Capitol Fax.com - Your Illinois News Radar

Tuesday, Mar 25, 2025 - Posted by Isabel Miller

* Attorney General Kwame Raoul is keeping busy…

Attorney General Kwame Raoul led a coalition of 22 attorneys general in seeking a court order to force the Trump administration to unfreeze essential funding from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). Despite multiple court orders, including a preliminary injunction issued on March 6 blocking the Trump administration from unlawfully freezing federal funds, the administration continues to withhold hundreds of millions of dollars in grants to states from FEMA.

This funding freeze threatens lifesaving emergency preparedness and recovery programs addressing terrorist attacks, mass shootings, wildfires, floods, cybersecurity threats and more. Raoul and the coalition filed a motion to enforce the March 6 preliminary injunction, seeking a court order requiring the administration to immediately stop the freezing of FEMA funds.

“Funding through FEMA is critical in Illinois and states around the country because it supports state efforts to help communities recover following natural disasters, but states rely on FEMA funds for so much more. States also count on FEMA grants to protect public spaces, such as houses of worship, hospitals and other nonprofits from cybersecurity threats, mass shootings and acts of terrorism,” Raoul said. “I will continue to stand with my fellow attorneys general to stop the funding freeze that would cause harm and uncertainty across the nation.”

The administration’s funding freeze policy, issued through an array of actions, including a Jan. 27 memorandum from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), illegally withheld trillions of dollars in federal funds for states and other entities like nonprofit organizations and community health centers. In the days after the policy was first issued, states could not access Medicaid dollars. Most recently, withheld FEMA funds have jeopardized public safety, disaster response and emergency preparedness throughout the country. As Raoul and the attorneys general assert in the motion to enforce, further freezing of FEMA funds would end disaster relief efforts and support for more than 4,000 survivors of the 2023 Maui wildfires.

* Ope. Naperville Sun…

Last week, Naperville City Council candidate Nag Jaiswal took to Facebook to proudly announce the endorsements he said he received from U.S. Reps. Raja Krishnamoorthi, of Schaumburg, and Danny Davis, of Chicago. […]

Except, neither Davis nor Krishnamoorthi has endorsed Jaiswal.

“The answer, of course, is no,” Davis said in a call when asked if he authorized an endorsement for Jaiswal. “I have great, great respect for the people of Naperville. … But I don’t know enough about the local politics of Naperville to be making any kind of endorsement for the city council. Further, no one has ever asked me for an endorsement.”

Krishnamoorthi has not issued a formal endorsement in the Naperville City Council race, a source confirmed to the Naperville Sun.

Jaiswal, who spoke briefly by phone Monday, did not answer direct questions about his claims of endorsements from Krishnamoorthi and Davis. After a four-minute conversation, he hung up.

*** Chicago ***

* Tribune | Reformers push Mayor Brandon Johnson to adopt Law Department changes: Inspector General Deborah Witzburg first proposed the changes last month in an effort to bolster her office’s investigative independence. The mayor-controlled Law Department has long hindered investigations that “may result in embarrassment or political consequences to City leaders,” she told aldermen. A Johnson ally quickly stalled the reform package when it was introduced at the City Council. The mayor’s corporation counsel, Mary Richardson-Lowry, also blasted it as a “fundamental misunderstanding of the law.” But a legal opinion the Better Government Association announced Tuesday determined Richardson-Lowry is wrong to argue such changes would be prohibited by state and city law.

* Block Club | Unions Representing Chicago Teachers, Firefighters Rally Together For New Contracts: The CTU and Chicago Fire Department Union Local 2 joined together for a rally Monday on the Near West Side near Fire Department Engine 103 and Whitney Young High School, highlighting the urgency of new contracts and the similarities between the two groups seeking them. “Public safety, teachers — we all work hand in hand,” said Pat Cleary, Fire Union Local 2 president.

* Sun-Times | What’s at stake with city, suburban schools’ accommodations for trans students under probe: “Illinois law is the controlling law for these schools, and there is no federal law that speaks to this issue,” said Ed Yohnka, policy director for ACLU Illinois. “If they try to punish an Illinois school for following Illinois law, you’ll see challenges pretty quickly.”

* Crain’s | Trump shrinks list of federal buildings for sale — but one Chicago property remains: The federal government has narrowed its strategy for reducing its real estate footprint, naming eight properties it wants to sell in the near future, including one in Chicago that’s been on the market since 2023. The latest list of federal real estate assets posted by the General Services Administration is much shorter than the 443-property portfolio the organization said it was potentially selling in early March, as part of the Trump administration’s broad push to shrink the size of the federal government. The original list was taken down less than a day later.

* Tribune | ‘They’ve got everlasting money, bro’: Chicago archdiocese alleges conspiracy to file false sex abuse claims against defrocked priest: A West Side man was talking to his imprisoned cousin in 2013 when he allegedly floated the idea of adding him to a string of bogus sexual abuse allegations filed against defrocked Chicago Catholic priest Daniel McCormack, court records show. […] That conversation recorded on a prison line 12 years ago was included in an unusual new lawsuit filed by the Archdiocese of Chicago on Monday alleging a group of mostly West Side residents, including a convicted murderer and others associated with violent street gangs, conspired for years to bring false allegations of sexual abuse by McCormack — often ranked among the most notorious child sexual abusers ever employed by the church — in order to win millions of dollars in legal settlements.

* Block Club | ‘Are We Waiting For Someone To Die?’: NW Siders Beg City To Address Dangerous Intersection: Cardona requested a traffic study be conducted at the intersection last year. The Chicago Department of Transportation found that an additional stop sign would not make sense because the traffic volume on Karlov is far lower than the volume on Belmont. CDOT spokesperson Erica Schroeder said federal guidelines do not recommend creating a four-way stop at intersections where traffic volume varies greatly. Schroeder also said CDOT determined that adding a stop sign on Belmont could cause traffic backups that extend into the Pulaski intersection.

*** Downstate ***

* WCIA | Village of Tilton creates own grocery tax after statewide repeal: It passed last Thursday at the village board meeting. Tilton joins Danville as communities in Vermilion County to pass a replacement tax. The current state tax on groceries sits at about 1%, meaning every $100 of groceries results in one dollar given to the municipality. Mayor of Tilton William Wear said the tax will continue to fund critical services in town.

* PJ Star | From explosives to safety, how the demolition of the old McClugage Bridge span will work: Illinois Department of Transportation spokesperson Paul Wappel told the Journal Star that using explosives to demolish portions of the bridge has been in the works for at least a year. In the early planning stages of demolition in 2018, Wappel said that IDOT and contractors had discussions about explosions, saying that the dismantling of a truss bridge would require the need to shore up other parts of the bridge during that period of time.

* BND | Belleville 118 board considering $12M in upgrades at 11 schools. Here’s what’s included: From improved security to new playgrounds, Belleville’s largest elementary and middle school district has an expansive summer bucket list. Members of the District 118 School Board will decide at next month’s meeting if they want to issue and sell up to $12 million in working cash fund bonds to finance the project. If they choose to do so, the district could receive the money by May and work could commence at the start of summer’s break, Superintendent Ryan Boike said. If all goes according to plan, the projects will be wrapped up in time for the new school year.

* BND | O’Fallon had abandoned property on its hands. Habitat for Humanity found use for it: City Attorney Todd Fleming determined by law that the city could sell it to the nonprofit organization for $1,000. The city has previously sold lots to the group before. In 2017, they sold one on Elm Street. In 2021, they sold three properties on Booster Road at 112, 126 and 132.

*** Cook County and Suburbs ***

* Daily Herald | Wheeling School District 21 places three administrators on leave: In response to Daily Herald questions, District 21 officials Monday evening identified the three employees as Assistant Superintendent of Finance and Operations Micheal DeBartolo, Assistant Superintendent of Support Services Kim Cline and Student Services Coordinator Melissa Maricona. A district spokeswoman wouldn’t discuss details of the administrative leave that took effect Friday afternoon, including whether the employees are being paid and how long they will be out of the office.

* Daily Herald | Naperville could make it tougher for banks to open in first-floor spaces downtown: The council at that time directed city staff to draft an ordinance that would prohibit banks from locating on the first floor in the downtown core unless they were granted a zoning variance. “Staff is supportive of the proposed amendment as written, finding that it further promotes the retail and commercial tenancy intended for the first floor of downtown businesses,” Kopinski said.

* Daily Southtown | 10 candidates for Orland School District 135 Board discuss test scores, taxes: Browner said candidates Ray Morandi, Chad Capps, Vince Oluwaleke and Kelly Chmielewski were handpicked by Orland Park Mayor Keith Pekau, following contention between the district and the Orland Park Village Board over tax increment financing districts and other issues. Other newcomers running are Deborah L. Scumaci, Aisha Zayyad, Jennifer Durkin-Fekete and Daniel Finlayson. “I feel like this election especially, we’re seeing a lot of people who are potentially running for the wrong reasons and just really don’t understand what they’re getting into or the role of a school board member,” Browner said Monday.

* Tribune | La Grange schools referendum addresses infrastructure projects: La Grange School District 102 is asking voters to approve $82 million in general obligation bonds in the April 1 consolidated general election in an effort to fund upgrades to aging facilities and infrastructure in the district. “I believe that this is a generational investment,” District 102 Superintendent Chris Covino said, adding that the district has developed “an incredibly comprehensive plan …every building, every classroom.” “We’re going to take care of the most pressing structural issues right off the bat, with roofs and plumbing and tuck pointing. I will predict that we will not have an additional infusion of taxpayer investment for at least the life of this bond,” he said.

*** National ***

* Inside Higher Ed | Education Department Reeling After Layoffs: Inside Higher Ed spoke to more than a dozen former and current department staffers over the past week about the RIF and what followed. All of them describe a chaotic process that was “disorganized and unstrategic,” as one source put it, and say the cuts have led to technical mishaps, gaps in oversight and a large-scale loss of institutional knowledge. Most asked to remain anonymous to speak freely about their experience. Multiple former and current staff say the department is struggling to fulfill its statutorily mandated responsibilities, from administering federal student aid to enforcing antidiscrimination laws.

* WaPo | Law firms refuse to represent Trump opponents in the wake of his attacks: President Donald Trump’s crackdown on lawyers is having a chilling effect on his opponents’ ability to defend themselves or challenge his actions in court, according to people who say they are struggling to find legal representation as a result of his challenges. Biden-era officials said they’re having trouble finding lawyers willing to defend them. The volunteers and small nonprofits forming the ground troops of the legal resistance to Trump administration actions say that the well-resourced law firms that once would have backed them are now steering clear.

* WaPo | Long waits, waves of calls, website crashes: Social Security is breaking down: The Social Security Administration website crashed four times in 10 days this month because the servers were overloaded, blocking millions of retirees and disabled Americans from logging in to their online accounts. In the field, office managers have resorted to answering phones in place of receptionists because so many employees have been pushed out. Amid all this, the agency no longer has a system to monitor customer experience because that office was eliminated as part of the cost-cutting efforts led by Elon Musk.

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Online ‘influencer’ challenging Rep. Jan Schakowsky

Tuesday, Mar 25, 2025 - Posted by Isabel Miller

* HuffPost…

A journalist-turned-commentator who became known for her social media takedowns of the far right is officially running for Congress, hoping to bring newer and younger representation to a floundering Democratic Party accused of not fighting hard enough for their constituents.

Kat Abughazaleh announced on Monday that she is running for Illinois’ 9th Congressional District, which has been held by the same Democratic lawmaker since before she was born. And while she doesn’t currently live in the district — and has only lived in the state for less than a year — the recently laid-off 26-year-old maintains that voters need the kind of representation that intimately knows the country’s struggling economic and social realities, and is willing to fight for new solutions.

“We deserve Representatives who face the same challenges we do (or at least have some time in the last decade),” Abughazaleh said on her campaign website. “They don’t deal with out-of-pocket prescription costs or nightmarish rent hikes or existential fear about their lives in 50 years. You and I do.” […]

Abughazaleh worked at watchdog group Media Matters until last year, when Musk’s ongoing lawsuit against the organization led to a dozen layoffs, including her. As part of the lawsuit, the political researcher was also deposed in Chicago for what she said were tweets critical of the billionaire Trump ally.

* Yahoo News…

“I’m a renter. I don’t have health insurance,” she adds. “My net worth is pretty much just the laptop I bought with my entire severance when I got laid off… and my adorable cat Heater.”

Rich has heard that she currently lives in the upscale Streeterville neighborhood.

* Rolling Stone…

Abughazaleh may be young, but she is a wildly successful, incisive communicator who is stepping up at a time when it is clear that the party is in desperate need of new messengers. And she is popular on the social media platforms where sitting Democrats’ posts are continually flopping, ridiculed for their tone deafness. […]

The day after the 2024 presidential election, Abughazaleh thought she would wake up with an irrepressible urge to flee the country. Instead, she says, it was the opposite: “I woke up and thought, ‘You’re gonna have to drag me out by my dead body’ … I just got really angry, and I thought about running at that moment, but I was like, ‘No, I’m sure Democrats will do something,’ and then they haven’t — and it’s just been not only disappointing, but scary to watch.”

Schakowsky, currently representing the district, “has had a pretty great track record on her voting,” Abughazaleh admits. But she is also 80 years old, and hasn’t had a competitive primary in decades. “She’s been a good congresswoman, but I want to be better.”

(Schakowsky, for her part, embraced the news. ”What makes our community, and our country, so great is that we welcome all voices and ideas,” she said in an email to Rolling Stone. “I have always encouraged more participation in the democratic process, and I’m glad to see new faces getting involved as we stand up against the Trump Administration. Right now, that’s what I’m focused on: fighting back against this extreme MAGA regime.”)

* Politico…

Should Schakowsky not seek reelection, a number of notable Illinois Democrats would likely be interested in the seat, including state Sen. Laura Fine and Evanston Mayor Daniel Biss, who both represent constituents in the district.

* On to fundraising…

Abughazaleh tweeted that she won’t take “corporate cash” but also won’t “waste your money on old, ineffective tactics” like spam texts or cable ads.

In her last campaign finance report, Schakowsky reported nearly a million dollars in cash on hand.

* She certainly knows how to get mainstream media attention…

Axios | 26-year-old influencer launches House Dem primary challenge:

* The Hill | Progressive influencer launches bid to unseat House Democrat: Her website also maps a timeline of when Schakowsky was elected to Congress and highlights the fact she’s been in the House for 14 terms.

* Sun-Times | Progressive TikToker launches bid to unseat 9th district Rep. Jan Schakowsky: “So many Democrats seem content to just sit back and let them,” Abughazaleh said. “So I say it’s time to drop the excuses and grow a f—ing spine.”

* Evanston Now | Gen-Z influencer to challenge Schakowsky: Rolling Stone described Abughazaleh as a “narcoleptic freelance social media creator” and “a normal person,” something representatives are often framed as not. According to Rolling Stone, she doesn’t live in the district and has only lived in Illinois for about one year. The constitution requires representatives to live in the state, but not necessarily the district they seek to represent.

* Semafor | Progressive TikToker raises $100,000 for House primary bid: Schakowsky has not decided whether to seek another term in Chicago’s liberal suburbs; House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries said that he supported his incumbents and had not heard of Abughazaleh.

* Vanity Fair | “We Can’t Fall for This Stuff”: Why a MAGA-Media Antagonist Is Running for Congress : She is well acquainted with the MAGA-media machine through her past work at Media Matters for America, where she produced videos aimed at debunking narratives presented by Fox News and former anchor Tucker Carlson, and her more recent work on TikTok, where, as of this writing, she’s amassed more than 225,000 followers. She’s currently got another 210,000 on X.

* USA Today | Who is is the Palestinian influencer running for Illinois’ 9th District? What to know: The Congressional candidate’s website includes promises to “stop the authoritarian takeover of the United States” and look out for the needs of everyday Americans. She criticizes the actions of Trump and Tesla co-founder Elon Musk, as well as former Fox News host Tucker Carlson and “Libs of TikTok” user Chaya Raichik.

* The New Arab | Palestinian American influencer Katherine ‘Kat’ Abughazaleh aims for US Congress: Comparing herself with Democrats who aren’t loudly speaking out against Trump and Musk, she noted that she has been singled out for her “mean tweets” against Musk. Abughazaleh has made a name for herself for her research and video commentary on racism, media bias and right-wing Christian nationalism.

* Tech Crunch | Once a target of Musk’s ire, Gen Z creator Kat Abughazaleh is running for Congress: “I have ideas that I want to push, and I have a big [social media] platform,” Abughazaleh told TechCrunch on Monday. “I felt I didn’t want to wait around for someone to do something when I could do something right now.”

* The Daily Caller | Lib Who Once Said She Watched Tucker Carlson For A Living Announces Congressional Run: In a separate X post, Abughazaleh mentioned that she will not be accepting money from corporate donors. “My campaign and I would rather spend money on book drives, clothing exchanges and public events, than fancy fundraisers for rich donors. I also want my campaign to be as transparent as possible,” she stated.

* Common Dreams | Gen Z Progressive With Massive TikTok Following Launches Congressional Bid in Illinois: A reporter with the local paper Evanston Now posted a statement from Schakowsky responding to Abughazaleh’s campaign. “I have always encouraged more participation in the democratic process, and I’m glad to see new faces getting involved as we stand up against the Trump administration,” Schakowsky wrote. Schakowsky has not said officially whether she plans on running for reelection, according to the reporter.

Thoughts?

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Question of the day

Tuesday, Mar 25, 2025 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Background…

Signal is an open-source, encrypted messaging service for instant messaging, voice calls, and video calls. The instant messaging function includes sending text, voice notes, images, videos, and other files. Communication may be one-to-one between users or may involve group messaging. […]

Signal has a feature for scheduling messages. In addition, timers may be attached to messages to automatically delete the messages from both the sender’s and the receivers’ devices. The time period for keeping the message may be between five seconds and one week, and begins for each recipient once they have read their copy of the message.[

* Washington Post…

Two months into the Trump administration, there’s a sweeping shift underway in Washington as federal workers — and some high-level administration officials — migrate their correspondence to Signal in a zeal for secrecy. On Monday, the Atlantic magazine’s top editor said he was accidentally added to a Signal group in which U.S. officials planned a recent military attack in Yemen.

Until now, Signal was mostly known among Silicon Valley geeks and global dissidents for leaving few digital traces. It was lightly used among federal bureaucrats until they embraced it after Trump’s return to office as a tactic to shield communications, according to interviews with more than two dozen government workers — most of whom spoke on the condition of anonymity for fear of retaliation — and people they have consulted for advice.

These new government users have corresponded with a jolt in the popularity of Signal, which is operated by a nonprofit. The app has been downloaded more than 2.7 million times in the United States so far this year, a 36 percent increase from the same period in 2024, according to estimates from market intelligence firm Sensor Tower.

The changes mark a cultural transformation for federal government officials, employees and the public they serve: Adopting Signal and other surveillance-dodging tactics of spies and billionaires comes at the potential loss of a real-time history of the Trump administration.

Lauren Harper, who leads efforts for a more transparent federal government at the Freedom of the Press Foundation, said Americans will never have a full accounting of the policies made in their interests when officials and workers communicate in private channels that are closed off to U.S. citizens.

When you have “secrecy on each side,” Harper said, “the public has no way to understand what is happening inside the government.” […]

It wasn’t the first time that Signal correspondence has become a flash point for the Trump administration. Chats over Signal and other unorthodox communications by members of Elon Musk’s U.S. DOGE Service so alarmed a federal judge that he recently ordered DOGE to hand over documents, memos and correspondence to a group that had sued for access under public transparency laws.

* The Question: Should Illinois ban state and local government workers and officials from using apps like Signal to discuss official business? Explain.

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RETAIL: The Largest Employer In Illinois

Tuesday, Mar 25, 2025 - Posted by Advertising Department

[The following is a paid advertisement.]

Retail creates more jobs in Illinois than any other private sector employer, with one out of every four workers employed by the retail sector. Importantly, retail is an industry in which everyone, regardless of credentials, can find a viable career path.

Retailers like Holly enrich our economy and strengthen our communities. We Are Retail and IRMA showcase the retailers who make Illinois work.

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This really needs major improvement

Tuesday, Mar 25, 2025 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Non-farm Illinois employment numbers from the Bureau of Labor Statistics…

= +32.3K

Yes, national trends play a big role in this, but other states have done far better than Illinois the past six years.

* Within those BLS numbers are government jobs…

= +23.5K

That’s a pretty high percentage of total new jobs.

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It’s just a bill

Tuesday, Mar 25, 2025 - Posted by Isabel Miller

* Crain’s…

Two bills that could help spur construction of denser, easier to afford housing across Illinois moved forward in Springfield last week.

On March 20, the housing committee of the Illinois House approved both HB 1813, which would prevent Illinois municipalities from banning construction of accessory dwelling units, also known as ADUs or granny flats, and HB 1814, which would discourage construction of individual houses on large lots. The passage moves them toward a vote by the full House later in this year’s legislative session. […]

“This is the start of addressing the significant housing shortage we have in Illinois,” said state Rep. Bob Rita, whose 18th District includes West Roseland in the city and Blue Island in the suburbs. Rita was a sponsor of both bills. “The goal is to strengthen the supply of housing for working families, make more pathways for middle-class housing to get built.” […]

If passed, “neither of these bills is going to dramatically increase density overnight in any one area” of the state, said Jeff Baker, CEO of Illinois Realtors. The statewide professional association backed both bills as part of its slate of legislation aimed at easing the housing affordability crunch.

* Rep. Dagmara Avelar…

Committed to strengthening healthcare protections and patient safety for residents statewide, Assistant Majority Leader Dagmara “Dee” Avelar, D-Bolingbrook, passed influential measures out of the Health Care Availability & Accessibility Committee to be considered on the House floor later this Spring.

“We live in an uncertain political climate where we on the state-level really need to be putting our best foot forward, thinking ahead, and anticipating any federal changes that will impact our most vulnerable residents and upend everyday Illinoisans,” Avelar said. “These bills fill crucial gaps to strengthen protections and expand freedoms for our residents; I’m prepared to fight for them on the House floor.”

In effort to expand state protections for reproductive healthcare, Avelar’s House Bill 3637 passed out of the Health Care Availability & Accessibility Committee and would strengthen Illinois’ Shield Law by reinforcing the Illinois Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to safeguard access to medication abortion. The measure “future-proofs” Illinois law and preempts federal overreach, ensuring residents have access to medically necessary and life-saving reproductive health medications.

Additionally, Avelar passed House Bill 3593 out of the committee, extending protections under the Fair Patient Billing Act to patients who receive services from third-party vendors, reinforcing explicitly that if a hospital outsources a service, patients aren’t met with excessive charges and costs that would otherwise be covered under the Act.

* KFVS…

A plan that would allow community colleges in Illinois to offer four-year degrees hits a major roadblock in Springfield. […]

John A. Logan College President Dr. Kirk Overstreet says a proposed bill from Illinois Governor JB Pritzker’s office that would allow community colleges to offer bachelor’s degrees is a win-win for students and the southern Illinois economy.

“This is a big resource for keeping students here and keeping people here in the region,” Overstreet said. […]

Critics of the bill say it could take away enrollment from traditional universities. Overstreet said that isn’t the case.

“We’re talking about students who didn’t even think they could go to college in the first place. Now they can get their associate’s and now a bachelor’s here in their fields,” he said. “And that uptick and well feeling of knowing, ‘I can do this,’ is gonna lead them to going over to SIU and taking MBA and master-level courses and help drive up their enrollment as well.”

* The Trace…

Four years ago, Kam Buckner, a Democratic state representative in Illinois, introduced a bill that would give the families of homicide victims a chance for closure by letting them petition police departments to reopen unresolved cases. The measure stalled, but each session, Buckner reintroduced it, regularly updating the bill. When Buckner renewed his effort last year, he added a companion bill that would set clear reporting requirements for Illinois law enforcement agencies.

Collectively, the measures address longstanding problems cited by policymakers and gun violence survivors alike: that police don’t solve enough homicides, and that in many municipalities, it’s hard to know exactly how many cases are cleared. […]

The Homicide Victims’ Families’ Rights Act proposed by Buckner would create a pathway for families to petition law enforcement agencies to review unsolved cases that are more than three years old. If the agency approved a full reinvestigation, a new detective would be assigned. It also defines the role of family liaison officers and mandates how many of them each law enforcement agency should employ.

The Homicide Data Transparency Act would establish a statewide standard for law enforcement agencies to track and publish [quarterly] reports on homicides, with a template for communicating exactly how many cases have been closed.

* WAND…

A Supreme Court decision in 2024 gave local municipalities the power to criminalize homelessness. A State Democrat lawmaker wants to limit that power.

The plan would stop any town or city from criminalizing “life sustaining activities.” This would include eating, sleep and setting up shelter on the streets.

However, State Rep. Kevin Olickal (D-Chicago) said it wouldn’t give people experiencing homelessness a free pass on the law.

“If any person is engaging in violent behavior, bothering people, blocking access to a public space or breaking any other law, local governments and law enforcement have long standing trespassing ordinances and the entire existing criminal code to deal with these issues,” Olickal said. […]

The proposal passed out of the House housing committee on a partisan 10-6 vote. It now heads to the House floor where lawmakers could talk about it in the coming weeks.

* Rep. Nicolle Grasse…

Working to improve public health and alleviate bureaucratic burdens, state Rep. Nicolle Grasse, D-Arlington Heights, passed a series of measures out of House committees last week addressing several challenges in healthcare. […]

Notably, Grasse passed House Bill 2493 out of its committee requiring county clerks to create a remote marriage application process, allowing those in hospice or impaired by disability to go through the marriage application process with their partner in a remote setting.

Aiming to expand coverage and improve healthcare efficiencies, Grasse’s House Bill 3699 requires insurance to start covering any medically necessary prescribed vitamins. Additionally Grasse garnered the votes to pass House Bill 2371, streamlining reimbursement and removing out of pocket costs for dental patients. And, Grasse’s House Bill 3849 authorizes hospice or home health service employees to deliver a patient’s prescription order or controlled substance — ensuring essential medications are delivered faster.

To increase accountability in healthcare, Grasse’s House Bill 1712 further protects patients’ end of life medical preferences, requiring the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) to establish clear oversight and uniform training to ensure adherence to POLST forms — documents that guide emergency and long-term care for patients.

Plus, Grasse’s House Bill 2397 responds to the rising number of deaths of incarcerated elderly by requiring IDOC to publicly report on Hospice and Palliative Care, giving the legislature insight into the true state of hospice care in correctional facilities. Similarly, House Bill 2877 would require the Hospice and Palliative Care Advisory Board to inform the legislature on the state of care for those experiencing a serious or life-limiting illness, in order to provide actionable recommendations for state hospice and palliative standards.

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The Credit Union Difference: People Over Profits

Tuesday, Mar 25, 2025 - Posted by Advertising Department

[The following is a paid advertisement.]

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Open thread

Tuesday, Mar 25, 2025 - Posted by Isabel Miller

* What’s going on in your part of Illinois?…

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Isabel’s morning briefing

Tuesday, Mar 25, 2025 - Posted by Isabel Miller

* ICYMI: Potawatomi to reclaim tribal land in DeKalb County. Capitol News Illinois…

* Related stories…

∙ Native News Online: LAND BACK: Illinois Governor Signs Law Allowing Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation to Reclaim its Stolen Land
∙ Sun-Times: Illinois returns nearly 1,500 acres of stolen land to state’s first federally recognized tribe

* BlueRoomStream.com’s coverage of today’s press conferences and committee hearings can be found here.

*** Isabel’s Top Picks ***

* Tribune | Conflict between SEIU and CTU escalates with allegations of ‘bullying’: The leader of a local chapter of the Service Employees International Union on Monday issued a fiery internal message to members accusing Chicago Teachers Union leadership of “bullying and dishonesty,” the latest escalation of a conflict between two influential labor organizations that were once close allies. SEIU Local 73 President Dian Palmer disputed assertions CTU President Stacy Davis Gates made in social media posts over the weekend, delivering her strongest comments yet on the monthslong dispute between the two unions over jobs at Chicago Public Schools.

* Subscribers know more. Tribune | Gov. JB Pritzker cites legal, technical issues in veto of warehouse worker protection bill: Gov. JB Pritzker vetoed a bill aimed at providing protections for workers at large warehouses, saying it was passed “hastily” and “without engagement with relevant state agencies or my office and presents both legal and operational issues that undermine its effect.” The bill was passed in early January by the Democratic-controlled Illinois General Assembly in response to reports that warehouse workers are too often pushed beyond their physical limits. In December, Amazon reached a $145,000 settlement with the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration over accusations that conditions at an Illinois warehouse left workers exposed to elevated risks of injury.

* Cook County Record | Appeals court: Hospitals can’t sue Illinois to force faster Medicaid claims pay: The U.S. Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals has overturned an earlier ruling from some of its members, now finding Saint Anthony Hospital can’t sue Illinois to force the state government to increase and expedite payment for Medicaid claims. Saint Anthony Hospital has said it intends to ask the U.S. Supreme Court to review and overturn the ruling. The new 9-3 ruling came from a so-called en banc panel of the court, including 12 of the court’s judges.

*** Statehouse News ***

* WAND | Pritzker signs proposal clarifying dash camera requirements for Illinois State Police: The legislation clarifies that if a victim or witness of a crime asks a state trooper to turn off their body camera, the officer must tell them that their vehicle’s dash camera will still record video. This law also notes that recordings on dash cameras can be retained in the same manner and time periods as Illinois State Police keep body camera footage.

* Tribune | DCFS attorney fired after working second job with bank on state time, watchdog says: An Illinois Department of Children and Family Services attorney collected a state paycheck while also working at a local bank, at times doing both jobs during regular business hours, in violation of state rules, according to a report from the Office of Executive Inspector General. Deborah Riley was working as a senior regional counsel in Urbana at the time of the investigation, a position that included representing the child protection agency in hearings and evaluating child welfare cases, according to the OEIG report. At the same time, she was on the board of directors at a small bank and training the bank’s new president, the report said.

*** Statewide ***

* Citizens Utility Board | Illinois Clean Jobs Coalition research shows a “painful history” of aggressive gas hikes: And it could get much worse if utilities across the state are allowed to spend at the pace they want. An analysis released by Groundwork Data and the Building Decarbonization Coalition in May 2024 found that if policymakers allow the status quo to continue, delivery charges–what the utilities charge consumer to deliver gas to their homes–could grow by four to five times by 2050. (See page 72 of the report. Also, here’s a summary of the report.)

* WCIA | Illinois Red Cross asks for donations, provides safety tips as ‘Giving Day’ approaches: The Red Cross has helped nearly 30 people in Central Illinois after six different fires damaged or destroyed their homes last week. After fires broke out in Champaign, Paxton, Danville, Paris, Peoria and Kilbourne, the Red Cross provided emergency assistance. This included food, toiletries, and health and mental health services.

* WAND | Local healthcare provider says vaccinations critical to stop measles spread: According to the CDC, there have been 378 confirmed cases of measles in the United States. This is in comparison to 285 in all of 2024. Of the 17 states with cases currently, two border Illinois: Indiana and Kentucky. Pediatric Nurse Practitioner at OSF Healthcare, Dana Deshon, said measles spreads easily because of symptoms take a while to show. “You’re contagious four days before that rash and up to four days after,” said Deshon. “We can have 8 to 10 days of people walking around and not even knowing that they have measles, and then they’re just spreading it all around to those people that are that are at risk. ”

*** Cook County and Suburbs ***

* The Hill | Progressive influencer launches bid to unseat House Democrat: Progressive influencer Kat Abughazaleh announced Monday she’s launching a bid to unseat Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.) in the northern Chicago suburbs. “Donald Trump and Elon Musk are dismantling our country piece by piece, and so many Democrats seem content to just sit back and let ‘em,” Abughazaleh said in a video announcing her candidacy on the social platform X.

* Cook County Board | Jewish lawyer can sue Cook Co. Public Defender for making her take down pic featuring Israeli flag, gun: A Jewish lawyer who works for the Cook County Public Defender’s office will be allowed to continue her lawsuit against the county office for allegedly violating her First Amendment speech rights for disciplining her for putting up a photo in the office of herself from her time serving in the Israeli Defense Forces, in which she is shown holding a gun in front of the Israeli flag, to express her support for Israel following the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas terrorist attacks in that nation.

* NBC Chicago | Aurora mayoral candidates clash over new casino, Irvin’s alignment with Trump: The $58 million in financial incentives to relocate Hollywood Casino from its location downtown Aurora to a site near the city’s popular outlet mall is one of the top issues Irvin is defending. […] Laesch disagreed with the decision and has been critical of it. “I’m certainly in favor of investing in small local business people who want to give it a go, but the multimillion dollar deals to bring big developers in and outside private capital is not necessary,” Laesch said.

* CBS Chicago | Why did the mayor of Lynwood, Illinois take home triple the pay budgeted for her office?: In 2021, then-Village Trustee Curry ran for village president, or mayor. Well before the election, an ordinance drastically reduced the salary of the next, and then-to-be-determined, mayor of Lynwood. A salary of $85,000 a year dropped to one of $20,000.

* Daily Herald | Sleepy Hollow to elect new village president for first time in 24 years: For the first time in 24 years, Sleepy Hollow residents will elect a new village president. First-term village trustees Courtney Boe and Jennifer McGuire are seeking to lead the bedroom community of just over 3,100 residents. Village President Stephan Pickett, who has served six terms, is not seeking re-election.

* Daily Herald | 42 years after Elgin woman’s disappearance, police make startling discovery in Fox River: Forty-two years after a 23-year-old Elgin woman vanished without a trace, Elgin police and a dive team searched the Fox River on Monday for clues they hoped to find in the frigid, murky water. They made a stunning find: the 1980 Toyota Celica Karen Schepers owned.

*** Chicago ***

* Tribune | Federal workers on edge as Trump plans to shrink government and cut services proceed: In the Chicago area, as of this week nearly 200,000 square feet of leased federal office space had been canceled, including space that houses the Midwest regional headquarters for the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on West Jackson Boulevard. A federal lease on a building in northwestern suburban Hoffman Estates that stores documents and artifacts from the administration of former President Barack Obama — essentially serving as Obama’s Presidential Library — was also canceled.

* Sun-Times | Mayor Johnson has days to find $175M as he lacks votes for CPS pension payment to city: Over the weekend, seven of 20 voting board members signed a letter telling Harden that their votes will remain against the pension payment if he calls a special meeting this week to reintroduce the issue. A budget amendment needs two-thirds support, 14 votes, to pass. “We cannot in good conscience make payments toward things for which we have no sustainable means of raising revenue,” the board members wrote in a letter first reported by Chalkbeat Chicago. Still, the mayor’s office said Monday that it would keep working with the board to find a solution and it “continues to expect CPS” to make the pension payment. Johnson has not presented a plan B.

* Block Club | New Bike Lanes? More Street Lights? 25th Ward Neighbors Can Rank Choices With New Survey: Neighbors who want to weigh in on infrastructure improvements to the 25th Ward — including potential upgrades to alleys, sidewalks, lighting, streets or bike lanes — can take part in a survey that runs through April 1. The city allocates about $1.5 million in “menu money” annually to each of the 50 wards. Typically, alderpeople have discretion on how that money is spent, but some City Council members let neighbors decide or influence how that money is used — a process known as participatory budgeting.

*** Downstate ***

* WQAD | Former Carroll County deputy charged in death of Jackson Kradle: A former Carroll County sheriff’s deputy has been charged with homicide in the death of 18-year-old Jackson Kradle. It comes nearly eight months after Kradle’s body was found on a rural highway near Mount Carroll. The Illinois State Police (ISP) announced Monday that 44-year-old Matthew Herpstreith of Savanna has been charged with five counts stemming from the incident, including reckless homicide and multiple obstruction-related charges.

* WGLT | Bloomington mayoral challengers push leadership as a reason for change: The City of Bloomington has seen a number of big projects come to completion or start during Mboka Mwilambwe’s four years as mayor. Still, Mwilambwe’s opponents say the city has lacked strong leadership in key areas during his tenure. Mwilambwe, who served on the city council for a decade before being elected mayor in 2021, faces challenges from former state Rep. Dan Brady and first-term city council member Cody Hendricks.

* 25News Now | Bloomington water troubles spilling into family-owned restaurant: The City of Bloomington continues to experience taste and odor issues with its water quality, which is affecting one local business and its customers. Water is vital for the 35-year-old family-owned restaurant, Garden of Paradise. The family chain is facing customer complaints about the odor and taste of the water. Garden of Paradise Manager Baha Ramahi has worked at the restaurant for 20 years and has not seen anything like this.

* WGLT | Illinois State University faculty file intent to strike notice: Faculty at Illinois State University on Monday said they have filed a notice of Intent to Strike with the Illinois Educational Labor Relations Board. The move starts a 10-day clock that would enable the United Faculty of ISU to strike as early as April 4 if there’s no agreement on a contract. The union announced Friday that its members voted “overwhelmingly” to support a strike authorization.

* WQAD | Federal funding uncertainty impacting Quad Cities nonprofits, new survey finds: Nearly half of Quad City area nonprofits “already experience or anticipate experiencing significant financial impacts due to federal funding changes,” according to a new survey conducted by Wastyn & Associates, a Davenport nonprofit consulting company. The survey, conducted in March, asked 52 nonprofit employees how the current federal grant reductions and uncertain policies are impacting the operations of their organizations. The survey found these factors are placing immense financial and mental pressures on local nonprofits across all sectors.

* WAND | Springfield School Board faces public pushback on possible Project SCOPE closure: The Springfield School Board heard from the public about the plan to cut a before and after school program called Project SCOPE. The district is working on a three-year cost-cutting plan. Parents found out late last week that the paid service for parents of kindergarten through fifth graders will end. Many believe this decision will hurt the community and its children.

* WCIA | Coles Co. Memorial Airport will be adding a new hangar soon: Airport manager Andrew Fearn said Rural King staff members fly in about two to three times a week. Right now, the company has been flying to Decatur because the current hangar near Mattoon doesn’t fit their new jet. But, Fearn said they’ve been doing business with them for several years and getting them back in their city is important. “That’s more business for us. With their promotion of Emerald Acres, we’ve seen an increase in traffic and we’ll see more with their aircraft coming in. They continually have people that sell them products come in and out all the time. It’s great to have them based here,” Fearn said.

* Rockford Register Star | ‘People over politics’: Contest for Rockford’s 8th Ward pits incumbent against consultant: Ald. Karen Hoffman will face a challenge in the April 1 election from political consultant Jason Leviskas who is running as an independent candidate to represent Rockford’s Eighth Ward. Hoffman, 78, a Democrat, who said she lives within walking distance of her childhood home, is running for a third term. […] “I am running to put people over politics in the Eighth Ward and help usher in a higher standard for what people expect out of their alderman,” Leviskas said. “I want to address the high taxes, declining safety in our neighborhoods and the shortage of new investments.”

* WREX | Stephenson County Sheriff’s Office dispatches 40 grass fire calls in the last month: Sheriff Steve Stovall says Stephenson County dispatched 40 grass fire calls in the last month and a half. “40 additional fires in Stephenson County is too many. 30 days that’s more than a call a day that we’re getting, some of those are multiples in a day. So you’ve got guys getting equipment cleaned up and they’re getting back out on the next call because a fire has gotten out of hand in another part of the county,” said Stovall.

* WAND | Old State Capitol State Historic Site renovation ‘95% complete,’ Illinois Capital Development Board says: “This incredible transformation is a big win for both Illinois tourism and the capital city economy,” the board said in a Facebook post. “The blend of historical preservation, modern technology, and safety and accessibility improvements will enhance the visitor experience and ensure the preservation of the Old State Capitol for years to come!”

* WMBD | Tazewell County Animal Control low on supplies, seeks donations: The Tazewell County Animal Control is asking the public for additional supplies ahead of an expected increase in animals coming to its shelter in the spring. With the increase in the number of mouths to feed, they have an increased need for food and litter, a Facebook post from the Tazewell County Animal Control stated.

*** National ***

* Axios | Social Security rushing service cuts at White House request, sources say: hese changes will strain the already struggling Social Security system and could even deprive some people of benefits entirely, according to current and former employees and advocates for retirees. Some of the most vulnerable Americans — including people who are hospitalized, kids in foster homes and those living in remote areas — will face more hurdles applying for disability benefits, according to one advocate who spoke with Axios and was at the meeting.

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