* Block Club Chicago…

Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents arrived at a CPS elementary school in Back of the Yards Friday but were turned away by school administrators, CPS officials said.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials arrived at Hamline Elementary School, 1548 W. 48th St., Friday morning, Chicago Public School officials said. The principal said school administrators followed protocols and did not allow the agents inside the school, according to officials.

Students and staff inside the school were safe, officials said.

“They kept the ICE agents outside of the school and contacted CPS’ Law Department and CPS’ Office of Safety and Security for further guidance,” CPS spokesperson Mary Ann Fergus said in an emailed statement.

* Fox Chicago Political Correspondent Paris Schutz…

CPS Chief Pedro Martinez on MSNBC - network reports that ICE is denying they showed up at Back of the Yards school…Martinez says they showed their credentials to staff

— Paris Schutz (@paschutz) January 24, 2025

So did ICE show up OR do we now have to deal with rogue vigilante groups masquerading as ICE? https://t.co/1lQ50tmxM9

— John V. Moore (@johnvmoore) January 24, 2025

*** UPDATE ***

ICE was never at Hamline Elementary.

Secret Service says they were there for a threat made against someone they protect.

Sources say the online threat was made towards President Trump about the Tik Tok ban. pic.twitter.com/ZHGmLHjYKn

— Charlie De Mar (@CharlieDeMar) January 24, 2025

* Tribune…

A downstate Republican lawmaker is urging Illinois prison employees to secretly send her information on undocumented immigrants who are behind bars so she can pass the information on to federal immigration authorities, raising concerns from a civil liberties group that she’s encouraging the workers to circumvent the state’s sanctuary law.

“If you are (Illinois Department of Corrections) staff who wants ICE to know of an illegal immigrant in IDOC call or message me,” state Sen. Terri Bryant of Murphysboro wrote in posts on X earlier this week. “I won’t rat you out. I will notify ICE.” […]

On Wednesday night, Bryant wrote three posts on X that include what appears to be an IDOC internal order telling state prison workers not to assist federal authorities in any immigration enforcement against people incarcerated in the state prison system.

Under the 2017 Trust Act, law enforcement in Illinois, including IDOC corrections officers, are generally barred from assisting federal law enforcement in immigration matters. But Bryant said in her posts that if IDOC employees confide in her about undocumented prison inmates, she will bring the information to the feds without revealing her source.

* Governor JB Pritzker…

Today, Governor JB Pritzker and the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) announced the addition of 5,150 publicly funded preschool seats as the result of the fiscal year 2025 Early Childhood Block Grants. The grants mark the second year of Governor JB Pritzker’s Smart Start Illinois plan, which aims to expand access to early childhood education by increasing the number of preschool seats available to working families. A total of 11,000 seats have been added under Governor Pritzker’s leadership.

“This is another historic step forward for early childhood education in Illinois, bringing us 5,150 seats closer to our goal of Universal Pre-K,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “Every Illinois child deserves our full investment starting in their earliest years. Smart Start Illinois will put our children on the path to growth and opportunity while making our communities stronger, healthier, and more connected.” […]

Gov. Pritzker’s Smart Start Illinois initiative, which was launched in FY 2024, aims to eliminate gaps in access to preschool by expanding high-quality, publicly funded preschool programs to serve at least 80% of all low-income 3- and 4-year-olds in every community across Illinois. […]

The initiative prioritizes awarding funding to grantees in identified preschool deserts. The FY 2025 Early Childhood Block Grants awarded $32.2 million to 91 grantees administering half-day Preschool for All (PFA) and full-day Preschool for All Expansion (PFAE) programs, as well as Prevention Initiative services, which provide children aged 0-3 and their families with comprehensive support services.

Early Childhood Block Grants in FY 2025 include:

- Preschool for All: A total of $15.63 million awarded to 51 programs to serve 4,008 additional children.
- Preschool for All Expansion: A total of $9.70 million awarded to 25 programs to serve 1,142 additional children.
- Prevention Initiative: A total of $6.85 million awarded to 15 programs to serve 512 additional children.

*** Statehouse News ***

* WAND | Illinois lawmakers look to ban cancerous forever chemicals from household items: Illinois lawmakers have a new bill that would ban all use of forever chemicals in cookware, cosmetics such as makeup, dental floss, child products like pacifiers, underwear, menstrual products and food packaging. State Sen. Julie Morrison (D-Highland Park) said this is this the right time to raise awareness and start restricting the chemicals widespread use.

* Capitol News Illinois | Republican picked to chair Illinois House veterans committee ‘overwhelmed with emotions’: “And I said ‘sir, I’d be honored. I’d be honored to do that. I’d be honored to serve as chairman of the Veterans committee, serving Illinois veterans and veterans throughout the district,’” he said. Democrats have held a majority in the Illinois House since the mid-1990s, making it rare for a member of the minority Republican Party to chair a committee. Former Rep. Don Moffitt of Galesburg chaired the House Fire Protection Committee in 2010.

*** Statewide ***

* Crain’s | Purdue, Sackler family reach new $7.4 billion opioid accord: Bankrupt Purdue Pharma LP and members of the billionaire Sackler family agreed to pay $7.4 billion to a group of US states, including Illinois, and other parties to settle long-running litigation over OxyContin’s role in the deadly opioid epidemic. Illinois is slated to receive as much as $154 million from the settlement, according to state Attorney General Kwame Raoul’s office.

*** Chicago ***

* Bloomberg | Chicago schools to take $400M advance from revolving credit: The Chicago Board of Education tapped $400 million from its short-term revolving credit agreements with Bank of America and PNC Bank. The amount drawn on Jan. 8 exceeded the $100 million draw down taken just a year ago, according to bond filings. It comes as the fourth-largest US public school district faces escalating fiscal pressures with federal pandemic aid coming to an end, underfunded pensions and rising labor costs.

* Block Club | Bally’s Chicago Wants Women, Minorities To Invest In New Casino — But Is It A Safe Bet?: But with bids due Jan. 31, financial experts are offering this advice for consumers: Don’t invest more than what you can afford to lose, because if the casino is never built or goes out of business, you’ll lose it all. […] “To say this will guarantee generational wealth building I think is a strong statement,” said William Towns, a professor of social impact at Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management and managing director of Chi-Town Impact, a private equity fund. “Could it possibly lead to that? Yes, it could, but there’s some big caveats there.”

* Bloomberg | Billionaire Crown dynasty revamps leadership after death: One of Chicago’s wealthiest families has named new leaders and appointed a board for the dynasty’s business after the death of Jim Crown at a racetrack accident in 2023. Bill Crown, Jim’s first cousin, will replace him as president and chief executive officer of Henry Crown & Co., according to a statement released on Friday. Jim’s brother Steve Crown will serve as executive chairman of a board of directors that will have five members.

* Sun-Times | Homeless tent camp to be removed from Gompers Park on Northwest Side: Ald. Samantha Nugent (39th) said in a letter to residents Thursday night that the city agreed to begin a process called an “accelerated moving event” that potentially will place people now living in tents at Gompers into shelters. The process begins the week of Feb. 24, Nugent said. An actual closure can take weeks. Once a decision to close is made, those living in the tents will be given a choice to move into a shelter with city assistance or to leave the park.

*** Cook County and Suburbs ***

* Lake County News-Sun | Illinois Supreme Court clears way for permanent Waukegan casino: Work on the permanent American Place Resort and Casino in Waukegan, which has been on hold since August of 2023, can resume after the Illinois Supreme Court put an end to litigation to which casino owner Full House Resorts was never a party. As soon as Alex Stolyar, Full House’s senior vice president and chief development officer, learned of the court decision, he said in a text work on the permanent facility will restart as the company’s temporary American Place casino continues to operate on the permanent site.

* Daily Herald | Aurora announces plan for sports complexes, housing near mall: An indoor sports complex and an e-sports facility will be built on 50 acres of city-owned land near the Chicago Premium Outlets mall, Aurora Mayor Richard Irvin announced Friday. The development could also include other uses, including housing, Irvin said before revealing the companies selected to bring the vision to fruition.

*** Downstate ***

* TSPR | WIU announces nearly 90 administrative furloughs: Zach Messersmith, WIU Director of Governmental Relations, told TSPR that 89 employees are included in the furlough program, which will save the university nearly $500,000. Employees will not be allowed to work, receive regular pay, or report hours worked during their furlough days.

* WSIL | Chief Stan Reno accepts Carbondale City Manager position: Stan Reno has accepted a conditional offer for the Carbondale City Manager position. Reno is the current Interim City Manger and the Chief of Police in Carbondale. Reno will take on the City Manager position upon final approval of an employment agreement by the Carbondale City Council. As this transition is completed, Reno will appoint an Acting Chief of Police for the Carbondale Police Department. There will be a nationwide search for the Chief of Police position.

*** National ***

* WBEZ | Research contradicts public-safety rationale for Trump’s crackdown on immigrants and sanctuary cities: Benjamin Gonzalez O’Brien: Nationally, violent crime rates have been trending down and are now back to pre-pandemic levels. And while crime rates vary from city to city, state to state, there is no evidence that an increase in the undocumented population actually leads to an increase in crime. Research has found that immigrants, both documented and undocumented, actually offend at lower rates than the native-born population, including when it comes to violent crime.

* WaPo | Trump immigration raids alarm cities, but ICE arrests fewer than in 2017: The White House said immigration agents have arrested 538 undocumented immigrants and deported “hundreds” more. Those numbers are relatively modest for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement surge operations — a possible indication that the Trump administration’s show of force has so far outpaced the government’s capacity to deliver on the president’s lofty goals.

* The Daily Beast | Mayor Rages as U.S. Military Vet Nabbed in Trump’s Much-Hyped ICE Raids: About 10 or 12 ICE agents raided a Newark, New Jersey, seafood wholesaler and restaurant on Thursday and arrested three people, including the Puerto Rican warehouse manager, Ocean Food Depot owner Luis Janota told PIX11 news. Puerto Ricans are U.S. citizens. […] The ICE officers also didn’t have a warrant, in “plain violation” of the Fourth Amendment, Newark Mayor Ras J. Baraka said in a statement. “One of the detainees is a U.S. military veteran who suffered the indignity of having the legitimacy of his military documentation questioned,” he said. “Newark will not stand by idly while people are being unlawfully terrorized.”

* NBC | Experts saw Samoa’s plunging vaccination rates as a crisis. RFK Jr. saw an opportunity: Months after Kennedy’s visit, the question of what would happen to Samoa’s unvaccinated babies was answered. A measles outbreak swept the country, sickening thousands and killing 83, mostly small children. As measles raged, Kennedy stayed connected to the island, writing to the prime minister to raise concerns about the vaccine and providing medical guidance to a local anti-vaccine activist who posted false claims about the vaccination campaign and promoted unproven alternative cures.