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Isabel’s afternoon roundup
Thursday, Jan 23, 2025 - Posted by Isabel Miller * “Tiffany Henyard’s name will stay off Thornton Township ballot, Cook County court affirms”…
* Tribune | Feds in Madigan trial continue to lay out ‘corrupt exchange’ between ex-speaker and ComEd: In continuing to lay out the government’s evidence in her closing argument to jurors, Assistant U.S. Attorney Julia Schwartz played a wiretapped recording where then-ComEd CEO Anne Pramaggiore told Madigan’s longtime confidant and co-defendant, Michael McClain just how valuable the speaker’s influence had been.
* Capitol News Illinois | In closing arguments, prosecutor alleges Madigan was driven by ‘power and profit’: “Power and profit: that’s what drove Madigan, with the help of McClain, to break the law time and again,” she said. Along with the overarching racketeering conspiracy charge, Madigan faces 22 other counts of bribery, extortion and other corruption charges. McClain is also charged in several of those counts, though he has already been convicted for his role in bribing Madigan along with three other former lobbyists and executives from electric utility Commonwealth Edison. * Capitol News Illinois | Illinois schools prepare for immigration enforcement: The “non-regulatory guidance” on immigration enforcement actions was issued Wednesday, Jan. 22, two days after President Donald Trump was inaugurated for his second term in the White House. […] “All children in the United States are entitled to equal access to a basic public elementary and secondary education, regardless of their actual or perceived immigration status, or the status of their parents/guardians,” State Superintendent of Education Tony Sanders said in his weekly message posted on the ISBE website. * WJBD | Illinois State Police Crack Down on Firearms Licensed Dealers: Since the Illinois State Police (ISP) began conducting inspections of Federal Firearms License (FFL) dealers, the number of guns stolen from dealers has decreased. In 2024, the number of firearms stolen from FFL dealers in Illinois dropped almost 80% compared to 2023, and 92% compared to 2022. * NPR | Illinois’ expands police body camera law: Since 2022, larger police departments have been required to wear body cameras. Now, the law also applies to smaller jurisdictions. While they can be costly, advocates say it’s important to see video evidence of what happens in the field. * WGN | DEI policies rollback threatens future of minority, women contractors in Illinois: With the dismantling of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion initiatives, or DEI policies, minority and women contractors in Illinois are bracing for major changes they say will impact their small businesses and futures. For the last decade, Jeannette Chavarria-Torres has worked to not only build her business, but make connections and shatter glass ceilings. She said the Trump administration’s rollout of reeling in DEI policies is adding more hurdles for her in a male-dominated business. * WBEZ | Feds sent subpoenas to Chicago charter school Urban Prep about its former CEO: Federal authorities are conducting a long-running criminal investigation at an embattled charter school operator on Chicago’s South Side, according to grand jury records obtained by WBEZ and sources with knowledge of the probe. Investigators in the U.S. attorney’s office in Chicago launched their probe at Urban Prep Academies in 2022 and have sought a wide range of records from the charter network — including many documents pertaining to Urban Prep’s founder and former CEO, Tim King. * WTTW | Johnson’s Anti-Violence Effort ‘Just Getting Started,’ 1 Year After It Began, Officials Say: Mayor Brandon Johnson’s push to focus his administration’s anti-violence efforts on 10 of Chicago’s “most vulnerable” areas on the city’s West and South sides is “just getting started,” according to an evaluation of the plan released Wednesday by city officials. […] While homicides dropped 7.6% citywide between 2023 and 2024, homicides dropped 30% in the Englewood (7th) Police District and 35% in the Harrison (11th) Police District, which included areas targeted by the mayor’s public safety plan, according to city data. * Chicago Reader | Don your beaver suit: Hundreds of Beavers is back: I did not expect the screening would sell out, nor that I’d find people in line dressed up as beavers. The Music Box has played Hundreds of Beavers just a handful of times; the film will screen for the seventh time at the theater on Friday, January 31. Beavers cost $150,000 to make and had a small budget for promotion; director Mike Cheslik sent the movie on a small touring circuit that involved adults in animal costumes wrestling at screenings. In the past 12 months or so, Beavers has grown a sizable cult—one that caught the attention of the New York Times last March. * Axios | Chicago Fire FC sign 15-year-old from Niles: urdean hails from Niles and attends the Chicago Fire Academy, which is an accredited middle and high school specifically designed for soccer student-athletes. His decision to choose the Fire over major European clubs speaks volumes about the environment we’re building and our commitment to developing local talent,” Fire FC coach Gregg Berhalter said in a statement. * ABC Chicago | Demolition of former Tinley Park Mental Health Center begins: Last February, the park district purchased the 280-acre property for $1 from the State. […] A spokesperson added that the park district secured $15 million in state funds to pay for the site to be cleaned up for redevelopment. * Capitol News Illinois | Former southeastern Illinois police chief faces federal charges: Under Illinois law, prosecutors can initiate a process called criminal forfeiture to seize property, assets and proceeds. Forfeiture is a civil action, separate from the criminal case. To gain control of the property, prosecutors must show a judge that it was either used in the commission of the crime or purchased with the proceeds of the crime. That’s not how Brown, who said he hasn’t had a driver’s license since 1977 and admitted he has more than 20 driving under the influence convictions, lost Elvira. In his case, he agreed to give the bike to Wayne City Police Department as part of a plea agreement in an aggravated DUI case. A repeat offender, Brown was facing prison time. * SJ-R | ‘An easy way to handle this’: Six massage parlors have still not responded to city demands: “In conjunction with the massage parlor ordinance being passed (last summer), City staff identified massage parlors operating within the corporate limits,” city attorney Gregory Moredock said via email. “An initial letter was sent with a copy of the ordinance putting establishments on notice of the new regulations.” […] From September to Dec. 21, 48 locations were determined to be unlicensed parlors. After three rounds of letters from the city, three locations closed voluntarily. * Crain’s | Stellantis to build trucks in Belvidere, but what else?: Stellantis said yesterday it will employ about 1,500 people building new trucks, with an expected investment of $1.2 billion. It didn’t say whether those trucks will be electric, hybrid or conventional vehicles. As for the rest, the company said: “We are currently assessing plans for both the Belvidere battery plant and the Mega Hub and have nothing further to share at this time.” * River Bender | Ameren Illinois Upgrading 6 Miles of Natural Gas Infrastructure In Madison County: Ameren Illinois customers driving in and around Illinois Route 203 from World Wide Technology Raceway in Madison to Granite City near U.S. Steel facilities in Madison County will see energy at work now and throughout July as the company upgrades a major natural gas transmission pipeline to comply with enhanced federal transmission pipeline regulations established in 2019. Illinois is replacing 1960s era pipeline along a six-mile stretch with new steel pipeline, while adding three new regulator stations and two new control valve stations as part of the Ameren Illinois’ multi-year plan for all of its gas transmission pipelines to comply with the U.S. Department of Transportation’s 2035 deadline for overall completion. * WTTW | New PBS Documentary Tells Story and Impact of Successive Waves of Black Migration: Between 1910 and 1970, approximately 6 million Black people left the American South for what they hoped would be a better future in the North in what’s known as the Great Migration. A new four-part documentary series hosted and executive produced by Henry Louis Gates Jr. tells not only that story, but also modern-day stories of Black migration — both back to the American South, and from Africa and the Caribbean.
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Attorney General Raoul tells SERS that Tim Mapes’ conviction requires forfeiting pension benefits (Updated)
Thursday, Jan 23, 2025 - Posted by Rich Miller * Memo to the State Employees’ Retirement System from Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul…
…Adding… Comptroller Susana Mendoza…
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Illinois-related Trump news coverage roundup (Updated)
Thursday, Jan 23, 2025 - Posted by Rich Miller * Shortly before Biden left office, the Department of Justice announced a memorandum of agreement with the Sangamon County Sheriff’s Office and other local governments in the wake of Sonya Massey’s killing. The WaPo did not post the correspondence online, so we’ll just have to wait and see what happens…
* Meanwhile, some far-right types attended a press conference today held by Gov. Pritzker and Mayor Johnson…
Please pardon any transcription errors. * ISBE…
* These numbers are not huge, to say the least. But it’s early…
* Click here for the TRO…  * More from Isabel…
* Tribune | Chicago schools, churches and hospitals vow to protect migrants in US illegally after Trump lifts ban that limited immigration arrests in safe spaces: During a visit to the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City, Cardinal Blase Cupich, archbishop of Chicago said that the reports of the mass deportations in Chicago are “disturbing,” according to a news release. “The Catholic community stands with the people of Chicago in speaking out in defense of the rights of immigrants and asylum-seekers,” he said, adding that the church “would also oppose all efforts by Immigration and Customs Enforcement and other government agencies to enter places of worship for any enforcement activities.” * WGN | CTA, Chicago launch ‘Know Your Rights’ ads after Trump ICE threats: The ad campaign, featured on over 400 screens across CTA buses and trains, directs riders to online resources and guidance for visits by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). * AP | Here’s why some of your social media accounts appear to have automatically followed President Trump: After the new president is sworn in, the Facebook and Instagram accounts of the previous administration are archived and the posts, as well as followers, are preserved. These followers are then transferred to the new official accounts. …Adding… From AG Raoul…
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Johnson, Zack, Harold, Pate and the has-beens
Thursday, Jan 23, 2025 - Posted by Rich Miller * NBC 5…
* My old pal Zack Stamp emailed me about this bill a few days ago. He said that in 1980, when Harold Washington was in the state Senate, the Senator introduced a bill to recall the mayor, who was Jane Byrne at the time. The bill failed, but after Harold was elected mayor, Senate Minority Leader James “Pate” Philip reintroduced the same bill. While testifying in favor of his bill in the Senate Executive Committee, Pate read aloud Washington’s floor speech word for word. The proposal died along party lines. Then-Sen. Washington said of his bill it was “as American as mother… apple pie”…
The floor debate got a bit weird. Sen. Jeremiah Joyce (D-Chicago) was a big supporter of the bill and said he had drafted an amendment which would have “provided for a psychiatric examination upon petition.” He never moved it forward. Ouch. You can read about the first time Pate sat down with Harold after the 1983 mayor election in Zack’s book, “Things as I Remember Them.” * Anyway, I saw Zack yesterday at the annual “Has-Been Caucus” in Punta Gorda, Florida. The caucus is mostly comprised of former Illinois legislators, lobbyists, staff, etc. who spend some or all of their winters in the citrus state. I came as a special guest and gathered them together and took a photo, but some folks had already left by then…  Anyway, discuss whatever. This post is kinda all over the place.
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Roundup: Closing arguments begin in Madigan corruption trial
Thursday, Jan 23, 2025 - Posted by Isabel Miller * Tribune…
* Tribune reporter Jason Meisner…
* Sun-Times Federal Courts Reporter Jon Seidel…
* Sun-Times…
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Vexillologists refine state flag finalists (Updated)
Thursday, Jan 23, 2025 - Posted by Isabel Miller
Through Feb. 14, you can vote once every 24 hours on 10 finalists. Click here to vote. * The original options…  * Here are Kaye’s redesigns…
What are your thoughts? Are these redesigned flags any improvement? …Adding… [By Rich] From Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation on not being selected as a finalist by the state panel…
The nation’s submission… 
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Open thread
Thursday, Jan 23, 2025 - Posted by Isabel Miller * What’s going on in your part of Illinois?…
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Isabel’s morning briefing
Thursday, Jan 23, 2025 - Posted by Isabel Miller * ICYMI: Subscribers were told about this on Tuesday. Reforming Tier 2 pensions could cost the state $30 billion, actuary says. Crain’s…
- The bill, HB5909, is a result of the Tier 2 benefit structure’s increasing noncompliance with the “safe harbor” requirement for those who are not covered by Social Security, - The study calculates only the impact of the benefit enhancements for the $73 billion Illinois Teachers’ Retirement System; $25.7 billion Illinois State Employees’ Retirement System; and $24.7 billion Illinois State Universities Retirement System, due to the “constraints of available data.” * Capitol News Illinois | Supreme Court considers legality of law banning ‘venue shopping’ in constitutional challenges: The case before the Illinois Supreme Court was brought by Piasa Armory, an East Alton gun store. It challenged the constitutionality of an unrelated firearms regulation, the Firearm Industry Responsibility Act, which was also signed into law in 2023. That law subjects firearms groups to civil penalties for violating consumer protection laws. * Chalkbeat Chicago | Parents of premature babies struggle to get help their children are entitled to: An hour before release, a physical therapist showed Heath how to help the babies gain strength by gently stretching their legs out. A nurse gave her a quick tutorial on how to use the oxygen tanks they would need for the next couple of months. And Heath gathered together basic necessities and a few mementos: diapers, pacifiers, blood pressure cuffs, and tiny hospital bands. But no one at the hospital — one of Chicago’s largest — told Heath or her husband what she felt would have been the most helpful advice in the long run: The triplets’ low birth weight alone meant they were automatically eligible for what’s known as early intervention services, which can include speech, physical, occupational, and other therapies. * Daily Herald | Metra fare hikes, 40% service reduction looms without funding fix: The clock is ticking for transit agencies facing a crater-sized budget hole, Metra Executive Director Jim Derwinski warned at a Wednesday meeting. “If we do not see the funding gap filled through a legislative solution by June of this year, we will have to begin the arduous work of a budget process that involves both fare increases and service cuts,” Derwinski said. * Sun-Times | Consumer watchdogs launch $1M TV ad blitz against controversial Peoples Gas pipeline program: The Citizens Utility Board and other advocates hope their “unprecedented” ad buy will help slash spending on the utility’s pipeline replacement program — but Peoples Gas says the groups are “playing politics with Chicagoans’ safety.” * Tribune | Planned Parenthood of Illinois announces clinic closures amid statewide surge in abortion patients after the fall of Roe: The agency cited various reasons for the financial shortfall, including “rising health care costs for in-person care, increase in patient volume needing financial assistance, uncertain patient care landscape under a new national political administration and the need to create a sustainable future after the overturning of Roe v Wade.” Planned Parenthood of Illinois officials did not immediately answer Tribune questions about the amount of the financial shortfall nor did the agency give any details in their statement. * NBC Chicago | Illinois Child Care for All Coalition delivers 1,800 signatures to mayor calling for livable wages: “Right now, childcare in Chicago is in crisis. Parents can’t access affordable childcare and workers are struggling to get by on low wages and lack of benefits,” Toni Frazier of SEIU healthcare said. […] The group said 58% of the population in Illinois lives in an area where there aren’t enough nearby childcare providers to meet the need. * Chalkbeat Chicago | Chicago Public Schools, teachers’ union turn to arbitrator to help reach new contract: This fact-finding process involving an arbitrator has been used three times since it was established in state law in 2010. Twice, teachers still ended up going on strike. Under the timeline required by the law, the soonest a strike could now occur would be mid-April. * Sun-Times | Chicago cop who wore extremist mask to racial justice protest faces reprimand after yearslong probe: In a statement this week, Witzburg’s office said CPD recently recommended a reprimand for failing to properly wear his uniform. He didn’t face allegations of discrediting the department or undercutting its goals — which Witzburg has urged CPD’s internal investigators to consider. * The Athletic | New Bears coach Ben Johnson excited to take charge of ‘sleeping giant’: “I don’t think many people understand how set up for success this place is.” Johnson acknowledged that quarterback Caleb Williams is a big reason for that.“There’s no doubt Caleb played a large component in my decision,” Johnson said. “He is a phenomenal talent that had, as many quarterbacks do, an up-and-down rookie year. I see my role as a supporter of him. This offense will be calibrated with him in mind.” * Sun-Times | Here are the 22 Chicago James Beard Awards 2025 semifinalist nominations: Chef Lee Wolen of Boka is nominated in the category of Outstanding Chef and, as in many years past, Chicago chefs dominated the category of Best Chef Great Lakes Region with 10 nominations. The recently Michelin-starred Cariño earned its first Beard nomination, in the category of Best New Restaurant, while Feld restaurant’s chef Jacob Potashnick earned a first-time nomination in the category of Emerging Chef. * ABC Chicago | Governor JB Pritzker reports for jury duty in Chicago: The governor’s officer shared the following statement: “Today, Illinois Governor JB Pritzker was summoned to jury duty at George N. Leighton Criminal Courthouse. As instructed, he arrived prior to 9 a.m. The Governor sat with other potential jurors for a several hours while waiting for the selection process to commence. The Governor was not selected as a juror and was dismissed this afternoon.” * ABC Chicago | Thornton Township Supervisor Tiffany Henyard opposes board’s appointment of interim trustee: Henyard said Wednesday that she’s “disappointed and shocked” by the action, and she claims that the clerk and attorneys didn’t follow the township code for selecting a new trustee. Trustee Chris Gonzalez said they consulted with attorneys, and Wiedeman said all the steps taken were legal. * Naperville Sun | Censured Naperville D203 board member called out for abdicating responsibility on monthly bill review: “Essentially it’s the district’s checkbook,” Cush said. “We have the opportunity to ask questions on behalf of the community as to what the bills were, what the claims were, what each dollar basically was spent on.” Cush said he had a “major concern” that Kelley Black, who had been assigned the task, did not perform her duty. The schedule for when each board member would do the review was set in August, but Kelley Black notified the board president by email Jan. 14 to advise her she would not be doing the review this month, he said. * Tribune | Ranked choice voting could boost election fairness, supporters say. But it faces a steep uphill climb in Cook County: While proponents hope voters in Evanston and Oak Park, or possibly other locales, will walk into voting booths as early as 2026 or 2027 and choose their candidates from a ranked choice voting ballot, their enthusiasm is facing headwinds. The Cook County clerk’s office, which runs elections in the county’s suburbs, has thrown a wrench into Evanston’s plans, leading to a court battle that is still pending. * Naperville Sun | Say No To Coal consortium packs Naperville council meeting to fight electric contract extension: Alongside NEST, which is an official Naperville advisory body, other consortium members include the League of Women Voters of Naperville, First Congregational UCC Naperville, Accelerate Climate Solutions and Green Scene North Central College. About 18 people spoke at the meeting about Naperville’s electric utility and its contract with IMEA. All but one speaker on the matter urged the city away from renewing the deal or encouraged officials to be prudent in any contract decisions. * Sun-Times | 3,000 hens at Matteson farm die in bird flu outbreak: The flock produced about 2,000 eggs a week for the online marketplace and has resulted in a huge financial loss, Marty Thomas said. Now the farm is under a 150-day quarantine, and the owners are seeking help to keep their farm running until they can begin selling again in June. * Daily Herald | Arlington Heights OKs disability housing plan, but one trustee calls process ‘despicable’: The lone holdout, Trustee Scott Shirley, acknowledged he likes the changes, but criticized how developer Full Circle Communities approached the process. “It’s lousy the way this whole thing went down,” Shirley said. “And I think Full Circle — you’re going to be a terrible neighbor if you treat these people the way you did during this process. I hope you turn that around. Because this was just despicable.” * Daily Herald | Fox Lake flip wins ‘Ugliest House of the Year’ award from national company: The house had many additions over the years, and every time another addition was put on the original house, it got another layer of siding, too. “There were five layers of siding. Now there are six,” Albrecht said, because taking off some of the old siding was too problematic. * WPSD | Heartland Women’s Healthcare to end privileges at Carbondale hospital: According to a Tuesday statement from Heartland Women’s Healthcare, its providers will be unable to deliver babies at the Carbondale hospital after that date. A news release from SIH said the decision was made due to the practice’s “strategic goals and operational plans.”The practice said it would continue to provide obstetric care at its offices in Carbondale, Harrisburg, and Marion offices, and at other hospitals, and encouraged patients to talk to their providers about any changes to their delivery plans. * WICS | Injunction filed to void Chuck Redpath’s appointment to city clerk: The injunction alleges that Redpath’s appointment was unlawful and raises issues of improper influence. It requests the court to nullify Redpath’s appointment. The filing states, “By casting a vote in favor of his own appointment, Defendant Redpath effectively influenced the decision-making process in a manner that benefits him personally, disregarding the ethical standards required of public officials.” * NYT | CNN Plots Major Overhaul as It Enters a New Trump Era : On Thursday, the company announced that it would eliminate about 200 jobs focused on CNN’s traditional TV operations, and add about the same number for new digital roles like data scientists and product engineers. CNN is aiming to hire 100 of those people in the first half of the year, Mr. Thompson said.
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Live coverage
Thursday, Jan 23, 2025 - Posted by Isabel Miller * You can click here and here to follow the Madigan trial. Click here and/or here to follow breaking news. Hopefully, enough reporters and news outlets migrate to BlueSky so we can hopefully resume live-posting.
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Selected press releases (Live updates)
Thursday, Jan 23, 2025 - Posted by Isabel Miller
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Isabel’s afternoon roundup
Wednesday, Jan 22, 2025 - Posted by Isabel Miller
* Sun-Times…
* Crain’s | Reforming Tier 2 pensions could cost the state $30 billion, actuary says: A new Illinois pension reform bill would increase contributions to the state’s three largest retirement systems by a total of nearly $30 billion through fiscal year 2045, according to an actuarial impact study by Segal Group. The study was commissioned by the state Legislature’s Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability as a result of the introduction of a bill in November to close the gap between the pensionable salary cap of state Tier 2 employees and the Social Security wage base. * Tribune | Allstate to raise Illinois homeowners insurance rates by 14.3%: Allstate is increasing homeowners insurance rates in Illinois by 14.3% beginning Feb. 24, according to a filing with the state last month. The rate hike applies to a “portion” of Illinois customers, with some seeing lesser increases or no changes, an Allstate spokesperson said Monday. “While more frequent, severe weather and higher repair prices have increased insurance claim costs, customers continue to get competitive prices with Allstate and can save money by bundling home and auto,” Allstate said in a statement. * Block Club | Lathrop Homes Redevelopment Gets TIF Boost From City Council: The TIF amendment will add almost 13 acres to the district, which is expected to increase its budget from $17.5 million to $60 million to “support planned improvements within the southern portion of the complex” below Diversey Avenue, according to a press release from Mayor Brandon Johnson’s office. The new funding is the latest update in the ongoing redevelopment of the Lathrop Homes, which the Chicago Housing Authority has been converting in recent years from solely public housing into a mix of public, affordable and market-rate units. * Tribune | Former high-level assessor’s office employee under Berrios charged with taking bribes from lawyer: A former high-ranking director in then-Cook County Assessor Joseph Berrios’ office has been charged with accepting sports tickets, restaurant meals and other bribes from a lawyer in exchange for help with property assessments. Francisco Perez, 50, of Chicago, was charged with one count of bribery conspiracy in a criminal information made public Friday. A court date has not been set, but defendants charged by way of information, rather than by grand jury indictment, typically intend to plead guilty. * Block Club Chicago | Some Chicagoans Are Afraid To Go To The South And West Sides. In ‘Don’t Go’ Book, Authors Examine Why: In 2018, Johnson founded the acclaimed Folded Map project to connect residents at corresponding addresses on opposite sides of the city and examine how segregation impacts people socially. As part of an expansion of the Folded Map Project, Johnson and Krysan interviewed people to further investigate how they confronted and combatted harmful narratives about the city’s South and West sides. Those interviews, some of which Block Club published in 2021, would eventually lead to “Don’t Go.” * Sun-Times | Bean There, Plowed That: City announces winning names in third annual snowplow contest: Scoop, There It Is! The nod to the 1993 hit and jock jam staple “(Whoomp!) There It Is” is among the six winning names in Chicago’s third annual snowplow-naming contest. The other winning names, announced by the city’s Department of Streets and Sanitation, include Bozo the Plown, Lollaplowlooza, My Kind of Plow, Snower Wacker and Bean There, Plowed That. * Aurora Beacon-News | After successful pilot, Aurora plans to update business registration process: Almost all businesses within Aurora are required to register with the city annually, but city staff said at meetings recently that the old registration process, which began in 2019, had low participation because it was frustrating and inconvenient. The ongoing pilot approved last April, which lowered the number of questions required to register from over 60 to just 15, along with other changes, brought in more applications last year than ever before, even without a large marketing push, according to Aurora Chief Development Services Officer John Curley. * Crain’s | Fortune Brands bringing 400 jobs to Deerfield: The home and security company today announced it will expand its presence in Deerfield by consolidating other U.S. offices there and has inked an incentive agreement with the state of Illinois to bring new jobs to the area. FBIN will move its main office to the former Horizon Therapeutics headquarters property at 1 Horizon Way along Interstate 294 from its existing headquarters at the nearby Corporate 500 complex along Lake Cook Road. * SJ-R | The Pasfield House enters partnership with business expanding cultural engagement: The Culture Experience LLC, or TCE, is focused on spreading Black and Brown culture through the city by hosting events featuring music, dishes and entertainment to help people learn more about underrepresented cultures. As two separately operating businesses under the same roof, the partnership will renew semi-annually with TCE providing online marketing, campaign running and organizing two events per six months for The Pasfield. In return, the LLC is given residency and access to the on-site professional chef and all ties to the LLC will change branding to add the Pasfield name. * WCIA | City council approves $10,000 Champaign mayoral raise in 2027: An ordinance raising the salary of the Champaign mayor from $35,000 to $45,000 passed Tuesday night. In addition, the ordinance also raises the pay of each of the eight council members from $5,000 to $7,000. The City Council Compensation Task Force recommended the raises in August. Every member voted for it. * KFVS | Illinois agencies asking for volunteers to help residents affected by ice storm: The Illinois Department of Human Services (IDHS)-Serve Illinois is launching a program to help residents needing help in clearing tree limbs downed by the storm. They are asking for volunteers to help with cleanup efforts in Saline, Jackson and Williamson Counties from Friday, Jan. 24 through Friday, February 7. IDHS-Serve Illinois is looking for volunteers 18 years and older who have chainsaws, chainsaw operators and those willing to carry tree limbs and debris.
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Illinois-related Trump coverage roundup
Wednesday, Jan 22, 2025 - Posted by Isabel Miller * Capitol News Illinois | Pritzker criticizes Trump’s courting of tech CEOs, lack of communication: Pritzker, whose net worth is estimated at $3.7 billion by Forbes, is one of the 1,000 wealthiest people in the world. As one of the richest politicians in U.S. history, he largely self-funded his two campaigns for governor. But on Tuesday, he raised concerns about the prominent appearance of several large tech company CEOs at Trump’s inauguration. […] “These are the wealthiest people in the country who essentially Donald Trump feels better about having them around than having ordinary Americans backing him up or standing with him,” Pritzker said at an unrelated news conference. “And I think it’s just an indication of what this administration is really all about. It isn’t about what he ran on.” * Pantagraph | ‘Midwestern values’ under siege by Trump, Pritzker says: “It is something that we should have comprehensive immigration reform in this country and not simply have a president who is scaring people, forcing them out of their jobs because they’re afraid to go to work,” Pritzker said, nothing that the typically vibrant business corridor in Chicago’s Little Village neighborhood, long a gateway for Mexican immigrants, has been empty the past few days. * CBS Chicago | Pritzker slams Trump for trying to end birthright citizenship, demands apology from Musk for gesture compared to Nazi salute: As for Trump’s decision to pardon nearly all of the 1,500 people charged or convicted of crimes in the Jan. 6, 2021 assault on the U.S. Capitol, Pritzker said it reflects an about-face for the Republican party. “What used to be the party of law and order is now the party of chaos and disorder, and that stands against law enforcement. The people who attacked the Capitol on Jan. 6 were attacking law enforcement, because that’s who was there guarding the Capitol,” Pritzker said. * Sun-Times | Chicago spared immigration raids Tuesday, but Pritzker warns feds may target ‘2,000 people’: Gov. JB Pritzker on Tuesday said he believes President Donald Trump’s administration is targeting “as many as 2,000 people” in Chicago in its mass deportation plan. Those numbers come from local law enforcement, according to sources with direct knowledge of the discussions. But the Chicago Police Department declined to comment on that total, as did other police sources. It’s unclear whether the number encompasses the people Trump “border czar” Tom Homan is targeting: criminals who lack legal status and immigrants with deportation orders. * WBEZ | What can CPS schools and parents do in the face of Donald Trump’s mass deportation threat?: “Under no circumstance are we ever going to compromise our children — whether it is this issue around immigration or something else,” Chicago Public Schools CEO Pedro Martinez said. Students return to class on Wednesday for the first time since Trump was inaugurated. […] If federal agents show up at their school, principals have been told they should not let them engage with anyone, except on the rare occasion that they have a signed criminal arrest warrant, Martinez said. CPS does not allow immigration agents into schools without a warrant. CPS also has three lawyers at the ready to review any warrants or other paperwork and to advise staff, Martinez said. * Tribune | ‘People are hiding.’ Chicago immigrants stay home from work to avoid potential ICE arrests: When reports surfaced over the weekend that mass deportations could potentially begin in the Chicago area Tuesday, Martin Ramos informed his boss that he was taking time off from work, stocked up on groceries and decided his kids would skip soccer practice this week. Ramos — who emigrated from Guadalajara, Mexico, without the necessary work permits — spent the first full day of Donald Trump’s second presidency hunkered down with his family and trying to avoid being picked up by ICE agents. An arrest, he knows, would destroy everything he and his wife worked for and force their two boys into an uncertain future. * WGN | Chicago police reminded they can’t cooperate with deportations: The Illinois law that prohibits local police from detaining a person because of their immigration status was actually signed by former Republican governor Bruce Rauner during the first Trump administration. “I asked leaders in law enforcement, ‘Should I veto the bill or sign this bill?’” Rauner said in 2017. “They all said to me, ‘Governor, this is a reasonable compromise and it will help us do our jobs better.’” * WCIA | ‘A lot of fear among a lot of people’; Champaign Co. immigrants brace for deportations, arrests: About 2.5 hours away from Chicago, places like Champaign County are preparing for potential arrests and deportations, although there are no clear signs the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) will raid the area. […] “It’s creating a lot of fear among a lot of people,” Lucia Maldonado, Urbana School District Latino family liaison, said. “This is going to affect families, this is going to affect the economy, this is going to affect businesses.” * WBEZ| Trump’s pardons for Jan. 6 riot help more than 50 defendants from Illinois: More than 50 Donald Trump supporters from Illinois will get their federal rap sheets wiped clean after the new president’s Day 1 signing of about 1,500 pardons related to the notorious riot at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. Dozens of Trump’s supporters from the Chicago area and other parts of the state ended up in the dragnet during the U.S. Justice Department’s enormous, four-year investigation into the failed effort to overturn Trump’s defeat in the 2020 election. * BND | Four from southern Illinois are among those Trump pardoned in Jan. 6 Capitol riots: At least four people from southern Illinois were pardoned by President Donald Trump Monday for their roles in the riots inside and around the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. Three of the men had pleaded guilty to felony charges, including assaulting a U.S. Capitol Police officer, while another pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge for entering the Capitol building. * Shaw Local | 2 from McHenry County, convicted in Jan. 6 actions at U.S. Capitol, among those expected to get Trump pardons: Two McHenry County residents who have pleaded guilty to charges connected to their actions on Jan. 6, 2021, at the U.S. Capitol, have been pardoned for their crimes on the first day of President Donald Trump’s second term in office, along with more than 1,500 others. Robert Giacchetti of Crystal Lake and Nhi Ngoc Mai Le, formerly of Lake in the Hills, previously pleaded guilty to charges. * Shaw Local | Convicted Will County residents part of Trump Jan. 6 sweeping pardons: In Will County, there are at least five people who’ve pleaded guilty to federal charges connected to the incident, according to a database from the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Washington. Those include Crest Hill couple Amy and John Schubert Jr., Lockport couple Kelly Lynn Fontaine and Brian Dula, and Anthony Carollo, of Lockport. Only Fontaine was sentenced to serve jail time. The others received probation. * Tribune | Illinois joins in lawsuit challenging President Donald Trump’s order to end birthright citizenship: Illinois joined three Western states on Tuesday in a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of President Donald Trump’s executive order ending birthright citizenship. […] A separate lawsuit against the order, aimed at the children of non-U.S. citizens, was filed in Massachusetts by 18 other states. Raoul’s office didn’t immediately respond to a question about why he signed onto the lawsuit filed in federal court in Seattle along with the states of Washington, Arizona and Oregon. Click here for the Illinois suit. * AP | Justice Department directs prosecutors to probe local efforts to obstruct immigration enforcement: It also directs prosecutors to investigate for potential criminal charges cases in which state and local officials obstruct or impede federal functions. As potential avenues for prosecution, the memo cites a conspiracy offense as well as a law prohibiting the harboring of people in the country illegally. “Federal law prohibits state and local actors from resisting, obstructing and otherwise failing to comply with lawful immigration-related commands and requests,” the memo says. “The U.S. Attorney’s Offices and litigating components of the Department of Justice shall investigate incidents involving any such misconduct for potential prosecution. Click here for the full memo. * WaPo | Trump officials pause health agencies’ communications, citing review: The instructions were delivered Tuesday to staff at agencies inside the Department of Health and Human Services, including officials at the Food and Drug Administration, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and National Institutes of Health, one day after the new administration took office, according to the people with knowledge, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe private conversations. Some people familiar with the matter acknowledged that they expected some review during a presidential transition but said they were confused by the pause’s scope and indeterminate length. * AP | US throws out policies limiting arrests of migrants at sensitive locations like schools, churches: The move announced Tuesday reverses guidance that for over a decade has restricted two key federal immigration agencies — Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection — from carrying out immigration enforcement in sensitive locations. “This action empowers the brave men and women in CBP and ICE to enforce our immigration laws and catch criminal aliens — including murderers and rapists — who have illegally come into our country. Criminals will no longer be able to hide in America’s schools and churches to avoid arrest,” the Department of Homeland Security said in a statement Tuesday. * Business Insider | Trump’s mass deportation plan could drain more than $20 billion a year from Social Security: Some researchers are concerned that deportations could further constrict the already dwindling pool of Social Security funds. In 2022, immigrants living in the US illegally paid $25.7 billion in Social Security taxes and $6.4 billion in Medicare taxes, per the left-leaning Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy. That same year, the Social Security Administration reported that it doled out benefits totaling over $1 trillion. * Chalkbeat | Trump executive orders on immigrants, transgender rights could echo in American schools: Many executive orders are expected to facilitate enhanced immigration enforcement. Around the country, schools are sharing messages of support with families who could be caught up in enforcement actions and encouraging parents to make sure their children’s emergency contacts are up to date in case caregivers are detained. Some school systems are also clarifying how they will respond if immigration agents seek entrance to their buildings, with many saying they will consult their attorneys and only allow agents with signed judicial warrants to enter their schools. Please remember to take some deep breaths before commenting. Thanks.
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WBEZ announces ‘voluntary separation program’ for Sun-Times staff, WBEZ business staff (Updated)
Wednesday, Jan 22, 2025 - Posted by Rich Miller * Crain’s…
* Excerpt of the WBEZ announcement…
…Adding… The Chicago Sun-Times Guild…
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‘Financial shortfall’ causes Planned Parenthood Illinois to close four medication abortion clinics (Updated)
Wednesday, Jan 22, 2025 - Posted by Rich Miller * I’m sure more will come out on this. Lots of rumors floating around about the reasons. Also, as you’ll recall, Planned Parenthood of Illinois announced earlier this month that its president and CEO Jennifer Welch was stepping down. Emphasis in this press release was added by me…
Fascinating timing considering what’s going on in DC right now. …Adding… Personal PAC CEO Sarah Garza Resnick…
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A quick Illinois TRUST Act primer
Wednesday, Jan 22, 2025 - Posted by Rich Miller * I’m seeing a lot of questions about the Illinois TRUST Act and subsequent laws. Some excerpts from the Illinois attorney general’s guidance manual for law enforcement…
Go read the rest and bookmark this page. Police agencies who violate the state law can be sued.
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Pritzker on Trump, the budget, the Red Line and CTU
Wednesday, Jan 22, 2025 - Posted by Rich Miller * Let’s go back to that Mary Ann Ahern interview with Gov. Pritzker. We’ll start with a look at some of his answers about the new POTUS…
Please pardon all transcription errors. * You’ll recall that the Biden administration just recently finalized a $2 billion grant for an extension of the CTU’s Red Line…
* After he again criticized Elon Musk, Pritzker was asked about the CTU and issues of antisemitism…
Again, go watch the whole thing.
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It’s just a bill
Wednesday, Jan 22, 2025 - Posted by Isabel Miller * WGLT…
* In 2021, an Earlville police officer suffered two fractured vertebrae in his neck during a police chase. The woman involved was sentenced to 30 months of felony probation and 180 days in county jail. The injured officer denounced the probation, saying she should have gone to prison. Sen. Sue Rezin filed SB112 last week…
* HB1569 from Rep. Dave Vella…
* Sen. Craig Wilcox filed SB140 last week…
* Rep. Jaime Andrade filed HB1565…
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MAA interview shows that Gov. Pritzker is still clearly peeved about Mayor Johnson
Wednesday, Jan 22, 2025 - Posted by Rich Miller * The Sun-Times recently reported: “The day before Donald Trump’s inauguration, Mayor Brandon Johnson — in DC for a mayor’s conference — and Gov. JB Pritzker — marking his 60th birthday — huddled in a phone call on Sunday morning to compare notes about the city and state responses for what may be an unprecedented rocky road ahead. …The mayor also told me he “had a great conversation with the governor this morning … about a number of things, but more specifically around holding our firm position on being a sanctuary as a state and as a city.” NBC 5’s Mary Ann Ahern asked Pritzker about that claim…
Please pardon all transcription errors. * On to the failed hemp bill…
“My house”? Go watch the rest. MAA did good, as usual.
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Open thread
Wednesday, Jan 22, 2025 - Posted by Isabel Miller * What’s going on? Keep it Illinois-centric!…
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Isabel’s morning briefing
Wednesday, Jan 22, 2025 - Posted by Isabel Miller * ICYMI: Pritzker signs bill to phase out subminimum wage for disabled workers. Capitol News Illinois…
- Illinois is the 19th state to eliminate the subminimum wage for workers with disabilities. - Money for the transition program would come from the Illinois Department of Human Services’ line item for transforming the state’s developmental and intellectual disability system. * Related stories… ∙ WBEZ: Pritzker signs bill eliminating subminimum wage for people with disabilities ∙ Courthouse News Service: Pritzker signs Illinois law barring sub-minimum wages for disabled workers ∙ Center Square: New Illinois law eliminates subminimum wage for disabled workers * Tribune | Closing arguments in landmark trial of ex-speaker Michael Madigan expected Wednesday: After jurors return Wednesday morning, U.S. District Judge John Robert Blakey will read them their lengthy instructions — they are likely to run more than 100 pages — before prosecutors begin their closing arguments. In total, the arguments are expected to last through the end of the week. Jurors are scheduled to begin deliberations Monday. * Pantagraph | McLean County’s Juvenile Detention Center among the state facilities not passing inspections. Here’s how they hope to improve.: Gabel, House majority leader, emphasized most children held in juvenile detention centers have not been convicted of a crime, but are in holding until their cases are adjudicated. “My view is that there are better ways to take care of these children until their court date. Putting them in the JDC, in which 10 of the 14 are always underperforming, never getting passing grades — it’s detrimental to children’s lives,” Gabel said. * Crain’s | Doctors and police top list of highest-paid state employees in Illinois: Physicians dominate Crain’s newest list of highest-paid state employees in Illinois, according to data from the Illinois Comptroller’s Office. The list ranks 25 workers on the Comptroller’s payroll, which excludes university employees, by 2024 total compensation. On average, the 11 doctors on the list earned about $357,369 last year. * An Alliance of consumer and public interest groups launched a nearly $1 million ad campaign to oppose Peoples Gas’ $13 billion pipe replacement program today. The ICC is expected to rule on the project next month. Click here for more info. * WTWO | Illinois Chamber of Commerce expands Legislative Affairs Team: The Illinois Chamber of Commerce has announced it is expanding its Legislative Affairs Team, as Ramiro Hernandez is joining the team as the new Executive Director of the Tax Institute and Municipal and County Affairs, according to the chamber of commerce. The Illinois Chamber of Commerce said Hernandez brings over 10 years of experience in legislative, public policy, and communications across the state of Illinois. * Press Release | IDPH Launches New Data Dashboard on Violent Deaths and Firearm Injuries: It is intended to provide detailed information at the county level about these incidents, including the types of incidents (e.g., homicide, suicide, etc.), weapon type and where victims reside, broken down by county. The goal of the dashboard is to inform data-driven prevention and intervention efforts to reduce violent deaths and firearm injuries in Illinois. * Crain’s | Bally’s faces tough City Council battle over property tax break: Caught in the middle is local Ald. Walter Burnett, 27th, who doubles as Johnson’s vice mayor and triples as the pro-development chairman of the Zoning Committee. Burnett so far is siding with Johnson, who he said is “darned if he do, darned if he don’t” because the mayor wants to be pro-development but is unwilling to dispense a corporate handout. * CBS Chicago | Chicago man says accountability has been lacking after off-duty CPD officer shot, killed his dog: Speaking to CBS News Chicago for the first time, the dog’s owner, Kent Maynard, said there has been no accountability in the months since. He also said his case was treated differently from the start. Maynard said the case was essentially a “one-interview investigation.” He said that despite video evidence and eyewitnesses being present on the scene, the initial report and investigation by police were heavily biased in favor of their coworker. * Sun-Times | Chicago weed exec, golf buddies charged with insider trading surrounding $413 million acquisition: Anthony Marsico was executive vice president of Verano when he used confidential information about a blockbuster plan to take over Minneapolis-based Goodness Growth in order to enrich himself and manipulate Verano’s stock value, according to the indictment filed in federal court in Chicago on Jan. 16. * Sun-Times | Biden commutes life sentence of former Gangster Disciples co-chairman Gregory Shell: Shell was second-in-command to Larry Hoover, who’s serving a life sentence in a maximum-security prison in Colorado. Shell, 67, is serving a life prison term there, too. “This is a positive first step toward correcting the draconian sentence imposed on Mr. Shell three decades ago,” his lawyer, Andréa Gambino, said Tuesday. * Sun-Times | What happens when it’s so cold in Chicago that CTA rails crack?: The CTA relies on its “protectors of the railroad” — hundreds of workers ready to repair any rail cracks caused by subzero cold. “Without them, [trains] wouldn’t be able to run,” said Lenny Romano, the CTA’s vice president of infrastructure maintenance. “You don’t see them, but they’re out there.” * ABC Chicago | So-called Elgin tent city for homeless being cleared out after $2.5M contract approved: The city and social service staffers are working to move residents to the nearby Lexington Hotel for the next month while they get help looking for more permanent housing. “These are people that don’t have anywhere to live and this is an opportunity to get out of the elements and get the help they need to get back on their feet,” Knox said. * ABC Chicago | Thornton Township board fills interim trustee position; Supervisor Tiffany Henyard skips meeting: Stephanie Wiedeman received the majority vote to fill a vacant Thornton Township trustee position, effective immediately. Wiedeman beat out two other nominees during Tuesday night’s special meeting. She had served under Thornton Township’s previous administration since 2003, but Henyard fired her when she took office three years ago. * Daily Herald | Former Arlington Heights pastor accused of earlier sexual abuse of a minor : The St. James Parish congregation was informed in a letter from Chicago Archbishop Blase Cupich over the weekend. The abuse accusations were said to have occurred during an earlier period when Foley was associate pastor of St. Agatha in Chicago’s North Lawndale neighborhood. “In keeping with our child protection policies, Father Foley has been asked to step away from ministry during the investigation,” Cupich wrote. “While he strenuously denies this allegation, he has agreed to cooperate with this directive.” * SRP | Pekau disputes video criticizing deal with Orland insurance carrier : The video says that Pekau and the board are costing the village more than $1 million a year by choosing Horton over another insurance broker – the Intergovernmental Personnel Benefit Cooperative — because Horton is a top campaign donor. “Keith Pekau claims to work for the taxpayers, but his actions tell a different story,” the narrator says. * Effingham Daily News | Problem Solving Court helps people regain control of their lives: According to [Effingham County Probation Officer Chris Winters], the three graduates saved taxpayers $270,000 by completing the program instead of possibly being imprisoned. Durbin began the Problem Solving Court on Aug. 16, 2023 because he was tired of damaging his relationships with his family and loved ones. People were getting “tired of me,” he said. When he was picked up by officers, he reached his tipping point, or rock bottom, and wanted to change. * BND | Assisted living facility in Collinsville is sold, displacing its residents: Addington Place managers announced this month that the facility is closing in April because the owner of the building sold the property, and the new owner does not want to use it for assisted living. They said only that the new owner wants to “repurpose” the property, declining to answer the Belleville News-Democrat’s questions about how many residents and employees are affected by the closure and who the new and old property owners are. * STLPR | Interstate 255 will be closed for six months in St. Clair County. Here’s what we know: Interstate 255 will be shut down for six months beginning Feb. 1 so crews can repair 3.5 miles of the highway from Illinois 157 to Illinois 15 in St. Clair County, the Illinois Department of Transportation said Friday. The project, which was announced last year, is expected to be completed by July 31. * Rock River Current | Slot Revenue Rose 3% In Rockford In 2024 To The Second-Highest Total On Record: Net revenue from video gaming was $41.2 million in Rockford last year, up from $40 million in 2023, according to data from the Illinois Gaming Board. That’s the second highest total after $47.4 million in 2021. Those figures don’t include casino gambling. That increase comes despite the Aug. 29 debut of Hard Rock Casino Rockford, which reaped in $97.6 million in 2024.
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Protected: SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - Supplement to today’s edition
Wednesday, Jan 22, 2025 - Posted by Rich Miller
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Protected: SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - Today’s edition of Capitol Fax (use all CAPS in password)
Wednesday, Jan 22, 2025 - Posted by Rich Miller
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Live coverage
Wednesday, Jan 22, 2025 - Posted by Isabel Miller * You can click here and here to follow the Madigan trial. Click here and/or here to follow breaking news. Hopefully, enough reporters and news outlets migrate to BlueSky so we can hopefully resume live-posting.
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Selected press releases (Live updates)
Wednesday, Jan 22, 2025 - Posted by Isabel Miller
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