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Isabel’s afternoon roundup (Updated)
Thursday, Jan 29, 2026 - Posted by Isabel Miller
…Adding… Krishnamoorthi campaign has a new poll…
According to this poll of 800 likely voters taken January 25-28 with a margin of error of +/- 3.5 points, 27 percent remain undecided. * GOP US Senate candidate Don Tracy…
Tracy did not respond yesterday to multiple requests for comment regarding accusations of Holocaust denialism against Ed Lapinski, the 56th House District Republican candidate and executive secretary of the Cook County Republican Party. Krishnamoorthi did respond. * Sun-Times | New state initiative aims for e-bike regulation, safety education: Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias made the announcement during a downtown news conference, flanked by transit stakeholders, state Sen. Ram Villivalem and Rep. Barbara Hernandez, both area Democrats. “The bottom line is that riders, drivers and pedestrians are all trying to navigate the system that was designed for a different era,” Giannoulias said. “Without action, these tragic crashes, injuries and fatalities will continue to rise, like it or not.” * The Triibe | How are Illinois politicians responding to escalating aggression by immigration agents in Minnesota: The Chicago City Council’s Immigrant and Refugee Rights and Police and Fire committee members voted to advance a proposed amendment that would expand the Civilian Office of Police Accountability (COPA) powers to include investigating Chicago police for violations of the city’s Welcoming City Ordinance. Ald. Jessie Fuentes (26th Ward) is the lead sponsor of the amendment. “This is an ordinance to hold those accountable who collaborate with ICE [U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)] and violate our Welcoming City Ordinance,” Fuentes said ahead of yesterday’s joint committee vote. * WTTW | Rahm Ordered to Testify About CPD’s ‘Code of Silence’ During Trial Over Botched Raid: A federal judge has ordered former Mayor Rahm Emanuel to testify next week in an upcoming trial about allegations that a “code of silence” among Chicago Police Department officers led to a botched August 2018 raid of a Back of the Yards apartment that violated the civil rights of a family with four children. […] In a text message to WTTW News, Emanuel erroneously said the raid occurred after he left office. Emanuel, who said he was traveling, did not otherwise respond. Emanuel acknowledged in December 2015 during an emotional speech prompted by the outrage over the police murder of 17-year-old Laquan McDonald before the Chicago City Council that a “code of silence” among officers had prevented officials from holding CPD officers accountable for misconduct. * Block Club | Meet The Immigrant Seamstress Who Has Made Banners For United Center Legends For 40 Years: Parra has helped create nearly every banner now hanging from the United Center’s rafters, from those honoring the retired numbers of legends like Jordan and Scottie Pippen to the championship banners earned by the Bulls and Blackhawks in dynastic stretches from the ’90s through the 2010s. […] Parra, who is nearing retirement age, has largely rebuffed her own family’s urgings to retire and settle down. She loves her work and intends to continue fulfilling the shop’s orders for the foreseeable future, she said. * Crain’s | Allbirds closing its U.S. stores, including 2 in Chicago: The San Francisco-based company plans to pour its resources into its e-commerce platforms, wholesale partnerships and international distributorships to improve its reach, flexibility and operating leverage, it said in a news release today. Two outlet stores in the U.S. and two full-price stores in London will remain open. * WTTW | Cook County’s Chief Judge Announces New Revisions to Electronic Monitoring Program: Under the revised protocols, anyone on EM who is accused of a major violation — like an unauthorized absence or tampering with a monitoring device — will be returned to court within 24 hours, no matter when the violation is reported. Previously, that could only happen from Monday to Friday, but courts will begin handling those violations on weekends now, too, beginning Feb. 7. Under the new protocols, an unauthorized absence of more than three hours on weekdays will also now qualify as a major violation requiring the defendant to appear back in court. That limit had previously been set at 48 hours. * Aurora Beacon-News | Rezoning for potential data center rejected by Yorkville commission, City Council vote planned for February: Yorkville has become a sort of hub for data center projects, in part due to the area’s proximity to a ComEd substation. But with these proposed developments has come significant resident opposition. “We’re aware of the differing views in the community surrounding the data center development in general on this site, and development in general on this site,” Gilbert said while presenting the rezoning request at the January meeting. * Crain’s | UChicago expanding OB-GYN care at Ingalls, bucking national trend: Ingalls Memorial Hospital in south suburban Harvey has opened a new women’s health clinic, expanding services in an effort to meet growing demand in nearby communities and expand its capabilities in complex care. The move by UChicago Medicine to reorganize and expand women’s health bucks a trend of community hospitals closing labor units and pulling away from some women’s and pediatric health care. * Daily Herald | DuPage County Board urges Congress to investigate immigration enforcement efforts; withhold DHS funding: DuPage County Board members are urging congressmen to withhold funding for the Department of Homeland Security until a thorough investigation is conducted into recent immigration enforcement incidents, such as the fatal shootings in Minnesota. […] The county board voted 11-5 to add the resolution to its legislative agenda. All the “no” votes were cast by Republicans. * Daily Herald | Elgin police officer should be fired over social media comments about immigration enforcement, panel recommends: Officer Jason Lentz was placed on leave in October following comments he made on Facebook that suggested places where immigration agents could find undocumented immigrants, tagging the Department of Homeland Security and U.S. Customs and Border Protection at the end of the post. His since-deleted profile picture was an “I stand with ICE” logo. * Illinois Times | Paula Crouch faces primary opponent: The woman appointed as the new Sangamon County sheriff in the wake of the July 2024 murder of Sonya Massey says her experience, education and determination make her worthy of being elected to a four-year term. “I just feel like we started moving in the right direction for improvements,” Paula Crouch told Illinois Times when explaining her decision to seek a four-year term for a job that pays $175,460 per year. “By choosing to run,” she said, “that just gives me the opportunity to give some of the changes that I put in place time to set. And then, obviously, there are some other things that I’m looking forward to for the future that really need more time than the two years I would have been allotted with just the appointment.” * WCIA | OSF gives update on service changes in Central Illinois: A Central Illinois hospital said they’re evolving with the changing needs of the population they serve. And of the employees impacted by the move, about half won’t be coming with them. Last year, OSF announced they would be moving certain services from their Urbana location to Danville and change the use of the freed up space. * WGLT | Bloomington Fire Department to increase social service offerings amid continued fire prevention education: Working smoke alarms, two exits out of a home and closing doors at night are some of the most impactful ways to prevent a fatal house fire, according to Friend. He said none of those were present at the conclusion of what caused a fatal house fire last November that claimed the lives of Tashika Stover, 40, and her 17-year-old son, Hayden. “Those are all real simple things, and they’re taught to us in kindergarten and along the way in elementary school,” Friend said. “We don’t necessarily pick up those messages again unless we read about them, or somebody like myself brings them to somebody’s attention.” * BND | Increased security, no ICE expected at Belleville naturalization ceremony: “The District has not been contacted by ICE and has had no communications with ICE officials,” Warren told the Belleville News-Democrat in a statement. “The District has no reason to believe that ICE will enter onto District property. The guidance was issued to employees as a preemptive measure to ensure employees were aware of the procedures for interacting with ICE officials. The guidance requires employees to follow the law, nothing more and nothing less.” Belleville Assistant Chief of Police Lt. Col. Mark Heffernan said that while ICE does not need to notify local law enforcement of any activity, the department “(does) not anticipate or have any intelligence that would indicate any problems should be anticipated at the ceremony.” * AP | Senate Democrats block DHS funding package ahead of shutdown deadline: Thursday’s 45-55 test vote came as Democrats have threatened a partial government shutdown when money runs out on Friday. But Trump said just ahead of the vote that “we don’t want a shutdown” and the two sides were discussing a possible agreement to separate homeland security funding from the rest of the legislation and fund it for a short time. * Nieman Lab | What a safety expert thinks journalists should know about “less than lethal” rounds and chemical irritants used by ICE: “Back in the day, you’d have [riot police using] beanbag guns, or Nerf or sponge rounds that were moving at 150 to 200 feet per second. The newer “less than lethal” rounds move 450 to 500 feet per second. ANSI Z87.1-rated eyewear, which has for a very long time been the standard if you worked in a machine shop and is the eye protection we wore for non-ballistic threats in Iraq and Afghanistan, doesn’t protect against projectiles moving this quickly. If you catch one of those in the [glasses] frame, it’s not going to do a lot to protect you.”
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Poll: Just 8 percent of Illinoisans think crime is most important issue, plus lots more
Thursday, Jan 8, 2026 - Posted by Rich Miller * As usual with statewide polls, crime is way down the list of issues important to voters… ![]() I wish they would’ve asked about property taxes. * On to other results. Darren Bailey leads the race in the Republican primary… ![]() Lots of undecided voters, but he’s retained more than half the support he had four years ago, when he won the primary with 57 percent. * Gov. JB Pritzker’s approval rating… ![]() Pritzker appears to be an outlier in the region. Ohio’s governor had a 26 percent approval rating while 45% disapproved last fall in another Emerson poll. Also last fall, Indiana’s governor had a 24 percent favorable rating with 43 percent unfavorable, “while 22 percent had no opinion and 11 percent had never heard of him.” Last summer, a Marquette poll had Wisconsin’s governor at 48 percent approval and 46 percent disapproval, but 55 percent didn’t want him to run for a third term. And I’m figuring the Minnesota governor’s numbers were deeply in the tank since he bowed out of the race. * President Trump’s approval rating… ![]() * Some more…
* The methodology…
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Poll: 58 percent oppose public funding to help build a new Bears stadium
Thursday, Jan 8, 2026 - Posted by Rich Miller * WGN-TV/Emerson College poll taken January 3-5 of 1,000 Illinois residents with a MOE of +/- 3 percent…
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Candidate roundup: Raja’s numbers may be dropping, but still leads; Nobody knows the GOP Sen. candidates; 3 Dem Sen. candidates want Noem impeached; Old Miller poll; More
Thursday, Jan 8, 2026 - Posted by Isabel Miller * [From Rich: This post glitched out on us, so I’m reposting it. I disagree with this assessment about Krishnamoorthi. Raja’s own poll a month ago had him at 42 percent. He’s not doing great, particularly after spending something like $13-14 million. Then again, the other two are in single digits and he is slightly leading Kelly among Black voters] WGN-TV/Emerson College poll taken January 3-5 of 1,000 Illinois residents with a MOE of +/- 3 percent…
* Meanwhile…
Sheesh. * All three Democratic US Senate candidates support Noem’s impeachment. US Senate Candidate Rep. Robin Kelly…
* Month-old polling from the 2nd Congressional District released by Democratic candidate Donna Miller…
Emphasis added because in the third quarter of last year, Miller only raised about $240,000 and reported having just $150,000 cash on hand. That’s not a lot of money and the election is less than 10 weeks away, with mail-in voting starting in about 4 weeks. Back to the release…
I’ve reached out to Miller’s campaign for the crosstabs. * 9th CD candidate Bushra Amiwala’s response to Rep. Jan Schakowsky’s endorsement of Daniel Biss…
* ONE People’s Campaign…
* Background is here if you need it. The Daily Northwestern…
* Raja Krishnamoorthi has been endorsed by the American Federation of Government Employees. Press release…
* Politico…
* WMBD…
* WGLT…
* More…
* Press release | Senator Fine to File Legislation Barring ICE Officers Hired By Trump from State and Local Law Enforcement Jobs: In the wake of the unspeakable tragedy in Minneapolis, Minn., State Senator Laura Fine (D-Glenview) will file legislation barring anyone hired by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) under Donald Trump from obtaining employment in state or local law enforcement positions in the State of Illinois. This proposed state law continues her efforts to hold Donald Trump accountable and rein in the lawlessness of federal immigration officials. “ICE is out of control and Donald Trump must be held accountable as communities like ours and across the country are torn apart by fear and violence,” Senator Fine said. “These officers are complicit in the President’s authoritarian campaign and we must do everything in our power to stop it while preventing further violence and loss of life. In Congress, I’ll lead the effort to hold every single person accountable for their role in Donald Trump’s lawlessness, including federal law enforcement officials who target American citizens exercising their first amendment rights. Enough is enough.” * WBEZ | Open Seat in Illinois: U.S. Senate Democratic Primary Debate: The University of Chicago Institute of Politics, WBEZ, the Chicago Sun-Times and International House are convening the three frontrunner Democratic candidates for the open U.S. Senate seat in Illinois in advance of the March 17, 2026 primary elections. Join us in person, virtually or on air on Monday, January 26 for a free, live candidate debate at International House on the University of Chicago’s campus. The debate will be co-moderated by Chicago Sun-Times national political reporter Tina Sfondeles and IOP senior director Jennifer Steinhauer and hosted by WBEZ’s In the Loop host, Sasha-Ann Simons. * Journal & Topics | All 8 Democrats Running In 8th Congressional Primary Agree To Debate: All eight candidates running in the Democratic Primary for the 8th Congressional District have confirmed their participation in a 7 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 15, debate at the National India Hub in Schaumburg. The event, co-organized by Indivisible Elk Grove Township, requires an RSVP to be completed in advance online. For those unable to attend in person, the event’s moderator, local Gen Z podcaster Ishaan Srivastava, will live-stream the debate on the Ishaan S. Show on his YouTube Channel. * NPR Illinois | Economics and energy take center stage in this year’s 13th congressional district campaigns: After an August meeting with constituents at the Champaign Public Library, Budzinski said she wants to continue focusing on economic policies in her next term. “It’s a tax credit for small businesses that hire apprentices, again, helping to make more opportunities a reality for young people who want to get into the workplace here in central Illinois,” she said. * Daily Herald | Democratic candidate for 3rd Congressional seat removed from ballot: The Illinois State Board of Elections decided Chicago Democrat Mark J. Pasieka Sr.’s name shouldn’t appear on ballots in the 3rd Congressional District. Conversely, the board ruled in favor of Naperville Republican Michael Pierce in the 11th District. An objection to Pasieka’s candidacy was jointly filed by Addison resident Maria D. Sinkule and Chicagoan Jason Christopher Dones. They said Pasieka didn’t get enough signatures of registered 3rd District voters to qualify and raised concerns about notarizations on the petitions.
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