution’s Equal Protection Clause, a 2023 U.S. Supreme Court decision banning the use of race as a factor in college admissions, and a “Dear Colleague” letter from the Education Department’s Office of Civil Rights late last week warning school districts to halt any race-based initiatives or risk losing federal funding. * WTTW | City Has $142M Left in Federal COVID-19 Relief Funds After $87M Cuts to Balance 2025 Budget: City officials would have an additional $87 million to spend on a host of programs — including affordable housing, mental health, violence prevention, youth job programs and help for unhoused Chicagoans — but the Chicago City Council used those funds to balance the city’s 2025 budget and avert a property tax hike. That means the City Council reduced the amount of federal money available to the city to fuel a wide variety of social service programs until the end of 2026 by nearly 38% to balance the city’s budget without a single sentence of debate about what those cuts will mean for Chicagoans who have yet to regain the ground they started to lose five years ago. * Crain’s | United Center owners buy more lots for 1901 Project: A venture led by the Reinsdorf and Wirtz families, which co-own the Near West Side stadium, paid about $11 million late last month for a pair of properties along the elevated Chicago Transit Authority tracks east of the arena, according to Cook County property records. The entity purchased the sites from an affiliate of longtime parking lot operator Peoples Stadium Parking. * Daily Herald | Jury selection underway in trial of accused Highland Park parade shooter: It began with Lake County Judge Victoria Rossetti admonishing prospective jurors to “keep an open mind, a mind that is free of any misconceptions” and “resist jumping to conclusions” as questioning began shortly before 11 a.m. […] By 12:15 p.m., three jurors had been selected. Juror selection continues this afternoon. Testimony is expected to begin at 9 a.m. Monday, March 3. * Daily Herald | Batavia deciding how to spend $200K from single-use bag tax: City council members began reviewing proposals from prospective candidates vying to execute those green initiatives at the Feb. 11 Committee of the Whole meeting. At the meeting, committee members heard from four applicants. Two would conduct energy audits and rebates for residents, and two others would execute a public education campaign and design the city’s branded reusable bags. * CBS Chicago | Oak Park, Illinois seeks to regulate hemp-derived THC products: Leaders in Oak Park, Illinois, want to crack down on products made from hemp that contain THC. […] Oak Park village trustees will introduce an ordinance next month that would set the minimum age for purchasing hemp-derived products containing THC to 21. * WGN | Family of young journalist struck, killed by train sues Metra: The suit is seeking damages and family previously said they hope safety changes are made to prevent future incidents. Both Metra and the South Shore Line had no comment, citing pending litigation. * WSIL | Small number of probationary staff dismissed with Marion VA Health Care System, VA official reports: This coming after 1,000 Department of Veterans Affairs employees were reported to have been dismissed nationwide on February 13. A representative with the VA shared a statement by the VA Press Secretary for the VA facility in Marion. The statement is below… “The Marion VA Health Care System has dismissed a small number of probationary staff. This decision will have no negative effect on Veteran health care, benefits or other services and will allow VA to focus more effectively on its core mission of serving Veterans, families, caregivers, and survivors. We cannot discuss specific personnel matters due to privacy concerns.” * WJBD | School insurance trust drops $7 million in the red: An insurance trust utilized by 80 school districts in the state, mostly in Southern Illinois, has fallen $7 million in the red due to higher-than-expected medical claims and drug costs. The Salem Grade School District is one of the districts impacted. Superintendent Dr. Leslie Foppe told the school board Thursday night says a lot of school officials are not happy. The trust has come up with a plan to charge an extra assessment to each district, which would amount to $108,000 to the Salem Grade School district. * AP | Scholarships suspended at NC A&T, other HBCUs for students in agriculture via 1890 Scholars Program: The U.S. Department of Agriculture suspended the 1890 Scholars Program, which provided recipients with full tuition and fees for students studying agriculture, food or natural resource sciences at one of 19 universities, known as the 1890 land grant institutions. It’s not clear exactly when the program was suspended, but some members of Congress first issued statements criticizing the suspension of the program on Thursday.
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More about 2025 than 2028
Monday, Feb 24, 2025 - Posted by Rich Miller * Politico today…
* Gov. Pritzker on Jen Psacki’s podcast…
The take-away from all this is that Pritzker understands that the stuff he talked about at the end of his speech last week hasn’t been an effective campaign message against Trump. So, why did he do it anyway? As explained above, lots of folks were demanding that somebody stand up and say what they were thinking. I was told much the same last week. From the subscriber section…
In other words, the speech was not so much about 2028, as the Tribune claimed over the weekend. The end of his speech was about February of 2025. Today. * Even so, I’m still not convinced it was a good idea to use that constitutionally required speech to deliver that message. He could’ve gone to the White House with the National Governors Association and said it and he would’ve gotten a ton more coverage…
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Former Gov. Jim Edgar reveals cancer diagnosis: ‘We do not underestimate this challenge, but we have confidence in the medical team helping us address it’ (Updated)
Monday, Feb 24, 2025 - Posted by Rich Miller * An email from former Gov. Jim Edgar, authorized for publication…
He has done a remarkable job with his bipartisan Edgar Fellows program. I wish him nothing but the best. Hang in there, Jim. …Adding… House Speaker Chris Welch…
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Poll: Mayor Johnson’s re-elect in crowded field is 8 percent; Just 7 percent view him favorably, 80 percent unfavorably (Updated)
Monday, Feb 24, 2025 - Posted by Isabel Miller * M3 Strategies is a Republican pollster, but they’ve done pretty good work. The firm’s last poll had President Trump’s favorables right about where the Pritzker campaign did in its most recent release, for example. The poll was paid for by Juan Rangel, who regularly engages in battle with the CTU and the mayor’s people on Twitter. From the pollster’s latest analysis of its Chicago survey…
* Methodology…
* On to the toplines. Which of the following would you say are the biggest issues facing Chicago right now?…  Crime is a much bigger issue in Chicago than it is statewide and has been for quite a while. * If the election for Mayor of Chicago were held today, who would most likely lean toward (if undecided is not an option)?…
* What is your opinion of the following Chicago public figures?…
* Alexi Giannoulias, IL Sec of State…
* Susana Mendoza, IL Comptroller…
* Bill Conway, Alderman…
* Kam Buckner, State Rep…
* Paul Vallas, Former Mayoral Candidate…
* Brandon Johnson, Mayor…
Whew. That’s gotta be some kind of a record. * In your own words, tell us your opinion of Mayor Brandon Johnson…
* In your own words, tell us your opinion of former mayoral candidate Paul Vallas…
* In your own words, tell us your opinion of IL Comptroller Susana Mendoza…
* In your own words, tell us your opinion of IL Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias…
Haven’t seen those word clouds used in a while. Interesting. …Adding… I took a quick look at the full crosstabs. Mayor Johnson’s favorable/unfavorable rating among Black voters is 16/67, with 17 percent neutral. Among Latino voters it’s 2/88 (not a typo) with 10 percent neutral. Among White voters it’s 5/84 (also not a typo) with 10 percent neutral. Johnson receives 18 percent support from Black voters in the horse race question, along with 2 percent Latino, 6 percent White.
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Dick Durbin wants to put this blog (and others) out of business
Monday, Feb 24, 2025 - Posted by Rich Miller * Press release last week from US Sen. Dick Durbin…
The full statute he wants to eliminate is here. * From a few years ago, when President Trump vetoed a Defense Department appropriations bill because it did not repeal Section 230…
* More background from the Electronic Frontier Foundation…
* Why Durbin’s idea is so clueless…
No Section 230 means no comments, no live news feeds and very likely no CapitolFax.com at all, while big tech just hires a few more lawyers. Nice job, Dick.
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When RETAIL Succeeds, Illinois Succeeds
Monday, Feb 24, 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 Barb enrich our economy and strengthen our communities. We Are Retail and IRMA showcase the retailers who make Illinois work.
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It’s just a bill
Monday, Feb 24, 2025 - Posted by Isabel Miller * Daily Herald…
* Farm Week…
* Sen. Lakesia Collins…
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Welch on ethics reform, Pritzker, Trump
Monday, Feb 24, 2025 - Posted by Rich Miller * My weekly syndicated newspaper column…
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Open thread
Monday, Feb 24, 2025 - Posted by Rich Miller
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Isabel’s morning briefing
Monday, Feb 24, 2025 - Posted by Isabel Miller * We informed subscribers about this earlier this month. ICYMI: What Illinois faces if congressional Republicans slash Medicaid. Crain’s…
- A reduction in the funding level would be bad enough, but Illinois is among 12 states with a trigger law that would automatically end coverage or require other changes if the federal match drops below 90%. - 862,774 Illinois residents could lose their health care coverage. * Subscribers were told about this last week. Daily Herald | The governor wants to put pause on fuel tax shift. What would that mean?: It was just one line item in Gov. JB Pritzker’s budget proposal Wednesday, pausing the final shift of the state’s motor fuel sales taxes to the road fund. But for drivers, road builders and lovers of convoluted Illinois legislative history, it means a lot. Since July 1, 2021, the state has incrementally transferred motor fuel sales taxes from its general fund to the road fund. The change was part of 2019 legislation enabling the Build Illinois capital program. * Tribune | The hidden world of Chicago ICE arrests: In a system where people can be detained with little public information available, rosters for out-of-state jails that hold many Chicago-area detainees offer one of the only glimpses of people taken into custody amid the heightened fear and uncertainty of the past several weeks. Though they do not represent a complete picture, the jail logs, obtained by the Tribune via public records requests, present a rare, if narrow, window into a byzantine and opaque immigration system, where people can be detained and not go before a judge for weeks, or even months. In contrast, in Illinois’ criminal justice system, arrestees must go before a judge within 48 hours and police must make arrest reports with identifying information available within 72 hours. * Illinois Eagle | State rep calls for equity in funding for HIV in Black community: State Rep. Carol Ammons (D-Urbana) highlighted the disparity in health outcomes for Black Illinois residents. “We cannot afford inaction while Black communities face disproportionately high rates of HIV/AIDS illness and limited access to life-saving resources,” she said at press conference with the Black Leadership Advocacy Coalition for Healthcare Equity (BLACHE) for Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day * BND | Metro-east state rep settles lawsuit over blocked Facebook comments: Illinois State Rep. Charlie Meier, R-Okawville, has settled a lawsuit alleging he violated the First Amendment free speech rights of four constituents by blocking their “critical” comments on his Facebook page. […] The settlement agreement calls for Meier to reinstate Poettker’s access to his Facebook page and to reinstate comments from Moore, Williams and * Daily Herald | Milena McConchie, wife of recently resigned state senator Dan McConchie, dies at 51: Dan McConchie posted news of his loss and the life he had shared with her on Facebook Saturday. “Unfortunately, the health troubles that plagued her since Chernobyl were not to be outrun,” he wrote. “She passed away from heart failure due to the cancer, the radiation, and the chemotherapy treatments that we now know cause the heart muscle to harden. Fortunately, she is now free of those troubles and is finally in a place where there is no sickness and there is no death with her Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.” * Sun-Times | Illinois expanded tax credits for some workers and families but the money isn’t being claimed, experts say: Illinois expanded its earned income tax credit in 2024, giving low- to moderate-income workers a bigger break on their 2023 state income tax filing. But many taxpayers who receive the federal EITC are unaware that the state program exists. Workers who qualify for the federal EITC generally qualify for the Illinois EITC, since the requirements are similar. And some of those filers could see an increase this tax season by also taking advantage of the state’s first-ever Child Tax Credit, which offers relief to parents struggling with rising living costs. Parents with children under 12 who qualify for the Illinois EITC are eligible to claim the CTC. * Tribune | ‘Whole different level.’ The Illinois-Indiana political divide widens amid Trump 2.0, from immigration to DEI to LGBTQ rights: “What Donald Trump tried to do in the last 24 hours was illegal,” Pritzker said during a press conference that day. “Let’s be clear: This is a demonstration of cruelty against people who depend on us.” Yet just over the border in Indiana, the top state official praised the austerity measure, which was designed to root out progressive agendas, promote efficiency and end “wokeness” through federal spending nationwide. * Kam Buckner | A city charter is the reform Chicago actually needs, not recall powers : Chicago is the largest city in America without a city charter. No governing document, no foundational rules that define how power is distributed, how decisions are made and what rights the people have in relation to their government. That’s like buying a complex piece of Ikea furniture and tossing the instructions, only to realize years later that you screwed everything in backward and now it barely holds together. Instead of a charter, we rely on a patchwork of century-old state laws, home rule authority and political traditions so entrenched you’d think they were carved into stone tablets. This system works, until it doesn’t. * Tribune | City touts mission to target employee ties to hate groups; community demands police be the priority: Representatives with the mayor’s office told a roomful of residents and community groups at the West Side gathering that Johnson’s working group would produce recommendations and policies to deal with city employees linked to hate groups. The group was assembled eight months after the city’s Office of the Inspector General recommended in a report last year that the mayor convene a task force. * The Athletic | Bears boost ticket prices as if they just had playoff season, not a 5-12 disaster: If you go through past numbers to look for context, the 10 percent jump for the 2025 season shouldn’t be a shock. The Bears have been known to raise prices after playoff seasons. Wait, what’s that? The Bears didn’t make the playoffs last year? They went 5-12, lost 10 in a row, fired their coach and offensive coordinator during the season and were the laughingstocks of the NFL from Halloween to New Year’s? * Crain’s | Chicago billionaire Justin Ishbia to boost stake in White Sox: The deal will allow Ishbia, managing partner of Chicago investment firm Shore Capital Partners, to take control of the team at some point by buying the shares of longtime owner Jerry Reinsdorf and other partners, the Athletic contends, citing unnamed people familiar with the arrangement. * Sun-Times | Just because Justin Ishbia wants to buy the White Sox doesn’t mean Jerry Reinsdorf is selling: I don’t blame them a bit for getting their hopes up. The Athletic reported that Ishbia, a financier worth $5.1 billion, wants to increase his minority stake in the Sox now that he’s given up his pursuit of buying the Twins. There’s a large segment of the fan base that would want anybody besides Reinsdorf, including a disinterred Stalin, owning the team. But the idea of someone as wealthy as Ishbia stepping in, well, it was enough to make Sox fans swoon on social media the past few days. To be rid of Reinsdorf, who cut the Sox’ payroll after losing a modern-era record 121 games in 2024, and gain a multibillionaire who has a home in Winnetka? Exchange Evergreen Park for Winnetka, and that’s a dream your standard Sox fan has about once a week. * Tribune | Metra paid a law firm over $1.5M for an internal investigation that it won’t release, raising transparency questions: The investigation stemmed from anonymous complaints made to Metra about the agency’s Police Department, and bills from the attorneys hint at the scope of the work: McGuireWoods undertook analysis related to an “investigation of potential disparate treatment.” Also included among 130 pages of attorneys bills was reference to “EEO” incidents and complaints, according to documents obtained by the Tribune through a Freedom of Information Act request. Still, Metra’s failure to publicize information about the outcome of the investigation — and the agency’s decision to rely on an outside law firm to investigate its Police Department in the first place — raises questions about Metra’s motives, government transparency advocates said. * Evanston Round Table | Candidates go on ‘speed dates’ with voters: Nearly everyone running for a city office or school board seat in the April 1 consolidated elections was present with a desk, a trifold poster board and any snacks, flyers or other campaign materials they could fit at their station. A steady stream of potential voters arrived over the three-hour event to talk directly to the candidates lined up around the room, with the din of conversation interrupted every 10 minutes by the sound of a tambourine — an encouragement for attendees to wrap up their chats and move on to someone new. * Daily Herald | Aurora primary Tuesday to narrow the field for mayoral election: Five people are seeking spots on the ballot, including incumbent Mayor Richard Irvin, Alderman-at-Large John Laesch, Alderman Ted Mesiacos, former alderman Judd Lofchie, and Karina Garcia. Jazmine Garcia’s name is still on the primary ballot, but she announced on Tuesday that she had dropped out of the race. * Tribune | ‘We saw evil that day.’ Highland Park mass shooting survivors hope for justice, resolution as trial begins Monday: More than two years after that horrific holiday, the suspect’s trial is scheduled to begin with jury selection Monday at the Lake County Courthouse. Alleged gunman Robert Crimo III faces more than 100 charges, including 21 counts of first-degree murder — three for each person who lost their life while attending the parade. If convicted of first-degree murder, he could be sentenced to life in prison without parole. * Sun-Times | Trial set to start Monday for Plainfield landlord charged with killing 6-year-old Palestinian American boy: Joseph Czuba is charged with stabbing his tenant, Hanan Shaheen, and her 6-year-old son, Wadee Al Fayoumi, killing the boy, in an alleged hate crime that drew national attention. His trial is set to begin Monday at the Will County Courthouse in Joliet. * BND | Metro-east teachers fear closing the Department of Education will harm students: According to the Illinois State Board of Education, about 12% of Illinois school districts’ revenues for fiscal year 2023 came from the federal government. Most school funding comes from the state and local taxes. But what that relatively small percentage of funding does is extremely important, said educators at a round table discussion hosted by the Illinois Federation of Teachers and U.S. Rep. Nikki Budzinski on Monday. The federal government directs money to schools to serve low-income students through Title I funding and to support programs for students with disabilities under the Individuals With Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). * WICS | Lincoln residents hopeful for redevelopment of former developmental center site: Community members in Lincoln are expressing optimism about the potential redevelopment of the former Lincoln Developmental Center site, which has been closed since 2002. The closure, ordered by then-Governor George Ryan, left many residents concerned about the future of the site and the jobs lost as a result. […] The timeline for demolition or rehabilitation of the site remains uncertain, as it is contingent on decisions by the Illinois General Assembly. * Tom Kacich | 100 years after merger first floated, Champaign, Urbana happy to be separately together: Former Champaign Mayor Dan McCollum, who said he supported the 1953 merger question as a high school student, recalled that he suggested another merger effort sometime after becoming mayor in 1987. “I approached Jeff Markland (then the mayor of Urbana) about getting the two cities together,” McCollum recalled. “He said that historically it hadn’t been supported by his town, so he couldn’t support it. That was the end of that.” * WCIA | Therapy dogs drop by Danville library to help kids learn to read: “Fear of pets is one thing, but if we can get away from some of the other children and adults, some children don’t want to try and read in front of adults because they’re afraid of making mistakes,” retired librarian Mary Easterday said. “And when they read to a dog, the dog doesn’t care. The dog loves them. The dog sits there and listens and loves them.” She said the library plans to continue bringing dogs in to mingle with kids — and is also considering doing the same thing at Oakwood Elementary School. * NYT | Microsoft Says It Has Created a New State of Matter to Power Quantum Computers: On Wednesday, Microsoft’s scientists said they had built what is known as a “topological qubit” based on this new phase of physical existence, which could be harnessed to solve mathematical, scientific and technological problems. With the development, Microsoft is raising the stakes in what is set to be the next big technological contest, beyond today’s race over artificial intelligence. Scientists have chased the dream of a quantum computer — a machine that could exploit the strange and exceedingly powerful behavior of subatomic particles or very cold objects — since the 1980s. * WaPo | Weight-loss drugs aren’t just slimming waists. They’re shifting the economy: Ozempic, and its GLP-1 cousins Mounjaro, Wegovy and Zepbound, may not be the lightbulb, jet airplane or internet, but their impact is expected to be so significant that Jan Hatzius, chief economist at Goldman Sachs, predicts that if 60 million people take the medications by 2028, GDP would be boosted by 1 percent — or several trillion dollars. Hatzius’s analysis was based primarily on the idea that healthier people mean a healthier workforce and, in turn, lower health-care costs. But there’s a lot more to it. * Tribune | Democratic governors balance whether to fight or pacify after Donald Trump threatens one of their own: President Donald Trump’s real-time confrontation with Maine’s governor over transgender athletes captured the conundrum many Democratic governors are facing in the Republican’s second term. Gov. Janet Mills’ vow that she would see Trump in court over his threat to withhold money from the state if it didn’t comply with his executive order delighted Democrats who want more strident pushback. But the dust-up that played out in the open Friday as Trump hosted governors at the White House ticked off a president known to retaliate against people he considers enemies.
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Protected: SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - Today’s edition of Capitol Fax (use all CAPS in password)
Monday, Feb 24, 2025 - Posted by Rich Miller
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Live coverage
Monday, Feb 24, 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)
Monday, Feb 24, 2025 - Posted by Isabel Miller
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Reader comments closed for the weekend
Friday, Feb 21, 2025 - Posted by Rich Miller * Chicago’s very own Mary Lane will play us out…
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Isabel’s afternoon roundup
Friday, Feb 21, 2025 - Posted by Isabel Miller * Daily Herald…
* Background is here if you need it…
* Crain’s…
* The Triibe | Black and brown veterans call on Gov. Pritzker for pardons to avoid deportations: The group is calling on Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker to act urgently to issue pardons to six veterans who were convicted of crimes that were committed in Illinois. It’s unclear if the six have already served out their prison sentences; the group of veterans did not name the six due to fear of targeting. The six are “in exile,” according to the group, and are currently based in Illinois, Texas, Mexico, Peru, Guatemala and Guyana. Grassroots organizations in attendance at Healthy Hood were Black Deported Veterans of America (BDVA), Common Defense, Centro Sin Fronteras and Illinois LULAC. * Courthouse News Service | Can the KIND Act help fix Illinois’ foster care system?: tarting in July, the Illinois Department of Family and Child Services will make certified relative caregivers eligible for compensation at the same rates as licensed foster homes. Those who aren’t certified are still eligible to receive “no less” than 90% of that funding. The bill also eases standards for kinship caregivers, so that they’re no more restrictive than what federal law requires. * Sun-Times | Chicago students share mixed feelings on Pritzker proposal to restrict classroom use of cellphones: Seniors Diego Servin and Esmeralda Orozco say they don’t even bother bringing their phones to school anymore. Orozco, 17, says she doesn’t think the ban is the solution to keeping students engaged. “If someone doesn’t want to do their work, they’re going to find a way not to do it,” she said. “So I don’t think having your cellphone will make a difference.” * Sun-Times | Illinois tourism office spotlights Black History Month and Black-owned businesses: The Illinois Office of Tourism this month launched a new Black History Month webpage to promote travel to places across the state that celebrate Black culture, as well as to spotlight Black-owned businesses from bakeries to barbecue restaurants. “The goal is to elevate the voices and stories of Black Illinoisans, highlighting how their entrepreneurial efforts and creativity shape the state’s success,” Kristin Richards, director of Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, said in a statement. The department oversees the Illinois Office of Tourism. * Farm Week | IPT Bull Sale breaks record sale average: The 2025 Illinois Performance Tested (IPT) Bull Sale reached a new record average of $7,096 on 33 lots for a sale total of $234,200. That far surpassed the previous record average of $4,966 on 43 lots in 2024. “This sale continues to be one of the best sources for total performance genetics in the Midwest,” Sale Manager Travis Meteer said of the event held on Feb. 20 during the Illinois Beef Expo in Springfield. “During the past 57 years, the sale has sold 5,030 bulls valued at over $10 million.” * 25News Now | Illinois students will now be required to take the ACT test instead of the SAT: “It’s going to be good”, Peoria Sylvan Learning Center Director Shawna Stewart said. “I think it’s going to be better just with all the changes that ACT is laying out with giving students more time with less questions. I think it’s good that they’re going to make science a separate score from the reading the English and the math.” A big difference between the two tests is that the ACT includes a science and optional essay section. * WTTW | Mayor Johnson to Form Task Force to Rid CPD of Extremist Groups, After 8 Month Delay: Johnson’s decision to launch the effort comes nearly eight months after Inspector General Deborah Witzburg urged him to take that step as part of an effort to “implement a comprehensive, whole-of-government approach to preventing, identifying and eliminating extremist and anti-government activities and associations within CPD.” Witzburg told WTTW News Thursday evening that it was “very good news” that Johnson had finally accepted the recommendation her office made in July, after the third investigation of CPD members with ties to right-wing extremist groups since 2022 ended without any of the officers being disciplined. * Tribune | Chicago Police Board meets for first time without exiting COPA leader: According to data made publicly available by COPA since May 2021, the month Kersten was named interim chief administrator by former mayor Lori Lightfoot, the agency has opened more than 2,400 investigations based on complaints of police misconduct in the years since. Since the start of 2021, COPA has called for CPD to suspend 1,074 officers, though the lengths of those proposed suspensions were not known. Meanwhile, the agency has recommended CPD fire 188 officers in the last four years, according to agency data. * WBEZ | Anjanette Young, victim of an infamous 2019 wrongful Chicago police raid, marks another year without reform: “Six years since I stood before officers — crying, pleading, afraid — only to be ignored,” Young said at a news conference outside City Hall Friday. “And yet I stand here again, afraid and demanding for justice, accountability, still demanding that those in power would keep their promise.” Young criticized Mayor Brandon Johnson for delays, though she said she doesn’t blame him that “we haven’t gotten it right.” * Block Club Chicago | ‘Devastating’ Trump Funding Cuts To Disrupt Diabetes, Cancer And HIV Research, UIC Faculty Say: “These are life and death matters,” said Aaron Krall, president of the union representing tenured and nontenured professors at the University of Illinois at Chicago. “We have researchers on this campus right now and across the city who are working to save people’s lives.” * Crain’s | 179 Chicago jobs cut as Blackstone consolidates home rental business: The 179 job cuts were disclosed in a WARN notice filed with the state Feb. 7 as the company is absorbed into Tricon Residential, another Blackstone subsidiary, in a process that started seven months ago. Blackstone did not comment on whether employees would be able to transfer to other Tricon offices. […] “Rent-to-own has this really sordid history. It’s an area of the housing market that remains under-regulated. That’s part of the attraction for many operators,” David Reiss, research director for the Center for Urban Business Entrepreneurship at Brooklyn Law School, told Business Insider. * Tribune | Hundreds of vacant lots in Chicago to be sold after landlords’ bankruptcy, opening up opportunities for redevelopment: Community advocates say it’s a chance to get the properties into the hands of fresh owners who can fill the empty spaces with new homes, businesses or affordable apartments. “It’s all up for grabs, and I think everyone in Englewood is following it,” said Felicia Slaton-Young, executive director of the Greater Englewood Chamber of Commerce. “Some of the properties are along commercial corridors, and it’s negatively impacted Englewood because these owners sat on them with no true plan of development. So, there is definitely the opportunity for revitalization.” * Crain’s | Law firm moving across the street from Google’s future Loop home: It’s one of many moves by downtown office tenants to reduce their footprints as post-pandemic work patterns change the way they use workspace. That space-shedding trend is the main reason downtown office vacancy has hit record highs in each of the last 10 quarters. While that’s frustrating for other landlords to hear, Wilson Elser’s move also shows the positive effect that Google’s redevelopment could have on restoring foot traffic in the heart of the Loop. Other companies that have recently signed leases in buildings near the Thompson Center have cited their high expectation of what the tech giant will bring to the area. * Block Club | Remembering Tuyet Le, A Champion Of Civil Rights, Community Empowerment — And Laughter: “Folks probably don’t know that she is the reason there is a progressive Asian American political movement in Illinois,” said Nebula Li, one of her many proteges at Advancing Justice, who’s now a program officer for the Lawyers Trust Fund of Illinois, a nonprofit foundation. * WGN | Celebrating 120 years of the Chicago Defender: Ethan Michaeli, author of “The Defender: How Chicago’s Legendary Black Newspaper Changed America,” discusses the history of The Chicago Defender newspaper and the legacy of the paper’s founder, Robert S. Abbott. * Sun-Times | Jerry Butler dead at 85; singer known as ‘Iceman’ also had a long career in Cook County politics: The Bronzeville resident went on to a 32-year political career as a member of the Cook County Board, helped by backing from Mayor Harold Washington. Mr. Butler, whose voice was stilled by Parkinson’s disease, died Thursday night at home, according to a family friend. “He’s one of the great voices of our time,” said Motown legend Smokey Robinson, who said he’d admired Mr. Butler since Robinson was a young singer and heard The Impressions’ “For Your Precious Love” for the first time. “It sweeped through ‘the hood.’ I have known Jerry Butler way back, since the Miracles and I first got started, around 1958. He’s a great person, and I love him.” * Sun-Times | Embattled Dolton Tiffany Henyard faces election challenge from one of her ‘Dream Team’ members: Trustee Jason House was part of Henyard’s “Dream Team” ticket in 2021, when she succeeded in her bid for mayor. At the time, she touted his experience as a bank manager and his service on the south suburb’s finance committee. Now he’s trying to oust from her post. * Daily Herald | How the Batman-esque ‘Grappler’ is ending police chases in Kane County: The Grappler takes aim at what’s been described as a post-pandemic epidemic of drivers fleeing from police. The sheriff’s office is the first police agency in Illinois to put it into action. “It’s exciting,” David Wolf, chief of operations for the sheriff’s office, told us this week. “We can stop a pursuit before it really starts.” The Grappler operates like its name implies — by grabbing hold of a fleeing vehicle and stopping it in its tracks. * Trains.com | Metra donates F40C locomotive to Illinois Railway Museum: Metra has donated F40C No. 614, one of just two such surviving locomotives, to the Illinois Railway Museum. IRM says in a press release that it hopes to restore the locomotive to operating condition. It had seen some cannibalization for parts during its final years in storage at Metra, and is missing components including its turbocharger, aftercoolers, radiators and ducts. * BND | Furnace malfunctions at Belleville school, leaving students to rely on portable heaters: The school used portable heaters in the affected areas on Tuesday. Thursday, students, teachers and staff relocated to warmer parts of the school, Belleville District 118 Superintendent Ryan Boike said. He said temperatures in the affected classrooms were around 60 degrees on Thursday. Illinois Department of Public Health’s website says classrooms should between 68 and 75 degrees during the winter. * PJ Star | ‘Piece of garbage’: Campaign mailers heat up Peoria mayoral race as primary nears: In particular, a campaign mailer sent out by Kelly struck the wrong tone with his opponents, who both claim the mailer features inaccuracies about their positions, calling things Kelly wrote about them in the mailer “erroneous” and “desperate.”Each candidate sent out multiple campaign mailers, but only Kelly’s mailer — which is the largest and most information-dense of the three — mentioned the other candidates by name. * WCIA | USPS announces reversal of plans to Champaign facility, operations and jobs staying put: The plans were opposed by community members, local politicians, postal workers and their union, and two congresswomen who represent Central Illinois. In an act of bipartisanship, Democrat Nikki Budzinski (IL-13) and Republican Mary Miller (IL-15) jointly penned a letter to Postmaster General Louis DeJoy to explain the downsides of this plan. On Friday, the USPS announced that it was backing down on these plans. Officials said the decision to reverse course was made possible by a proposed operational strategy that could save the USPS $3 billion a year nationwide. This would allow the USPS to absorb the cost of continuing to provide local cancellation service in Champaign. * Smile Politely | Nick Offerman returns to the University of Illinois for Japan House fundraiser: From woodshop sage to Parks & Rec icon, Nick Offerman is bringing his signature blend of wit and wisdom home his alma mater this March. Catch him first at Krannert Center for the Performing Arts on Friday, March 7, for a book signing of his latest book, Where the Deer and the Antelope Play (leave your Ron Swanson fanart at home, folks – it’s strictly the new book at this shindig). * Press Release | NCSL Joins Others in Expressing Concerns Over Federal Medicaid Proposals: Medicaid accounts for over half of all federal funds to states and is the largest source of federal funding for state budgets, making it essential to states’ ability to design and administer healthcare programs that meet the unique needs of their populations. Preserving state flexibility and preventing significant funding cuts are both critical to ensuring Medicaid can be tailored to local priorities, as such cuts would severely limit this ability, forcing states to reduce services, restrict eligibility, or shift costs to local governments. These reductions would jeopardize access to affordable healthcare and long-term services and place an unsustainable financial burden on states and counties, which often serve as payers of last resort. * CNN | US consumer sentiment plunges over tariff and inflation fears: The University of Michigan’s latest survey, released Friday, showed that US consumer sentiment declined in February for the second consecutive month, according to a final reading, down by a steep 10% from January. That was double the decline initially reported earlier this month. It’s a stunning about-face after American consumers and businesses grew hopeful (briefly) about the economy’s future following Trump’s election in November. The latest decline in consumer sentiment was driven by worries over Trump’s tariffs potentially jacking up prices. * MediaIte | New WaPo Poll Reveals 83% of American Disapprove of Trump’s Jan. 6th Pardons for Violent Rioters: The poll found that this decision by Trump was his most unpopular move since retaking the White House. More than 8 in 10, 0r 83%, oppose the pardons for violent criminal offenders, while 55% of Americans oppose the pardons for those rioters convicted of nonviolent crimes. Only 14% of those surveyed in the poll agreed with Trump’s decision to pardon violent criminals and three percent had no opinion or refused to answer the poll’s question. * WTTW | ‘Bird Flu’ Has Been Confirmed in Rats for the First Time: USDA: The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) confirmed the presence of the “bird flu” virus in four rats submitted for testing. All of the rats were found in Riverside, California. In the last month alone, APHIS has confirmed bird flu in a number of wild and domesticated animals. In addition to the rats, numerous house cats, a harbor seal and a pair of bottlenose dolphins tested positive for HPAI.
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Pritzker’s proposed homeless program cuts criticized
Friday, Feb 21, 2025 - Posted by Rich Miller * This statement from the Housing Action Illinois and the Illinois Shelter Alliance kinda fell through the cracks on Wednesday, but I wanted you to see it…
* Excerpt from the Chicago Coalition to end Homelessness press release…
A statement from the Supportive Housing Providers Association is here.
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ILGOP calls out Jewish governor for ‘vile, antisemitic attacks” (Updated)
Friday, Feb 21, 2025 - Posted by Rich Miller * Background is here if you need it. Actually, you may want to read it again to refresh your memory because you’re not seeing many actual quotes in responses like the one below. Also, calling a Jewish person who helped found a Holocaust museum an antisemite may be a first…
* Pritzker was asked about this on Wednesday after his speech…
The topic was also debated on the House floor on Thursday. From Rep. Dan Didech’s comments…
I’ve asked the Pritzker campaign for a response. …Adding… From the Pritzker campaign…
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RETAIL: The Largest Employer In Illinois
Friday, Feb 21, 2025 - Posted by Advertising Department [The following is a paid advertisement.] Retail creates more jobs in Illinois than any other private sector employer, with one out of every four workers employed by the retail sector. Importantly, retail is an industry in which everyone, regardless of credentials, can find a viable career path. Retailers like Bernita and Derrick enrich our economy and strengthen our communities. We Are Retail and IRMA showcase the retailers who make Illinois work.
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It’s just a bill
Friday, Feb 21, 2025 - Posted by Isabel Miller * The Illinois End-of-Life Options Coalition…
* Crain’s…
* 25News Now…
* HB3858 from Rep. Tony McCombie…
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Open thread
Friday, Feb 21, 2025 - Posted by Isabel Miller * What’s going on? Keep it Illinois-centric please…
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Isabel’s morning briefing
Friday, Feb 21, 2025 - Posted by Isabel Miller * ICYMI: State regulators order Peoples Gas to finish pipeline replacement by 2035. Tribune…
- The order directs the utility to retire the remaining 1,000 miles of aging leak-prone cast iron and ductile pipes running under Chicago by 2035. - A safety monitor will oversee and report on Peoples’ progress annually beginning in 2027, with the threat of civil penalties if the company “fails to comply with the completion deadline.” * Related stories…
∙ ABC Chicago: Controversial Peoples Gas Pipe Replacement Program can move forward with reforms: ICC ∙ WBEZ: State regulators clamp down on Peoples Gas pipeline replacement program * Tribune | Mayor Brandon Johnson criticizes ethics reform recommended by inspector general: Mayor Brandon Johnson Thursday ripped a proposal Chicago’s top independent watchdog recommended as a way to prevent him and future mayors from impeding investigations by her office. […] The legislation matched recommendations Inspector General Deborah Witzburg made in a recent letter to aldermen as she criticized the mayor-controlled Law Department for hindering investigations that “may result in embarrassment or political consequences to City leaders.” * WBEZ | Transgender teens and their parents speak out after Lurie Children’s pauses surgeries: In the two weeks since Lurie paused surgeries for transgender youth, WBEZ has spoken with 10 patients or their parents about what it means for their lives. They described their disappointment, their loss of hope for one day having a procedure, and their anger that this is coming now, after they already feel threatened and marginalized by hateful rhetoric around the country. * Tribune | Illinois Department of Human Services lines up leader for consolidated mental health, substance abuse division: David Albert, head of DHS’ Division of Mental Health, will lead the new Division of Behavioral Health and Recovery. Rafael Rivera, interim head of the Division of Substance Use Prevention and Recovery, will be assistant director of the combined department, the IDHS spokesperson said. * Illinois Times | Don Tracy clears his name: A six-year legal battle recently came to an end with longtime GOP powerbroker Don Tracy claiming victory. In 2019, the Illinois executive inspector general found the Springfield lawyer engaged in a prohibited political activity by making a $1,000 campaign contribution to a legislative candidate while serving as chair of the Illinois Gaming Board. But Tracy said that was nonsense because the contribution made to Republican Seth McMillan, who was challenging then-Sen. Andy Manar, a Democrat, was made not by him but by his wife, Wanda, from their joint checking account. * NBC Chicago | Not everyone needs a Real ID at May deadline — or possibly ever. Here’s who does: “There has been a lot of confusion and misinformation when it comes to Real IDs. So let me try to clarify. As of May 7, if you have a current valid standard driver’s license, you do not need a real I.D. to legally drive a vehicle,” Giannoulias said in a press conference Thursday. “You do not need a Real ID to show identification. You do not need a Real ID for proof of citizenship. As of May 7, you will need a Real ID-compliant driver’s license or state ID if you are over the age of 18 and intend to fly a commercial airline or visit certain federal facilities. But let me be very clear: you can still fly if you have a valid U.S. passport.” * WBEZ | Alderman introduces plan to punish Chicago city employees and officers for having extremist ties: The Chicago Police Department and Mayor Brandon Johnson have faced growing calls to fire police officers with ties to hate and extremist groups. With those concerns in mind, Ald. Matt Martin, 47th Ward and chair of the City Council’s Committee on Ethics and Government Oversight, said the city needs to quickly investigate allegations and cease employment for those actively participating in extremism groups. * Sun-Times | Andrea Kersten headed COPA, the agency that investigates Chicago police misconduct. Here’s what happened before she quit.: The backstage drama days before she resigned included a threatened no-confidence vote by a city oversight panel that could have led to Kersten being fired as chief administrator of the Civilian Office of Police Accountability, sources told the Chicago Sun-Times. * Sun-Times | Amid heated debate, city agency endorses ‘framework’ to change zoning on Broadway: Called a “land use framework,” the proposal recommends that the city replace a quilt of zoning rules for property along Broadway mostly with a category that critics said could allow for the densest development outside of downtown. The proposal sets “clear expectations” for growth, said Katharyn Hurd of the city’s Department of Planning and Development. But it doesn’t authorize any project or zoning change, matters that would require City Council approval. * Sun-Times | Everything Cubs, White Sox fans need to know about spring-training TV, radio broadcasts: How great was it to see a Major League Baseball game Thursday on TV? MLB Network’s broadcast of the Cubs-Dodgers spring-training game warmed my heart amid the bitter cold outside. It didn’t matter that it was SportsNet LA’s broadcasters and not Marquee Sports Network’s crew. It could’ve been a Marlins-Rays game, for all I cared. It was baseball. * WTTW | City of Aurora Staff Aided Development of Privately Owned Tourism App at No Cost to App’s Owner, a Mayoral Ally: For the last several months, the city of Aurora has been proudly promoting a new mobile app aimed at drawing more visitors to its downtown attractions. […] But it’s not Aurora that owns the app — it was developed by a company whose owner’s firms have received multiple lucrative contracts and incentives from the city, and who has supported the campaign funds of Irvin and his allies. * Sun-Times | In Cicero’s primary, longtime Town President Larry Dominick faces a stiff challenge from Esteban Rodriguez: Dominick — who has served as town president since May 2005 and last ran uncontested in 2021 — has focused his policies largely on public safety. Rodriguez stepped down in January as executive director of Corazón Community Services, a Cicero-based nonprofit. * Daily Southtown | Will County judge to decide if one of four candidates removed by clerk should be reinstated: Burt Odelson, an attorney for Joliet Township supervisor candidate Cesar Guerrero, said Guerrero has paid back $6,550 in penalties from the Illinois State Board of Elections, and is no longer on the ballot forfeiture list. Odelson said Democratic precinct committee persons have nominated Guerrero to fill the vacancy caused when he was removed from the ballot, but Parker has not accepted that nomination. * Daily Northwestern | University President Michael Schill provides update after Education Department gives universities two weeks to eliminate race-based programs: In a letter sent to universities late last Friday, the Education Department threatened federal funding if universities fail to comply with guidance against considering race in scholarship or hiring decisions or acknowledging race in “all other aspects of student, academic and campus life” within fourteen days. This update comes after a Jan. 21 executive order entitled “Ending Illegal Discrimination and Restoring Merit-Based Opportunity,” which forbids federal funding for organizations that are found to be discriminating based on race, color, religion, sex or national origin. * Shaw Local | Manteno uses PR firm to answer questions: When the village of Manteno was inundated with calls, questions and information requests several months ago, it turned to a public relations firm for help. It was the beginning of a contentious time for the village back in the fall of 2023, when the proposed Gotion lithium battery plant was seeking a change of zoning from light to heavy industrial at the 333 S. Spruce St. site. The village turned to Jasculca Terman Strategic Communications in Chicago to handle public relations for all the planning and board meetings surrounding the zoning change. * Daily Herald | What’s in store for Lisle’s French market; food trucks to roll into downtown: Lisle trustees next month will consider a revised agreement with the organizer of the village’s French market that will keep it in town through October 2027. Bensidoun USA, the operator of more sprawling markets in downtown Wheaton and Geneva, has proposed moving Lisle’s to a commuter parking lot along Burlington Avenue to accommodate a larger market for the 2026 season and beyond. The lot could support as many as 36 to 40 vendors. * BND | Opponents question timing of Belleville city clerk candidate’s decision to run: Why would someone launch a campaign for Belleville city clerk within days of their election as a St. Clair County official? That’s one of the questions being asked by Irma Golliday’s opponents and others in local political circles. Some also wonder why she would delve into Belleville politics after decades of community involvement in East St. Louis. “It doesn’t make any sense,” said Brian Triska, who lost his bid to replace Golliday on the St. Clair County Board of Review in November. * Freedom From Religion Foundation | FFRF stops staff favoritism toward Christian club in Illinois school district: The Freedom From Religion Foundation has made certain that Geneseo Community Unit School District #228 employees do not help put together a Christian club’s activities in district schools. The state/church watchdog was informed that staff members regularly organized events for Geneseo Middle School’s Fellowship of Christian Athletes club. For instance, on Dec. 4 last year, a teacher sent out an email to parents organizing an end-of-the-year event for the club that took place on Dec. 10. * WCIA | Danville superintendent is out: What’s coming next?: On Wednesday, the Danville School Board voted to place Geddis on paid administrative leave and have John Hart, assistant superintendent, take over for now. And on Thursday, WCIA dug deeper into the details of the deal… and the steps to finding a replacement. Board member reactions were a bit of a mixed bag. They were nearly split on the type of search firm to hire to find a replacement. But, they were all able to agree on one thing: it was time for a change. * WTTW | More Americans Identify as LGBTQ+ Than Ever Before, Poll Finds: The proportion of American adults who identify as LGBTQ+ has risen to 9.3% of the population, according to a Gallup Poll released Thursday. The finding represents an increase of more than 1 percentage point from 2023’s estimate. The proportion of the population identifying as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or non-heterosexual has nearly doubled since 2020 and has jumped from 3.5% since 2012, when it was first measured by Gallup, an analytics and advisory company based in Washington, D.C. * Fortune | Amid worst U.S. flu season in decades, RFK Jr.–led CDC pulls vaccine campaign: es, seasonal flu shots are still available, and no, it’s not too late to get yours. But you’d be forgiven for being confused, because the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has halted one of its educational flu vaccine campaigns. The agency’s Wild to Mild initiative, launched at the start of the 2023–24 flu season, aimed to inform the public that while getting immunized against the flu doesn’t guarantee you won’t catch an influenza virus, it can protect you from severe illness, hospitalization, and death. * Bloomberg | Bird Flu Kills Dairy Workers’ Cats, Suggesting a Viral Change: Two house cats died after contracting bird flu in the homes of dairy workers, a troubling sign that the virus may be moving between species and becoming more widespread. The cats’ owners lived in separate households in Michigan and developed symptoms of H5N1 last May, according to a report released Thursday by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Both worked on farms that had cases of bird flu and displayed symptoms before the cats fell ill, but declined testing.
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Stop Credit Card Chaos In Illinois
Friday, Feb 21, 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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Protected: SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - Supplement to today’s edition
Friday, Feb 21, 2025 - Posted by Rich Miller
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Protected: SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - Today’s edition of Capitol Fax (use all CAPS in password)
Friday, Feb 21, 2025 - Posted by Rich Miller
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Live coverage
Friday, Feb 21, 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)
Friday, Feb 21, 2025 - Posted by Isabel Miller
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Isabel’s afternoon roundup
Thursday, Feb 20, 2025 - Posted by Isabel Miller
* Daily Herald…
* Crain’s | Opinion: As biz leaders, we value public transit. But before we pay more, we need this.: However, before the Illinois General Assembly and Gov. JB Pritzker consider raising taxes for transit, a trust deficit must be addressed to ensure that funding is used effectively and efficiently to achieve clear public benefits. Any funding discussion needs to be preceded by major reforms that improve and integrate the operations, financing, and governance and oversight of our siloed transit organizations. * Sun-Times | Chicago Teachers Union leaders are facing a challenge in spring union election: The announcement of an opposition slate comes as the CTU remains mired in those contentious contract talks. The union has taken legal steps to prepare for a possible strike, though it’s likely a deal will be reached before the union election in May. The teachers looking to take over the CTU call themselves the Respect Educate Advocate Lead (REAL) caucus. Announcing their candidacies this week, the group’s leaders said they think the current leadership has become too insular and unwilling to listen to differing views. Candidates must collect petitions from 5% of the CTU’s 27,000 members, or about 1,300 signatures, by March 21. * WTTW | With Latest Settlement, Police Pursuits Cost Chicago Taxpayers $101.8M Since 2019: Analysis: The city’s insurance company is set to cover $7 million of the settlement, according to the agreement approved by the City Council. The cost of resolving police pursuits has escalated significantly since 2019, while the Chicago Police Department has been subject to a federal court order to change the way it trains, supervises and disciplines officers, according to the WTTW News analysis. * Tribune | Former Chicago Housing Authority general counsel created ‘toxic work culture,’ staff alleged: Chicago Housing Authority staff accused CHA’s former general counsel Ellen Harris of creating a “hostile” and “toxic” work environment leading up to her resignation in August 2024, according to public records obtained by the Tribune. CHA’s head of human resources said in a July 2024 memo to former CHA CEO Tracey Scott that his office and the Office of the Inspector General had received complaints over a 12- to 18-month period about Harris’ “leadership and management style.” * Sun-Times | Divisive Old Town residential development going before Chicago Plan Commission: After dozens of community meetings, 2nd Ward Ald. Brian Hopkins announced Jan. 24 that he would reject the project. He said in a January newsletter to residents that he was “awaiting a possible compromise proposal from the developer.” Hopkins also said there was a “clear mandate” from the last community meeting to land a compromise. […] But Hopkins changed course Feb. 6 and announced his support for the 1600 N. La Salle project, after negotiating with Fern Hill and its project partners, including the nearby Moody Church. Fern Hill’s updated plans for the corridor include finding a new grocer for the shuttered Treasure Island grocery store at 1639 N. Wells St. and dedicating a greater portion of the parking for Moody Church. * Crain’s | 150 workers losing jobs as Kindred hospitals shutter: More than 150 people are losing their jobs as rehabilitation and long-term care group Kindred Hospitals of Chicago shutters two local sites, cutting its footprint in half. Kindred, which is owned by Louisville, Ky.-based hospital system ScionHealth, is in the process of consolidating its local long-term acute care facilities and associated services to two locations amid dwindling patient volumes. * Chalkbeat | Chicago releases its Black Student Success Plan amid backlash against race-based initiatives: The release of the Black Student Success Plan, during Black History Month, is part of CPS’s broader five-year strategic plan and aims to address long-standing disparities in graduation, discipline, and other metrics faced by its Black students, who make up roughly a third of the student body. The district set out to create the Black Student Success Plan in the fall of 2023, but its quiet posting on Thursday comes as both conservative advocacy groups and the Trump administration are taking aim at race-based initiatives in school districts and on college campuses. * Daily Herald | Bears announce Ben Johnson’s complete coaching staff: The Chicago Bears officially announced first-year head coach Ben Johnson’s full coaching staff on Thursday. The team had already introduced Dennis Allen as defensive coordinator and Declan Doyle as offensive coordinator. The team also previously announced that special teams coordinator Richard Hightower would be retained under Johnson. * Press Release | WIN: Preservation Chicago Rescues Chicago Tribune Archival Material Before Freedom Center Demolition: When it became clear that portions of the Chicago Tribune archive were at risk of being lost due to space limitations, Preservation Chicago stepped up to save these important items. During June 2024, Preservation Chicago relocated to our offices the Paul Gapp Collection, the Chicago and Illinois reference collection, bound copies of the Chicago Tribune Arts, Magazines, and Book Sections dating back the 1940s, and bound volumes of Chicago Magazine dating back to 1971. * Block Club | How A South Side Dad’s Tennis Program Changed The Lives Of Black Chicago Players: Bryant’s wife, daughter, coaches and former students of the no-nonsense educator have all experienced the transformative power of Love To Serve, their connections to the 33-year-old organization a testament to its impact. They’ve seen the shy, uncertain kids who come through the program become confident and ambitious. Some have gone on to become doctors, lawyers and entrepreneurs. Others have followed in Bryant’s footsteps, becoming tennis instructors themselves. * WTTW | Highland Park Parade Shooting Victims Will be Allowed in Court During Upcoming Trial of Alleged Gunman: Dozens of men and women who were struck by gunfire at the 2022 Highland Park Fourth of July parade will be allowed to attend the upcoming trial of the alleged gunman. Lake County Judge Victoria Rossetti on Thursday granted a prosecution motion that will allow any victim who is set to testify against Robert Crimo III to remain in court throughout the entirety of his trial. * Sun-Times | Former Cook County Commissioner Jeff Tobolski set to be sentenced for extortion in June: Former Cook County Commissioner Jeff Tobolski admitted 4½ years ago that he’d committed extortion and bribery in criminal schemes involving more than a quarter-million dollars. Tobolski pleaded guilty, but he also agreed to cooperate with federal prosecutors — so his sentencing was put on hold. In the years that followed, other public officials admitted committing their own crimes with Tobolski, and they’ve gone off to prison. * Tribune | Cook County prosecutors file union petition after state’s attorney misses union deadline for voluntary recognition: Voluntary recognition would allow the Teamsters to bypass a potentially lengthy legal process in pursuit of recognition, Leahy said. Though Cook County assistant public defenders have been unionized with the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees since the mid-1980s, a decades-old Illinois Supreme Court decision barred assistant state’s attorneys from forming a union after former State’s Attorney Jack O’Malley challenged their union drive. The Teamsters believe they have legal avenues available to overcome that decision, union representatives said, but would prefer to avoid a lengthy court process. * WTTW | With Federal Funds Frozen, a 1,300-Acre Restoration Project Comes to an Abrupt Stop at Midewin — Chicago Region’s Largest Natural Area: This winter had been a favorable one — weather-wise — for Homer Tree Care, a contractor doing the heavy lifting at Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie in Will County, where an ambitious 1,300-acre restoration recently kicked off, a year after a $1.5 million grant was announced to fund the project’s first phase. Midewin is the largest natural area in the Chicago region, encompassing 20,000 acres that provide needed habitat to numerous species amid surrounding urban and agricultural sprawl. * Press Release | ISP urban policing model sees homicides drop to 6-year low: The Illinois State Police’s (ISP) urban policing model, Public Safety Enforcement Group (PSEG), is reducing crime and building trust with the community, leading to a 6-year low in homicides in East St. Louis, the area covered by the model. ISP’s combination of targeted antiviolence details, dedicated investigative resources, coordination with local law enforcement, implementation of new technology, partnerships with community organizations, and engagement in neighborhoods helped reduce homicides in 2024 by 26% compared to 2023, and non-fatal shootings by 32%. * Daily-Journal | Lights, camera, action: Bright lights shine on Momence: The operator of the 800-square-foot shop, 120 E. Washington St., wasn’t opposed to the idea of donning a costume while cameras were rolling. However, he said, he has a business to run. And while there can be no getting around the fact the Netflix production of “Monster,” which largely took place this past week in the city of about 3,000, created some obstacles for running a small business, Bowman was more than fine with it. * ProPublica | Texas Banned Abortion. Then Sepsis Rates Soared: The rate of sepsis shot up more than 50% for women hospitalized when they lost their pregnancies in the second trimester, ProPublica found. The surge in this life-threatening condition, caused by infection, was most pronounced for patients whose fetus may still have had a heartbeat when they arrived at the hospital. * WSJ | X Hinted at Possible Deal Trouble in Talks With Ad Giant to Increase Spending: A lawyer at advertising conglomerate Interpublic Group fielded a phone call in December from a lawyer at X. The message was clear, according to several people with knowledge of the conversation: Get your clients to spend more on Elon Musk’s social-media platform, or else. X CEO Linda Yaccarino has made comments that seemed like similar warnings in conversations with Interpublic executives, according to people with knowledge of those talks. * Solar Power World | Community solar installations increased by 35% in 2024: The United States community solar market installed a record-breaking 1.7 GWDC of capacity in 2024, a 35% increase from 2023, according to a new report released by Wood Mackenzie in collaboration with the Coalition for Community Solar Access (CCSA). However, with policy uncertainty at both national and state levels, long-term growth hangs in the balance. According to the report, last year’s growth was led by New York, Maine and Illinois. All three states broke annual records and accounted for 83% of national volumes. Cumulative community solar installations now total 8.6 GWDC.
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Pritzker’s new Illinois poll has majority ‘extremely concerned’ about a host of Trump’s recent actions
Thursday, Feb 20, 2025 - Posted by Rich Miller * Pritzker campaign press release…
I skipped one graphic because I couldn’t fit it on this page, but if you click here you’ll see that Elon Musk’s favorable rating is underwater among Black voters by 61 percent and Trump’s is underwater with Black voters by 39 percent. However, among all Democrats, Musk’s favorable rating is underwater by 93 percent and Trump’s is underwater by 91 percent. Interestingly, no Latino results were provided.
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Legislative Black Caucus issues new budget statement
Thursday, Feb 20, 2025 - Posted by Rich Miller * As we’ve discussed, yesterday’s Black Caucus rally was pretty darned raucous and filled with angry denunciations of Gov. Pritzker’s budget address. The full caucus issued a toned-down statement today…
* Meanwhile, I told subscribers about this statement from the governor’s press office earlier today…
Discuss.
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There’s No End To Credit Card Swipe Fee Greed
Thursday, Feb 20, 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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Protected: SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - Update to today’s edition
Thursday, Feb 20, 2025 - Posted by Rich Miller
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Commenters get some love
Thursday, Feb 20, 2025 - Posted by Rich Miller * Shaw Local’s Scott Holland uses Tuesday’s “It’s just a bill” post to praise Capitol Fax commenters…
Always nice to see y’all receive some credit. I tried this blog without commenters many years ago and people complained that it just wasn’t as good. I’ve often said that this blog actually lives and breathes. Read it and then come back in a bit and there’s always something new, whether it’s a fresh post, or updated news feeds on the right-hand side or more comments. And those comments play a big role. Thanks.
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It’s just a bill
Thursday, Feb 20, 2025 - Posted by Isabel Miller
* Shaw Local…
* WTVO…
* Sen. Sue Rezin added Sen. Bill Cunningham as a Chief Co-Sponsor to SB1527 yesterday…
* CBS Sports…
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The Credit Union Difference
Thursday, Feb 20, 2025 - Posted by Advertising Department [The following is a paid advertisement.] 
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Former Rep. Flowers responds to Pritzker’s attempt to reinstate mobile phone ban in schools
Thursday, Feb 20, 2025 - Posted by Rich Miller * LA Times…
* Chicago Tribune, 2001…
* From a Tribune op-ed that year in support of lifting the cellphone ban…
* Yesterday…
* So, I reached out to former Rep. Flowers and asked what she thought about Gov. Pritzker’s proposal to re-ban mobile phones in schools…
Thoughts?
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Open thread
Thursday, Feb 20, 2025 - Posted by Isabel Miller * What’s going on? Keep it Illinois-centric please…
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Isabel’s morning briefing
Thursday, Feb 20, 2025 - Posted by Isabel Miller * Subscribers know more. ICYMI: Black, Latino lawmakers criticize Pritzker’s proposed budget. Capitol News Illinois…
- Other Black Caucus members were more supportive. Sen. Elgie Sims, who has led budget negotiations for the Senate Democratic caucus for the last several years, said Pritzker’s proposal is a “great first step.” - Sen. Javier Cervantes, D-Chicago, said the Latino Caucus was “profoundly disappointed” in Pritzker’s proposal to eliminate a health care program for many immigrants. * Related stories…
∙ Daily Herald: Transit funding crisis on Pritzker’s radar but not budget proposal ∙ CBS Chicago: Gov. JB Pritzker’s budget plan includes no new taxes, would cut healthcare for immigrant adults without legal status * Crain’s | Pharmacy benefit managers take a hit in Pritzker budget speech: In his budget address today, Pritzker is proposing the Prescription Drug Affordability Act, which aims to stop pharmacy benefit managers, or PBMs, from “exploiting loopholes” to grow profits. PBMs, which negotiate drug costs with pharmaceutical makers and manage prescription plans for employers and health insurers, have become targets for many lawmakers as patients, health care providers and pharmacies complain of high drug costs. The three largest PBMs are operated by health insurance and pharmacy giants, such as CVS Health, Cigna and UnitedHealth Group. * Center Square | Trump orders DOJ changes at critical time in Illinois corruption cases: A jury convicted Madigan earlier this month, but the long-time Illinois political boss has yet to be sentenced. A change of guard in the Northern Illinois office could potentially affect how that case and other related corruption cases proceed. Some in Illinois have raised questions about Trump’s dedication to prosecuting public corruption after the president commuted the sentence of former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich. * Scott Holland | Don’t be shocked if online gambling licensing floated as budget booster: There is much to be said about details – respect for casinos already doing business in Illinois, the licensing process, tax rates, potential membership in the Multi-State Internet Gaming Agreement and more – but the basics are self-evident: in the Pritzker years, when choosing between cutting services or increasing revenue, the leading choice is always extra income, and all the better it can be squeezed from people happy to leave the black market behind. * The Barrington Hills Observer | Do Over Scheduled for Meeting to Replace State Senator Dan McConchie: “ It has been brought to my attention that the Committee would be best served to meet again in order to ensure that there can be no question as to whether the process we followed properly empowered the Committee to act to fill the vacancy in this Office” * Daily Herald | Restraining order sought to block 26th Senate appointment amid legal fight: A request for a temporary restraining order seeking to prevent Barrington Hills Trustee Darby Hills from being sworn in as the next state senator for the 26th District was filed Wednesday. It’s the latest salvo in an Algonquin woman’s campaign to stop Hills’ appointment to the seat that was held by Republican Dan McConchie of Hawthorn Woods until Feb. 2. * Lynne McChristian | Don’t import California’s shortsighted insurance regulation policies: A recent Tribune editorial accurately points out that California stands in stark contrast to Illinois as a cautionary tale on how to destroy a healthy insurance market. California’s insurance regulators have used their regulatory authority to keep premiums artificially low. As a result, many California insurers pulled back from the marketplace, leaving many Californians unable to find coverage in the private market. And yet, new legislative proposals in Illinois are attempting to import California’s shortsighted regulatory policies. Our state lawmakers should recognize how supporting measures to underprice risk will ultimately hurt Illinois policyholders. * WCIA | ‘Together, we are powerful,’ IL Legislative Black Caucus hosts soiree: * Sun-Times | Giannoulias pushes Real IDs as federal deadline approaches — for real this time: After years of delays, the updated form of identification will be required to board domestic flights and enter many federal facilities starting May 7 — but 75 days ahead of the deadline, less than a third of Illinoisans have Real IDs in hand. Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias’ office announced Thursday it’s adding thousands of additional appointment times in the weeks ahead to handle the Real ID rush. * Tribune | Mayor Brandon Johnson escalates push for CPS to pick up pension payment, borrow more money: Bridget Early, Johnson’s deputy mayor for labor relations, emailed several top education officials a presentation dated Feb. 13 that outlines the next steps the school board can take to make the controversial payment that is currently paid by the city. Solutions include borrowing and shifting responsibility to the state, which pays for all other school districts’ pension costs. * Sun-Times | City Council votes down lower speed limit: The 28-21 vote against lowering the speed limit followed a spirited and emotional debate that pitted traffic safety advocates, many of them on the North Side, against African-American alderpersons concerned about uneven enforcement and a surge in pretextual traffic stops targeting Black drivers. * Tribune | Fixing water mains installed too close to sewer lines could cost Chicago millions, IG report says: In a six-page letter released Wednesday, Inspector General Deborah Witzburg slammed the Department of Water Management for failing to ensure contractors complied with state and city regulations intended to prevent human and industrial waste from tainting drinking water. Witzburg said experts told her investigators that the level of pressure maintained in underground water mains likely thwarted any contamination. But she urged the city to improve its communication with Chicagoans, in particular when sections of the system malfunction and boil orders are issued. * Unite Here 1 | Virgin Hotel Chicago Workers Find Drug Paraphernalia, Bodily Fluids at Work: Today, Virgin Hotel workers rallied outside the downtown Chicago property to speak out about their working conditions and call for better wages Virgin Hotel Chicago Workers Find Drug Paraphernalia, Bodily Fluids at Work * Crain’s | Chicago Bears raise season ticket prices for second straight year: The Bears are increasing their season ticket packages by an average of 10%, a move that follows a disappointing season that saw the team finish last in the NFC North with a 5-12 record. In a letter to season ticket holders, the team informed fans the uptick in price was due to market dynamics, industry trends and a strong home schedule. The 2025 home schedule features the traditional three division games as well as matches against the Dallas Cowboys, New York Giants, Cleveland Browns, Pittsburgh Steelers and New Orleans Saints. * Tribune | Oh, no! There goes Chicago! Godzilla finally gets to the Midwest in new comic book: Also impacted by a giant radioactive lizard tramping through Illinois: Soldier Field, the Bears, Michigan Avenue, Interstate 94, Navy Pier, Millennium Park, Garfield Park Conservatory, Cottage Grove, hot dog stands, the mansions of Lake Forest and most CTA service to Logan Square. On the bright side, a searchlight rental business in Bridgeport seems to do pretty well. And in one of four Chicago-centric stories in the issue — definitely the funniest — a Chicago woman makes herself larger than Godzilla, wraps herself in a Chicago flag, then picks up Godzilla and drops him on another shore of Lake Michigan. * Illinois Review | State Election Board Vindicates Illinois Review in 6-0 Vote as Mayor Pekau Allies Fail to Silence Conservative Voice: During a hearing in downtown Chicago on Tuesday, ISBE general counsel Marni Malowitz characterized the complaint against IR as “impinging on First Amendment rights.” On August 1, 2023, Illinois Review broke news that Orland Park mayor Keith Pekau and his village trustees were using taxpayer-funded village resources to run his failed congressional campaign against incumbent U.S. Rep. Sean Casten (D-IL). * WTTW | Bird Flu Claims a Bald Eagle Victim in a Cook County Forest Preserve, Sandhill Cranes Are Dying Too: The lifeless eagle was reported by a visitor to the northwest suburban preserve. Cook County forest preserve wildlife staff then collected the bird from the ground near its roost and submitted it for testing, Carl Vogel, forest preserve spokesperson, told WTTW News. “The results give all indications that the bird died of (highly pathogenic) avian influenza,” Vogel said, though the official designation still awaits federal confirmation. * Shaw Local | Ogle County Board approves solar development southeast of Polo: In December, OneEnergy officials asked for a letter of recommendation from the Polo City Council either approving or declining this project. According to minutes of the council’s Dec. 16 meeting, OneEnergy officials said they would make a contribution to the Polo Economic Development Corp. of $50,000 over 30 years. * Tribune | La Grange Park ‘close to being fully staffed’ after 4 firefighters sworn in: Joining Alex Kiessling and Christian Kiessling in completing their probationary periods are fellow new La Grange Park firefighters Emma Ellison and Daniel Griffin. “It takes a lot of work to get to this point and it takes a lot of work by our personnel to get through the training, especially when they have other things going on in their lives,” Fire Chief Dean Maggos said before Village Clerk Meghan Kooi swore them in as a group. * Shaw Local | Report: Will County cop’s fatal shooting possibly caused by involuntary trigger pull: A Will County sheriff’s lieutenant’s fatal shooting of a hostage taker could have been the result of an involuntary trigger pull, according to a firearm expert’s analysis. Reports of the examination of the rifle used in the fatal shooting of Gregory Walker, 65, of Crest Hill, who took hostages at a bank, were released Tuesday by Illinois State Police in response to a Freedom of Information Act request. * BND | U.S. attorney for southern Illinois court fired by Trump, chief judge confirms: Rachelle Aud Crowe, the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of Illinois, was terminated by the President Donald J. Trump administration, Chief Judge Nancy J. Rosenstengel confirmed. The move was made Monday under the Vacancies Reform Act, which allows removal of officials that are appointed by the White House. Ali Summers, first assistant in the U.S. Attorney’s Office, is the Acting U.S. Attorney for now. * PJ Star | ‘Absolutely devastating’: Union leader says Peoria Ag Lab job cuts were ‘illegal’: The job cuts at the National Center for Agricultural Utilization Research, more commonly known as the Peoria Ag Lab, impacted roughly 12 union employees and roughly 20 total employees, according to Ethan Roberts, the Local 3247 American Federation of Government Employees union president. The union represents 86 employees at the Ag Lab. Roberts said the terminated employees were informed via an email that said, “the agency finds based on your performance that you have not demonstrated your further employment at the agency would be in the public interest.” * Illinois Times | City Council OKs east-side housing expansion: The two 10-0 votes – to spend $1 million in federal HOME grant funds and $500,000 in property tax revenues from the Far East Tax-Increment Financing District – pave the way for the church-based nonprofit overseeing Nehemiah to request bids from contractors for the project’s proposed fifth phase. * PJ Star | After ‘circus’ meeting, Washington City Council adopts ‘civility’ pledge: After last week’s heated Committee of the Whole Meeting, in which a Washington resident and a representative from The Hengst Foundation exchanged pointed jabs during discussion about the city’s proposed amphitheater project, the council voted unanimously Monday to adopt the Illinois Municipal League’s Civility Pledge. […] Council members Lilija Stevens and Mike Brownfield agreed. “It was just a circus last week, and I’m glad we’re doing this and I’m 100% for this,” Brownfield said. * News-Gazette | Danville school board approves tentative superintendent separation agreement, appoints interim: The board has said it wants to move forward with a new leader after Geddis has been working remotely for months due to what she said were security threats. As a result of being put on leave, her laptop, phone and all other district devices have been shut off. * AP | Illinois loses to Wisconsin for first time in six years: Illinois’ nine-game winning streak against No. 11 Wisconsin ended with a 95-74 loss Tuesday night in Madison, Wisconsin. Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn had a team-high 17 points for the Illini (17-10, 9-8 Big Ten), who suffered their first loss against the Badgers (21-5, 11-4) in six years. Ben Humrichous scored 13 points and was 3-for-6 from three-point range, and Will Riley added 11 points. * Tribune | As egg prices soar, Trump administration plans new strategy to fight bird flu: The federal government will seek “better ways, with biosecurity and medication and so on” rather than the current standard practice of destroying all the birds on a farm when an infection is detected, Kevin Hassett, director of the National Economic Council, said Sunday on the CBS program “Face the Nation.” said the administration planned to announce further details this week. He said they were “working with all the best people in government, including academics around the country and around the world,” to get the plan ready. * WaPo | U.S. reverses plan to shut down free covid test program: The Post reported Tuesday afternoon that the administration was looking into the costs of destroying tests that would otherwise be provided free to Americans, citing two officials at a federal public health preparedness agency and internal documents reviewed by The Post. A half-hour before the planned shutdown, Department of Health and Human Services spokesman Andrew Nixon sent a statement to The Post confirming that COVIDtests.gov would shut down at 8 p.m. Tuesday. But he said the tests would not be destroyed and “will remain in inventory until they meet their expiration date.” * The Independent | Judge orders Mississippi newspaper to delete editorial criticizing public officials: The city sued the publishers of the Clarksdale Press Register over an editorial from February 8, which criticized officials for failing to notify the public about a hearing on proposed tax increases. On Tuesday, without a hearing to review the allegations, Hinds County Chancery Court Judge Crystal Wise Martin ordered the newspaper to “remove” the column from its website.
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Thursday, Feb 20, 2025 - Posted by Rich Miller
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Selected press releases (Live updates)
Thursday, Feb 20, 2025 - Posted by Isabel Miller
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