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Reader comments closed until Tuesday
Friday, Jun 6, 2025 - Posted by Rich Miller * Isabel and I need a little break. Have a great weekend. Carly Simon and Mick Jagger (with a killer bass flourish by Klaus Voormann) will play us out… I bet you think this song is about you
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Isabel’s afternoon roundup
Friday, Jun 6, 2025 - Posted by Isabel Miller * Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul…
* Tribune…
* House Speaker Chris Welch is leaning into the $40 million he put into the state budget for a high school sports complex. From his constituent newsletter…
* ABC Chicago | Illinois residents’ information accessed in data breach, Healthcare and Family Services says: Information accessed by hackers “may have included customer names, social security numbers, driver’s license or state identification card numbers, financial information related to child support, child support or Medicaid identification and case numbers, and date of birth,” HFS said. Officials said 933 people were impacted by the data breach, including 564 Illinois residents. * Crain’s | Too late, too divided: Inside the collapse of Springfield’s transit rescue: Sen. Ram Villivalam, D–Chicago, the lead Senate transit negotiator, told Crain’s his chamber’s vote reflected the urgency required to save mass transit. “We did not want to have a conversation with public hearings of 40% cuts to service and 3,000 layoff notices being sent to our front-line public transit workers. That’s why we put forward our package of reforms and funding, and that’s why we passed it over to the House,” he said. * WGLT | Clean Slate Act, Medical Aid in Dying bills among those that stalled in Illinois legislature: The Clean Slate Act stalled in the Illinois House, dimming the hopes of advocates who thought it might be called in the last hours of the Spring Session. It would have automatically sealed records for criminal non-violent criminal convictions, though police and prosecutors would still see those convictions. Automatic sealing would not be extended to felonies involving murder, domestic violence, sex crimes, animal cruelty, and drunk driving. * IPM Newsroom | How will this spring’s General Assembly session affect education in Illinois?: The state budget, Senate Bill 2510, is the most important bill that passed. It includes a smaller increase for grade and high schools than many education advocates wanted. Those dollars will be distributed through the state’s Evidence-Based Funding formula, which assesses the gap between the resources school districts have and the costs of services their students receive. * Capitol News Illinois | Despite victories, major higher education policy bills stall in General Assembly: But lawmakers did not approve the overall funding increase that Pritzker requested at the start of the session, settling on a 1% bump in their operational budgets instead of the 3% the governor proposed, Pritzker’s office, however, has said there are contingencies to provide an additional 2% in the event of significant cuts in federal funding. They also did not pass other major higher education policy initiatives, including Pritzker’s plan to allow community colleges to offer four-year bachelor’s degrees in certain high-demand career fields, and a long-sought overhaul in the way Illinois funds its public universities. * Capitol News Illinois | Illinois ‘chicken bill’ aims to boost small poultry farms, expand access to their products: Under a measure dubbed the “chicken bill,” farmers who process fewer than 7,500 birds annually would be exempt from state and federal inspections of their poultry operations or from having to send birds to USDA-approved processing facilities — an increase from the previous 5,000-bird threshold. The change, part of an update to the Illinois Meat and Poultry Inspection Act, also allows these farmers to sell their poultry beyond their own farms — including at farmers markets, roadside stands and through delivery — a major shift from earlier restrictions. * SLPR | After deadly Edwardsville tornado, Illinois lawmakers pass warehouse safety bill: The legislation, which awaits the governor’s signature, mandates that all warehouses in the state craft a tornado safety plan and build storm shelters in newly constructed warehouses. It requires county and city building inspectors hold a certification from the International Code Council. The passage of the legislation in the last hours of the Illinois legislature’s spring session marks a critical step in a more than three-year-long journey to passing legislation in response to the tornado that flattened half of an Amazon warehouse. * Crain’s | Jenner & Block hires former U.S. attorney from firm that made deal with Trump: A top white-collar litigator is joining Jenner & Block, leaving rival Paul Weiss Rifkind Wharton & Garrison after less than six months following a deal that firm made with President Donald Trump to avoid an executive order targeting its practice. Damian Williams, who had joined Paul Weiss in January after serving as U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, will become co-chair of Jenner’s litigation department and investigations, compliance and defense practice. * WBEZ | Chicago’s immigrant community ‘sad’ and ‘numb’ over Trump’s new travel ban: Trump’s latest order will go into effect on Monday. The ban prohibits travel into the U.S. from citizens from Myanmar, Chad, the Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen. Afghanistan is also part of the ban, though there will be exceptions for Afghan Special Immigrant Visas holders, a program for Afghans who worked either directly or in support of the U.S. government. There will also be further restrictions on people traveling to the U.S. from Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan and Venezuela. * Crain’s | Chicago’s Pride Parade is bucking a national sponsorship trend: Take PrideChicago, for example, the nonprofit that runs the Chicago Pride Parade. A handful of its sponsors from last year did not return for 2025, but chair Steve Long said in a statement that “fluctuations in participation are natural and should not be viewed as indicative of broader trends.” He said as some sponsors left, others joined. That’s par for the course, especially because PrideChicago has only offered sponsorship opportunities for the last three years and does not require multiyear commitments. Chicago’s sponsors this year include Cboe, Metra, Ulta Beauty and Wintrust, to name a few. * Tribune | Meet the former Chicago ‘theater kid’ who stages Kendrick Lamar: Carson knows pop ambitions. He grew up in the western suburbs of Berkeley and Bellwood, then later moved to the Chicago neighborhood of Pilsen. He attended Columbia College for a time until meeting legendary Chicago fashion designer and Kanye West collaborator Virgil Abloh, who died in 2021. “I basically dropped out after my first semester sophomore year and began working with Virgil and went on the whole ‘Watch the Throne’ thing with Kanye and Jay-Z, the album and the tour. I was documenting Kanye and Jay-Z. Virgil took a chance on me. For a few years, that was my college experience.” * Tribune | Resale prices for Sky-Fever at UC plummet after Caitlin Clark injury. Can they still break the WNBA record?: Initial ticket sales aren’t a concern. Fewer than 500 original tickets at the 20,923-capacity United Center remained available via Ticketmaster as of Wednesday. The majority were in the 100 level, where prices began at $393. But Clark’s injury sent the resale market plummeting, with prices dropping by an average of 70% in the first 48 hours after her injury was announced, according to TickPick. Upper-level tickets originally priced at $125 are now available for less than $20 on SeatGeek. * Daily Southtown | Harvey Ald. Colby Chapman faces felony charge, announces mayoral run before turning herself in: Harvey Ald. Colby Chapman turned herself in at the city’s police station Thursday night, having been informed that a felony aggravated battery charge had been brought against her. Chapman’s arrest came just one day after Cook County prosecutors dropped misdemeanor charges of disorderly conduct and resisting a police officer brought against her following a City Council meeting April 28. Chapman, who has been a vocal critic of Harvey Mayor Christopher Clark’s administration, says her repeated arrests indicate political retaliation. * Tribune | County caseworker accused in ex-girlfriend’s fatal stabbing allegedly threatened to kill her two months earlier, police reports show: A county caseworker accused of stabbing his ex-girlfriend to death and severely wounding two of her sons in February had been placed on desk duty at the Cook County Juvenile Detention Center after he allegedly threatened to kill the same woman two months earlier, police records show. Cook County prosecutors have charged Marcus Bausley, 40, with stabbing Teone Jones, 33, to death on Feb. 20 while they were at home in the Grand Crossing neighborhood. Bausley is also accused of abducting and stabbing two of Jones’ young sons. * Daily Herald | New Aurora police chief hopes to keep positive momentum going: When Matt Thomas started his career as a police officer in the late 1990s, he wanted to be on the streets. “I always wanted to be a detective. I did not see myself sitting behind a desk,” Thomas said. But that’s where he finds himself today. Thomas was sworn last month as Aurora’s new police chief and now leads a department that serves and protects Illinois’ second-largest city. * Daily Herald | As Lisle looks to update brand, some question ‘Arboretum Village’ motto: While that tagline may have deep roots, at least one official in Lisle — the home of the Morton Arboretum — isn’t keen on the slogan. And another has suggested he’s open to exploring alternatives as part of a new village branding initiative. Lisle Trustee Meg Sima said she’s an arboretum member, spends a lot of time there and that it’s a wonderful place. But, speaking a “little sacrilege,” she doesn’t “love ‘The Arboretum Village’ as our village motto.” * Naperville Sun | Naperville council to hold workshop meetings to establish electricity goals: As it continues to weigh the future of the city’s electricity grid, the Naperville City Council will hold a series of workshops to define the city’s strategic long-term energy goals. Discussions, however, will not cover any specific contract decisions. Council members unanimously agreed Tuesday to the workshop plan, dates for which have not been set. * Aurora Beacon-News | Aurora further delays special census: Aurora is further delaying a special census originally planned to start earlier this year that was postponed by the federal government. The 2020 decennial census showed that Aurora had a population of around 180,000, down from 197,000 in 2010 — but city officials have disputed those numbers, arguing that the city’s population is actually closer to the levels found in the 2010 census. * WGLT | Homeless encampment residents in Normal have relocated; sewer construction project is underway : “In the 11th hour, late Thursday, early Friday, there was another site located somewhat nearby that got some approval, at least from BNWRD,” HSHM Community Outreach Director Steve Tassio said. “It was their property, and they offered to step up and try to give some space for people to go temporarily.” Many encampment residents moved to the approved BNWRD property, others got into housing, and others are staying with family and friends, according to Tassio. * WCIA | Former GCMS teacher, coach arrested for 6 counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse: Former Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley School District employee Robert Dinkins was arrested in Georgia for six counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse on Thursday. The arrest comes after a months-long investigation stemming from a claim that Dinkins, an 8th grade teacher and coach, sent inappropriate text messages to students. * WCIA | Iroquois County to retest warning sirens next week after sirens fail to sound: Coordinator for the county EMA Scott Anderson said in a press release Friday that following the regular monthly test of the warning sirens throughout the county, it was discovered that all the sirens — except for those in Watseka — failed to sound. As a result, all the sirens in the county will be re-tested between 10 a.m. and noon on June 9. * The Hill | Illinois Republican mistakes Sikh for Muslim, calls him delivering prayer in House ‘deeply troubling’ : Miller later edited her post on X to replace “Muslim” with “Sikh” before deleting the post altogether. Her office did not respond to a request for comment about the incident. The House has long welcomed guest chaplains from many types of faiths — including Muslims, with a Muslim guest chaplain notably reading from the Quran in November 2001 following the 9/11 terror attacks * ProPublica | DOGE Developed Error-Prone AI Tool to “Munch” Veterans Affairs Contracts: The engineer, working for the Department of Government Efficiency, quickly built an artificial intelligence tool to identify which services from private companies were not essential. He labeled those contracts “MUNCHABLE.” The code, using outdated and inexpensive AI models, produced results with glaring mistakes. For instance, it hallucinated the size of contracts, frequently misreading them and inflating their value. It concluded more than a thousand were each worth $34 million, when in fact some were for as little as $35,000. * LA Times | Study finds removing school mask mandates contributed to 22,000 U.S. COVID deaths in a year: A newly published study from data scientists at Michigan State University knocks one pillar out from under this claim. It finds that the abrupt removal in 2022 of mandates that children wear masks in school contributed to an estimated 21,800 COVID deaths that year — a shocking 9% of the total COVID deaths in the U.S. that year.
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Madigan’s judge hints at possibly long prison sentence
Friday, Jun 6, 2025 - Posted by Rich Miller * US District Judge John Robert Blakely wants some more information about sentencing guidelines from federal prosecutors and former House Speaker Michael Madigan…
If the judge sticks with his preliminary analysis, Madigan could be in prison for a very long time. The judge scheduled a hearing on this matter for June 10th. The sentencing hearing is scheduled for Friday, June 13th.
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AI ‘therapy’ will soon be outlawed here
Friday, Jun 6, 2025 - Posted by Rich Miller * HB1806 passed both chambers without a single dissenting vote…
Not a moment too soon.
The study is here.
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Another day, another failed lawsuit
Friday, Jun 6, 2025 - Posted by Rich Miller
Colatori filed an earlier suit contending that Hills wasn’t a Republican. She also claimed she wasn’t allowed to apply for the appointment. She and apparently her attorney then worked out an agreed order and she withdrew her request for a TRO. The local party chair appointed Hills to a vacant precinct committeeperson slot and then Hills was appointed. Colatori didn’t submit an application for the appointment, according to Judge Kevin Costello. * My favorite part of Judge Costello’s ruling…
Emphasis added, because wow. * Also…
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Report: ‘Near miss’ and a coverup at Quad Cities nuclear power plant
Friday, Jun 6, 2025 - Posted by Rich Miller * KWQC…
The full NRC report is here.
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White Sox roundup
Friday, Jun 6, 2025 - Posted by Isabel Miller * The Athletic…
* Sun-Times…
* But Ishbia might not be all he’s cracked up to be, Steve Greenberg writes in the Sun-Times …
Thoughts? * Related… * Crain’s | Key takeaways from the Sox-Ishbia deal: Much of the conjecture about the Sox being relocated stems from a 2023 meeting Jerry Reinsdorf had with the mayor of Nashville, Tenn. — long speculated as a landing spot for a relocated MLB franchise. Looking for leverage to win public funding, Reinsdorf told Crain’s last year that his family would likely look to sell the Sox after he dies, and that “the team will be worth more out of town.” * Fox Chicago | White Sox, Blackhawks and Bulls games to air on Xfinity in Chicago area under new deal: The Chicago Sports Network (CHSN), the exclusive television home of the Bulls, Blackhawks and White Sox, will become available to Comcast Xfinity customers across the Chicago area beginning Friday. As part of a new carriage agreement, CHSN will be included in Xfinity’s Ultimate TV package and will launch on channel 200 in time for the White Sox’s Friday night home game against the Kansas City Royals. * Tribune | Chicago Sports Network finally coming to Comcast, but on higher-priced plan: The Ultimate tier costs an additional $20 per month, on top of the $20.25 regional sports network fee Comcast charges Chicago-area subscribers each month. Comcast has been issuing a monthly $8.85 credit to partially offset that fee during the ongoing negotiations with CHSN. For basic subscribers that don’t choose to upgrade, the $8.85 credit will become a permanent adjustment, bringing the regional sports fee down to $11.40 per month. * Fox Chicago | South Side soundtrack: Beloved White Sox organist Nancy Faust making a comeback: Some credit Faust for creating the soundtrack for a South Side summer. She’s been able to do that without the ability to read music or truly know the game of baseball. “Well, there was not much to learn at the time because when I was hired, it was like play the National Anthem and Take Me Out to the Ballgame,” said Faust. “It was kind of an evolution and because I was placed outside with fans, I started getting feedback from fans and suggestions. You would liken it today to having social media. In those days, I had the help of knowledgeable fans who suggested songs.” * ABC Chicago | Southpaw turns 21: One of Chicago’s most recognizable sports mascots is finally legal at least in mascot years. Southpaw, the fuzzy green mascot of the Chicago White Sox is celebrating his 21st birthday Sunday, June 8 with a party that promises to be as big and bold as the beloved character himself. * Paul Sullivan | Jerry Reinsdorf’s clumsy handoff of the Chicago White Sox only adds to his checkered baseball legacy: Efforts to contact general manager Chris Getz to find out whether these “capital infusions” will increase the team’s 29th-ranked payroll and give him a fighting chance to compete were fruitless. No response, though he could’ve changed his number. Getz told me before Monday’s game he would be talking with the media Friday, which gave him four days to rehearse.
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Why Are Tax-Exempt Hospitals Getting Rich?
Friday, Jun 6, 2025 - Posted by Advertising Department [The following is a paid advertisement.] Across Illinois, big hospital systems and PBMs are abusing the 340B drug discount program – making massive profits while patients drown in medical bills. One whistleblower called it “laundering money.” Here’s how the scam works: big hospitals buy discounted 340B drugs, bill patients full price, then split the difference with for-profit pharmacies and PBMs. 340B was meant to help Illinois communities in need. But there are no rules requiring hospitals and PBMs to pass savings on to patients. No transparency. No oversight. Just higher costs for working families, small businesses, and taxpayers. Meanwhile, tax-exempt hospitals cash in – and PBMs get a cut too.
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It’s just a bill
Friday, Jun 6, 2025 - Posted by Isabel Miller
* Crain’s…
* Meanwhile… Illinois lawmakers have failed to pass legislations to regulate the hemp industry. Tribune…
Thoughts?
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RETAIL: The Largest Employer In Illinois
Friday, Jun 6, 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 the Rich in Peoria enrich our economy and strengthen our communities. We Are Retail and IRMA showcase the retailers who make Illinois work.
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Open thread
Friday, Jun 6, 2025 - Posted by Isabel Miller * What’s going on in your part of Illinois?…
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Isabel’s morning briefing
Friday, Jun 6, 2025 - Posted by Isabel Miller * ICYMI: In Chicago and elsewhere, ICE increases enforcement in immigration court. NBC Chicago…
* Related stories…
∙ WBEZ: South Loop immigration arrests spark outrage, calls for changes to city’s sanctuary law ∙ CBS Chicago: Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker responds to Chicago ICE operation in South Loop ∙NBC Chicago: What happened with ICE in Chicago? What to know after video shows chaotic scene Sponsored by Community Action for Responsible Hospitals * Capitol News Illinois | Legislative leaders discuss next steps for failed transit reform push: Meanwhile, Senate President Don Harmon, D-Oak Park, acknowledged he had reservations about the proposal’s revenue-generating measures, which include the delivery fee as well as a statewide tax on electric vehicle charging and the expansion of a Chicago tax on real estate transfers to the suburbs. “Frankly, I don’t like them all that much,” Harmon said of the revenue measures in an interview with Capitol News Illinois. “I wish there were better alternatives. But if you don’t like them, come and tell us how you’d pay for it, because this is going to be expensive and most of the stakeholders seem to be worried about protecting or expanding their own power and having somebody else pay for it.” * WBEZ | Why is Chicago violence plummeting? Some credit street outreach workers: The community areas where violence numbers have fallen fastest include West Garfield Park. Through Tuesday, the area has had three homicides and 24 nonfatal shootings this year. Those numbers are significantly down from the same span of 2021, when there were 15 homicides and 56 nonfatal shootings. There is no shortage of agencies and people — from police to youth mentors — who have been credited with having a hand in Chicago’s public safety improvement, which also mirrors national trends. * Crain’s | Savings from Medicaid cuts would be a mirage, Chicago clinic CEO says: “It’s a misappropriation, under the guise of saving money, which, in the long run, won’t work,” said Dr. Lee Francis, longtime president and CEO of Erie Family Health Centers, a network of 13 federally qualified health centers in the Chicago area. Medicaid providers in Illinois have criticized the cuts and new proof-of-work requirements, saying the so-called “Big, Beautiful Bill” sounds good for curbing “waste, fraud and abuse” but in reality just shifts the cost burden to other parts of the health care system and the economy. * WGLT | Federal cuts gut regional centers working to reduce farm injuries and deaths: The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, or NIOSH, is one of the federal agencies that had hundreds of workers cut by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. in April. Some NIOSH programs, including those focused on miner safety and firefighter health risks, have had staff reinstated in order to keep operating. But federal officials have not brought back staff working with NIOSH’s Centers for Agricultural Safety and Health, leaving multi-year studies and longstanding outreach programs without a clear path forward. * WCIA | From the Farm: IL Corn Growers program marks 10 years: 2025 is the 10th anniversary year for Precision Conservation Management, or PCM. It’s a novel program designed to show farmers how conservation practices can be justified with a positive financial result. When PCM was announced in February of 2016, Dr. Laura Gentry of the Illinois Corn Growers’ Association said it began with the challenge of getting farmers to implement conservation practices they are not currently doing. * Axios | Illinois legislators skip on several environmental bills: A bill to add more wind, solar and battery-stored power to the grid died in the final days of the session after business interests decried it as too expensive and burdensome. The package also pushed for more transparency about data centers’ energy usage and required new centers to “bring your own clean energy”(or B.Y.O.N.C.E.). * WGLT | State Sen. Dave Koehler reflects on spring session and helping pass Illinois’ $55 billion budget: “We had to look at budget cuts, which is always a tough thing to do,” Koehler said. “With the uncertainty in the federal government, that made it particularly hard, because the federal government is a partner, whether it’s education funding, whether it’s a health care funding, whether it’s highways and roads. The federal government is a partner in just about everything that the state government does.” * WAND | Plan heading to Pritzker’s desk could provide compensation for land owners if carbon capture damages crops, property: “This bill further clarifies just compensation for land owners and gives further protection for surface owners in case their land is hurt or destroyed in the process of laying down a pipeline,” said Sen. Laura Fine (D-Glenview). * WAND | Illinois Freedom Caucus files lawsuit against Democratic legislative leaders over budget process: A spokesperson for Welch said they would not have a statement on the lawsuit Thursday. Harmon’s spokesperson told WAND News that they would not provide a statement until they had a chance to review the document. * Tribune | CPS narrows interim CEO search as negligence allegations surface in top candidate’s record: The Chicago Board of Education has narrowed its list for the interim schools’ chief down to three candidates in recent days, one of whom faced negligence allegations as a principal, according to documents obtained by the Tribune through the Freedom of Information Act. The people in consideration are: Macquline King, the city’s senior director of educational policy; Alfonso Carmona, CPS chief portfolio officer; and Nicole Milberg, the school district’s chief of teaching and learning. * Sun-Times | Crosetti Brand found guilty of killing 11-year-old Jayden Perkins: After a weeks-long, often disorderly trial, jurors deliberated for just an hour and 20 minutes before finding Brand guilty of attacking his ex-partner and killing her son. The 2024 slaying exposed flaws in the legal system meant to protect domestic violence victims. * Sun-Times | Chicago police officer shot in chest in Chatham has died: ‘She was a hero.’: The officer, who was 36 and a mother of a “very young daughter,” was a four-year veteran assigned to the Gresham District tactical team, Chicago Police Supt. Larry Snelling told reporters early Friday. The officer, Krystal Rivera was pronounced dead at 10:19 p.m., according to the Cook County medical examiner’s office. * Bloomberg | McDonald’s keeps ‘core’ inclusion programs despite DEI backlash: “We changed some of the language that we’ve used it around it, but at the core none of our programming has changed,” said Jordann Nunn, who as chief field people officer for McDonald’s leads human resources for the company’s US restaurants. “We have no intention of doing that,” Nunn said Thursday at a human resources conference by From Day One in Chicago. * CBS Chicago | Harvey, Illinois, Ald. Colby Chapman arrested again a day after charges are dropped: The latest arrest of Ald. Colby Chapman (2nd) comes just a day after the Cook County State’s Attorney’s office dropped charges stemming from a previous arrest at a Harvey City Council meeting. Chapman claimed this was all political retaliation from Harvey Mayor Christopher Clark, of whom Chapman is a vocal critic. Chapman has been arrested before at the mayor’s direction, and each time, the charges have been dropped by the state’s attorney. * WGN | Suburban farm brings back chickens after bird flu quarantine: A farm in Matteson is bringing chickens back to their property now that a 120-day quarantine caused by the bird flu has been lifted. The move comes as egg prices continue to decrease. “It feels good, honestly. I think I have some PTSD. I really hope it goes okay,” Marty Thomas, founder of Kakadoodle chicken farm, said. * Daily Herald | Schaumburg Township road commissioner questions predecessor’s contract for new website from political ally: Timothy Buelow, a Democrat, said former Highway Commissioner Scott Kegarise approved a $27,500 contract for the creation of a new website from USynergetics, Inc. of Hoffman Estates April 25. The business is led by the wife of Daniel Lee. Lee ran unsuccessfully for township clerk April 1 on the same Republican slate as Kegarise. Kegarise said plans for the website were in the works well before the election based on resident requests to track road construction progress and snow plowing. Kegarise defended his decision to go with Lee, which he based on Lee’s campaign work. * WGN | Illinois woman loses $62K to scammer impersonating Kevin Costner: An Illinois woman thought she was sending gift cards to actor Kevin Costner in hopes of elevating her financial portfolio. It turns out that she was the latest victim of a scam that federal authorities say has been circulating since at least 2018. According to police in Evanston, the victim says she sent gift cards totaling $62,000 over a six-month period to someone claiming to be Costner via Telegram, an instant messaging service. The “actor” promised to multiply the victim’s investment. * WGLT | Champaign-based Health Alliance plans to end all coverage, eliminating more than 600 jobs: More than 600 workers will lose their jobs as the largest health insurer in central and southern Illinois ceases operations. The news comes after Carle Health recently announced that Health Alliance will stop providing all types of coverage at the end of the year. According to the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity [DCEO], which requires employers to submit prior notification for mass layoffs, Champaign-based Health Alliance will eliminate all 612 jobs. * WIFR | Rockford organizations fight stigmas surrounding men’s mental health: Rosecrance Medical Director Dr. John Cummins also talks about the mindsets being passed down from generation to generation. “Using substances to numb oneself, lashing out in anger instead of dealing with frustration and pain in more healthy or productive more constructive ways. This is kind of part of what is constructed to be a man in American and western society,” said Cummins. “With those kind of huge expectations in place and with the consequences that come from not following those expectations we end up with these really, really deeply set patterns.” * WAND | Juneteenth events planned across central Illinois: The Mattoon Public Library will also be hosting a story time event on Friday, June 20 at 2 p.m. The event will include a Juneteenth storybook reading, crafts, food and giveaway for all children present. * WGLT | Canadian wildfire smoke causes unhealthy air quality in Bloomington-Normal: Sensitive groups will feel health effects right away, and healthy groups will feel difficulty breathing and throat irritation, said the EAC. The air quality index reading of 156 came from a monitor on the southwest side of Bloomington. Anything above 150 is considered unhealthy. The air quality index is expected to return to healthy levels at midnight. * WTVO | Small Illinois town becomes the set of a John Goodman movie overnight: Monticello, a small town near Champaign, became the set of a film called “Chili Finger” overnight. John Goodman and Bryan Cranston, among many more celebrities, filmed inside a former Hardee’s. The movie, based on a true story, follows the efforts of a woman who found a finger in her bowl of chili to leverage the situation for a payout. * The Atlantic | ‘I’m Treating Guys Who Would Never Be Caught Dead in a Casino’: As betting has overrun American sports, other forms of gambling are also on the rise. According to industry data, American casinos are more popular now than at any point on record. The age of their average patron had been crawling upward for years, but since sports betting was legalized at the federal level, it has plummeted by nearly a decade, to approximately 42. Some signs point to gambling problems increasing, too. No centralized entity tracks gambling addiction, but if its scale comes even close to matching the new scale of sports betting, the United States is unequipped to deal with it. * NYT | Kennedy Says ‘Charlatans’ Are No Reason to Block Unproven Stem Cell Treatments: The U.S. health secretary said people should have access to experimental therapies including unregulated uses of stem cells. But some methods have resulted in blindness, tumors and other injuries. * ABC | Trump-Musk feud explodes with claim president is in Epstein files: Trump, speaking on television from the Oval Office, had said he was “disappointed” in Musk following his criticism Wednesday of his “big, beautiful” megabill to fund his agenda, and then engaged in a mutual barrage of social media posts, at one point saying Musk had gone “CRAZY.” As the exchanges grew progressively personal, Musk posted, without providing evidence, about Trump and alleged sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein, “Time to drop the really big bomb: @realDonaldTrump is in the Epstein files. That is the real reason they have not been made public. Have a nice day, DJT!”
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Protected: SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - Today’s edition of Capitol Fax (use all CAPS in password)
Friday, Jun 6, 2025 - Posted by Rich Miller
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Selected press releases (Live updates)
Friday, Jun 6, 2025 - Posted by Isabel Miller
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Live coverage
Friday, Jun 6, 2025 - Posted by Isabel Miller * Click here and/or here to follow breaking news. Hopefully, enough reporters and news outlets migrate to BlueSky so we can hopefully resume live-posting.
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Isabel’s afternoon roundup (Updated by Rich)
Thursday, Jun 5, 2025 - Posted by Isabel Miller * The Illinois Freedom Caucus…
* FYI…
Click here for the lawsuit. …Added by Rich… The lawsuit itself is kind of a mess. They list the wrong amendments on the revenue omnibus and the wrong BIMP amendment. They refer to Senate President Don Harmon as “Tom.” Many of the cases they cite are actually minority opinions which upheld the enrolled bill doctrine.
* Daily Herald…
After confusion over whether AI-generated images qualified as child pornography, Governor Pritzker signed a bill into law last year clarifying that Illinois’ statutes do apply to content created by artificial intelligence. * Capitol News Illinois | Unsettling Accounts: How Illinois is confronting the growing student loan crisis: A recent graduate of the University of Illinois Chicago, Villalpando, 29, took out private loans to pay for college. Unlike federal student loans, private loans typically have higher interest rates and fewer forgiveness programs, making them harder for borrowers to pay off. Then, his fiancé came across the SmartBuy program – an initiative set up by the state to help incentivize residents to purchase a home while paying off their student loan debt, one of the leading factors delaying homeownership among young adults. SmartBuy pays up to $40,000 in student loans and contributes up to $5,000 towards a down payment or closing costs at the time of purchase. * Axios | Illinois lands in top 5 in Fortune 500 HQs: Illinois ranks in the top 5 when it comes to the number of Fortune 500 companies headquartered in the state, according to the magazine’s annual list. U.S. companies are staying put in Illinois even as Republicans claim Gov. Pritzker and the Democrats are taxing them out of town. * Daily Herald | Weather, disease challenge Illinois’ strawberry growers: Austin Flamm with Flamm Orchards in Union County said their struggles began early when a disease called Neopestalotiopsis infected greenhouses in Canada where the Flamms purchase their plugs. “Of the 100,000 plants for our early variety, we only planted 35,000 of them and of those 35,000, I’d say there was less than 5,000 that survived,” Flamm told FarmWeek, noting a late start to the picking season due to poor stands. * Tribune | Illinois rental assistance program sees funding cut for 2026 budget in another blow to state, city housing programs: Dalton is one of 7,129 renters who has received assistance this fiscal year from the state program. The state housing authority’s goal was to assist 8,900 households through the new program but will likely see closer to 8,000 households supported, said Illinois Housing Development Authority Executive Director Kristin Faust in an interview with the Tribune. The state agency administers the rental assistance program. Faust said the 8,900 number was based on an authority projection. * Capitol News Illinois | ISP backs bill expanding its mission to investigate internet crimes against children: While Illinois State Police has long investigated child sex crimes, a new measure would explicitly name addressing internet crimes against children as a core mission of its criminal division. House Bill 2586, also called Alicia’s Law, would add to the current 13 missions of the Illinois State Police Department of Criminal Investigations. It passed both chambers of the Illinois General Assembly unanimously in late May. * Tribune | Former aldermanic candidate wins $1.4M in defamation suit over campaign mailers: Ebony Lucas, a real estate attorney who lost in the first round of the aldermanic elections in the ward that includes Hyde Park, filed suit in December 2023 over what she described as a “coordinated smear campaign” alleging she had a series of unpaid liens and fines related to her business and violations of the city’s landlord tenant ordinance. Preckwinkle’s organization paid for three mailers alleging Lucas was a “bad landlord,” who “can’t manage her own business” and “doesn’t care about doing the right thing.” * Chalkbeat Chicago | Waiting To Learn: How Bilingual Education In Chicago Falls Short: And every day, students — like one Ecuadorian fourth grader who struggled to read and write in English — were left without the support guaranteed to them in state law. “He shouldn’t have had to suffer for almost three years before he was able to receive the type of help that he needs,” said Sylvelia Pittman, a 20-year teacher at Nash who advocated for more bilingual resources in the new Chicago Teachers Union contract. * Tribune | Aldermen call for hearing into Chicago police response to ICE demonstration: Twelve of the 14 aldermen in the caucus signed a letter condemning the high-profile showdown at 2245 S. Michigan Ave. The council’s Committee on Immigrant and Refugee Rights — which Latino Caucus Chair Ald. Andre Vasquez leads — will hold a hearing “to examine the extent of ICE’s misconduct and determine whether the Chicago Police Department played any role in (Wednesday’s) actions,” according to the letter. In a Wednesday evening statement, the Police Department denied that officers aided the federal agents. * Sun-Times | CBS producer Deb Boulac set to make more history with Fever-Sky broadcast: Deb Boulac is an award-winning, groundbreaking TV producer. So it’s fitting that she’ll lead a historic broadcast Saturday when CBS airs the Fever-Sky game at the United Center — the first regular-season game in WNBA history to air on broadcast TV in prime time. * Sun-Times | Chicago Sports Network expected to air on Comcast cable Friday: Chicago Sports Network is expected to launch on Comcast cable Friday on Xfinity’s Ultimate tier, the Sun-Times has learned, finally putting the new home of the White Sox, Bulls and Blackhawks on the area’s dominant cable operator. Network officials declined to comment. NBC 5 Chicago was the first to report the deal. * Crain’s | Former Ascension hospitals’ new owner to senators: We’re saving hospitals no one else would: Durbin and Duckworth’s May letter to Prime asked for justifications for eliminating pediatric services at St. Joseph Medical Center in Joliet, the loss of a Level II trauma designation at Mercy Medical Center in Aurora, and shrinking of obstetrics and maternal care at St. Mary Hospital in Kankakee. The senators urged the company to reconsider those cuts and requested a response by June 10. This week’s letter from Prime laid out details of shrinking demand for the services cut at the three hospitals and said, “We cannot, in good conscience, maintain services that lack sufficient volume to support clinical excellence.” * Press release | Gov. Pritzker Cuts Ribbon at Jel Sert Company’s Expanded Manufacturing Facility: Governor JB Pritzker, the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO) and the Jel Sert Company joined local leaders to cut the ribbon on the company’s West Chicago expansion project. The company invested over $10 million to construct a new manufacturing operation that will enhance production of its popular powdered stick packs and ensure it can meet growing consumer demand. The expansion project will create more than 100 new manufacturing and packing operations jobs while retaining nearly 1,000 existing jobs. * Daily Herald | Residents ask Mount Prospect to fly Pride flag, but village sticks to flag policy: Mayor Paul Hoefert, however, said the village’s policy is to fly only the American flag, the state of Illinois flag, and the Village of Mount Prospect flag at village hall. “We don’t fly any other flags, not even the (POW/MIA) flag,” Hoefert said. “Our feeling, based on legal advice, is that once you allow any other flag on that flagpole, you’re open to any request that comes. It makes total sense to me, and it makes total sense of the board.” * Trains | Illinois man sentenced to more than four years in prison in Amtrak bribery case: An Illinois employee of an Indiana masonry firm has been sentenced to 57 months in prison for his role in a federal bribery case over Amtrak’s renovation of its 30th Street Station in Philadelphia. Donald Seefeldt, 65, of Wilmette, Ill., was also sentenced to a year of probation, 59 hours of community service, and a $50,000 fine after pleading guilty to conspiracy to commit federal program bribery, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the eastern district of Pennsylvania announced. * CBS Chicago | Mosquitoes in 2 Illinois counties test positive for West Nile virus: The DuPage County and McHenry County health departments confirmed that mosquitoes tested positive for West Nile virus for the first time this year. The mosquitoes tested in McHenry County for the virus were found in Lake in the Hills. DuPage County health officials tested mosquitoes from Roselle, Medinah, Clarendon Hills, and Burr Ridge in May. * WSIL | Southern Illinois Back to School expo canceled; donations sought for 2026 event: The Franklin-Williamson Positive Youth Development Action Team (FW-PYD) announced the cancellation of the 2025 Southern Illinois Back to School Expo. Funding challenges led to this difficult decision. The organization said this decision will, unfortunately, be inconvenient and challenging for families in Southern Illinois for the upcoming 2025 - 2026 school year. However, they are actively seeking new opportunities to hold the event in 2026. * PJ Star | ‘Our efforts paid off’: Peoria Ag Lab to remain open, could see growth, congressman says: The National Center for Agricultural Utilization Research – known as the Peoria Ag Lab – will remain open and may even see growth, according to the office of U.S. Rep. Eric Sorensen. A June 4 news release said the proposal for the administration’s Agricultural Research Service budget for fiscal year 2026 included “potential growth for the NCAUR with research expansion.” Congress must still make final funding decisions. * WCIA | University of Illinois names computer scientist, Wisconsin provost as new Chancellor: In a news release, System President Tim Killeen said Charles Lee Isbell Jr. will be the 11th Chancellor of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He comes to Illinois from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where he served as a computer scientist and provost. “It’s the honor of a lifetime to be appointed to the role of chancellor and I’m deeply grateful to President Killeen and the Board of Trustees,” Isbell said. “I’m energized by this chance to serve the citizens of Illinois and advance the mission of learning, discovery, engagement and economic development.” * NPR Illinois | Springfield mayor announces chief of staff is leaving: Springfield Mayor Misty Buscher announced a change Wednesday in her leadership team. Mike Disco, who has been Chief of Staff since Buscher took office, is leaving the position. No reason was given. Disco came to the position from the private sector. “I want to thank Mike Disco for his service and contributions to the City of Springfield,” said Mayor Buscher. “I appreciate his efforts on behalf of our residents and wish him the very best in his future endeavors.” * WSIL | Black Vultures on the Rise: Southern Illinois Farmers Battle Aggressive New Predator:Unlike their red-headed cousins, the turkey vultures, which only feed on carcasses, black vultures are bold, territorial, and known to attack living animals, especially newborn livestock or weakened mothers during birth. Farmer’s have seen attacks on baby calves, lambs, and even piglets. Once uncommon in Illinois, black vultures are now migrating farther north, with officials noting a marked increase in sightings and damage reports over the past few years. * NYT | The Age Issue: More of Congress Is 70-Plus Than Ever Before: When the current Congress was convened in January, there were nearly 120 members who were 70 or older — 86 in the House, including nonvoting delegates, and 33 in the Senate. This number, which is unmatched in modern history, included 14 octogenarians in the House, five in the Senate, and 91-year-old Senator Charles E. Grassley, Republican of Iowa. * WaPo | Supreme Court sides with woman claiming anti-straight job discrimination: The Supreme Court on Thursday sided with a straight woman who claimed she faced bias in the workplace after she was passed over for positions that went to gay colleagues. The decision will make it easier for people who are White, male or not gay to prove bias claims. The justices unanimously struck down a standard, used in nearly half of the nation’s federal circuits, that required members of groups that historically have not faced discrimination to meet a higher bar to prove workplace bias than members of minority groups.
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Pritzker talks about ICE arrests, DC testimony
Thursday, Jun 5, 2025 - Posted by Rich Miller * Background is here if you need it. More from the governor’s news media availability today…
Please pardon any transcription errors.
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Sen. Castro won’t run for Congress
Thursday, Jun 5, 2025 - Posted by Rich Miller * I think Sen. Castro would’ve been a good congressperson, but I’m glad she’s sticking around…
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Credit Unions Applaud Lawmakers For Delaying Interchange Fee Prohibition Act
Thursday, Jun 5, 2025 - Posted by Advertising Department [The following is a paid advertisement.] 
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White Sox announce long-term ownership agreement with Chicago billionaire
Thursday, Jun 5, 2025 - Posted by Rich Miller * Forbes currently estimates Justin Ishbia’s net worth at $4.3 billion. From a Tribune reporter…
Ishbia is the founder of Chicago-based Shore Capital Partners. The full statement is here. Reinsdorf remains the “sole day-to-day decision-maker” for the club.
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Harmon back on the hot seat
Thursday, Jun 5, 2025 - Posted by Rich Miller *Subscribers were told this on Saturday afternoon…
The bill ended up going nowhere. * Anway, Gov. JB Pritzker was asked about Harmon’s abandoned proposal today at a news media availability…
* The problem I have with this is Senate President Harmon assured reporters he had no real legal problems…
And yet.
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Question of the day (Updated by Rich)
Thursday, Jun 5, 2025 - Posted by Isabel Miller * The Legislative Information System’s General Assembly website has been a workhorse for years - simple, functional and familiar. Last year, we told you about a new “beta” version of the website. Now, the full switchover is set for next month…
Click here to check out the beta site. * The Question: What do you think about the change? Have you tried the beta site yet? If so, how has it worked for you?
 From the same legislator…
* I have been warning subscribers about this silly AI feature since last December…
I just asked the silly chatbot the same questions and it returned basically all of the same answers, except for the Mary Flowers answer because she’s no longer a member. In other words, I warned about this problem six months ago and they made no effort at all to change it. Dumbest upgrade ever.
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It’s almost a law
Thursday, Jun 5, 2025 - Posted by Isabel Miller
* WAND…
* Sen. Bill Cunningham…
* WCIA…
* CBS Chicago…
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Welch speaks about Proviso sports complex project
Thursday, Jun 5, 2025 - Posted by Rich Miller * NBC 5…
* Brian Mackey also asked Speaker Welch about the $40 million…
There’s an old saying about how the big dogs eat first. Also, for your discussion, keep in mind that these are capital dollars, not operations.
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Why Are Tax-Exempt Hospitals Getting Rich?
Thursday, Jun 5, 2025 - Posted by Advertising Department [The following is a paid advertisement.] Across Illinois, big hospital systems and PBMs are abusing the 340B drug discount program – making massive profits while patients drown in medical bills. One whistleblower called it “laundering money.” Here’s how the scam works: big hospitals buy discounted 340B drugs, bill patients full price, then split the difference with for-profit pharmacies and PBMs. 340B was meant to help Illinois communities in need. But there are no rules requiring hospitals and PBMs to pass savings on to patients. No transparency. No oversight. Just higher costs for working families, small businesses, and taxpayers. Meanwhile, tax-exempt hospitals cash in – and PBMs get a cut too.
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Open thread
Thursday, Jun 5, 2025 - Posted by Isabel Miller * What’s going on?…
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Isabel’s morning briefing
Thursday, Jun 5, 2025 - Posted by Isabel Miller * ICYMI: While Gov. JB Pritzker scored wins during legislative session, cellphone ban, other initiatives fell short. Tribune…
- More than once, Black caucus members balked at Pritzker’s plans as they didn’t see their wants and needs fully addressed during a legislative session that focused heavily on fiscal issues and a tight budget. - Rep. Curtis Tarver, a Chicago Democrat and a member of the Black caucus, told the Tribune in February he worried about the “unintended consequences” of a phone ban in schools, including inequitable enforcement. Sponsored by Community Action for Responsible Hospitals * Gov. Pritzker is scheduled to be in West Chicago at 10 a.m. for a ribbon-cutting celebrating Joel Sert Company’s expansion. Click here to watch. * Sun-Times | Local public media sounds alarm as Trump directs drastic cuts to public broadcasting: President Donald Trump’s request to claw back $1.1 billion in funding for public broadcasting has public media bracing for one of the most serious threats it has ever faced. Trump on Tuesday formally asked Congress to cut money that had been set aside for public broadcasting for the next two years. The “rescission request” jumpstarted a 45-day clock for lawmakers to approve such a request — and with a simple majority needed to approve the slash, there is little room for Republicans to dissent. * WIRED | ICE Quietly Scales Back Rules for Courthouse Raids: A requirement that ICE agents ensure courthouse arrests don’t clash with state and local laws has been rescinded by the agency. ICE declined to explain what that means for future enforcement. * Tribune | Local officials, protesters clash with ICE outside office over detentions in growing escalation over Trump’s immigration tactics: By Wednesday afternoon, elected officials, including Aldermen Anthony Quezada, 35th, Byron Sigcho-Lopez, 25th, and Rossana Rodriguez-Sanchez, 33rd, joined the growing number of people. Quezada and Rodriguez-Sanchez sat down in front of a white van as it attempted to enter the office parking lot. The vans drove away, and then federal immigration officers wearing sunglasses and face coverings suddenly arrived in a large group and began to jostle and push the approximately 30 people who were there. * WICS | Illinois reaffirms abortion rights in emergency rooms amid federal rollback: Governor JB Pritzker emphasized the state’s commitment to reproductive rights, stating, “I have made protecting and expanding reproductive rights a top priority and in Illinois, providing the full range of reproductive care for anyone facing life-threatening emergencies is enshrined in state law.” * WGN | New Illinois laws, tax changes to kick in July 1, 2025: Effective on July 1st, 2025, House Bill 4951 changes how sales tax is handled on leased or rented property. In the past, lessors paid sales tax on the purchase of property — other than motor vehicles, watercraft, aircraft, and semi-trailer — and did not collect tax on lease payments. Under the new law, lessors can purchase property tax-free using a resale exemption and charge sales tax on lease or rental payments. The new law also impacts lessors of certain computer software licenses. * WTVO | New Illinois laws and tax changes set to kick in on July 1, 2025: Most of the newest laws in the state went into effect on January 1st, 2025, such as a minimum wage increase, but a few are still on the books to go into effect in the second half of the year. * WCIS | Marianne Akers’ attorney speaks on medical condition, over one month after Chatham crash: 44-year-old Marianne Akers’ lawyer said she suffered a seizure, which caused her to drive through an after-school program at the YNOT building. Criminal Defense Attorney, Scott Hanken, told me Marianne Akers has undergone an extensive amount of testing to see what caused this seizure. Hanken said Akers signed a release form to give the Illinois State Police permission to view all of her medical records. * Illinois Times | Armory renovation plans detailed: The 250,000-square-foot Armory building is being transformed from a civic center into an executive office building, with plans to move support staff from the governor’s office and other state agencies into it upon completion. The first phase was completed in January for $26.25 million and focused on removing lead paint, asbestos and mold; repairing masonry; and stabilizing the roof. The initial phase also included removing deteriorated windows and steel panels, many of which were restored or replaced with replicas created with the help of experts specializing in historically accurate renovations. Extensive work on the east exterior wall, which sustained water damage and stone loss, involved meticulous repairs using matched Indiana limestone. * WCIS | Springfield Homeless organizations set to receive $1.1 million; Aldermen vote against it: Aldermen voted in favor, seven versus two. But Aldermen Shawn Gregory and Roy Williams voted against it. Gregory proposed a motion to take some of the money from helping hands and give it to other organizations who provide the same outreach services. Gregory asked city council members to take $350,000 dollars from Helping Hands’ Home ARP funds to give to other outreach programs. * Telegraph | Alton considers replacing Illinois 1% grocery tax as state law ends: At the next Alton Committee of the Whole meeting on Monday, committee members are scheduled to vote on whether or not to replace or get rid of a 1% grocery tax in the city. If it passes, the motion will then go through the Alton City Council on Wednesday, June 11. * Telegraph | Granite City steelworkers face uncertainty amid Nippon Steel’s deal: On Friday, President Donald Trump announced his support of a $14 billion “investment” by Japan-based Nippon Steel in U.S. Steel, but how that might impact the Metro East, the home of U.S. Steel/Granite City Works, is largely unknown and both political leaders and union officials have serious concerns. While there has been talk about billions of dollars in investments in U.S. Steel facilities, Granite City Works has not been mentioned. * WGLT | McLean County school leaders disappointed new state budget doesn’t help more with busing and other mandated costs: Educators saw other priorities missing. The state requires schools to provide services such as transportation, school breakfast and lunch and textbooks to students who need them. The state then reimburses the school district for some of the costs associated with these “mandated categoricals.” Not all of the costs are reimbursed, however, and the new state budget added no money in this area. “So when you don’t add new money and expenses go up, we’re actually going to receive less money, like a greater proration of those funds towards the upcoming school year’s budget,” said Kristen Weikle, Unit 5 superintendent. * The Southern | LGBTQ-owned spice farm is Southern Illinois made: “We have people come to market that never realized they could get this here before,” Elias said. “A lot of people think of jams, jellies, pickles, preserves, things like that. They don’t think of heirloom paprika, or fresh ginger, or turmeric.” Recently, Pink Tiger Farm was inducted into the Illinois Made Program, an initiative by the state to highlight locally owned businesses with unique authentic products. * WICS | Hollywood excitement sweeps Monticello as former restaurant transforms into movie set: The building was formally a Hardee’s restaurant that closed several months ago, but now it’s being used to make a movie. On the set, you could see a picture of John Goodman, heavy construction equipment and trailers parked down the street from the restaurant. * WTTW | Chicago Sees Fewest Homicides in Any May Since 2011: Police: According to Chicago Police Department data, there were 36 homicides recorded throughout May 2025, a total that’s down 38% compared to the same month last year and down nearly 50% compared to May 2023. Those 36 homicides were also the fewest for Chicago in any May since 2011, according to CPD data. * Tribune | Former aldermanic candidate wins $1.4M in defamation suit over campaign mailers : South Side Ald. Lamont Robinson’s campaign and Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle’s 4th Ward Democratic Organization are on the hook for $1.475 million in punitive damages over what a Cook County jury found were defamatory mailers and text messages during the 2023 aldermanic campaign. Ebony Lucas, a real estate attorney who lost in the first round of the aldermanic elections in the ward that includes Hyde Park, filed suit in December 2023 over what she described as a “coordinated smear campaign” alleging she had a series of unpaid liens and fines related to her business and violations of the city’s landlord tenant ordinance. * WTTW | Federal Prosecutors Expanding Violence Prevention Initiative to Downtown Chicago, All CTA Train Lines: The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Illinois on Wednesday announced the expansion of its Project Safe Neighborhoods program, which combines the efforts of federal, state and local authorities to help stem violent crime. The nationwide program, first launched in 2001, had only operated in seven Chicago neighborhoods — South Chicago, Gresham, Englewood, Deering, Ogden, Harrison and Austin. * Crain’s | Developer, bike parts maker near deal for West Loop office building: R2 is negotiating to pay close to $14 million for the vintage seven-story building at 550 W. Randolph St. and an adjacent surface parking lot, according to people familiar with the discussions. The talks come several months after the 168,750-square-foot property’s current owner, New York-based real estate investment trust W.P. Carey, put it up for sale. * A good omen?…
* Sun-Times | Cook County erases nearly $665 million in medical debt for more than a half million residents: * Daily Herald | Suburbs welcoming data centers say they’ll benefit their communities: When it comes to the use of electricity and other resources like water, data centers are expected to pay their way and keep residents and fellow businesses free of negative side effects of their presence, Hoffman Estates Village Manager Eric Palm said Wednesday. Hoffman Estates is home to two data center campuses in development, and a third could be on the way. The financial responsibility for the resources and the infrastructure they need to operate lies with the operators, Palm said. However, according to a report this week from market monitor Morning Analytics, the rapid development of data centers connected to the largest U.S. electric grid has raised costs by $9.4 billion for customers across the Midwest and East Cost, including Illinois. * WGN | Non-profit fears for future of blindness research if Donald Trump’s budget passes: The Foundation Fighting Blindness, a Maryland-based non-profit organization who organizes the Chicago Vision Walk, fears clinical trials and promising new treatments for blindness and retinal disease will be frozen or canceled if President Donald Trump’s “Big, Beautiful Bill” passes into law. […] “We are driving research for therapies. They’re called gene therapies that can replace or fix that code,” said Ben Shaberman, Vice President of Communications for the Foundation Fighting Blindness (FFB). “So, the cells in the retina work correctly, and vision can be saved or restored.” * WTTW | Battery Case Dismissed Against Aurora Resident in Dispute With Former Mayor’s Campaign Team: Maurice said there’s no way for that to have happened and denies using any profanity. He said that he remembers spitting in the yard next to his driveway — more than 25 feet away from where the campaign workers were parked. According to the report, the alleged victim said that “Maurice’s spit landed on his legs. … I observed (the person) to be wearing snow pants, and they were dry where he stated that the spit landed.” At Wednesday’s hearing, Maurice’s attorney told the judge that a fellow campaign worker who was attending court said the alleged victim was not interested in pursuing the charge. * WGN | Cannabis-friendly music festival returning to Chicago’s northwest suburbs: A two-day immersive outdoor festival that merges the worlds of cannabis and music will again return to Chicagoland for its third consecutive year this September. The Miracle in Mundelein, Illinois’ first music festival that legally permits attendees to bring and consume cannabis on-site, will return the weekend of Sept. 6-7. The festival will occur across the street from RISE Cannabis Mundelein Recreational Dispensary at 1325 Armour Blvd., in north suburban Mundelein. * Tribune | ‘Wearing a tree kind of broke down a barrier’: Monee nursery workers promote the importance and beauty of native plants: Five years later, Possibility Place Nursery began growing exclusively native trees and shrubs from seeds collected within a 150-mile radius in northern Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin and Iowa. It has since expanded to over 55 acres, where nearly 60,000 trees thrive and over 18,000 are planted each year. “There’s not too many of us out there that grow strictly native, locally collected (plants),” said Kelsay Shaw, Tristan’s brother. “We rely on ourselves. That’s really what sets us apart.” * AP | Measles vaccination rates drop after COVID-19 pandemic in counties across the US: A Johns Hopkins University study, published in JAMA this week, illustrates where more vulnerable communities are located. The results mirror trends established at state and national levels: Routine childhood vaccination rates are dropping. “When you look at the state level or national level … you really don’t see those drastic drops. Those are there. They’re real and they’re really problematic,” said Lauren Gardner, an expert in infectious disease modeling at Johns Hopkins University who is the paper’s senior author. Gardner also built the university’s COVID-19 database. * Cultivated | VCs and private equity investors are fueling the potentially $20 billion low dose THC beverage boom: Cultivated has uncovered tens of millions of dollars actively chasing hemp-derived THC and traditional cannabis beverage plays, through interviews with key investors. The fizz has bubbled up despite escalating restrictions on hemp-derived products and outright bans in some key markets, including California, Texas and Tennessee. * WSJ | Economists Raise Questions About Quality of U.S. Inflation Data: The Bureau of Labor Statistics, the office that publishes the inflation rate, told outside economists this week that a hiring freeze at the agency was forcing the survey to cut back on the number of businesses where it checks prices. In last month’s inflation report, which examined prices in April, government statisticians had to use a less precise method for guessing price changes more extensively than they did in the past. * WAND | NOAA weather radios will be offline longer than expected for updates: The agency originally said that the radios would be offline from Tuesday to Thursday, but now expect the outage to continue well into Friday. The NWS said it cannot reschedule this upgrade even if severe weather occurs, and advise users to have alternative ways to receive severe weather information during this period
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Selected press releases (Live updates)
Thursday, Jun 5, 2025 - Posted by Isabel Miller
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Live coverage
Thursday, Jun 5, 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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Why Are Tax-Exempt Hospitals Getting Rich?
Wednesday, Jun 4, 2025 - Posted by Advertising Department [The following is a paid advertisement.] Across Illinois, big hospital systems and PBMs are abusing the 340B drug discount program – making massive profits while patients drown in medical bills. One whistleblower called it “laundering money.” Here’s how the scam works: big hospitals buy discounted 340B drugs, bill patients full price, then split the difference with for-profit pharmacies and PBMs. 340B was meant to help Illinois communities in need. But there are no rules requiring hospitals and PBMs to pass savings on to patients. No transparency. No oversight. Just higher costs for working families, small businesses, and taxpayers. Meanwhile, tax-exempt hospitals cash in – and PBMs get a cut too.
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Isabel’s afternoon roundup (Updated)
Wednesday, Jun 4, 2025 - Posted by Isabel Miller * ABC Chicago…
…Adding… Blocked for now…
* The Illinois Department of Central Management Services…
* Investigate Midwest | Rare Illinois dust storm shows how far climate shifts are reaching: The number of dust storms recorded annually across the U.S. doubled in just over a decade. As bare cropland and rising temperatures dry out the Midwest, even states like Illinois are seeing warnings once reserved for the Southwest.
* 25News Now | Illinois K-2 expulsion and suspension reform bill fails to pass: The bill passed the Senate on a 30-23 vote with some Democrats voting against it or leaving the room as the vote was called. Now, it just needed House approval to pass. However, it had passed midnight of May 31, which means any plan wanting to pass either chamber needs a two thirds majority. That means a legislation needs 71 votes instead of the usual 60 votes to pass. * WAND | TICK Act: Alpha-gal awareness bill gains unanimous support, heads to Pritzker’s desk: Rep. Dan Swanson (R-Alpha) said he filed the legislation because his mother suffers from the disease. “She’s lived with this now for several years but has never sought treatment because she knows how to control it,” Swanson said. “She can’t go into McDonald’s or a restaurant where they actually fry burgers on an open grill because that aroma will cause the shock that she goes through.” * Chalkbeat Chicago | Inside Illinois’ FY 2026 budget: little to no new funding for K-12 schools, early childhood education: The General Assembly’s budget for the Illinois State Board of Education will increase from almost $10.8 billion to almost $11.2 billion. The final budget includes a $307 million increase for K-12 school districts around the state through the state’s evidence-based funding formula. This is the first time since 2020 that the General Assembly did not increase the budget by at least $350 million. * CBS Chicago | Illinois lawmakers pass legislation aimed at helping solve missing persons cases: The Missing Persons Identification Act requires law enforcement to report immediately when they learn of a missing person and enter it into the Law Enforcement Agencies Data System. If a person is missing for more than 60 days, investigators will be required to also collect any existing fingerprint or dental records and photos and enter that info into the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System database. * Tribune | CTU threatens to sue over proposed CPS budget cuts: CTU President Stacy Davis Gates sent a letter to the school board Tuesday, characterizing Martinez and his team’s proposals to balance the Chicago Public Schools’ 2026 fiscal budget as “attempts at vindictive sabotage.” The new fiscal year begins July 1. The union settled a new $1.5 billion four-year contract in late April, following a year of negotiations. CPS has said there is enough money to cover the first year of the contract, but has not detailed plans for the other three. * Block Club | Chicago’s Grocery Tax Was Slated To End In 2026. Now, Mayor Wants To Keep It Going: Chicago has not yet taken action on reimplementing the grocery tax, which must be passed as an ordinance and submitted to the state by Oct. 1 for collection to continue uninterrupted in 2026, according to a fact sheet from the Illinois Municipal League. With that deadline quickly approaching — especially considering the City Council does not meet in August — Johnson and members of his budget team on Tuesday separately spoke in favor of continuing to collect the tax to help the city balance its budget. * Fox Chicago | More than 125 CPS students nailed a perfect ACT score — here’s where they go to school: At least 125 high school students across Chicago Public Schools earned a perfect score on the ACT this year — something fewer than 1% of students pull off nationwide, according to preliminary data shared by CPS. The standout among CPS schools was Walter Payton College Preparatory High School, where 40 students scored a 36. Lane Tech College Prep followed with 24, and Whitney M. Young Magnet High School reported 23 perfect scores. * Block Club | Pilsen Residents On Edge Day After ICE Arrests: ‘People Are Feeling Siloed’: Hernandez said that after the arrests Monday morning, the normally busy stretch of 18th Street that serves as the heart of Pilsen quickly emptied. Students from Jungman Elementary, who normally frequent his store after classes get out, went home instead, he said. “After that, this neighborhood was quiet,” Hernandez said. “The kids from the school, nobody came.” * NYT | Bears minicamp takeaways: Ben Johnson’s obsession with details takes hold at Halas Hall: “I think what sticks out (with) Ben and this staff … is just how detail-oriented they are,” Kmet said. “You can feel that in the meetings; they’re relentless on the details. I think that’s something that may be a little unique from what I’ve had in the past. Not saying other coaches weren’t detailed, but it’s like an obsession with the details. … He just can’t let it go. You feel that from him. Whether it’s on the field, in the meeting room, he brings that with him wherever he’s at.” * Tribune | Blackhawks show off Fifth Third Arena expansion construction — and the future home of the Chicago Steel: The Chicago Blackhawks gave the media a sneak peek at the Fifth Third Arena expansion — still a skeletal collection of steel beams, HVAC systems and construction dust — but they dropped some meatier news during Tuesday’s tour: The Chicago Steel are coming. The United States Hockey League team will play a final season starting this fall at Fox Valley Ice Arena in Geneva, its home since 2015, before moving its offices and home ice into the expanded, fancier digs at Fifth Third, the Hawks training facility. * Tribune | In unlikely relationship, endangered herons seek out Lincoln Park Zoo’s red wolves for protection: For the last 15 years, however, Chicago has become a popular summer hub and the location of the last remaining breeding colony of the species in the state, specifically atop the red wolf enclosure at the Lincoln Park Zoo. Hundreds of black-crowned night herons flock there starting in mid-March every year, migrating from nearby Indiana and Kentucky, and from farther away like Louisiana, Florida and Georgia, and more recently, even Cuba. […] In Chicago and, in the obvious absence of alligators, the birds have found the largest carnivorous animals and apex predators around. They rely on the red wolves to scare away smaller threats, such as raccoons and other birds of prey, from their nests. The wolves remain undisturbed and, for the most part, uninterested. * WBEZ | Prejudice ‘follows us to the grave’: The segregated past of Chicago cemeteries: In that era filled with civil rights protests, this group of Chicagoans fought to end the racial segregation of local cemeteries. They focused most of their anger on Oak Woods, the largest graveyard in the South Side’s Black neighborhoods. The nonsectarian cemetery had been excluding African Americans since around 1913, when it sent out a circular ad that declared, “Chapel, vault and cemetery are for the exclusive use of the Caucasian race.” * Tribune | Charges dropped against Harvey Ald. Colby Chapman, arrested at April City Council meeting: Cook County prosecutors dropped charges Wednesday against Harvey Ald. Colby Chapman, who was arrested and removed from a recent City Council meeting, marking the second time charges were against her were not prosecuted. Prosecutors said Wednesday that charges of disorderly conduct and resisting a police officer were being dismissed. Charges filed against Chapman’s mother in the April 28 arrest were also dropped. * Crain’s | Legislator calls for do-over on Wirtz family’s Ivanhoe Village project: A state legislator hopes to reopen talks about the financial impact the Wirtz family’s proposed $2 billion Ivanhoe Village development will have on local schools, fueled by two recent changes: legislation passed in the closing days of the legislative session in Springfield and a new mayor in Mundelein’s village hall. The case was seemingly closed in mid-April, when the village board voted to approve the package of impact fees the developers and village officials negotiated. That 5-1 vote came after a few months of tension between village officials and leaders of the local school districts, who claimed they would be saddled with about $80 million in new costs not covered by the fees. * Shaw Local | Old Joliet Prison offers new tour, hard-hats required: The Administration Building at the Old Joliet Prison now is open for hard-hat tours, the Joliet Area Historical Museum announced Tuesday. The building, familiar from the outside to prison visitors because of its location at the entrance to the prison off the main parking lot, has been closed since a 2020 roof collapse. * Daily Herald | Aurora Farmers Market, the oldest in Illinois, opens for its 114th season Saturday: “We are so excited to kick off our 114th season,” market manager Felicia Freitag said in a press release. “We have a new layout this year that will help us fit up to 75 vendors — more than we’ve ever had at the Water Street Square location.” New this year is the Sprouts Club, a free entertainment and activity hub for children that runs from 9 to 11 a.m. Activities will promote sustainability, creativity and farming and produce knowledge. They also will give children the opportunity to socialize. * Chicago Mag | Jimmy Bannos Jr. Will Open Kouklas This Summer: Jimmy Bannos Jr. made his name in Chicago as the chef-owner of Michigan Avenue stalwart the Purple Pig, but since departing the restaurant a few years ago, Bannos has been quiet. But not for much longer — Bannos is preparing to open Kouklas, a Greek spot in Niles (7620 N. Milwaukee Ave.), later this summer. He’s working on the project with his father, Jimmy Bannos, best known for the beloved Cajun-Creole spot Heaven on Seven. * ABC Chicago | Nearly 300 lose jobs after company announces abrupt closure of IL facility: The sausage manufacturer notified 274 people that the Momence, Illinois facility was closing effective immediately. The Momence Packing Company building has been a steady place of employment for the city for more than six decades. […] “It’s like they didn’t even care about us. You know, same day?” former employee Lupe Hernandez said. * PJ Star | Former Peoria fire chief appointed to interim role with Peoria Heights department: Former Peoria Fire Department Chief Tony Ardis has been named the interim fire chief in Peoria Heights. Ardis was officially appointed to the position on an interim basis by Peoria Heights Mayor Matt Wigginton on Tuesday night, where he was given a round of applause by the members of the Village Board. * BND | Metro-east city consolidates three fire departments into one: The advantage, city officials say, should be faster response times, easier recruitment, and tax dollar savings. In the meantime, Cahokia Heights Mayor Curtis McCall worked with members of the Cahokia, Camp Jackson and Alorton fire departments on intergovernmental agreements to temporarily bring the three units under one roof immediately. They’ll go back to three separate departments if voters reject the referendum next spring. * WSIL | Vienna High School leads Illinois in FAFSA completion success: Vienna High School achieved a significant milestone by reaching 100% FAFSA completion among its seniors, according to the Illinois Student Assistance Commission’s latest data. Vienna is the only school outside of Chicago to make the top seven list, which includes six academies and prep schools in Chicago. * CJR | Don’t Mourn the Death of Alt-Weeklies. They’re Alive and Well: To survive, alt-weeklies have had to evolve. Several years ago, AAN expanded its membership beyond general-interest papers to include LGBTQ, Black, Latinx, and other niche publications; consequently, AAN currently has a membership of 120 papers, its largest since 2009. Some AAN publications no longer publish weekly; some have dispensed with print and publish daily online. Some no longer use the label “alternative,” having taken the place of local dailies that went out of business. (Boegle also points out that the term “alternative” has been co-opted by the far right, never a constituency represented in alt-weeklies.)
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Cook County delays tax sales on past-due homes as Pappas pushes for foreclosure reform
Wednesday, Jun 4, 2025 - Posted by Isabel Miller * Injustice Watch last month…
* Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas today…
* Crain’s…
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It’s almost a law
Wednesday, Jun 4, 2025 - Posted by Isabel Miller * WCIA…
* WAND…
* WCIA…
* Press release…
* Tribune…
* WCIA…
* WAND…
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Many thanks to Sen. Stadelman, Rep. Didech
Wednesday, Jun 4, 2025 - Posted by Rich Miller * Click here for extensive background if you need it. The General Assembly has corrected an egregious wrong by the Illinois Supreme Court. From the BGA…
Many, many thanks to Sen. Steve Stadelman and Rep. Dan Didech for fixing this problem. I’ve been biting my tongue on a few things because the Illinois Supreme Court unconscionably stripped my legal protections. But that’s gonna change when this bill takes effect. Heh.
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Same general topic, different approaches
Wednesday, Jun 4, 2025 - Posted by Rich Miller * HB3637 passed both chambers and is heading to the governor…
This is mainly about mifepristone. * The House Republicans hate it…
Foreign influence! * Meanwhile, in Texas…
Foreign influence!
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Open thread
Wednesday, Jun 4, 2025 - Posted by Rich Miller * This is longer than our usual morning video, but now that session is over, kick back and try to watch every second if you can… An arty, punk-inspired show band. Best ever. “Don’t forget, waitresses work for tips. I’m a waiter, I know.” * What’s going on?
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Isabel’s morning briefing
Wednesday, Jun 4, 2025 - Posted by Isabel Miller * Subscribers know more. ICYMI: Still time for Chicago area transit funding solution, House speaker says. Fox Chicago…
- House Speaker Chris Welch said a proposed reform package that passed the Senate was dead on arrival in his chamber. - The key issue at hand is how to generate enough revenue to offset a $771 million funding cliff. * Related stories…
∙ Bond Buyer: Illinois lawmakers adjourn, hanging transit out to dry Sponsored by Community Action for Responsible Hospitals
* Sun-Times | Top mayoral aides make the case for local grocery tax, sales tax on services: The proposal to expand the state sales tax to professional services has been talked about for decades but has gone nowhere in Springfield. That’s apparently why Guzman warned that alderpersons must “think strategically about diversifying and growing local revenue streams” within the city’s control. During last year’s budget stalemate, the Council rejected a property tax of any size. * Tribune | Illinois lawmakers again fail to act on hemp, while a new study highlights growing health concerns: A new report on hemp-derived THC highlights growing concerns over its safety, legality and impact on health — even as Illinois lawmakers have failed again to keep the products away from children. The report by the University of Illinois System Institute of Government and Public Affairs notes that the lack of regulation of hemp means there is no state oversight of ingredients, potency or marketing to kids. The report cites studies showing many hemp products had different amounts of THC than labeled, while some were well above the package limits for licensed cannabis products, and contained toxic solvents left over from processing * Crain’s | Illinois freezes permitting of new cannabis shops: After five years of legal recreational cannabis, Illinois has 260 operational retail shops and another 103 entrepreneurs with “conditional licenses” won via permit lottery — meaning there are still 137 dispensary permits left to award before the state hits its cap of 500. But the 137 dispensary permits are on hold indefinitely, state Rep. La Shawn K. Ford, D-Chicago, told Crain’s. Ford and other lawmakers are searching for solutions that will allow the struggling 103 retailers with conditional licenses — and other types of marijuana business permits given to “social equity” candidates that have some type of cannabis criminal record — to get off the ground. * PJ Star | Federal government removes list that targeted Illinois cities, counties on immigration: In a statement to the Journal Star on Monday the Department of Homeland Security said: “As we have previously stated, the list is being constantly reviewed and can be changed at any time and will be updated regularly. Designation of a sanctuary jurisdiction is based on the evaluation of numerous factors, including self-identification as a Sanctuary Jurisdiction, noncompliance with Federal law enforcement in enforcing immigration laws, restrictions on information sharing, and legal protections for illegal aliens.” * NBC Chicago | State budget funds for Proviso West facility in Welch’s district draw ire: “There’s infrastructure projects in the budget all over the state, and yes one of them is for a majority-minority district that the speaker happens to represent, and I’m proud of that,” he told NBC 5 Political Reporter Mary Ann Ahern. Welch defended the project, comparing it to providing funds for a hotel and other amenities in the Tinley Park entertainment district, as well as new bridge construction in Kane County. * Tribune | Seeking stiff sentence for Madigan, feds allege secret effort to block rules on legislators practicing before state tax board: Madigan suggested that McClain send lobbyist John Bradley, a Madigan loyalist and former ranking House Democratic lawmaker, to warn the property tax board chairman that “’there’s gonna be a lawsuit and there’s gonna be depositions,’” according to the filing. “‘And you’re gonna be asked, ‘Did you take directives from the governor’s office, which is contrary to how the statute reads,” the filing quoted Madigan as saying how Bradley should approach it. “‘You’re supposed to be independent. So why don’t you withdraw that thing? … ‘Get yourself out of trouble.’” McClain responded, “Yup, will do,” according to the filing. * * NBC Chicago | Pritzker blasts Elon Musk, Trump’s ‘big beautiful bill’ in social media posts: Pritzker went on to criticize Medicaid cuts contained within the bill, which he argues will be used to finance tax cuts for wealthy Americans. “Elon got one thing right: The big, beautiful bill is a disgusting abomination,” Pritzker said. * Capitol News Illinois | With electric prices going up, advocates tried — and failed — to reform the energy sector: “It was a confluence of factors,” Christine Nannicelli, a Sierra Club organizer and longtime environmental advocate, told Capitol News Illinois. “To a certain extent, it was a product of running out of time.” Lawmakers had a fairly large to-do list going into the final day of the legislative session, including approving the multiple bills that make up the state’s annual budget and a large reform package dealing with public transit in northern Illinois. * WGN | Former Illinois Rep. Joe Walsh says he’s becoming a Democrat: Walsh announced his formal affiliation with the Democratic Party in a Tuesday Substack post, saying he made the decision because he views the Republican Party as a threat to democracy and the rule of law and thinks defeating the GOP requires “a broad coalition of moderates, progressives, and, yes, even conservatives.” * Tribune | Aldermen, Mayor Brandon Johnson’s administration officials argue over credit downgrade: As the city gets set to borrow $518 million for infrastructure projects and $92 million more toward Mayor Brandon Johnson’s massive affordable housing plan, aldermen and the mayor’s team argued Tuesday over which of them are to blame for recent credit downgrades that will end up costing taxpayers more. How much that downgrade costs won’t be clear until the city goes to market this month for the borrowing. But the hearing did confirm a ratings agency concern that “political gridlock that was evident throughout the 2025 budget cycle may persist,” as aldermen and the mayor’s budget and finance chiefs relitigated recent budget and borrowing debates. * Sun-Times | Johnson urges state lawmakers to tax the ‘ultra rich’ to avert mass transit cuts: “You all know my position. The ultra rich continue to get away with not having to put more skin in the game. So we do have to have substantive conversations around revenue streams that challenges the rich in this state to step up in a way that does not continue to place the burden on working people,” he said. Johnson said he’s disappointed, but not surprised, that the spring legislative session ended with a $55.2 billion state budget and no solution to revenue shortfalls that threaten to decimate mass transit in the Chicago area. * Crain’s | Johnson will ask City Council to OK grocery tax as state version sunsets: It remains to be seen if the mayor’s call will fall on deaf ears in the City Council, but there weren’t many listening this afternoon. During the hearing, just seven aldermen remained in the chamber after a separate meeting on the city’s credit rating went long. The tax won’t have the impact on low-income earners some fear because recipients of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, would not be hit with the tax, the committee was told. * Sun-Times | Donald Palumbo named chorus director for the Chicago Symphony Orchestra: World-renowned choral director and educator Donald Palumbo has been named chorus director of the Chicago Symphony Chorus after a multi-year national search, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra Association announced Tuesday. […] Palumbo is familiar to Chicago audiences, following his 2022 debut here as guest chorus director with the CSO for Verdi’s Un ballo in maschera. He returned in 2023 for Beethoven’s Missa solemnis. Palumbo also was chorus master of Lyric Opera from 1991 to 2007. * Daily Herald | Why Palatine is not hiring consultants to study Bears’ effect on village: “At this point, I don’t see the need to hire (a traffic engineer). I don’t see the need to hire a lobbyist. I don’t see the need to hire a sound engineer,” Village Manager Reid Ottesen said. His remarks came days after the Rolling Meadows City Council recently approved a series of resolutions to hire a lobbyist, traffic engineer and noise expert. * NBC Chicago | Popular Chicago restaurant The Purple Pig to open second location at suburban mall: According to Instagram post, the Purple Pig, a James Beard award-winning restaurant at 444 N. Michigan Avenue in Streeterville, will open a second location in the southwest suburb. While the post didn’t reveal a location, a post on Oakbrook Center Mall’s website showed The Purple Pig as a tenant. Media reports said the restaurant will take over the mall space previously occupied by Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams furniture showroom. * Daily Southtown | Children’s Museum in Oak Lawn teams up for new birth to 5 resource hub: The Early Childhood Resource Hub, at www.cmoaklawn.org/resource-hub, helps parents of children up to age five find early intervention services, educational programs, health resources and other important support for those early years so vital to an individual’s development. “We’ve been doing a lot of work in early children with our Wee Ones program and it just seemed like kind of a natural fit for us to take the lead on it,” said Adam Woodworth, executive director of the museum, who added the Birth to Five Illinois Region 1-B-C Action Council had the resource hub idea in place when he joined that council about a year ago. * Daily Herald | ‘So empowering’: Community blossoms through inclusive art project in Roselle: “It’s very much similar to this. It’s like a big dining room-style situation, so everybody’s just talking together. It’s very social,” said Tanner Ingle, who helped set up a local version of the Passion Works Studio, an Ohio-based nonprofit community arts center that employs people with and without developmental differences. Hand-painted “Passion Flowers” are their signature product, made out of upcycled aluminum printing plates from newspapers and often adorning front porches and gardens. * Sun-Times | University of Illinois — long home to thousands of foreign students — braces for visa revocations for Chinese: Foreign students make up one in five of the school’s nearly 60,000 students. There are more than 6,000 Chinese students on campus, making up the largest group of foreign students. To the university, any move to decrease that enrollment could have an outsized impact on both the campus climate and the school’s finances. The school has long welcomed foreign students: in 2007, the school enrolled nearly 5,700 — which at the time was the most ever to attend a public university, according to Sun-Times reporting at the time. The global population has steadily increased since then and it remains second among all public universities, according to the Institute of International Education, a group that tracks foreign enrollment around the country. * WICS | Sangamon County State’s Attorney speaks out on deadly Chatham crash: Her attorney said Akers suffered a seizure at the time of the crash. […] Sangamon County State’s Attorney, John Milhiser, said his office is still waiting on additional reports. Mariane Akers’ lawyer, Scott Hanken, said they haven’t heard any news on if charges will be filed against Akers. * WGLT | McLean County to issue corrected tax bills for Olympia and Ridgeview school district taxpayers: Olympia Superintendent Laura O’Donnell said previously the county had initially resisted the idea of sending out a corrected bill and wanted instead to recoup the difference on next year’s tax bills. She said that would have left the school system short on cash they were relying on for the current year. “The district is extremely appreciative that the county is working to remedy this situation,” O’Donnell said via email. * WAND | Floating wetlands deployed on Lake Decatur: These floating wetlands were the result of a research project conducted by UIUC and are completely funded and constructed using salvaged materials from dock replacements and dredging projects. Wetland plants have been placed on rafts that will sit low in the water, allowing their roots to absorb excess nutrients and improve water quality. Each raft is marked with orange buoys and will be anchored at all four corners. * 25 News Now | Felony filed against Peoria attorney accused of trying to vote twice in April election: The Peoria County State’s Attorney’s Office said Thorn M. Smith, 67, already received a mail-in ballot when he showed up at a polling place on April 1. According to a release, Smith signed a form stating that he had not previously voted and submitted a second provisional ballot. “Processes in place through the Election Commission noted this second illegal ballot, and it was not counted in the final certified election results,” the release said. * 25 News Now | Peoria Public Schools to consider clear bag policy: This would be a district-wide policy affecting all 5th- through 12th-grade students. Board Vice President Gregory Wilson is in favor of the possible change after hearing of successful clear bag policies elsewhere. “A lot of districts in the nation are trending towards that direction. It’s my hope that the board will support a clear book bag policy. I want to be assured that the school district is doing what it can,” Wilson said. Wilson said it’s rare for students to bring weapons to schools, but he also thinks the policy would prevent other contraband, like vaping pens, from making it inside school buildings. * WAND | District 186 provides free breakfast and lunch for all Springfield kids: The start of summer usually marks an exciting time of days off school enjoying the sunshine. But for Springfield students, it also means the end of free breakfast and lunch that they get during school. “This program really helps out any family that might have problems being able to secure food regularly in their own homes,” said Megan McMillan, Food Service Director at District 186. “It’s a sad reality of a lot of people… so being able to provide those free meals for our community really helps fill the hole for some families that have been struggling.” * WGLT | Dementia simulation in Normal ‘helps increase empathy in caregivers’: The Virtual Dementia Tour is an evidence-based simulation that emulates the experience of a person living with dementia. The Sugar Creek Alzheimer’s Special Care Center in Normal played host last week for the event allowing the community and first responders to go through the experience. “What the simulation does is it helps increase empathy in caregivers,” said certified Virtual Dementia Tour trainer Zina Karana, “because it gives them an understanding of how it feels to have all the challenges that someone with dementia might have.” * Tribune | Trump administration revokes guidance requiring hospitals to provide emergency abortions: The Trump administration announced on Tuesday that it would no longer enforce that policy The move prompted concerns from some doctors and abortion rights advocates that women will not get emergency abortions in states with strict bans. “The Trump Administration would rather women die in emergency rooms than receive life-saving abortions,” Nancy Northup, president and CEO of the Center for Reproductive Rights, said in a statement. “In pulling back guidance, this administration is feeding the fear and confusion that already exists at hospitals in every state where abortion is banned. Hospitals need more guidance, not less, to stop them from turning away patients experiencing pregnancy crises.” * ProPublica | He Died Without Getting Mental Health Care He Sought. A New Lawsuit Says His Insurer’s Ghost Network Is to Blame: Coutinho was the subject of a September 2024 investigation by ProPublica that showed how he was trapped in what’s commonly known as a “ghost network.” Many of the mental health providers that Ambetter listed as accepting its insurance were not actually able to see him. ProPublica’s investigation also revealed how customer service representatives and care managers repeatedly failed to connect Coutinho to the care he needed after he and his mother asked for help. The story was part of a yearlong series, “America’s Mental Barrier,” that investigated the ways insurers employed practices that interfered with their customers’ ability to access mental health care. * The Atlantic | The GOP’s New Medicaid Denialism: The Congressional Budget Office estimates that, by imposing Medicaid work requirements, the bill would eventually increase the uninsured population by at least 8.6 million. At first, Republican officials tried to defend this outcome on the grounds that it would affect only lazy people who refuse to work. This is clearly untrue, however. As voluminous research literature shows, work requirements achieve savings by implementing burdensome paperwork obligations that mostly take Medicaid from eligible beneficiaries, not 25-year-old guys who prefer playing video games to getting a job.
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Protected: SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - Supplement to today’s edition
Wednesday, Jun 4, 2025 - Posted by Rich Miller
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Protected: SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - Today’s edition of Capitol Fax (use all CAPS in password)
Wednesday, Jun 4, 2025 - Posted by Rich Miller
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Selected press releases (Live updates)
Wednesday, Jun 4, 2025 - Posted by Isabel Miller
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Live coverage
Wednesday, Jun 4, 2025 - Posted by Isabel Miller * Click here and/or here to follow breaking news. Hopefully, enough reporters and news outlets migrate to BlueSky so we can hopefully resume live-posting.
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Isabel’s afternoon roundup
Tuesday, Jun 3, 2025 - Posted by Isabel Miller * Click here for a FY26 budget breakdown from the governor’s office. * WCIA…
Bradley is the son of former legislative staffer and current IFT employee Cynthia Riseman Lund. You can donate by clicking here and make a note that your donation is for Bradley Lund. * Sen. Sue Rezin…
* WIFR | Suspension lifted on the sale of poultry at Illinois flea markets, auctions: The Illinois Department of Agriculture lifts the temporary suspension on the exhibition or sale of poultry at swap meets, flea markets and auctions. The suspension was issued in February because of the threat of H5N1 avian flu, and was lifted June 2. Avian flu can infect poultry and wild birds, and the strains of the virus are extremely infectious and can spread quickly from flock to flock. The flu is often fatal to chickens. …Adding… The Tribune’s Jason Meisner…
Click here to read the full court filing. * Capitol News Illinois | Bill to repeal licensure requirements for hair braiders stalls in the House. Here’s why.: The bill needed one final vote of concurrence on proposed amendments to pass after it had unanimous support in the House and the Senate. House bill sponsor Rep. La Shawn Ford, D-Chicago, said he decided not to bring it to a vote after meeting with members of the Illinois Association of Hair Braiders. “The bill was actually held to get it right,” Ford said. “They’re organizing, and we’re going to listen.” * Sun-Times | 5 things Illinois lawmakers did and didn’t get done in spring session: The Health Benefits for Immigrant Adults program was among the casualties of a tough budget year amid uncertainty in federal funding under President Donald Trump. The state expects to save more than $330 million by cutting health coverage for 33,000 people in Illinois without legal status, including 22,000 in Cook County. Progressives opposed to the cuts still voted for the budget. A similar program for those over 65 was preserved at $110 million. * Higher Ed Drive | Illinois lawmakers pass bill to establish direct admissions program: Each public university participating in the program will set GPA standards for first-time and transfer students by March 1 annually. The state will then inform students about which colleges will automatically accept them based on that criteria beginning with the 2027-28 academic year. * Capitol News Illinois | Mascot ban stalls as Native-backed land conservation bill advances: House Bill 1237’s Senate sponsor, Sen. Suzy Glowiak Hilton, D-Western Springs, said after the bill missed a deadline earlier this session, she was still gathering a consensus from other legislators. But she said many of the concerns she heard about the measure stemmed from the costs associated with schools changing mascots. “We will continue conversations about it and see what we can do with helping them pass it,” Glowiak Hilton said when the bill missed its mid-May deadline. * Daily Herald | GOP state lawmaker considering congressional run: Perennial Republican congressional candidate James Marter of Oswego may soon have competition for his party’s nomination in Illinois’ 14th District. State Rep. Jed Davis of Newark has filed a statement of candidacy for the congressional seat, which has been held by Democrat Lauren Underwood of Naperville since 2019. It identifies his campaign committee as Jed for Freedom DC. * The Chicago 312 | Nick Uniejewski Is Running a State Senate Campaign Like It’s a Dinner Party—and It’s Working.: Nick Uniejewski never planned to run for office. But after hosting over 100 community “salons”—kitchen table-style conversations on housing, transit, and the future of Illinois politics—he realized something that might sound obvious, but isn’t: if we want a government that feels different, we need different people in office. “Every fight for the next four years is going to happen at the state and local level,” Uniejewski told me over the phone, on the way to his next community event. “And my senator just wasn’t there.” * Crain’s | Chicago-based Realtors group braces for 25% decline in membership: The Chicago-based National Association of Realtors is projecting a membership decline totaling 25% in the wake of recent shakeups both in the way home sales are done and in its reputation, the group’s CEO said at an industry meeting this week. Nykia Wright, the NAR’s CEO, said at the group’s annual legislative meetings Sunday in Washington, D.C., that membership is expected to drop to 1.2 million in 2026, down from the group’s peak at slightly over 1.6 million in October 2022, during the COVID-era housing boom. * Block Club | Transitional Housing Program Opens In Wicker Park To Help Unhoused Chicagoans: Renaissance Social Services opened its Triage Bridge Housing Program in April at 1659 W. Division St., and the organization held a ribbon-cutting ceremony Monday. The group is using the building to provide 30 single-occupancy rooms for people who for the most part have already matched with long-term housing options but need a place to live as they finalize move-in details. * Crain’s | Michigan law firm expands to Chicago with deal for intellectual property firm: The deal for Irwin IP LLP closed on May 1 and allows Grand Rapids, Mich.-based Miller Johnson to grow its IP litigation practice through Irwin IP’s client base, which spans startups and Fortune 500 companies. As well, Miller Johnson executives view the deal as a way to fill what they describe as an underserved market in Michigan for experienced intellectual property counsel. “We have a great match culturally and a great match in how we practice law, and with our personalities,” said David Buday, managing member at Miller Johnson. “I think that’s why this all came together.” * WBEZ | What’s That Building? FarmZero: The farm-fresh smell of growing vegetables hits your nose moments after you get off the elevator on the 18th floor at 30 N. LaSalle St. Taking an elevator to get to a farm may seem far-fetched, but if Russ Steinberg’s business grows as much as he hopes, it could become commonplace in the Loop — and in other big cities’ downtown cores. Steinberg’s startup has been growing food on the 18th floor of this mid-70s office building since last July. It’s a small operation at 1,000 square feet, sort of a baby step into indoor farming, but it’s about to get much bigger. * Sun-Times | A neglected Altgeld Gardens building, designed by 1933 World’s Fair architect, is slated for rebirth: The nonprofit By the Hand Club for Kids has signed an agreement to buy the privately owned former Altgeld Gardens Commercial Center — residents call it the Up Top building — at 13100 S. Ellis Ave. for $450,000, according to Andraya Yousfi, the group’s chief of partnerships and development. Helping make the acquisition easier: The Chicago Housing Authority on May 27 agreed to sell 1.24 acres of CHA land surrounding the building — mostly a parking lot that landlocks the structure — to the club for $27,600. * Block Club | Chicago Is Sinking: Land Under Our Feet Is Retreating More Than Most Cities: Chicago is the fifth-fastest-sinking major city in the United States, according to a new study. While the city is only sinking by a few millimeters every year, experts say the shift could damage buildings and other infrastructure. * Sun-Times | Experts looking into cause of death of 4 peregrine falcons that lived on UIC campus building: The chicks, nesting at the University of Illinois Chicago campus, died May 28. The university has hosted peregrines for more than 25 years, providing a sanctuary for the once-endangered species. Ornithologists at the Field Museum are looking into the cause of death. * Tribune | Attorney general says no violations in upheaval at Cook County hospitals non-profit: A state probe into a potential conflict of interest and spending issues at the nonprofit supporting Cook County’s hospital system has closed after no violations were found, though internal strife that launched that investigation has led to roughly half the board’s members leaving over the past year. Attorney General Kwame Raoul’s office said in a statement it told the Cook County Health Foundation in September it “would not be seeking further information” into allegations of “serious governance issues,” including a potential conflict of interest violation. That effectively closed the book on its investigation. * Daily Herald | ‘Queer people are not a danger’: Elgin’s third Pride Parade to celebrate community Saturday: The third annual family-friendly parade has about 60 entrants registered and will step off at 11 a.m. downtown, starting and ending near Festival Park as it goes north on Riverside Drive and returns south on Grove Avenue. A free festival will immediately follow the parade in Festival Park, featuring local vendors offering merchandise and services, LGBTQ+ musicians and performance artists and about 15 food trucks offering various cuisines and nonalcoholic beverages. * Daily Southtown | Dolton OKs budget for just ended fiscal year; expects budget for this year by end of July: The Dolton Village Board approved a budget Monday, although it’s for the fiscal year that just ended, and trustees are working on a new spending plan for the budget year that began May 1. “This is a catch-up budget as we go into the next year,” Mayor Jason House said. He said officials have begun preparations for the fiscal 2026 budget, which will outline spending through the end of April 2026. House said that a public hearing will be scheduled and the board would have a new budget in place by the end of July. The village needed to adopt a budget as it works to get back in the good graces of the state comptroller’s office. * Tribune | Northbrook man charged with pointing gun at village employee in solar panel dispute, police say: A Northbrook man was charged with felony aggravated assault against a municipal employee after he pointed a handgun at a village of Northbrook code enforcement official, police say, in a dispute over a permit to install solar panels. Police later obtained a search warrant and discovered a stockpile of guns and thousands of rounds of ammunition in the resident’s home. […] According to the arrest report, Kurzynowski installed solar panels on a pole barn in his backyard. An individual not named in the police report called the village April 25 to complain about the structure and solar panels. The village requires residents who wish to install solar panels on their property to apply to the village with detailed installation plans and two rounds of inspections. * Daily Southtown Construction continues on Oak Lawn High School’s $40 million fieldhouse: Construction began March 24 on the fieldhouse, that will centralize athletic activities on the south side of the campus. Workers are laying down the structure’s foundation in the former parking lot in front of the the school’s performing arts center, with school community members directed to park on the north side of the school where a lot was recently completed. Oak Lawn District 299 Superintendent Shahe Bagdasarian said those passing by the high school on busy 95th Street should see walls up by end of June. * WGLT | Normal council OKs road projects; music festival complaints amplified: The work is expected to begin this month and be completed of Oct. 15. The bid was awarded over Rowe Construction, the company that was awarded the MFT street resurfacing contract in 2024, and which is currently working on a project at Landmark Drive and College Avenue. Rowe’s bid also was found to be acceptable, but was higher by about $50,000. Council member Karyn Smith noted a $463,000 per lane mile cost is a lower amount than in previous years. * WCIA | ‘It’s a good slap in the face’: Employees in Hoopeston on strike: Workers in Hoopeston want their voices to be heard. On Monday, dozens of employees could be seen outside Teasdale Latin Foods holding up strike signs. Nearly 30 employees on the production side of Teasdale Latin Foods, a canning company, are upset with their contracts. Workers said they’ve been preparing to go on strike for almost a month and they’ll continue to wait it out until things get resolved. * BND | City of Belleville’s director of economic development resigns: Cliff Cross, 52, is moving to take a similar job in a small city in central Georgia. He described it as a good opportunity that will put him in a stronger position for retirement. “I became a director when I was very young,” Cross said Monday. “I’ve been in that role for almost 25 years. At some point, I’ve got to start thinking about myself and my family and slow down a bit, too.” * PJ Star | Washington changes decades-old rule to hire experienced new police chief: Stevens will be paid $140,000 yearly for his work taking over for former chief Mike McCoy, who retired May 5, and could receive pay raises based on performance. Stevens, who had a new nameplate with his title during the meeting, has a 25-year history in the Washington Police Department and served as acting chief multiple times. Stevens’ appointment came after the council amended a 34-year-old ordinance from 1991 that required police chiefs to reside within the city. The council voted 7-1 to approve the change, which now allows candidates for chief who have served the city for at least 15 years to live up to 25 miles outside city limits. * WMBD | Peoria’s Michelle Taylor focuses on trauma-sensitive learning: Michelle Taylor is the Vice President of Education at the Children’s Home Association of Illinois (CHAIL) in Peoria. She oversees Kiefer School and the Academy for Autism. For two decades, she’s remained committed and dedicated to students and staff helping them to thrive in the face of adversity. “Kids have a future that is worth fighting for,” said Taylor. “I think the impact that we have is seen when kids begin to thrive after they’ve been here with us but the impact is something that will last for decades.” * Smile Politely | Red beans, guitar strings, and the gospel according to Buddy Guy: I talked to Buddy Guy ahead of his upcoming June 24th show at Champaign’s Virginia Theatre. Yes, the Buddy Guy. I’m still pinching myself. He answered the phone with the weathered cadence of someone who’s outlasted nearly everyone who taught him how to bend a note until it bled. We talked about red beans and rice, Muddy Waters, and a shared love of Chicago — his adopted city, where the spirit of the Blues still lingers in the air outside Buddy Guy’s Legends on Wabash Avenue. On certain nights, you can still find him there, not headlining but sitting in, guitar in hand, making room for someone younger who knows just enough to listen. * Business Today | ‘700 Indian engineers posed as AI’: The London startup that took Microsoft for a ride: The company marketed its platform as being driven by an AI assistant named “Natasha,” which could supposedly assemble software applications like Lego bricks. But recent reports and commentary have revealed that behind the scenes, customer requests were manually fulfilled by developers, not machines. Commenting on the unraveling, Ebern Finance founder Bernhard Engelbrecht described it in a widely circulated post on X: “Customer requests were sent to the Indian office, where 700 Indians wrote code instead of AI,” adding that the end products were often buggy, dysfunctional, and difficult to maintain. “Everything was like real artificial intelligence — except that none of it was.” * NYT | From No Hope to a Potential Cure for a Deadly Blood Cancer: Multiple myeloma is considered incurable, but a third of patients in a Johnson & Johnson clinical trial have lived without detectable cancer for years after facing certain death.
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Bears, White Sox should take note of Chicago Fire stadium plan
Tuesday, Jun 3, 2025 - Posted by Rich Miller * Important news, if it happens. Crain’s…
* Lots of work to do before this becomes a reality. Sun-Times…
* Tribune…
If the Bears and White Sox can’t afford to do this stuff on their own, the owners should sell their teams to people who can. * Meanwhile, Crain’s takes a non-clickbait approach to what happened to the Bears during the spring session…
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Mayor Johnson on transit funding, grocery tax
Tuesday, Jun 3, 2025 - Posted by Isabel Miller * At a press availability this morning, Mayor Brandon Johnson was asked about the General Assembly’s failure to pass transit legislation…
Please pardon any transcription errors. * Later, Johnson was asked again about revenue ideas for transit…
* On the grocery tax…
So, the grocery tax stays.
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Constellation signs deal with Meta to expand Clinton nuclear plant
Tuesday, Jun 3, 2025 - Posted by Rich Miller
…Adding… FERC shot down the last attempt to do this…
* Meanwhile, the Sun-Times took a look at why the omnibus energy bill failed to pass this spring…
Lots more, so click here.
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Musical interlude
Tuesday, Jun 3, 2025 - Posted by Rich Miller
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US Supreme Court will decide standing in Bost vote by mail lawsuit
Tuesday, Jun 3, 2025 - Posted by Rich Miller * CBS News…
* From the US Supreme Court on Bost v. Illinois State Board of Elections…
* A conflict exists on standing between two circuits. From Election Law Blog…
* Tribune…
* From the district court judge’s ruling…
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Today’s must-read
Tuesday, Jun 3, 2025 - Posted by Rich Miller * Talia Soglin and Jeremy Gorner at the Chicago Tribune…
What follows is a sober, calm, fact-based story about what’s about to happen. It’s most definitely worth a full read.
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Open thread
Tuesday, Jun 3, 2025 - Posted by Rich Miller
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Protected: SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - Update to yesterday’s edition
Tuesday, Jun 3, 2025 - Posted by Rich Miller
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Isabel’s morning briefing
Tuesday, Jun 3, 2025 - Posted by Isabel Miller * ICYMI: Illinois Budget Doubles Child Tax Credit in Major Win for Working Families. Economic Security Project…
* At 11:30 am Governor Pritzker will deliver brief remarks at the Chicago Chamber of Commerce annual meeting. * Chicago City Council Black Caucus members Ald. Lamont Robinson (4), Ald. Demon Yancy (5), Ald. Matt Martin (47), Illinois House Black Caucus member State Rep. Maurice West, Illinois Senate Black Caucus members State Sen. Adriane Johnson, State Sen. Christopher Belt, State Sen. Doris Turner, and former State Sen. Donne Trotter and Pastor Dr. Byron Brazier endorsed Sen. Robert Peters for Congress in Illinois’ 2nd District on Tuesday. * Another contender emerges for the 8th Congressional District…
* Crain’s | Lawmakers OK new perks for manufacturers that stick with Illinois: After adding incentives aimed at attracting new manufacturers in recent years, state legislators approved new tax credits to help existing companies. Legislation passed over the weekend allows the Illinois Department of Commerce & Economic Opportunity to offer a tax credit of 3% to 7% for manufacturers who invest at least $10 million in upgrading or expanding their facilities. * Tribune | Illinois legislators left Springfield without funding public transit (for now). Here’s what that means for CTA, Metra, Pace: Still, service cuts are not slated to start until COVID-19 relief funding runs out in January, or even later into next year. That means there is still time for lawmakers to go back to Springfield to take another stab at passing legislation that would plug the budget gap. However, any legislation passed after May 31 that would take effect before June 2026 requires — per the state’s constitution — a three-fifths majority in both chambers rather than a simple majority. That makes lawmakers’ task harder. * Sun-Times | Illinois bill to push renewable energy dies after businesses balk: Lawmakers spent months crafting legislation that they hoped would spur development of new wind and solar power as well as large batteries to store the energy. The state is facing a potential shortage of power in the future as big data centers being built are expected to use enormous amounts of electricity. ComEd customers are paying higher rates because of power demand nationwide. The average customer with a $100 electric bill is going to see a jump of almost 11% when July bills arrive. * Tribune | Amid challenge from banks, Illinois legislators move to delay ban on certain credit card fees: A measure passed by legislators and signed into law by Gov. JB Pritzker last year would prevent banks and credit card companies from charging retailers a small fee on sales taxes and tips. Pritzker still has to sign off on the legislature’s move to extend the deadline to July 1, 2026. Pritzker on Sunday said that while the delay wasn’t his initiative, he anticipated the interchange fee issue “will probably get resolved over the next year” as it is currently with the courts. * Hm…
* WAND | Pharmacies get lifeline vs PBMs: PBMs are the middlemen between insurance companies and pharmacies. Pharmacies have claimed PBMs are keeping prescription drug prices high while driving smaller pharmacies out of business. “There have been independent pharmacies hanging on by a thread for the last couple of years,” Lauren Young of Dale’s Southlake Pharmacy in Decatur told WAND News. “Over 80 pharmacies closed across the state of Illinois last year alone, including one of our pharmacies.” * WICS | Democrats celebrate passage of new state budget while Republicans slam budget process: While Democrats are celebrating the approval of a new state budget plan before May 31st’s midnight deadline, Republicans say a lack of transparency over the budget process is doing a disservice to all Illinois residents. The $55.2 billion spending plan is the largest in state history and relies on a revenue omnibus bill to fund. * Sun-Times | ICE detains two in Pilsen without warrants, Ald. Sigcho-Lopez says: In a social media post Monday afternoon, the 25th Ward office said one person was detained inside a business and another inside a home in the 1800 block of South Carpenter Street about 8:30 a.m. “With the footage submitted to our office, it was apparent no warrant was provided for either of the arrests,” the statement said. “We are calling for a full investigation that brings great concern to our community with these trends happening across the country.” * Tribune | Mayor Brandon Johnson’s photographer fired after allegedly bringing gun on city property: Terence Crayton was found to have violated City Hall policy by bringing a gun “on to City of Chicago property and in a City of Chicago vehicle” in April, according to a copy of his personnel records obtained via a public records request. He was terminated April 24, the same day his co-workers reported him. Crayton’s boss, communications director Erin Connelly, wrote in an April 29 memo that two of her staffers alerted her about the firearm and after that, a third employee reported that Crayton had mentioned carrying a firearm to previous mayoral events “at his own personal discretion.” That employee said they reported Crayton to his former boss, Ronnie Reese, but Reese “did not report the incident or issue any report or disciplinary action,” per Connelly’s note. * NBC Chicago | ‘Doomsday’ scenario possible, experts warn, as Illinois transit reform stalls: “The doomsday is very real,” said transportation expert Joe Schwieterman with DePaul University. “The numbers speak for themselves. Without that funding, we are looking at 30-40% cuts” * Tribune | Chicago Fire plan to build $650M soccer stadium at The 78 in South Loop: After nearly a decade of big swings and misses, including a recent failed bid to build a new White Sox ballpark, The 78 and developer Related Midwest may have finally found an anchor tenant to kick-start the proposed mixed-use megadevelopment in the South Loop. The Chicago Fire announced plans Tuesday for a privately financed $650 million soccer stadium at the mostly vacant 62-acre site along the Chicago River at Roosevelt Road, giving the team a “world-class home,” and potentially turning the former rail yard into a bustling South Side Wrigleyville. * Block Club | CTA Launches Annual ‘Pride Train’ To Run On Red Line Through June: With “Ride with pride!” emblazoned on its side, the train features a design with vertical splashes of color along the entire length of the eight-car train. Its design not only features the colors of the classic pride flag, but also includes black and brown and the trio of colors found on the transgender pride flag. The black and brown stripes traditionally represent queer people of color, and the black stripe also represents those who died during the HIV/AIDS epidemic in the United States. * NBC Chicago | Construction begins on pipeline to bring Lake Michigan water to SW suburbs: The GPWC formed after the Illinois State Water Survey determined the suburbs’ current water source, a nearly century-old aquifer, is quickly depleting and by 2030, will no longer be able to meet demand. “Initially, this will serve about 250,000 residents, and it can expand up to about half a million,” said Clarence DeBold, the chairman of the GPWC and the mayor of Shorewood. * Daily Herald | A new data center off I-88? Naperville officials leery of potential development: The developer of a potential data center in Naperville will reimburse the city for the costs of a study about its electricity demands. Naperville’s electric utility has decided to contract with ICF Resources to conduct a “network interconnection study” related to the possibility of a data center being built along the I-88 corridor. All costs associated with the study will be billed to the developer. Mayor Scott Wehrli made the future of the I-88 corridor a focal point of his State of the City address last month, calling it “the largest and most significant redevelopment opportunity in our city’s history.” * Daily Herald | What’s next for Bears after legislature punts on stadium assistance?: [Sen. Mark Walker] said the parties are “fairly close conceptually on what a deal could be,” but no bill will pass without buy-in from the General Assembly’s Chicago delegation. Suggestions in the past have included a stadium ticket tax to pay off Chicago’s debt from the 2002 renovation of Soldier Field. “That’s always been part of the assumption that if there was a deal in Arlington Heights, there would have to be some kind of agreement with Chicago to get the votes,” Walker said * Daily Herald | After decades of complaints, Mount Prospect is looking at ways to slow drivers in popular cut-through route: Mount Prospect is wrapping up a three-week trial of traffic-calming measures designed to address nearly three decades of resident complaints along a popular cut-through route. The complaints range from drivers ignoring “no through-traffic” signs to motorists flouting the 25 mph speed limit. * Daily Herald | Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias visits West Northfield middle school: Approximately 340 students in sixth to eighth grade gathered for a special assembly with Giannoulias, who shared insights about his role in state government, his personal journey, and the importance of leadership at all stages of life. During his visit, Giannoulias spoke about the responsibilities of the Secretary of State’s Office and emphasized the values of gratitude, civic engagement, and giving back to one’s community. The assembly concluded with a lively Q&A session, where students asked thoughtful and wide-ranging questions, demonstrating their curiosity and enthusiasm for public service. * NYT | A Peach and Apple Farmer’s Uphill Quest to Feed Poor Families, and His Own: On a chilly morning in April, Austin Flamm strode through grassy lanes fringed with delicate peach and apple blossoms. Mr. Flamm, 29, and his cousin Parker, 28, are the sixth generation of their family to produce fruit and vegetables on an Illinois farm that in 2024 gave them the best profits they have had since they joined the operation. The gains were largely because Flamm Orchards had joined a program, IL-EATS, funded by the Biden-era Agriculture Department, that bought and distributed local produce to the poor. Mr. Flamm’s skepticism of government programs made him wary of IL-EATS at first. But he changed his mind when he saw the prices he was offered for his cauliflower, broccoli and other vegetables. * WGLT | Homeless encampment residents in Normal continue to relocate after planned deadline: A tent encampment near AutoZone in Normal was set to disperse Sunday due to a coming construction project, but a few residents still remain. Some of the encampment residents have been placed into housing, with most relocating to other encampments in town, according to Kim Massey with God’s Mission Ministry. * Pantagraph | Illinois to raze and redevelop some state-owned properties, including in Lincoln and Dwight: In total, $300 million in capital funds have been set aside toward remediation efforts and ultimately razing dilapidated structures at five state-owned sites, including the former Lincoln Developmental Center and the former Dwight Correctional Center. * Smile Politely | Rep. Carol Ammons discusses protecting the Mahomet Aquifer from carbon capture: The bill to protect the Mahomet Aquifer, though steadfast in its protections of the aquifer itself, has undergone changes that some, including Rep. Ammons, has expressed disappointment with. These revisions, made to appeal to those in opposition to the bill (including energy labor unions), include the removal of recharge zones under its protection. However, according to Senator Faraci, this is also due in part to lack of clarity as to exactly where these recharge zones are. Furthermore, the bill now calls for a five-year study led by the Prairie Research Institute to assess the risks of carbon storage within the footprint of the aquifer as well as the boundaries of its recharge zones. * WAND | Ameren price hikes means 20% increase in power bills: “Ameren’s electricity price went up by 50% … that’s going to cost customers about 18 to 22% in higher electric bills this summer,” said Jim Chilsen, spokesperson for CUB. “Ameren has estimated that that would cost a typical residential customer about $38 to $46 per month during the four month summer season, which is June through September, so that’s about 150 to $180 total over the summer.”
* WaPo | Red states tell colleges: Race and gender classes are out, civics in: Lawmakers in conservative states are taking more control over what is taught and required at public colleges and universities, an effort that some faculty say threatens the foundation of higher education and academic freedom. New laws in Ohio, Utah and Florida are reshaping general education, the core classes college students take to meet graduation requirements. The laws mandate that students take civics courses focused on Western civilization and bar classes centered on race or gender from counting toward core requirements. * NYT | F.T.C. Investigates Ad Groups and Watchdogs, Alleging Boycott Collusion: The Federal Trade Commission is investigating whether roughly a dozen prominent advertising and advocacy groups violated antitrust law by coordinating boycotts among advertisers that did not want their brands to appear alongside hateful online content, four people familiar with the inquiries said. The inquiries include the agency’s previously reported investigation of Media Matters, a liberal advocacy organization that has published research on hateful and antisemitic content on X, the social media company owned by Elon Musk. * Huffpost | Republicans Big Mad At Elon Musk For Telling The Truth About The Big Beautiful Bill: Rep. Darin LaHood (R-Ill.) said Monday that Musk, who complained the bill increases the budget deficit, doesn’t know what he’s talking about. “I would disagree with Elon in the sense that he doesn’t understand how the tax bill works,” LaHood said on CNBC. “This is going to be rocket fuel for the economy.”
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Selected press releases (Live updates)
Tuesday, Jun 3, 2025 - Posted by Isabel Miller
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Live coverage
Tuesday, Jun 3, 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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