* IDES…

Jobs increased over-the-year in all fourteen Illinois metropolitan areas in December according to preliminary data released today by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) and the Illinois Department of Employment Security (IDES). The unemployment rate decreased in thirteen metropolitan areas and increased in one.

“For nearly two years, Illinois has seen consistent job growth across the state throughout industry sectors,”said Deputy Governor Andy Manar. IDES continues to help jobseekers and employers connect with one another as more people enter the labor force and look to take advantage of newly created and expanded job opportunities in the labor market.

The metro areas which had the largest over-the-year percentage increases in total nonfarm jobs were the Lake-Kenosha IL/WI Metro (+3.8%, +15,700), the Davenport-Moline-Rock Island IA-IL MSA (+3.5%, +6,400), the Rockford MSA (+3.1%, +4,500) and the Chicago Metro Division (+2.9%, +108,800). Industries that saw job growth in a majority of metro areas included: Manufacturing and Leisure and Hospitality (thirteen areas each); Other Services (twelve areas); Mining and Construction and Education and Health Services (eleven areas each); Government (ten areas); and Wholesale Trade (nine areas).

The metro areas with the largest unemployment rate decreases were in the Rockford MSA (-1.3 points to 5.4%) and the Decatur MSA (-1.0 point to 5.1%). The Chicago Metro Division unemployment rate increased +0.1 point to 4.3%. The unemployment rate decreased over-the-year in 47 counties, increased in 43, and was unchanged in 12.

* From Gov. Pritzker’s interview by CBS News…

Q: So you have no doubt that [President Biden] should run for reelection?

Pritzker: Yeah. I mean, look, I, again, he’s got an awful lot that he’s gotten done, and I expect that he will get done over the next well, six years.

Q: And if for some reason he takes a pass us, you still ready to pull the plug and do it yourself?

Pritzker: What do you mean ’still ready’? I just got reelected as governor of Illinois. I intend to serve out four years and, frankly, I intend to help renominate Joe Biden in a convention in Chicago in 2024.

* Speaking of which…

Hilarious. Literally a poll of its own app users https://t.co/gtapiLy9t1 pic.twitter.com/KzTFTLAZnM

— Capitol Fax (@capitolfax) January 26, 2023

* The Tribune is all-in on its attempt to connect Chuy Garcia with former Speaker Madigan. That’s fine and justifiable, except it’s using nothingburger stories to do it instead of citing actual evidence that’s been in plain view for years…

As Chicago mayoral candidate Jesús “Chuy” García fends off efforts by political opponents trying to tie him to indicted former House Speaker Michael Madigan, his campaign is calling on a Southwest Side aldermanic candidate who briefly worked for Madigan’s political organization to stop using a picture of García on political flyers.

The campaign brochures focus mostly on the race for alderman of the 23rd Ward near Midway Airport. But the mailers — a well-worn tool for typically parochial races — could have broader implications in the mayoral race and particularly for García, a congressman who is one of eight challengers looking to upend Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s efforts for a second term.

It’s been common in that part of the world for candidates Chuy doesn’t support to try to tie themselves to the guy because he’s so popular. Simple math. Garcia asked the candidate to stop, yet this is somehow a bad thing for Garcia? Bizarre. The coverage is starting to remind me of the New York Times Pitchbot.

* Back to that story…

Guillen says his decision to run has nothing to do with the simmering feud between Madigan and Tabares on the Southwest Side.

Sure, Jan.

* Lightfoot campaign…

At the WCPT mayoral forum, Paul Vallas floated the very same lofty claims about public safety that his toothless ads push, offering zero specifics or concrete steps to explain how he would actually tackle crime. Ultimately, beneath his rehearsed, “tough on crime” surface, Vallas is nothing but a fear-mongering gadfly who lacks the experience and the ideas to keep Chicagoans safe.

Here’s the truth:

* Paul Vallas is supported by notoriously bigoted FOP President John Catanzara. Catanzara, a Donald Trump acolyte, was forced to resign from CPD two years ago after facing termination for calling Muslims “savages,” sharing Transphobic social media content, and being named in 50 police misconduct complaints.

* Paul Vallas is lying about his crime bonafides. While Vallas was City Hall Budget Director, the homicide rate climbed every year.

* Paul Vallas’ “original strategy” to tackle crime is nothing but recycled material from Mayor Lightfoot’s ongoing plan to reduce violence. His calls to put more officers on our streets and utilize a community-driven, proactive approach to preventing violence are all already happening — under Mayor Lightfoot.

* Another one on the mayor’s race…

NEWS: CPS told Mayor Lightfoot’s campaign they couldn’t contact students or offer extra credit hours before the campaign released statements saying it’s a “common practice” that campaigns have done for decades. pic.twitter.com/5Qd8aBQKu7

— Gregory Pratt (@royalpratt) January 26, 2023

* Good news for Rockford…

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker is visiting Rockford on Thursday to announce funding for an estimated $58 million state project to reconstruct South Alpine Road and a $2.6 million grant to expand aviation mechanics training.

South Alpine is an unmarked state route that has fallen into severe disrepair. Plans are to reconstruct a 2.5-mile stretch of Alpine from Linden Road to Charles Street. But the massive project is expected to take several years to engineer and plan, beginning in 2027.

Illinois has agreed as a stop-gap to do a $1.5 million resurfacing of part of the road to make it drivable until the rest of the project can proceed, city officials have said.

* Isabel’s roundup…

* Center Square | Illinois State Police look to consolidate federal gun ban challenges: Thursday, Illinois State Police motioned to consolidate Langley et al v. Kelly et al. with three other cases filed in federal court: Illinois State Rifle Association’s case Harrel, et al. v. Raoul, et al.; Illinois Gun Rights Alliance’s Federal Firearms Licensees of Illinois, et al. v. Pritzker, et al; and the National Shoot Sports Foundations’ Barnett, et al. v. Raoul, et al.

* ABC | Meet Illinois’ newest congressional representative, Nikki Budzinski: Rep. Nikki Budzinski, D-Ill., talks about her top priorities heading into her first term in the House of Representatives, from the war in Ukraine to gun control.

* CBS Chicago | University of Illinois board increases in-state tuition for incoming freshmen: The University of Illinois Board of Trustees approved what the school called a “modest” tuition increase for in-state freshman who will start school next fall at the Urbana-Champaign and Chicago campuses. Incoming freshman from Illinois will see a 1.9% increase in their tuition, the school said in news release.

* Sun-Times | City leaders should promote public transit, more shared streets: A plan to tax suburban Metra riders is a bad idea. Instead, discourage driving, especially for short trips. Instead, Chicago needs a system of shared streets to promote walking and biking.

* Economic Times | Chicago is trying to lure foreign workers laid off by American tech giants: More than 35 firms in the Chicago region are willing to hire workers on H-1B visas, given to foreign employees in specialty occupations such as software engineering. The companies have teamed up with the city and P33, a nonprofit organization founded by former Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker, to build a job-listing website that debuts on Wednesday.

* Chalkbeat | Chicago’s school board renews charter schools for shorter periods: The process reflects an ongoing shift in the district’s relationship with its charters. Until this year, the overwhelming majority of these schools had reliably gotten five-year renewals, in some cases for more than two decades. But at the school board’s Wednesday meeting, most got much shorter contracts. Almost half landed only two-year extensions and only two schools got the full five years.

* Tribune | Kenwood high-rise where fatal fire occurred had multiple fire-related code violations, city records show: The Chicago Fire Department said it took 300 firefighters and over 80 pieces of equipment to put out the blaze at 4850 S. Lake Park Ave. after they had responded to reports of smoke in the high-rise shortly after 10 a.m. Flames engulfed a unit on the 15th floor of the building and spread vertically to upper floors, officials said.

* Block Club | The Chainsmokers, Miranda Lambert To Headline Chicago’s 1st NASCAR Street Race In July: Chicago’s first NASCAR street race will span two days and feature performances from The Chainsmokers, Miranda Lambert, The Black Crowes and Charley Crockett, officials announced Thursday.

* Sun-Times | Some restaurants are still adding surcharges of up to 20% to your bill. Should they?: Nearly 11% of eateries taking part in Restaurant Week are adding surcharges to checks. The fees that started during the pandemic are illegal in New York.

* 25 News Now | Illinois State University fraternity suspended due to code of conduct violations: Illinois State University Spokesman Eric Jome says the suspension for the Kappa Sigma Fraternity is related to a vandalism last fall, violating numerous parts of the code of conduct.

* Crain’s | This is the restaurant replacing Tavern on Rush—and it’s not a steakhouse: The new restaurant will be called The Bellevue, named for the cross street at which it sits on Rush Street. Serving contemporary American cuisine, it will go in a decidedly different direction than Tavern on Rush.

* WSIU | Remembering longtime Chicago radio host Lin Brehmer: Radio host Lin Brehmer was a Chicago institution. He died earlier this week.