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Isabel’s afternoon roundup

Thursday, Oct 2, 2025 - Posted by Isabel Miller

* Latitude Media…

The Department of Energy said this week it is canceling another tranche of funding, this time a total of 321 awards worth up to $7.5 billion.

According to a list of all 321 terminated awards obtained by Latitude Media, every single canceled award was for a project in a Democrat-led state. The canceled funding ranges from several hundred million dollars for projects focused on reducing methane emissions from oil and gas operators, to a $50 million grant for National Grid to add distributed energy resources to the Massachusetts electric grid. […]

But it wasn’t just renewable energy offices that were hit. The Office of Fossil Energy is canceling 68 awards, and the Grid Deployment Office is canceling 25 awards. Six awards from the Office of Manufacturing and Energy Supply Chains are being canceled, including a $5 million grant to ramp up domestic manufacturing of heat pumps, and another grant funding the buildout of new plants to process glass waste for use in low-emissions concrete.

The Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy, ARPA-E, is canceling a single award: $550,000 for the University of Illinois to develop an open-source software tool to design and optimize floating offshore wind turbines.

Illinois recipients were awarded 33 grants. Dollar figures are not yet available.

* Sun-Times…

State officials were counting on more than $130 million in federal funding to expand rooftop solar and related programs for low-income residents, a plan that would help more people like But President Donald Trump pulled that funding.

The federal money was going to significantly expand the program, in place since 2019.

For now, a relatively small number of customers have taken part in the state program — just over 2,700. But state officials and program advocates hoped to change that trend at a time when electric bills are soaring for Illinois residents. […]

The termination of the funding “lacks any legal basis,” and “will cause irreparable harm to Illinoisans,” Pritzker’s administration wrote to the EPA last month.

*** Statewide ***

* WGLT | Illinois Grain Tour examines state of soybean industry amid international trade war: Jerry Costello, director of the Illinois Department of Agriculture, said the trade war was an impossible topic to ignore during the tour. “It’s the 800-pound gorilla in the room — especially having buyers from China that are here,” Costello said. “China, last year, bought $1.4 billion worth of soybean off the state of Illinois alone. They have yet to take one single soybean delivery from the U.S. — let alone the state of Illinois — as we sit here today nine months into the year.”

* IPM Newsroom | Central Illinois farmers face severe drought with low yields for harvest season: Rainfall has been below average in recent months, according to Illinois State Climatologist Trent Ford. There was plenty of rain in July, which was great for corn. But soybeans depend on rainfall in August, which was a very dry month. […] In mid-September, Ford noted that 2025 had been the 12th driest on record in Champaign County and had been the driest year to date in Champaign-Urbana since 1988.

*** Chicago ***

* Crain’s | Soaring downtown office vacancy still hasn’t peaked: The office vacancy rate in the central business district jumped to an all-time high of 28% over the past three months from 27% midway through the year, according to data from real estate services firm CBRE. The share of available workspace has now more than doubled from 13.8% at the beginning of the public health crisis and has hit new record highs for 13 consecutive quarters.

* Sun-Times | FAA imposes sweeping drone restrictions over Chicago as feds step up immigration arrests: The Federal Aviation Administration set sweeping restrictions against private drone use Wednesday at the request of DHS, an FAA spokesperson said in a statement. An FAA alert on the restriction says the restrictions are for “special security reasons” without further explanation. The restricted flying zone, which expires Oct. 12, covers a 15-nautical-mile radius emanating from downtown Chicago, reaching as far north as suburban Winnetka, west beyond Interstate 294, and as far south as Dolton.

* ProPublica | Chicago Cop Who Falsely Blamed an Ex-Girlfriend for Dozens of Traffic Tickets Pleads Guilty but Avoids Prison: A former Chicago police officer facing trial for perjury and forgery has admitted he lied under oath dozens of times when he used an audacious alibi to get out of numerous speeding tickets and other traffic violations. Over more than a decade, he repeatedly blamed an ex-girlfriend for stealing his car and racking up the tickets — and each time, the story was bogus. […] Kriv’s plea deal was filed in Cook County court on Sept. 24, about a week before his case was scheduled to go to trial. Prosecutors for the Cook County state’s attorney’s office told ProPublica this week that Kriv had 56 of his own traffic tickets dismissed after providing false testimony to judges. That’s more than the 44 tickets that prosecutors had previously indicated in court records. The fines for those tickets would have been $4,515, the amount he was ordered to pay in restitution.

* WBEZ | A new John Candy documentary offers a deeper understanding of the comedian and his Second City influence: The historic Chicago Theatre is a fitting location to celebrate Candy, a Canadian native and alum of The Second City Toronto, who also brought improvised shows to Chicago. […] “He packed a lot of life into his years and made a difference,” said Kelly Leonard, vice president of creative strategy, innovation and business development at The Second City. “The film and the reaction to the film show that this guy was beloved, and still can make us laugh and will for decades. I put him up there with W.C. Fields, Abbott and Costello and the Marx Brothers.”

* Block Club | Chicago Could Break Heat Records This Weekend As 80s, 90s Expected: Friday is expected to hit 84 degrees and be sunny, according to the National Weather Service, while AccuWeather is predicting a high of 89 degrees. That’s significantly warmer than the high 60s that are average for Chicago at this time of year, said AccuWeather meteorologist Dan Pydynowski.

* WTTW | CTA Brings Out 1920s Vintage Railcars to Celebrate Transit Agency’s 78th Anniversary: The Chicago Transit Authority brought out the oldest trains in its vintage fleet to celebrate the agency’s 78th anniversary. The CTA, created by state legislation, began operating on Oct. 1, 1947, after it acquired the properties of the Chicago Rapid Transit Company and the Chicago Surface Lines, according to the agency’s website.

*** Cook County and Suburbs ***

* Aurora Beacon-News | Pierog gives financial outlook for county during State of Kane County address: Kane County is currently facing a budget shortfall in its general fund for the fiscal year beginning Dec. 1, according to past reporting. Since 2023, the county has dealt with gaps in its annual budgets by dipping into its cash reserves, according to past reporting. Last year the county balanced its budget with roughly $27 million in reserve funds. Per the county’s most recent audit, the general fund’s cash balance was around $55.6 million as of Nov. 30, 2024. The county aims to keep at least three months’ worth of operating expenses in cash reserves, which would amount to about $34.7 million.

* Daily Herald | Legionnaires’ disease investigation tied to Bloomingdale nursing facility: Public health authorities are investigating a cluster of two cases of Legionnaires’ disease in individuals who were at or near the Alden Valley Ridge Rehabilitation and Health Center, a skilled nursing facility in Bloomingdale. Both have recovered from their illnesses, the DuPage County Health Department announced Thursday.

* Oak Park Journal | River Forest public works union settles contract: After working for five months without an agreement, River Forest public works employees have a new three-year contract with the village. Although negotiations with the International Union of Operating Engineers Local 150 took longer than recent bargaining sessions with the unions representing employees in the River Forest Police and Fire departments, agreement between the village and the public works union was reached more quickly this time than the previous contract negotiations, when employees worked for over a year and half without a contract. The new three-year contract was approved unanimously by the five trustees present at the Sept. 22 village board meeting. Trustee Lisa Gillis did not attend.

*** Downstate ***

* NPR Illinois | No criminal charges will be filed in Chatham YNOT crash: Sangamon County State’s Attorney John Milhiser announced Thursday that evidence from deadly crash at an after-school camp in Chatham this spring does not support filing criminal charges. […] “The evidence from the Illinois State Police investigation indicates that it was most likely a medical episode (seizure) that caused the driver of the Jeep to veer off the road and into the YNOT building,” said a statement from Milhiser’s office.

* Illinois Times | Frank talk about police misconduct: Last September, Farley had just opened her new business and was riding with her then-boyfriend, Trevor Hopkins, on his Kawasaki motorcycle when the two collided with a car driven by newly retired Springfield police sergeant Michael Egan. […] The SPD underwent an internal investigation and four officers were found guilty of wrongdoings at the scene. One of them received a six-day suspension and retraining was all for the rest of them,” Farley said. “I do not believe the punishment was severe enough for the failure they provided me as a Springfield resident.” Farley said there was not enough accountability for, or amongst, police.

* WSIL | New fire station for Gorham thanks to $350K grant: “We cannot thank the Office of the Illinois State Fire Marshal enough for providing the opportunity and funding to make a new fire house in Gorham a reality,” said Village of Gorham Fire Chief Ron Guetersloh. The program awards grants of up to $350,000 through a competitive process, offering financial support to fire departments, fire protection districts, and township fire departments across the state.

* WCIA | ‘They could still be alive’: After losing her sons, Tuscola mother creates transitional home for men experiencing drug addictions: September is National Recovery Month, and Scribner is expanding her mission in the Tuscola community. After purchasing land, she’s recently established “PJ’s Place,” a transitional home for men recovering from substance use disorders. Once it’s fully renovated, eight men will temporarily live there 24/7 as they adjust back to a “new normal.” “You can have the best day of your life, and then when you go to bed and think about things, you get depressed. When you’re struggling with substance use, that’s how you self-medicate, and I want it to be a controlled environment,” Scribner said.

*** National ***

* 404 Media | Earth Is Getting Darker, Literally, and Scientists Are Trying To Find Out Why: It’s not the vibes; Earth is literally getting darker. Scientists have discovered that our planet has been reflecting less light in both hemispheres, with a more pronounced darkening in the Northern hemisphere, according to a study published on Monday in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The new trend upends longstanding symmetry in the surface albedo, or reflectivity, of the Northern and Southern hemispheres. In other words, clouds circulate in a way that equalizes hemispheric differences, such as the uneven distribution of land, so that the albedos roughly match—though nobody knows why.

* Crain’s | Rivian reports 32% sales surge on expiring EV tax credit, but cuts 2025 delivery outlook: Rivian Automotive reported a 32 percent surge in third-quarter deliveries compared with a year earlier to 13,201 vehicles as U.S. buyers took advantage of the expiring federal EV tax credit. But the Irvine, Calif., automaker cut the high end of its 2025 delivery outlook. Rivian adjusted the full-year forecast to between 41,500 and 43,500 vehicles from 40,000 to 46,000 previously.

* NPR | Air traffic controllers helped end the last government shutdown, and may again: “You have the reality of human beings, many of [whom] are living paycheck to paycheck,” said Dennis Tajer, a longtime pilot for American Airlines and a spokesman for the union that represents its 16,000 pilots. “It doesn’t take long before the system slows down. The safety margin is always protected. But what happens is we meter the amount of aircraft that the system can hold.” That’s what happened on Jan. 25, 2019, when a shortage of air traffic controllers forced the FAA to limit traffic at LaGuardia Airport in New York, along with other major airports from Newark, N.J., to Orlando, Fla.

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Protected: SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - This just in… (Updated x5)

Thursday, Oct 2, 2025 - Posted by Rich Miller

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Protected: SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - Campaign and seniority report

Thursday, Oct 2, 2025 - Posted by Rich Miller

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Today’s numbers: Wagering in Illinois

Thursday, Oct 2, 2025 - Posted by Rich Miller

* COGFA’s latest wagering in Illinois update…

• In FY 2025, the State’s share of tax revenues from wagering in Illinois totaled $2.234 billion, a 6.8% increase over FY 2024 levels. This surge is in large part due to changes that continue to be implemented by the 2019 gaming expansion package and subsequent bills. The most significant increases have come from the Video Gaming and Sports Wagering industries. Other new projects are expected to expand gaming further including the development of permanent casinos in Illinois, including a racino in Collinsville, a casino in Waukegan, and a 4,000 position Chicago Casino.

• Statewide adjusted gross receipts (AGR) for Illinois casinos increased 12.2% in FY 2025. The AGR increase from $1.618 billion to $1.816 billion was largely a result of new casinos beginning operations throughout the state, including a new casino in East Hazel Crest. With this growth, the FY 2025 AGR total continued to grow beyond recent pre-pandemic levels and continues the recent reversal of the generally downward trend of casino revenues over the past decade.

• Changes to the graduated tax structure imposed on casinos have resulted in less State tax revenue than would have been collected under the previous rate structure. The average effective tax rate fell from 27.3% in FY 2020 to 20.0% in FY 2025. However, the State Gaming Transfer increased from $158 million in FY 2024 to $186 million in FY 2025 due to the new casino activity.

• The number of video gaming terminals in operation across Illinois has steadily increased to over 49,000 by the end of FY 2025. Video gaming machines generated over $3.086 billion in net terminal income in FY 2025, a 5% increase over the FY 2024 total of $2.932 billion. Approximately $159 million in tax revenues to local governments were generated in FY 2025, as well as over $921 million to the Capital Projects Fund. Despite Chicago not participating, Cook County still has by far the most video gaming terminals of any county with over 9,000 terminals. In regard to municipalities, Springfield had the most terminals (864) and the highest amount of net terminal income ($54 million) in FY 2025.

• After years of being the State’s largest source of gaming revenues, the Illinois Lottery fell to second. In FY 2025, the Illinois Lottery had $3.756 billion in sales, a decline from the previously recorded high of $3.858 billion in sales from FY 2024. The largest contributor of sales continues to come from Instant Games, making up 57.7% of the total. Lottery transfers to the Common School Fund were $777 million in FY 2025, a decline from the record of $877 million in FY 2024. Transfers to special causes increased from FY 2024 to FY 2025 totaling $12.1 million.

• Illinois’ horse racing handle slid from $490 million to $478 million in CY 2024, a decrease of 2.6%. This latest total is the lowest in over 40 years. The proliferation of advance deposit wagering (ADW) over the last decade has helped to soften these declines. The racing industry is hopeful that the potential “racino” at Hawthorne and the one recently opened at Fairmount Park will help rejuvenate an overall struggling industry.

• Illinois sports wagering generated over $1.3 billion in adjusted gross receipts in FY 2025. With the new graduated tax structure that took effect in FY 2025, approximately $429 million in tax revenues was collected. Additional revenues resulted from various sports wagering license fees. The total amount of funds transferred from the Sports Wagering Fund to earmarked areas such as the Capital Projects Fund (CPF), the Rebuild Illinois Projects Fund (RIPF), and the General Revenue Fund (GRF) was $380 million in FY 2025.

Discuss.

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Question of the day

Thursday, Oct 2, 2025 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Gallup…

Americans’ confidence in the mass media has edged down to a new low, with just 28% expressing a “great deal” or “fair amount” of trust in newspapers, television and radio to report the news fully, accurately and fairly. This is down from 31% last year and 40% five years ago.

Meanwhile, seven in 10 U.S. adults now say they have “not very much” confidence (36%) or “none at all” (34%).

When Gallup began measuring trust in the news media in the 1970s, between 68% and 72% of Americans expressed confidence in reporting. However, by the next reading in 1997, public confidence had fallen to 53%. Media trust remained just above 50% until it dropped to 44% in 2004, and it has not risen to the majority level since. The highest reading in the past decade was 45% in 2018, which came just two years after confidence had collapsed amid the divisive 2016 presidential campaign.

The latest 28% confidence reading, from a Sept. 2-16 poll, marks the first time the measure has fallen below 30%.

Full results are here.

I’m assuming that trust is higher here because most of y’all are news junkies. But, let’s see how this goes.

* The Question: In general, how much trust and confidence do you have in the mass media — such as newspapers, TV and radio — when it comes to reporting the news fully, accurately and fairly — a great deal, a fair amount, not very much or none at all? Take the poll and then explain your answer in comments, please.

online polls


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Illinois counties lose bid to dismiss class action lawsuit over property tax sales

Thursday, Oct 2, 2025 - Posted by Isabel Miller

* Crain’s last year…

A new lawsuit aims to abolish the long-standing practice of Illinois counties selling properties over their unpaid taxes in the wake of a U.S. Supreme Court ruling last year that declared the practice unconstitutional.

“County governments across Illinois have been illegally seizing property value from taxpayers across Illinois for decades,” said Daniel Suhr, an attorney with the Chicago-based law firm Hughes & Suhr, which filed the suit. “The US Supreme Court made that eminently clear in its decision, and our lawsuit is an effort to make victims of this unconstitutional policy whole.”

At stake is potentially hundreds of millions of dollars in home equity that property owners lost when Illinois counties sold their homes or commercial property for back taxes. A study by the Pacific Legal Foundation estimated that in the years 2014 to 2021, property owners in 11 Illinois counties sacrificed about $300 million in equity when their properties were sold for tax debt.

“It’s equity theft,” Suhr said.

This is about selling homes over unpaid property taxes when the equity in those homes was worth more than the debt. The argument is that homeowners were unconstitutionally stripped of that excess equity.

* Crain’s today…

A federal judge’s opinion this week made the ice even thinner under Illinois’ already precarious method of recouping delinquent property taxes, which has been under fire since a 2023 Supreme Court decision found the method unconstitutional.

Hanging in the balance is the millions of dollars — or more — that Illinois counties could be required to repay former property owners, if the opinion by U.S. District Judge Nancy J. Rosenstengel of the Southern District of Illinois leads to a court decision against the counties. Her decision allows a proposed class-action lawsuit to move forward, against the request of the treasurers of five Illinois counties.

Rosenstengel’s Sept. 30 opinion is among the first from a judge to expressly say counties in Illinois may be liable for violating property owners’ constitutional rights. It’s a complex issue, but boils down to a question of whether and how numerous former property owners in Illinois will be compensated for a violation of their property rights.

* From Judge Rosenstengel’s opinion…

The St. Clair County Defendants argue that the issuance of the tax deed on behalf of the State is the “taking” that Plaintiffs complain of. But it is not the bare issuance of the tax deed transferring the property that violates the Constitution. It is the issuance of a tax deed without providing just compensation for the surplus value of the property that the Supreme Court has deemed a violation of the Fifth Amendment.

Because the Plaintiffs are challenging the Treasurers’ discretionary policy decision not to provide just composition after the property is transferred — and not any action mandated by State law — the Treasurers’ are not protected by sovereign immunity.

* Back to Crain’s…

Rosenstengel’s opinion suggests the county treasurers should instead have developed a system that gets the taxes for the county and returns excess equity to the property owner.

Thoughts?

* Related…

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When RETAIL Succeeds, Illinois Succeeds

Thursday, Oct 2, 2025 - Posted by Advertising Department

[The following is a paid advertisement.]

Findings of a recent economic study are clear: the retail sector is a cornerstone of the state’s economy and crucial to our everyday lives. Retail in Illinois directly contributes more than $112 billion in economic investment annually – more than 10 percent of the state’s total Gross Domestic Product.

Retailers like Diana Hamann in Evanston enrich our economy and strengthen our communities. We Are Retail and IRMA are showcasing the retailers who make Illinois work.

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Catching up with the congressionals

Thursday, Oct 2, 2025 - Posted by Isabel Miller

* Former U.S. Rep. Melissa Bean touts fundraising haul in 8th District comeback bid. Press release…

Melissa Bean raised over half a million dollars in her first fundraising quarter as a candidate for Illinois’ 8th Congressional District seat, bringing in an impressive Q3 haul of $540,000 in just fourteen working days – a sign that she’s raising at a faster rate than her opponents.

“We’re thrilled to see the early enthusiasm and support building behind our campaign – a reflection of Melissa’s record in Congress working hard with Democrats and President Obama to protect working families,” said Jeremy Custer, Campaign Manager, Melissa Bean for Congress. “We’re confident that our momentum will only continue to build as voters across the 8th district hear Melissa’s story – she’s a proven leader who stood with moral courage and voted for healthcare, knowing it would cost her seat. This is the type of leadership Americans are demanding right now.”

* Politico…

In IL-08: Kevin Morrison has been endorsed by Kane County State’s Attorney Jamie Mosser in the 8th Congressional District race. “At a time when democracy is under attack, and as the need for criminal justice reform has never been more urgent, I have full and complete faith that Kevin Morrison will fight for what’s right in Congress,” Mosser said.

In IL-08: Sanjyot Dunung, a congressional candidate for Illinois’ 8th District, has been endorsed by the Hindu American PAC, an independent and non-partisan political action committee.

* Moving on to the 2nd CD. Sen. Robert Peters…

Robert Peters’ campaign for Congress in Illinois’ 2nd District announced it raised $275,000 by the September 30 quarterly fundraising deadline with more than 20,600 individual donors overall. This is in addition to the more than $450,000 Peters raised in the 2nd quarter of 2025, after launching his campaign in mid-May.

“Our campaign is fueled by grassroots donors who are craving bold leadership that will stand up to Trump and speak to the challenges our communities are facing,” said Peters. “We are building the strongest campaign in this race, and that’s because voters in the 2nd District want a representative who will not just take on the MAGA Republicans, but will also fight for affordable health care, strong public schools, and lower costs of groceries and housing.”

* Meanwhile… Crain’s…

U.S. Rep. Mike Quigley has inched closer to running for mayor, but a formal decision is still a way off.

In an amendment filed today with the Illinois Board of Elections, Quigley updated the purpose of his “Friends of Mike Quigley” campaign committee “to elect Mike Quigley as mayor of the city of Chicago.”

The nine-term congressman from the North Side formed the account in August ostensibly to run for Democratic State Central Committeeman, but told Crain’s at the time he was considering a bid for the Fifth Floor in what’s expected to be a crowded field to unseat Mayor Brandon Johnson.

Through a spokesperson, Quigley declined to comment on the updated filing.

* More…

    * WICS | Vows to Refuse Pay During Government Shutdown: Budzinski wrote, “Members of Congress should play by the same rules as the people they represent. Until Congress comes to a bipartisan resolution to this impasse, one that makes whole the workers I represent in Illinois’ 13th District and fully reopens the government, I firmly believe Member pay should be withheld. Washington’s dysfunction is unacceptable, and Illinoisans have had enough. Until both parties come to the table, do their job, and reopen the government, Members of Congress should not receive pay.”

    * Block Club | Learn About The Candidates Running For Rep. Jan Schakowsky’s Seat At Edgewater Town Hall: An Edgewater group is hosting a town hall this weekend to allow neighbors to hear from more than a dozen candidates vying to be the next representative for Illinois’ 9th Congressional District. […] Thirteen of the candidates will speak at a town hall 2-4 p.m. Saturday at Episcopal Church of the Atonement, 5749 N. Kenmore Ave. You can RSVP here.

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Protect the 340B Program to Enhance Healthcare Services in Low-Income Communities

Thursday, Oct 2, 2025 - Posted by Advertising Department

[The following is a paid advertisement.]

Drugmaker requirements are making it hard for hospitals like Franciscan Health Olympia Fields to turn savings on drug costs into healthcare services for patients. The hospital joined the federal 340B program “to help serve the uninsured and under-insured community residents in Olympia Fields and Chicago Heights.” The poverty rates in both Chicago suburbs are higher than the 11.6% state average—nearly 13% in Olympia Fields and almost 25% in Chicago Heights.

The hospital has put 340B savings toward healthcare services, including its:

    • Outpatient Infusion Center that provides comprehensive cancer care;
    • Medication to Bedside program that ensures medication access prior to discharge; and
    • Pharmacist-managed Anticoagulation Clinics and Pharmacotherapy Clinics that improve medication outcomes and reduce hospital readmissions.

“The 340B program serves as a vital lifeline for safety-net providers to support critical health services in low-income or isolated rural communities, which are typically operated at a loss,” Franciscan Health said.

Since 2020, drugmakers have blocked access to lifesaving medications acquired through the 340B program, making it harder for Illinois’ 100 participating hospitals to invest in healthcare services—and patients.

Support House Bill 2371 SA 2 to prohibit drugmakers from interfering with hospital pharmacy contracts. Low-income communities deserve access to more comprehensive healthcare services, as the 340B program intended. Learn more.

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Isabel’s morning briefing

Thursday, Oct 2, 2025 - Posted by Isabel Miller

* ICYMI: Illinois federal workers heavily stressed as government shutdown yanks paychecks. Sun-Times…

    - The U.S. government shut down after the Senate failed to approve a short-term funding bill Tuesday night, jeopardizing the pay and employment of thousands of workers across Illinois and the country, and scaling back operations at federal facilities, such as national parks.
    - More than 153,000 federal workers lived in Illinois last year, according to the 2024 U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey.
    - Federal workers for Immigration and Customs Enforcement were on the job at a suburban Broadview facility Wednesday. When asked if they were getting paid Wednesday, one agent shook his head. He didn’t share his thoughts on the shutdown when asked, but said it “happens all the time.”

* Related stories…

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*** Isabel’s Top Picks ***

* SJ-R | New program looks to address lawyer shortage in Illinois: The Illinois Supreme Court has greenlit a commission to develop a program that would allow people who are not lawyers to offer limited legal advice, citing a shortage of lawyers. With the Community Justice Program, the top court in the state looks to address the shortage as well as a lack of affordability for many Illinoisans.

* WCIA | Insurance company seeking $4M reimbursement for ‘fraudulent’ claim made by Wyndham Hotel: In a counterclaim filed in federal court on Sept. 4, Affiliated FM Insurance said that a lightning claim filed on March 14, 2024, by Al Rajabi, owner of the now-closed Wyndham Hotel, was both “minimal” in damages and “fraudulent.” As a result, the insurance company is seeking the $4,054,000 payout they made to the hotel, as well as $12.162 million plus attorney fees under Illinois insurance fraud statute, which is triple the damages.

* Crain’s | Illinois counties on thin ice with property tax sales, judge says: A federal judge’s opinion this week made the ice even thinner under Illinois’ already precarious method of recouping delinquent property taxes, which has been under fire since a 2023 Supreme Court decision found the method unconstitutional. Hanging in the balance is the millions of dollars — or more — that Illinois counties could be required to repay former property owners, if the opinion by U.S. District Judge Nancy J. Rosenstengel of the Southern District of Illinois leads to a court decision against the counties. Her decision allows a proposed class-action lawsuit to move forward, against the request of the treasurers of five Illinois counties.

* Press release | AG Raoul leads lawsuit against DOJ to protect services for crime survivors: Attorney General Kwame Raoul, along with New York Attorney General Letitia James, Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser and Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha, led a coalition of 22 attorneys general in filing a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) to block new restrictions on federal funding that supports survivors of domestic violence and other violent crimes.

*** Statehouse News ***

* WBBM | Pritzker spells out potential support for Bears stadium: During an unrelated event Wednesday at the UIC School of Public Health on Chicago’s West side, the Governor said he hadn’t looked over details of the proposal, but said he was open to state assistance for those kinds of projects. “The state will help where we can on infrastructure and other things that are the job of the state,” the governor said. “We do that for businesses all over the state.”

* WTVO | Bill to reduce energy costs in Illinois faces renewed scrutiny: “We need to be careful about it. We need to take our time. We need to make sure that we have an entire regulatory framework before we just wholesale let all of these data centers locate in Illinois,” said Jennifer Walling, executive director for the Illinois Environmental Council.

* WQAD | Illinois ranks second nationwide in sports betting taxes: Since a 2018 Supreme Court decision opened the gates for sports betting at a state level, Americans have wagered well over $500 billion through licensed sportsbooks. That activity has generated more than $9.3 billion in state taxes, fueling general budgets, public services and infrastructure projects nationwide. Jack Caporal, research director at The Motley Fool, said Illinois is the first state to adopt a progressive sports betting tax. Rates start at 20% and rise to 40% for the highest-earning sportsbooks. On July 1, the state also added a new per-bet fee: 25 cents on the first 20 million wagers each year, and 50 cents after that. The fee alone generated more than $5 million in its first month, prompting FanDuel to add a 50-cent surcharge to every Illinois bet. Most of Illinois’ betting tax revenue flows into the state’s general revenue fund, which supports schools, healthcare and pensions.

* WMBD | Property taxes are forcing senior citizens out of their homes, a state bill could change that: A Democratic plan in Springfield could help some senior citizens. The proposal would allow more people to get into the Homestead program. This program allows seniors in Illinois to freeze their property tax rate. However, that exemption only applies to people who earned $65,000 or less a year. This bill would increase that exemption to $80,000. While that sounds like a small jump, there are a significant amount of the elderly population who fall into that price bracket. “I think this is a way to at least keep them in their homes, which is I think, very, very important,” said Dave Vella, a Rockford Democrat who’s championing the bill.

*** Chicago ***

* NYT | Drones, Helicopters, Hundreds of Arrests: Trump’s Immigration Crackdown in Chicago So Far: And early on Tuesday, federal agents, using drones, helicopters, trucks and dozens of vehicles, conducted a middle-of-the-night raid on a rundown apartment building on the South Side of Chicago, leaving the building mostly empty of residents by morning and neighbors stunned. “It felt like we were under siege,” said one bystander, Darrell Ballard, 63, showing videos on his cellphone of officers entering the apartment building in the dark.

* Tribune | Mother and children detained in Millennium Park released from ICE custody, father flown to Texas detention center: ‘We’re praying for a miracle’: The move came after a federal judge ordered that the family, including Noemi Chavez and their 8 year-old daughter and 3-year-old son, are protected from deportation or removal from Illinois while the government responds to a habeas corpus petition filed by attorneys with the National Immigrant Justice Center. However, the children’s father, Jaime Ramirez, remains in a Texas immigration facility after being transferred from Illinois earlier this week.

* Sun-Times | Massive immigration raid on Chicago apartment building leaves residents reeling: ‘I feel defeated’: Dan Jones was jolted awake around 1 a.m. Tuesday to the sound of federal agents trying to break through his apartment door. They couldn’t get past his double lock, so he went back to bed. But when he woke up hours later for work, he walked out and found broken doors littering the hallway — and his neighbors missing.

* Crain’s | Logan Square homeowner takes unusual route to getting new affordable housing built: In Logan Square, where rapidly rising housing costs threaten to price many long-term residents out, one homeowner chose an unusual way of ensuring new affordable units are added to the neighborhood. He bought the run-down three-unit building next door to his three-flat, demolished it and donated the land — for which he had paid $575,000 — to a community land trust that will build six new units of affordable housing.

*** Cook County and Suburbs ***

* Sun-Times | ICE’s Broadview facility has become a de facto detention center, minus the rules and oversight: For sleeping, crowded cold floors or scant plastic chairs for dozens of men. For eating, sandwiches and water. For bathroom needs, a toilet out in the open, no soap or toothpaste. “The cell is gross, extremely dirty, I never lay down on the floor, it was so filthy,” Yushell, 38, said from Mexico City, days after he was grabbed by immigration officers in Mount Prospect on Sept. 24 on his way to work from an exercise class. “Still, sleeping while sitting on the floor was impossible.

* Tribune | Black babies die suddenly, unexpectedly at 14 times the rate of white babies in Cook County, report says: In all, 208 infants in Cook County died suddenly and unexpectedly while sleeping between 2019 and 2023, with 99% of those deaths occurring in sleeping situations that are considered unsafe for babies, such as sleeping with another person, or sleeping with soft bedding items including pillows, blankets or stuffed animals, according to the report.

* Evanston RoundTable | Northwestern says it will fund research through end of 2025: As the university’s federal grants remain frozen by the Trump administration, Northwestern said Tuesday it will continue to fund student and faculty research on its own “at least through the end of the calendar year,” according to a press release published on the university website. […] In April, the federal government froze $790 million in grants and government contracts previously allocated to Northwestern. That same week, the university announced that it would continue to fund existing projects as long as it could.

* Daily Southtown | Tinley Park District 146 reaches tentative contract with teachers’ union without strike: A spokesperson for the District 146 Educators Council declined to provide information on the agreement ahead of a vote by union members Wednesday and Thursday. The union earlier this month voted to strike as early as Sept. 22 if an agreement could not be reached, with 230 of 232 members voting in favor of the authorization. “We are so glad that we can now put this process behind us,” District 146 Educators Council President Eileen Von Borstel said in a statement through the Illinois Federation of Teachers. “It took longer than expected” to reach a fair contract.

* Tribune | Chicago-area contractor gets 7½ years in prison in ‘staggering’ scheme to bribe Amtrak official in Philadelphia: The owner of a Chicago-area construction company was sentenced Wednesday to 7½ years in federal prison in a scheme to bribe a corrupt Amtrak official overseeing a $58 million contract to renovate a historic train station in Philadelphia with hundreds of thousands of dollars in lavish gifts, including trips, meals, jewelry and a German shepherd puppy. Mark Snedden, 69, of Munster, Indiana, the founder and president of Dolton-based MARK 1 Restoration Co., pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Philadelphia earlier this year to one count each of conspiracy to commit federal program bribery and making a false claim. In addition to a 90-month prison term, U.S. District Chief Judge Wendy Beetlestone fined Snedden $250,000 and ordered him to pay just over $2 million in restitution, according to the U.S. attorney’s office.

*** Downstate ***

* The Southern | Southern Illinois doctor warns of federal healthcare policies impact: A Southern Illinois doctor says recent federal health policies will make it harder for patients to get care and could push small hospitals in the region to the brink. Dr. Jeff Ripperda, a local physician, is urging residents to speak out, including at a demonstration scheduled for Oct. 1 at noon outside U.S. Rep. Mike Bost’s Murphysboro office.

* WGLT | Normal Township supervisor addresses concerns in town hall, will step down from McLean County Board: The head of Normal Township told constituents at a town hall meeting Wednesday that her primary focus is getting its general assistance fund spending under control. Supervisor Krystle Able said expenditures for the township’s public aid fund obligations far exceeded their revenue when she took over in May. “There have been townships that have gone bankrupt because they have paid general assistance without having the funds to actually pay it,” she said Wednesday at the Normal Activity and Recreation Center [ARC], which is operated by the township. “We don’t want to get into a situation like that here.”

* WSIL | Eldorado embraces agrivoltaics with massive solar project: Sol Systems has announced its largest project to date, the 342MW Eldorado Solar project in southeastern Illinois. The project, built in partnership with Nextracker and SOLV Energy, includes a pioneering agrivoltaics initiative. The initiative involves a collaboration with the American Farmland Trust to plant Kernza, a perennial grain, beneath the solar panels. This approach seeks to demonstrate how solar and agriculture can coexist and thrive.

* WCIA | Piatt Co. non-profit raising awareness about domestic violence: “We help in crisis and long term safety planning, leaving a domestic violence situation, and everything in between,” Willow Tree Mission’s Director of Services, Andrea Kocher, said. The store is opening in a timely way. October is National Domestic Violence Awareness month. “We’re able to utilize it as a platform to get our mission out, that we truly are here to support people going through a domestic violence situation,” Kocher said.

* WSIL | Vienna High School expands breakfast program with $10K grant: Vienna High School has received a School Breakfast Expansion Grant of $10,000 for the second consecutive year. The grant supports Project Better Start, an initiative aimed at providing students with healthy breakfast options. […] Last year, the funds were used to establish a coffee bar. This year, the grant will create a grab-and-go breakfast nook for students with limited time.

*** National ***

* Politico | Trump targets states that voted for Harris in shutdown fight: Russ Vought, director of the Office of Management and Budget, said Wednesday the Trump administration is cancelling nearly $8 billion in funding for energy programs he characterized as part of “the Left’s climate agenda.” The cuts will impact 16 states — all of which voted for former Vice President Kamala Harris in last year’s presidential election. Vought did not identify exactly which programs would be cut in the social media announcement.

* Slate | There’s a New Lawsuit Against “Kavanaugh Stops.” It’s Absolutely Devastating.: Perhaps the most comprehensive account of Kavanaugh stops so far arrived last Thursday, in the form of a new lawsuit against the Trump administration brought by victims of racial profiling in the District of Columbia. The plaintiffs, a group of citizens and legal residents, describe ICE and Customs and Border Protection agents detaining them for hours—or even overnight—because they happen to be Latino. These accounts make a mockery of Kavanaugh’s insistence that these stops are brief and painless for those who have a right to live in this country.

  15 Comments      


Open thread

Thursday, Oct 2, 2025 - Posted by Isabel Miller

* What’s going on? Keep it Illinois-centric please…

  1 Comment      


Selected press releases (Live updates)

Thursday, Oct 2, 2025 - Posted by Isabel Miller

  Comment      


Live coverage

Thursday, Oct 2, 2025 - Posted by Isabel Miller

* Click here and/or here to follow breaking news. Hopefully, enough reporters and news outlets migrate to BlueSky so we can hopefully resume live-posting.

  Comment      


Isabel’s afternoon roundup

Wednesday, Oct 1, 2025 - Posted by Isabel Miller

* Subscribers know more. At an unrelated news conference, Governor Pritzker was asked about the Illinois AFL-CIO’s decision to withdraw from the decades-old “agreed bill process” for workers’ comp and unemployment insurance…

Pritzker: This is an old methodology that’s been around for a long time. It has worked in many circumstances. I understand the frustration of the leaders of the labor movement about the fact that Republicans across the country have been unwilling to actually cut deals that make sense with labor, and therefore they want action on their behalf. So I understand the perspective. I have to say, we’ve seen the process work reasonably well in the state of Illinois before, but, you know, it’s their prerogative to choose not to be part of that process.

* Attorney General Kwame Raoul…

Attorney General Kwame Raoul and the Illinois Department of Labor (IDOL) today urged the Illinois Supreme Court to reject Amazon’s request to limit the Illinois Minimum Wage Law in a lawsuit filed against the company by its Illinois warehouse workers. Raoul and IDOL filed an amicus brief in Johnson v. Amazon.com Services LLC in support of the workers, who say Amazon failed to pay them for time they spent undergoing mandatory public-health screenings at the warehouses before their work shifts.

“Illinois law goes further than federal law when it comes to protecting the rights of our workers,” Raoul said. “In Illinois, when a worker is required to spend their valuable time at a workplace for pre-shift tasks, they’re entitled to be paid for that time. I will continue advocating for Illinois workers and ensuring our wage-and-hour standards are respected and enforced.” […]

The warehouse workers sued Amazon under both the Illinois Minimum Wage Law and the federal Fair Labor Standards Act. A federal trial judge dismissed the workers’ federal claims based on an exception in the Fair Labor Standards Act for “preliminary” and “postliminary” job activities. The judge also dismissed their state-law claims, reasoning that the Illinois Minimum Wage law implicitly incorporates the same exception. The plaintiffs appealed the ruling on their state-law claims. However, instead of ruling for either party, the federal appellate panel asked the Illinois Supreme Court to clarify whether Illinois law incorporates the exception, explaining that the case raised an “unsettled question of state law” with “profound significance to workers and employers in Illinois.”

In their brief in the Illinois Supreme Court, Raoul and IDOL argue that Illinois has never enacted an exception like the one that exists at the federal level. Although Illinois courts sometimes look to federal law for guidance when interpreting state minimum-wage law, the brief explains, doing so here would be inappropriate because that would add a sweeping exception into a law that Illinois passed to protect workers, and no provision of state law mirrors the relevant federal provision. Raoul and IDOL emphasize that the Fair Labor Standards Act permits the state to enact wage-and-hour standards that exceed federal standards, which Illinois has consistently done.

* Tribune…

Cook County Public Defender Sharone Mitchell Jr. and a coalition of legal groups and social service organizations are petitioning Chief Judge Timothy Evans to enter a general order prohibiting warrantless immigration arrests in or around courthouses.

Court facilities have historically been spared when it comes to immigration enforcement in order to create conditions in which defendants and witnesses are likely to show up for appearances. But sightings of federal immigration agents have increasingly been reported in and around area courthouses. […]

“We are asking Chief Judge Evans to do the right thing and to please protect that right by signing the general order,” said Alexa Van Brunt, director of the Illinois office at the MacArthur Justice Center. […]

On multiple occasions, immigration agents have been spotted around the domestic violence courthouse, raising particular concern about a chilling impact on people seeking orders of protection.

* Tribune…

Education in Illinois shows promising areas of growth — including improved kindergarten readiness and increased graduation rates — but remains hampered by stagnant reading and math literacy, as well as rising higher education costs, according to a new report.

Other problems plague the state as well, including chronic absenteeism and student mental health issues, which continue to be pervasive post-pandemic, according to the biennial analysis by Advance Illinois, a bipartisan education and advocacy organization. The report, released Wednesday, offers an in-depth look at the state’s education infrastructure and how public school students are faring.

Obstacles to schooling begin even before a child’s education journey, and persist after high school, due to increasing costs, according to the report.

“The bad news is there are very serious gaps, and those gaps by income, by race, by learning style, by language, have emerged even before students get to kindergarten,” said Robin Steans, president of Advance Illinois. The good news, Steans said, is that classroom rigor, persistence and graduation rates continue to increase. “Those are all moving in the right direction,” she said.

Overall, Illinois outpaces the nation in academic growth, Steans said, but there is still work to be done to ensure that all students reach their full potential, Steans wrote in the report.

* Citizens Utility Board…

After an expensive summer, Commonwealth Edison’s new supply price has dropped slightly but is still about 47 percent higher than last year, the Citizens Utility Board (CUB) said Wednesday.

Even though ComEd’s price is elevated, the watchdog urged consumers to review the “Supply” section of their bills to confirm they are not overpaying with an expensive alternative supplier offer, including offers negotiated by local governments.

ComEd’s new non-summer power price (from October 2025 through May 2026):

    ● 9.689 cents per kilowatt-hour (kWh) (Appears as 0.09689 on bills.)
    ● The price above includes the supply price plus a transmission charge.

While ComEd’s price is down slightly from what it was this past summer (about 10.03 cents per kWh), it’s still up about 47 percent from what it was last October. Overall, ComEd has estimated the price increase will cost customers an average of 10-15 percent, or $10.60, more per month—but the impact can be much higher for individual customers, depending on factors such as weather.

*** Statewide ***

* Chalkbeat Chicago | Illinois now ranks 18th in nation for state education spending per student, report says: Illinois is no longer one of the worst states in America when it comes to funding K-12 schools, an improvement that may have helped it weather some of the COVID pandemic’s disruption to student learning, according to a new report released Wednesday. In its annual “The State We’re In” report, the independent advocacy organization Advance Illinois said Illinois moved from 47th in 2008 for state spending per student to 18th. “This is unprecedented,” said Advance Illinois President Robin Steans. “It’s stunning. It was badly, badly necessary.”

*** Statehouse News ***

* Capitol News Illinois | Stratton aims to bring Pritzker administration policies to national stage: One of Stratton’s top economic priorities is raising the federal minimum wage to $15. Pritzker signed a bill about one month into his first term in 2019 to raise Illinois’ minimum wage to $15 over six years, checking off one of his top campaign promises. The federal minimum wage has been $7.25 since 2009. Stratton also called for expanding the Earned Income Tax Credit for low- and moderate-income workers. She did not specify what changes she would support.

*** Chicago ***

* Block Club | Chicago Public Schools Should Sue Feds Over Magnet School Money, CTU President Says: Trump administration officials said $5.8 million will not be awarded to Chicago in the coming year under the Magnet Schools Assistance Program and $17.5 million would not be awarded for the remaining years of the district’s grants. The move created an $8 million hole in the current school year’s CPS budget, district officials said.

* Block Club | Bronzeville Homeless Shelter Residents ‘Traumatized’ After Feds Chase, Arrest 4 People: Agents arrived Wednesday morning at the shelter run by the charitable arm of Bright Star Church and “started chasing people outside,” said Caryl R. West, executive director of Bright Star’s community development program. “People were afraid, and they didn’t know who they were being chased by, because the agents didn’t identify themselves,” West said. “So they ran into the field, and were chased there.”

* Crain’s | Chicago hotels set summer record, but profits prove elusive: Choose Chicago today announced there were nearly 3.6 million nightly stays at downtown inns from the beginning of June through the end of August, breaking the all-time high for that three-month stretch set in 2019. Hotels in the central business district posted a record-high of $949 million in revenue during those three months of this year, up by 0.8% from the same period in 2024. Nationwide, that number dipped by 0.5% over that span, according to Choose.

* WGN | Spirit Airlines announces furloughs of flight attendants in Chicago, other cities: A similar WARN notice has also been posted in Illinois, warning that more than 60 Spirit employees at O’Hare International Airport will be impacted come December. More than 330 at Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport will be furloughed, according to a Georgia WARN notice.

* Daily Herald | ‘Many live paycheck to paycheck’: Shutdown will impact local workers, airports and services, stakeholders say: The fallout could disrupt travel at O’Hare and Midway international airports, impact the federal courthouse in Chicago and suspend U.S. Environmental Protection Agency pollution monitoring locally, among other problems. […] Many staffers at U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Region 5, which serves Illinois and five neighboring states, will be furloughed until the dispute is resolved, said American Federation of Government Employees official Nicole Cantello.

*** Cook County and Suburbs ***

* Injustice Watch | Cook County’s New Prosecutor Has Weakened An Already Broken System For Freeing The Innocent: Claims of police abuse are all too common in the Cook County courts. But Wells and Mason have an uncommon piece of evidence from an unusual source: a 77-page report commissioned by prosecutors themselves, citing more than a dozen cases where witnesses or defendants allege that one of those detectives, Brian Forberg, or his partners did the same thing to them. Snowballing claims of coercion by specific Chicago detectives have historically signaled wrongful convictions waiting to be revealed. Cook County State’s Attorney Eileen O’Neill Burke, however, has shown no sign she plans to act on the bracing report ordered up by her predecessor, Kim Foxx. Instead, Burke — 10 months into her first term — has continued to handle cases involving Forberg one by one in court, rather than systematically investigating their glaring similarities.

* ABC Chicago | Neurodivergent man released from custody pending trial after Broadview protest arrest: A judge Wednesday read a letter of support from the mayor of Oak Park and from a student at Oak Park and River Forest High School, where Paul Ivery works in the cafeteria. The judge later decided to release Ivery from custody, pending trial.

* Daily Herald | ‘Mini-forests’ are rare in the US. The Algonquin Garden Club is planting one in Kane County: The future mini-forest land has been vacant since invasive buckthorn trees were cut down about six years ago, Weinhammer said. Now the land will be transformed into a home for only native plants, creating a vital habitat for local pollinators and wildlife. “Everything we are going to plant will provide either a berry or a flower for native birds and pollinators,” she said. “It’s almost like a food forest” for birds and mammals.

*** Downstate ***

* WGLT | Bloomington elections chief explains how ’safeguards’ caught a rare case of alleged voter fraud: Bloomington Election Commission [BEC] Executive Director Luke Stremlau said state election officials send them a list of people who may have voted in another state. That triggers a BEC inquiry. “In this case, it was brought to me in that manner. It’s something that was flagged in both Bloomington and out-of-state [Wisconsin] as well,” Stremlau said. Of the 37,786 votes cast in Bloomington in the November election, the 55-year-old woman now facing felony charges was the only problematic ballot, Stremlau said. She’s accused of voting twice in the November election – once by mail-in ballot in Wisconsin and then again in person in Bloomington. Stremlau said it’s actually the first case of alleged voter fraud in the three years he’s led the BEC.

* WGLT | ISU leaders ask campus to bear with them on federal shutdown issues: Provost Ani Yazedjian and Vice President for Finance and Planning Glen Nelson said in an email to the campus community the institution remains committed to continuing business as usual. “We will cover expenses for federally funded operations for the next 30 days while we continue to monitor developments closely. As the situation evolves, we will reassess and make any necessary adjustments to ensure continuity and responsible stewardship of resources,” said the message.

* WCIA | Savoy Local 149 workers pushing for more women in trades: Women only make up about 5% of skilled trades workers in the United States, but two women out of Savoy Local 149 are trying to change that. They want to see more women in the field and feel that seeing thousands of likeminded people at a conference two hours north inspires confidence that number will increa “When you’re in the trades, you can do stuff like construction or you can go into education, leadership roles, financial roles,” said Local 149 member Laura Abbott. “There’s so many things you can do that aren’t just working with tools.” se in their shop.

* WGIL | 2026 Galesburg draft budget $76.3M: Tax rate drops, pensions and infrastructure take center stage: The city relies heavily on taxes, which make up 52% of all revenues, split into state-collected, locally collected, and property taxes, according to the presentation’s tax revenue breakdown. The property tax rate is set to decrease—the lowest since 2008—potentially saving homeowners money, though rising property values might offset some benefits. Of the property taxes, School District 205 receives nearly 50%, the largest share, to fund local schools, followed by Knox County at 13.34% and the City at 10.99%. Starting January 2026, the state’s 1% local sales tax on groceries will be eliminated, a move affecting 591 Illinois municipalities that have adopted local ordinances to replace it. Galesburg elected not to adopt a local grocery tax, which will save each individual $20.60 per year and each household $47.95 per year, but reduce city revenue by about $600,000 annually.

*** National ***

* NYT | Jane Goodall, Eminent Primatologist Who Chronicled the Lives of Chimps, Dies at 91: On the scientific merits alone, Dr. Goodall’s discoveries about how wild chimpanzees raised their young, established leadership, socialized and communicated broke new ground and attracted immense attention and respect among researchers. Stephen Jay Gould, the evolutionary biologist and science historian, said her work with chimpanzees “represents one of the Western world’s great scientific achievements.”

* AP | Supreme Court lets Lisa Cook remain as a Federal Reserve governor for now: In a brief unsigned order, the high court said it would hear arguments in January over Republican President Donald Trump’s effort to force Cook off the Fed board. The court will consider whether to block a lower-court ruling in Cook’s favor while her challenge to her firing by Trump continues.

  6 Comments      


Caption contest!

Wednesday, Oct 1, 2025 - Posted by Isabel Miller

* Rich and I are currently outside cooking up the biggest pot of chili you’ve ever seen, when an uninvited eight-legged arachnid decided to RSVP…

Caption?

  24 Comments      


Pritzker announces $50.6 billion multi-year infrastructure program

Wednesday, Oct 1, 2025 - Posted by Isabel Miller

* Governor JB Pritzker…

Governor JB Pritzker and the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) joined state and local leaders, labor and transportation stakeholders today to announce the largest multi-year [2026-2031] program to build and repair infrastructure in state history: $50.6 billion over six years, continuing an unprecedented investment in safety, mobility and quality of life made possible by the Governor’s Rebuild Illinois capital program. The new program, spread across all modes of transportation and touching every Illinois county, also includes $400 million to support 223 local projects. These projects, ranging from street and transit upgrades to bike and pedestrian improvements, are based on priorities submitted by counties, cities, townships, transit districts and other local agencies. ​[…]

Continuing an approach started under Governor Pritzker, IDOT’s new multi-year program is both comprehensive and multimodal, with investments in roads and bridges, aviation, transit, freight and passenger rail, waterways, and bicycle and pedestrian accommodations. Projects are across state and local jurisdictions and in all 102 counties. The $50.6 billion eclipses the previous record of $41.4 billion set last year. […]

The Fiscal Year 2026-31 Proposed Highway and Multimodal Improvement Program will invest $32.5 billion in state and local roads and bridges, with $5.5 billion identified for the current fiscal year. A total of $18.1 billion is programmed for other modes, which includes $13.8 billion for transit, $2.9 billion for freight and passenger rail, $1.2 billion for aviation, and $200 million for ports and waterways.

On the highways side, the program will build or improve 7,107 lane miles of roads and 8.4 million square feet of bridge deck on the state system, with $6.8 billion identified for 1,654 lane miles and more than 1.3 million square feet of bridge deck overseen by local governments. […]

New to this year’s multi-year program is $400 million made available through special legislative appropriation and signed by Governor Pritzker to help further address local transportation needs, with consideration given to disadvantaged or economically distressed communities. Of the 223 awards, 177 are for roads, 34 for bike and pedestrian improvements, 10 for transit, two for ports. All projects required a Disadvantaged Business Enterprise goal to uplift small, local minority- and women-owned firms.

* Lots of money will be heading toward rail and transit projects. From the breakdown of statewide multimodal projects…

RAIL:

    • $25.2 million for the 10th Street corridor consolidation of passenger and freight rail in Springfield.
    • $19.9 million for improving traffic flow with four major projects in the CREATE program within the 75th Street Corridor Improvement Project.
    • $183 million to improve a 1.9-mile segment of the Union Pacific Railroad, north of Rockwell Avenue in Chicago. Part of the CREATE program.
    • $388.8 million for re-establishing passenger rail service between Chicago and the Quad Cities with a new intermediate stop in Geneseo.
    • $270 million to re-establish passenger rail service between Rockford and Chicago.
    • $98 million for safety and reliability improvements on Amtrak’s Saluki service between Chicago and Carbondale.

TRANSIT:

    • $3.9 million to relocate a bus transfer facility for the city of Quincy.
    • $10.8 million for Metra Ties & Ballast MET replacement of cross ties, switch ties and ballast on the Milwaukee District, Metra Electric, Rock Island District and SouthWest Service lines.
    • $3.2 million for up to five projects in the Metra Bridge Rehabilitation Program.
    • $175 million for the Chicago Transit Authority Training and Control Center Operations.
    • $7.6 million for the Chicago Transit Authority Elevated Track Systemwide Project.
    • $3.8 million for the Pace Pulse 95th Street Construction, including stations, vertical markers and other elements of the 12.4-mile corridor.
    • $7.4 million for the Pace Pulse Halsted Street Construction, including stations, vertical markers and other elements of the 9-mile corridor.
    • $8 million for microtransit/paratransit operations and workforce development facility at the Bloomington-Normal MTD (Connect Transit).
    • $3 million for a new administration and maintenance facility in Effingham County.
    • $127 million of the Metrolink Extension from Shiloh-Scott station to Mid America Airport.
    • $4.2 million for the purchase of six 40-foot expansion buses in the city of DeKalb.
    • $6 million for the purchase of six replacement zero-emission buses in the Rock Island County Metropolitan Mass Transit District.
    • $11.6 million for City of Decatur Public Transit’s new turnkey Microtransit operations.

* In case you’re wondering about those Rock Island County buses…

    * Bloomberg | Why US Cities Pay Too Much for Transit Buses: A new research paper, “Paying Less for Public Transit Buses,” offers a set of answers for the inconsistent and exorbitant prices that public transportation agencies pay for new equipment. The authors conclude that the US bus market is plagued by inefficiencies arising from overzealous vehicle customizations as well as a shortage of domestic suppliers and a ban on foreign competition. “We privilege incumbents,” said Harvard economics professor Edward L. Glaeser, part of the study team and the author of Triumph of the City, a celebration of urban economic vibrance. “We don’t actually allow competition to do its magic.”

  14 Comments      


Daily Herald ends reader comments

Wednesday, Oct 1, 2025 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Daily Herald…

Today, the Daily Herald is joining a growing list of media outlets that no longer allow website commenting on stories.

Why are we stopping now?

The comment section was intended to be a tool to spur dialogue among our readers. Sometimes it succeeded in doing that.

Over time, however, it has become increasingly negative, with comments crossing the line into hate speech, bullying and name-calling. Too much time was being devoted to moderating the comments so that readers with thoughtful and relevant commentary could still have their views heard. For those well-meaning readers, there are other ways to weigh in on content and issues of the day.

* Many years ago, I was so fed up with comments that I turned them off. The blowback was severe because even people who rarely or never commented loved reading the comments here. So, I switched platforms to allow me to automatically screen out the worst of the worst.

The worst “bad” words are banned (see George Carlin’s infamous list if you dare and aren’t at work), others are automatically held for review, including a certain punctuation mark. Some of the more aggressive commenters are automatically held in purgatory until we release them or decide to delete them. The system usually works. Often, it’s more trouble than it’s worth. Sometimes, I admit, it’s overkill. But we do try to adjust as we go along.

* The reason the blowback was so harsh was that comments are such a vital part of this site. I always say that this website truly lives and breathes. We have the news feeds on the right side of the page which constantly refresh; then there are our posts throughout the day; the press release posts; and the comments. Leave for 20 minutes and come back and the site has changed. It’s truly quite unique and even beautiful.

I take heat for deleting some comments. I take heat for letting some comments through. It’s a balancing act and it isn’t perfect. But what I will never do is allow this place to turn into a cesspool, which is what happened with the Daily Herald and many, many news sites before. A whole lot of folks spend a bunch of money to post ads on this site (just look around, we’re like a NASCAR racecar right now - an ad on every square inch), so there has to be some sort of decorum or those people won’t spend that money. Hey, I’m a capitalist. What can I say? I don’t have a government pension but I do want to retire someday and hand this over to Isabel. I make zero apologies for that.

* I’m firmly committed to keeping comments alive for as long as I still have breath in my body. But this ain’t a public park. It’s a private establishment. I’ve said for many years that this place is like my tavern. Management (me) reserves the right to refuse service for any reason. If you don’t like it, you’re free to go somewhere else. Goodbye and good riddance. I just don’t care.

* Anyway, I (mostly) love you all and I appreciate what you (mostly) add to this site. It’s incredibly valuable and I (mostly) cherish all of you. We’re (mostly) like family here and that gives me (mostly) great joy. So, (most of you) keep up the great work [banned punctuation]

  60 Comments      


Competition Works: Lower Bills. Reliable Power. Say NO To Right Of First Refusal

Wednesday, Oct 1, 2025 - Posted by Advertising Department

[The following is a paid advertisement.]

Illinois families are sweating through heat and higher electricity bills this summer. Across the Midwest, some relief from energy inflation is in the forecast. Thanks to competitive bidding, dramatically lower costs have resulted compared to no-bid Right of First Refusal (ROFR) proposals.

Here’s the proof:

    • $87 Million Saved
    Fairport to Denny Transmission Line (MISO – Missouri)

      • Competitive bidding cut MISO’s initial estimate from $161 million to just $74 million – saving Missouri Customers millions!
    • $6 Million Saved
    Reid EHV to IN/KY Border Transmission Project (MISO)

      • Open competition saved customers $6 million upfront
      • Delivered long-term cost savings
    • $14 Million Saved
    Matheson–Redbud Transmission Line (SPP – Oklahoma)

      • Competition delivered $14 million in savings
      • Provided a superior engineering solution compared to other proposals

In many cases, incumbent utilities won these bids, proving that when they compete with other qualified builders, consumers win. It saves money and drives better results.

Competition Works.

Legislators should choose competition and protect Illinois families.

  Comments Off      


Today’s MLB quotable

Wednesday, Oct 1, 2025 - Posted by Rich Miller

* The Tribune’s Paul Sullivan…

The ballpark was relatively quiet with the Cubs offense on mute. Wrigley was in dire need of some mood enhancement when Seiya Suzuki homered off Nick Pivetta to lead off the fifth.

“Electric,” Kelly said. “Hearing the crack of the bat, seeing the ball go, I was like, ‘I wanna do that.’ It was pretty cool to see that energy. You feel it as a player, and it was a good day to wear a Cubs uniform.”

Then Kelly did that. He smoked another home run to left, giving the Cubs the lead and turning Wrigley into a fully krausened mosh pit.

I agree with Bill Savage. That’s some fine writing.

And, yes, my Cubs hate is indeed waning as my Sox ownership hate is rising. I even went to a game last week…


* This is a good insight about our two worlds…

  17 Comments      


Protect the 340B Program to Enhance Healthcare Services in Low-Income Communities

Wednesday, Oct 1, 2025 - Posted by Advertising Department

[The following is a paid advertisement.]

Drugmaker requirements are making it hard for hospitals like Franciscan Health Olympia Fields to turn savings on drug costs into healthcare services for patients. The hospital joined the federal 340B program “to help serve the uninsured and under-insured community residents in Olympia Fields and Chicago Heights.” The poverty rates in both Chicago suburbs are higher than the 11.6% state average—nearly 13% in Olympia Fields and almost 25% in Chicago Heights.

The hospital has put 340B savings toward healthcare services, including its:

    • Outpatient Infusion Center that provides comprehensive cancer care;
    • Medication to Bedside program that ensures medication access prior to discharge; and
    • Pharmacist-managed Anticoagulation Clinics and Pharmacotherapy Clinics that improve medication outcomes and reduce hospital readmissions.

“The 340B program serves as a vital lifeline for safety-net providers to support critical health services in low-income or isolated rural communities, which are typically operated at a loss,” Franciscan Health said.

Since 2020, drugmakers have blocked access to lifesaving medications acquired through the 340B program, making it harder for Illinois’ 100 participating hospitals to invest in healthcare services—and patients.

Support House Bill 2371 SA 2 to prohibit drugmakers from interfering with hospital pharmacy contracts. Low-income communities deserve access to more comprehensive healthcare services, as the 340B program intended. Learn more.

  Comments Off      


The ‘taken out of context’ card is played for the kabillionth time, but, as usual, receipts are delivered

Wednesday, Oct 1, 2025 - Posted by Rich Miller

* It’s been my experience that whenever politicians, government officials, etc. claim their comments were “taken out of context” by a news media outlet, they’re often just plain wrong. Click here, here, here, here, here, here and here for just a few examples. More here.

Sometimes they’re right, but it’s often just a ploy.

* Three days ago…

Gregory Bovino, commander at large of the border force, contrasted the people being arrested with a white WBEZ reporter, saying agents consider a person’s appearance before taking them into custody.

“You know, there’s many different factors that go into something like that,” Bovino said. “It would be agent experience, intelligence that indicates there’s illegal aliens in a particular place or location.

“Then, obviously, the particular characteristics of an individual, how they look. How do they look compared to, say, you?” he said to the reporter, a tall, middle-aged man of Anglo descent.

* NewsNation…

Bovino told NewsNation early Monday that comments made to the newspaper were taken out of context and was “grossly inaccurate.”

* Um, no…

Mitchell: My partner — Ashlee [Rezin], the [Sun-Times] photographer — she said that you, the guy who was arrested before, seemed to be because he ran. Is that what happened?

Bovino: No, there’s various indicators, we call them articulable facts, and he exhibited articulable facts that made us take a look and then we took a look and our suspicions were proven true. It does appear right now he’s an illegal alien.

Mitchell: How can you tell by appearance?

Bovino: You know, there’s many different factors that go into something like that. It would be agent experience, intelligence that indicates there’s illegal alienage in a particular place or location. Then obviously the particular characteristics of an individual, how they look. How do they look compared to, say, you?

Mitchell is a white guy.

There’s more, of course.

Also, click here for the audio file.

  16 Comments      


It’s Time To Bring Safer Rides To Illinois

Wednesday, Oct 1, 2025 - Posted by Advertising Department

[The following is a paid advertisement.]

Waymo is ready to bring safe, reliable, autonomous rides to Illinois – but we need your help!

Waymo is designed to follow all traffic laws and obey speed limits, and the data shows Waymo’s autonomous vehicles are involved in five times fewer injury-causing collisions compared to humans (as of 6/2025, see waymo.com/safety). Let’s bring safer rides to Illinois.

Waymo’s autonomous vehicles can improve access to transportation for Illinois residents with travel-limiting disabilities like vision impairment, to reach medical care, groceries, and social activities. Waymo’s all-electric autonomous vehicles also provide a more sustainable way for people to get around, preventing 315+ tons of carbon emissions with every 250K trips provided through our ride-hailing service.

Ready to ride? Help bring Waymo to Illinois.

  Comments Off      


Isabel’s morning briefing

Wednesday, Oct 1, 2025 - Posted by Isabel Miller

* ICYMI: House speaker unsure if there’s enough support for Bears stadium tax break. Daily Herald…

    - During an appearance in Arlington Heights Tuesday night, Illinois House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch said he’s unsure whether property tax break legislation that would allow the Bears to leave Chicago for the Northwest suburb has a chance of passing.

    - Gov. JB Pritzker, who has said he prefers the Bears remain within city limits, has expressed support for the megaproject concept, but earlier this month declared it a “prerequisite” for the Bears to first pay off the $534 million owed for the 2003 Soldier Field renovations.

    - On Tuesday night, Welch told the Daily Herald he and House Democrats are “open to listening” to such proposals. “If the megaprojects bill is going to pass, you still need to convince 26 Chicago legislators that it’s good for Chicago as well,” Welch said. “And so is that something that can convince Chicago legislators that it’s a good thing? I don’t know. I think that there’s still a lot of work that needs to be done.”

* Related stories…

***************** Advertisement *****************


Sponsored by Ameren Illinois

The summer of 2025 has been a tough one for residents and businesses in the Ameren Illinois service territory. Supply constraints, extreme hot and humid conditions, and increased energy usage have led to a significant spike in electricity prices and higher-than-normal monthly bills for residential, commercial and industrial energy users. We appreciate and thank legislators, regulators and stakeholders who are working hard to address the energy challenge in Illinois. Energy policy is complex, and we’re encouraged that there are some creative ideas being proposed and a willingness to work together to find answers.   

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*************************************************

* Governor Pritzker will be at the Laborers Training Center at 11 am. At 1 pm, the governor will attend a panel addressing recent medical misinformation from the Trump administration. Click here to watch.

*** Isabel’s Top Picks ***

* 25News Now | ‘End of the day, we need a deal,’ say Illinois Soybean Association leaders on China: Chinese soybean processors in attendance Tuesday said they’re unable to buy now because of circumstances outside their control, like relations between the two countries and tariffs. “He said he’s been importing high quality grains from the States for a long time, and he would be happy if the relations between the two countries alleviates and gets better, so that he can continue buying high-quality grains from the States,” said a translator summarizing comments from Xiaobo Li, who attended to represent processors from China. An Egyptian buyer said his company used to buy most of its beans at low prices from Brazil, but now the United States has low prices, too.

* CNI | State, private developers break ground on quantum research park: California-based PsiQuantum will occupy the first facilities built on the site. The 9-year-old startup plans to build the first utility-scale quantum computer in the country. The development, which is being handled by Related Midwest, will also include a new 53-bed hospital run by Advocate Health, a major hospital system in Chicagoland. The plan also includes over 100 acres of new or upgraded parks.

*** Statehouse News ***

* MSNBC | ‘We don’t want you here’: Pritzker rips Trump’s Chicago troop plan: “Remember that we don’t want you here. Go somewhere where they might invite you. But here in Chicago, here in the state of Illinois, we don’t want you,” says Gov. JB Pritzker on Trump’s plan to send troops to Chicago.

* Crain’s | Pritzker calls for 25th Amendment after Trump ‘training grounds’ remark: Gov. JB Pritzker suggested the 25th Amendment be invoked after President Donald Trump told military leaders they should use cities as “training grounds” and said deploying troops in major cities is necessary due to “a war from within.” Pritzker called the idea “inane” and said of Trump, “I’m concerned for his health. It appears not only has dementia set in, he’s copying the tactics of Vladimir Putin.”

* Sun-times Federal Courts reporter Jon Seidel…

* WSPY | During visit to Yorkville, Bailey and Del Mar talk taxes, power shifts as they begin campaign for governor’s race: The second time around, Republican gubernatorial candidate Darren Bailey is counting on people to know they need to get off the fence and show up at the polls. The southern Illinois farmer carried 100 of the state’s 102 counties in [the 2022 primary] but got just 42 percent of the vote overall [in the general], his popularity offset by J.B. Pritzker’s mainly in heavily Democratic and densely populated Cook County. Bailey says the state’s in deeper distress now and taxes are a big reason.

* Fox Illinois | Illinois reparations commission to hold public hearing at University of Illinois: The Illinois African Descent-Citizens Reparations Commission is set to hold a public hearing at the University of Illinois campus this Saturday. […] Commissioner Jeffrey Trask emphasized the importance of public feedback, stating, “We also are doing these hearings to get input about that as well. We want to make sure that as our harms report comes out, that people have opportunities to talk about those harms and opportunities to also add to the recommendations, and they have any kind of comments or suggestions they have to recommendations to redress those harms too.”

*** Chicago ***

* ABC Chicago | More Chicago protests against immigration enforcement surge expected Wednesday: Legal advocates are petitioning the Chief Judge to prohibit ICE from arresting people without a warrant near Cook County courthouses. The Coalition Against the Trump Administration organizing an emergency protest, following dozens of armed federal agents spotted downtown, detaining multiple people.

* Tribune | Chase of cyclist by ICE agents in downtown Chicago described as surreal by witness: As Gilmore waited to cross the street, a cyclist approached, taunted the agents and — after a brief exchange — jetted off west along Wacker Drive as agents chased after him, Gilmore, 25, recalled in a recent interview with the Tribune. Those moments, captured on video garnered widespread attention online, felt surreal, Gilmore said. “It just felt like we were in an actual movie,” he said.

* WTTW | Partnership Aims to Better Address Food Insecurity Among City Colleges Students: This fall, free take-home meals at Malcolm X College, Kennedy-King College and Olive-Harvey College will be available for students and their family members, with plans to expand to all seven city community colleges, leaders said. Students will also be able to receive free snacks at various locations across campuses starting this fall.

* Press release | Chicago Fire FC Hits the Road with Official Illinois License Plates for Fans: All aboard, fans! Chicago Fire FC is teaming up with the Illinois Secretary of State to bring official Chicago Fire FC license plates to the roads of Illinois – and they’re covering the $25 application fee for the first 2,000 Illinois drivers who sign up. This initiative comes as the Fire – currently sitting 9th in the Eastern Conference with 48 points – continue their push in the MLS playoff race and as excitement builds across the city. Whether they’re cheering from Soldier Field, watching from sports bars, supporting from their couches, or now even driving down the highway, Chicago Fire wants its fans to show their support.

* ABC Chicago | CTA celebrating 78th anniversary with vintage train cars from 1920s in Loop: People can enjoy a ride between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. Wednesday only. Unfortunately you still have to pay the standard fare of $2.50, not the five cents that it cost in the 1920s. The train will be making all regular Loop stops.

*** Cook County and Suburbs ***

* WTTW | Broadview Officials Say ICE Waging ‘Disinformation Campaign’ Amid Protests as Local Officers ‘Shell Shocked’: The mayor of suburban Broadview said her constituents are “begging for relief” from federal immigration agents who have placed residents and first responders in danger by their use of tear gas, pepper spray and rubber bullets against protesters. Mayor Katrina Thompson on Tuesday accused Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials of waging a “disinformation campaign” amid their continued use of chemical and less-lethal munitions directed at crowds outside the agency’s Broadview processing center.

* WGN | Broadview police conducting 3 criminal investigations into ICE activity at facility: “We are experiencing an immediate public safety crisis,” Broadview Police Chief Thomas Mills said. “Our own Broadview police are routinely being exposed to tear gas, forcing them out for an amount of time so they can decontaminate, get their breath, clear their eyes, which takes them out of service.” “Our personnel responded to emergency calls during protests, providing first aid and transports to the hospital. My men and women have been exposed to chemical agents and attacks while performing their duties,” said Broadview acting fire chief Matt Martin.

* Daily Herald | Glen Ellyn Historical Society searching for new leader: Jeffrey Anderson announced in a Historical Society newsletter that he’s stepping down from the role but still plans on continuing to be a member and volunteer for “years to come.” His successor will be charged with being the public face of the nonprofit, volunteer-based organization and the Stacy’s Tavern Museum, a restored 1840s-era inn near the modern-day Five Corners intersection of St. Charles and Geneva roads and Main Street.

*** Downstate ***

* CBS | Once left behind, an Illinois town finds hope in a new school and grocery store: When steel and manufacturing jobs dried up over the last several decades in Venice, Illinois, the town lost two-thirds of the population, followed by its only grocery store and only school. But now, Venice hopes to make a comeback that’s already underway — thanks, in part, to the vision of Ed Hightower, a retired school superintendent who has deep roots in the area. “I don’t care what color you are, what belief you have. You want to reside in a safe area where you can go to school, you go get your groceries,” Hightower said.

* WCIA | ‘It’s a huge, huge deal’; Farmers, firefighters come together amidst field fire risk in Central Illinois: Marty Wilson is taking his empty tanks and filling them with water to have in the fields in case of a fire. Because it’s so hot, dry, and windy, it’s a recipe for concern for farmers all over. They’re even thinking static electricity on combines could be starting fires. […] “We ought to have some water tanks full of water in case we need it in the future for anybody,” Wilson shared.

* BND | Opponent of solar farm at Belleville cemetery sues city, developers: The complaint asks Associate Judge Stacy Campbell to declare that the city would be violating state law if they moved forward with an agreement to allow Belleville Solar to lease 19 acres of cemetery land and operate a solar farm for 35 years. Berger has long argued that cemetery owners are prohibited from using cemetery land and roads for industrial purposes, even if they’re cities with home-rule status, and that this invalidates Belleville’s lease.

* WGLT | Unit 5 superintendent gives update on enrollment, transportation needs and cell phones: Unit 5 superintendent Kristen Weikle provided updates about the Normal-based school district, including on enrollment, transportation, cell phone policy and the teacher shortage during an interview on WGLT’s Sound Ideas. Cropper GIS Consulting, which completed a capacity study in April 2024, will again provide data for Unit 5 to analyze student populations and decide whether action should be taken to address needs at schools with high enrollment.

* WAND | CWLP receives $1.1 million grant to improve electric grid: Springfield City Council unanimously passed a plan Tuesday night to accept a $1.1 million grant to improve the City Water Light and Power energy grid infrastructure. The grant is funded by federal dollars passed through the Illinois Finance Authority. The grant will cover the majority of the $1.67 million project, which citizens will not have to pay for.

* 25News Now | Caterpillar’s former CEO sells almost $8 million in company stock, although he owns a lot more: A filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission shows Umpleby, now the executive chair of Caterpillar’s board of directors, sold 17,166 shares of common stock on Monday, Sept. 22. At a stock price of $462.65 per share, Umpleby earned $7.94 million. He still owns 465,339 Caterpillar shares, according to the SEC filing. Caterpillar’s stock price remains at lofty levels even though the company acknowledged in late August that it was taking a bigger hit from tariffs than earlier estimates.

* WAND | IL State Superintendent praises Taylorville HS culture, ’sense of purpose’: Students at Taylorville High School welcomed State Superintendent of Education Tony Sanders Tuesday to showcase the programs and innovations shaping their learning experience. [….] “Tommy TV” is the school’s student-led broadcast network where athletic games are broadcast live. In addition to the broadcast, principal Matt Hutchison says half of the student body is in the FFA Program. Known as the Future Farmers’ Program, the program teaches students about agriculture.

* WAND | An inside look at the Springfield Clinic Dome at Scheels Sports Park: “We have basketball and volleyball, we have batting cages that also do golf simulation,” said General Manager of Scheels Sports Park at Legacy Pointe, Brandon Doherty. “And the turf field, really we could do whatever we want, which is two full-size softball fields, we could do a full-size soccer field or a football field … we do plan on doing at least two to three events on a weekend or even during the week in the dome at one time.”

* 25News Now | Longtime Peoria journalist, WMBD-TV Vice President, General Manager dies: Shaun Newell, WMBD’s vice president and general manager, and a longtime Peoria journalist, has died. While his cause of death has not been released, WMBD Creative Services Director James Kerr confirmed that Newell passed away peacefully. A Central Illinois native, Newell spent most of his broadcast career in Central Illinois, having worked for several media agencies, including WEEK-TV, WMBD Radio, and, eventually, WMBD-TV.

*** National ***

* AP | What happens now that a government shutdown is underway: Republicans supported a short-term measure to fund the government generally at current levels through Nov. 21, but Democrats blocked it, insisting the measure address their concerns on health care. They want to reverse the Medicaid cuts in President Donald Trump’s mega-bill passed this summer and extend tax credits that make health insurance premiums more affordable for millions of people who purchase through the marketplaces established by the Affordable Care Act. Republicans called the Democratic proposal a nonstarter that would cost taxpayers more than $1 trillion.

* WaPo | Napheesa Collier blasts WNBA commissioner: ‘I will not stand quietly by’: Behind a pleasant smile and a measured voice, Minnesota Lynx star Napheesa Collier delivered a scathing takedown of WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert on Tuesday. Through a prepared statement in which she brought receipts and named names, Collier used a standard end-of-season media session to light into the league on a variety of issues.

* 404 Media | ICE to Buy Tool that Tracks Locations of Hundreds of Millions of Phones Every Day: The documents explicitly show that ICE is choosing this product over others offered by the contractor’s competitors because it gives ICE essentially an “all-in-one” tool for searching both masses of location data and information taken from social media. The documents also show that ICE is planning to once again use location data remotely harvested from peoples’ smartphones after previously saying it had stopped the practice.

  22 Comments      


Good morning!

Wednesday, Oct 1, 2025 - Posted by Rich Miller

* WGLT last week…

Singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist A.J. Croce waited decades to play his famous father’s songs, developing a setlist from Jim Croce’s catalog for his Croce Plays Croce tour at 50 years old.

Croce Plays Croce tours to Bloomington this weekend, for one performance only on Sunday, Sept. 28.

“I’m looking forward to it,” he said. I’m spending my birthday in Bloomington.”

Singer-songwriter and master guitar player Jim Croce died Sept. 20, 1973, in a plane crash. He was 30, the crash happening just before his son’s second birthday. The elder Croce’s career had just taken off, with hits like Time in a Bottle, Operator and Bad, Bad Leroy Brown among some of the most popular of the decade.

* Let’s go deeper into the catalogue…

Well I could not help it but to fall in love
With this heavy-duty woman I been speakin’ of
Things looked kind of bad
Until the day she skated into my life

  5 Comments      


Protected: SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - Today’s edition of Capitol Fax (use all CAPS in password)

Wednesday, Oct 1, 2025 - Posted by Rich Miller

This post is password protected. To view it please enter your password below:

  Comments Off      


Selected press releases (Live updates)

Wednesday, Oct 1, 2025 - Posted by Isabel Miller

  Comment      


Live coverage

Wednesday, Oct 1, 2025 - Posted by Isabel Miller

* Click here and/or here to follow breaking news. Hopefully, enough reporters and news outlets migrate to BlueSky so we can hopefully resume live-posting.

  Comment      


« NEWER POSTS PREVIOUS POSTS »
* Claim: Homeland Security official pledges to prosecute Rep. Croke
* Reader comments closed for the weekend
* SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - Update to today’s edition
* Isabel’s afternoon roundup
* SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - More session news
* Catching up with the congressionals
* SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - This just in... (Updated x2)
* United States Attorney General pledges to pursue Pritzker, Lightfoot
* Despite fiscal challenges, Moody's upgrades Illinois credit rating
* Isabel’s morning briefing
* Good morning!
* SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - Supplement to today’s edition and some campaign news
* SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - Today's edition of Capitol Fax (use all CAPS in password)
* Selected press releases (Live updates)
* Yesterday's stories

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