|
Isabel’s afternoon roundup
Wednesday, Apr 15, 2026 - Posted by Isabel Miller * Subscribers know more. Capitol News Illinois…
Illinois is paying the price for 340B medicine markups. Through the federal 340B program, nonprofit hospitals can buy medicines for pennies, then charge huge markups – even on life-saving medicines. Those markups have become big business for large hospital systems, driving higher costs for Illinois patients, employers and taxpayers. And the problem is getting worse. The program’s lack of oversight has allowed 340B to become a revenue stream for hospitals, PBMs, private equity firms and big chain pharmacies — with no requirement that the money be used to help patients afford medicines. It’s time for Washington to hold hospitals accountable and fix 340B. Read more. * CBS Chicago…
* Center Square | Illinois unions seek to kill Waymo-friendly bill in Springfield: President of the Illinois AFL-CIO Tim Drea said the legislation could lead to the loss of middle-class jobs for Illinoisans, impacting state tax revenue. “Because of this new technology, not really sure about how many jobs would be eliminated. So it’s kind of hard to multiply out for the loss of tax revenue, but it just goes to follow. I mean, it would affect everything from state taxes to local taxes to funding our schools,” Drea said. * Chalkbeat Chicago | Illinois education officials vote to overhaul accountability for schools: Sanders described the changes as one of his biggest goals, and board members described the public feedback process as a thoughtful one that resulted in tweaks to the original proposal. “Everybody is not going to be happy about it, and that’s OK,” said ISBE board vice chair Donna S. Leak. “What we’re trying to do is find ways to connect to student achievement in a more meaningful way.” * Sun-Times | Mayor Johnson’s push to have retired Ald. Walter Burnett lead CHA shut down by HUD: Burnett’s apparent conflicts of interest were with his 30-year record as alderman and longtime ownership of properties rented to housing voucher holders, according to the CHA and HUD. Burnett and his wife have collected more than $260,000 since 2007 as CHA voucher landlords. Burnett cannot be appointed as the CHA’s leader since the retired alderman exercised “functions or responsibilities with respect to CHA for approximately 30 years,” according to a copy of a Tuesday letter from HUD obtained by the Sun-Times. * Crain’s | City Council fails to override Johnson’s veto of tipped wage freeze: The council needed 34 votes to override the veto but fell short by four votes, leaving intact a 2023 ordinance that phases out the so-called tipped credit over five years. Despite the loss, Ald. Gilbert Villegas, 36th, promised a “round two” later this year. Today’s vote was the second time the City Council was unable to override a Johnson veto this year after previously failing to garner 34 votes to ban most intoxicating hemp products in Chicago. * Tribune | City airport workers drank on the clock, OIG report finds: On-the-clock city employees drank at bars near O’Hare International Airport and then returned to the airport for the remainder of their shifts, an investigation by the city’s Office of Inspector General found. The city watchdog investigation details numerous instances of alcohol consumption by airport employees during working hours. In one case, several on-the-clock Aviation Department employees attended a party thrown by an off-duty colleague where they imbibed “beer, cocktails, and shots of liquor” before returning to work at the airport. In other instances, Aviation Department supervisors bought alcohol for their employees while out to lunch, the report said. * Sun-Times | Council turns up heat to find replacement for ShotSpotter: Johnson then launched an open competition to replace the gunshot detection technology. SoundThinking, the company that owns ShotSpotter, was one of eight firms that responded to the so-called “request-for-information” by the Sept. 20, 2024 deadline. Nothing has happened since then — even though the last two city budgets set aside a combined $13.9 million for the replacement technology. * Sun-Times | Widow, son of former County Board Commissioner Dennis Deer fatally shot in East Garfield Park home: “Today, we mourn alongside the Deer family as they endure another heartbreaking and unimaginable loss with the passing of former Commissioner Dennis Deer’s beloved wife and son,” Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle said in a statement. “The Deer family has long been well-known in the community for their compassion and steadfast commitment to others. Their presence and service touched countless lives. There are no words that can make sense of such pain, but I hope the surviving family members find strength in the love that surrounds them.” * Crain’s | West Suburban hospital begins reopening under pressure after surprise shutdown: At the time of the closing, CEO Manoj Prasad said he could not make payroll after a year of taking in only 10% of the revenue the hospital had billed for, because of a billing system snafu. Today, Resilience said it was able to begin reopening services because West Suburban has recovered some funds through an initial billing remediation process. Patients are being contacted by phone and email to schedule appointments beginning today. The outpatient clinic at West Suburban in Oak Park will offer primary care “initially and then some specialist visits, along with testing services,” the statement said. * Daily Herald | How mistaken identity in Wheeling shoplifting case led to arrest, lawsuit: About a month later, Bony picked the real Calin’s photograph out of an array of six faces compiled by police and said she was the thief, documents indicate. The array didn’t include photos of the woman known to use Calin’s name as an alias or anyone else with histories of shoplifting, the lawsuit alleged. * NPR Illinois | State higher education budget chair calls the UIS faculty strike “unnecessary”: Rep. La Shawn Ford, D-Chicago, appeared at a rally with striking faculty on Wednesday morning. Ford, who also serves as Chairman of the Illinois House Higher Education Appropriations Committee, said he was meeting with Chancellor Janet Gooch to encourage her to meet with the union members and settle the strike. “I just think that the chancellor should definitely show her support for this wonderful institution,” Ford said. “I think the students on this campus…. It’s a shame that they have to see something like this because it makes them fearful to get into the workforce because of worries about being treated fairly.” * Bloomberg | Undisclosed missed debt payment spurs superdowngrade in Illinois: Pekin Park District, a recreation area about 170 miles southwest of Chicago, missed a $416,000 debt-service payment in December on bonds issued in 2020. By S&P’s count, it didn’t reveal that until 102 days after the due date, when it made the payment in late March. “The payment default reflects severe management deficiencies that have pressured cash reserves and liquidity and ultimately hindered the district’s ability to obtain timely alternative funding to cover debt service,” David Smith, an analyst at S&P, said in an April 10 report. * Tribune | Chicago moves to buy Greyhound station, but key alderman demands more details: But moves still require City Council approval, a necessity that suddenly appeared to be a potential roadblock when Ald. Bill Conway, whose ward includes the downtown station, left the commission’s meeting unimpressed by the Johnson administration’s pitch. “That hearing really illustrated the ‘first we get the money’ mentality of this administration,” Conway said as he walked out. “It’s hard to describe that hearing as anything short of a total train wreck.” The downtown alderman had officially shared a “letter of no objection” to the expansion of the tax increment financing district ahead of the hearing. As he spoke to commissioners before they voted unanimously to approve the two proposals, he said he was not against buying the station, but had “significant concerns.” * Illinois Times | Springfield slated to lose ambulance provider: LifeStar Ambulance Service Inc., one of three ambulance providers responding to 911 calls in Springfield and transporting patients to local hospitals, is slated to be barred from operating in Sangamon County after May 25 because of health care deficiencies cited by Springfield Memorial Hospital. “We’re working with our attorneys to try and come up with a solution where we can continue to stay with Springfield,” John Wright, chief executive officer of Centralia-based LifeStar, told Illinois Times on April 14. * KWQC | Sale pending on former Quad-City Times building: The building was listed online by Ruhl&Ruhl in January for $4.2 million. The Quad-City Times relocated its staff from longtime headquarters at 500 E Third Street to East Moline in December. The staff move came after the closure of the paper’s Davenport printing operations, which were shifted to Munster, Indiana, at the end of September 2025. The Quad-City Times, Dispatch-Argus and Muscatine Journal are now printed at the Munster facility, which is owned by Lee Enterprises. * The Jerusalem Post | Most American Jews oppose AIPAC spending in Democratic primaries, survey finds: The survey, which was conducted by GBAO Strategies on behalf of the liberal pro-Israel lobby J Street, comes as AIPAC has faced heightened scrutiny for pouring millions of dollars into Democratic primary races in New Jersey and Illinois in recent months with the aim of electing a majority pro-Israel Congress. Candidates’ rejection of AIPAC support has become a litmus test for many Democrats, and a number of presumed 2028 presidential candidates have sworn off AIPAC, including California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker. … The survey, which included interviews with 800 Jewish adults from March 23 to 25 and had a margin of error of 3.5 percentage points, found that 66% of American Jews overall oppose the lobby spending money raised from Republican donors in Democratic primaries, while 34% support it. * NPR | Tax season was supposed to bring big refunds. So far they’re less than expected: So far, the average refund has totaled about $350 more than last year. By early April, the average tax refund sat at $3,462, which is 11.1% higher than the same point last year, according to the IRS. And Americans appear to be shrugging their shoulders at the tax changes. A recent survey by the Bipartisan Policy Center, a Washington think tank advising on federal policy, found 62% of respondents either thought the tax changes harmed them or made no difference. Even among Republicans, only 35% said the changes favored them. * WIRED | The Deepfake Nudes Crisis in Schools Is Much Worse Than You Thought: The deepfake crisis hitting schools started slowly a couple of years ago, but it has since grown considerably as the technology used to create the explicit imagery has become more accessible. Deepfake sexual abuse incidents have hit around 90 schools globally and have impacted more than 600 pupils, according to a review of publicly reported incidents by WIRED and Indicator, a publication focusing on digital deception and misinformation. The deepfake crisis hitting schools started slowly a couple of years ago, but it has since grown considerably as the technology used to create the explicit imagery has become more accessible. Deepfake sexual abuse incidents have hit around 90 schools globally and have impacted more than 600 pupils, according to a review of publicly reported incidents by WIRED and Indicator, a publication focusing on digital deception and misinformation.
|
|
DeVore offers $5,000 reward for person behind oppo dump
Wednesday, Apr 15, 2026 - Posted by Rich Miller * Somebody mailed Republican precinct committeepersons in the 15th Congressional District a letter designed to dissuade them from voting for Tom DeVore for the state central committee. His response…
* With that in mind, click here and here for the letter. He is, indeed, one of the Democrats’ favorite Republicans because he spends so much time and energy day in and day out attacking Republicans. He fancies himself a “RINO Hunter” and has decided that the problem is not the folks (like him) who are trying to run people out of the party, but the folks who want to grow it. * On a related note, Jon Zahm has a rundown of some of the state central committee races.
|
|
Illinois ‘civil commitment’ process can mean decades in custody without a conviction
Wednesday, Apr 15, 2026 - Posted by Isabel Miller * WTTW yesterday…
There’s a lot more in WTTW’s reports, so go read the rest here and here and let us know your thoughts. * The Prison Policy Initiative’s Emma Ruth in 2022…
|
|
Roundup: Appeals court orders new trial, release for McClain and Pramaggiore
Wednesday, Apr 15, 2026 - Posted by Isabel Miller
* Tribune…
* The Sun-Times…
* More from the Sun-Times… Pramaggiore spokesman Mark Herr and McClain lawyer Joel Bertocchi said they were “pleased” by the news. It followed years of predictions by defense attorneys that a do-over would be necessary, especially after the U.S. Supreme Court in 2024 limited the reach of a key bribery law used a year earlier to convict Pramaggiore and Madigan ally McClain. Both have been serving two-year prison sentences. * CBS Chicago…
* The Sun-Times Jon Seidel…
* More…
* Bloomberg | Former ComEd CEO and lobbyist granted new trials in Madigan bribery case: The Tribune notes it’s unclear whether the U.S. attorney’s office will pursue a retrial on the charges against Pramaggiore and McClain, given the change in how the courts define federal bribery following a 2024 U.S. Supreme Court decision in a separate case. That ruling, Snyder v. U.S., found that gratuities given to an elected official after the fact can’t be considered bribes. The trial court in the ComEd Four case threw out the bribery convictions following that ruling but kept in place convictions on conspiracy charges and violations of books and records regulations.
|
|
Rate the new Pritzker ad
Wednesday, Apr 15, 2026 - Posted by Rich Miller * Press release…
* The spot…
|
|
340B Legislation: Support Your Constituents, Your Communities And Patients
Wednesday, Apr 15, 2026 - Posted by Advertising Department [The following is a paid advertisement.] The Patient Access to Pharmacy Protection Act (HB 2371 SA 2) restores the federal 340B program in Illinois to what U.S. lawmakers intended. There’s nothing new except transparency requirements that Illinois hospitals agree with. The legislation is an urgently needed response to drugmaker restrictions on 340B providers. Created in 1992, the 340B program requires drugmakers to discount certain drugs for providers caring for the most vulnerable residents so they can stretch scarce federal resources. The legislation is critically important for all 340 B hospitals and the low-income and uninsured patients they serve. House lawmakers have an opportunity to join their Senate colleagues—who unanimously passed HB 2371 SA 2 last spring—by voting for Illinois’ 340B bill. Consider the following:
• Laws like HB 2371 SA 2 have passed in nearly half of U.S. states. • HB 2371 SA 2 does NOT require a state appropriation. • 340B providers must meet rigorous requirements and undergo regular audits. • Hospitals agree with the additional transparency requirements in HB 2371 SA 2. Because of drugmaker restrictions, hospitals operating on thin margins face service cuts unless action is taken by the General Assembly. Stand with Illinois hospitals and FQHCs: VOTE YES on HB 2371 SA 2! Learn more.
Comments Off |
|
Question of the day
Wednesday, Apr 15, 2026 - Posted by Rich Miller * Politico…
* The Question: Do you believe Bailey’s claim that he’s not a MAGA Republican? Take the poll and then explain your answer in comments, please.
|
|
SB 1486 Raises Premiums And Reduces Consumer Choice
Wednesday, Apr 15, 2026 - Posted by Advertising Department [The following is a paid advertisement.] Illinois is home to one of the most competitive insurance markets in the nation. Hundreds of insurers fight for consumers, leaving families better protected than those in other states. SB 1486, described by the Daily Herald as “controversial legislation,” could eliminate that system and, in its place, leave Illinois with the most extreme regulatory framework in the nation. This legislation could:
• Cause insurers to scale back coverage • Result in companies leaving the marketplace entirely These policies have been tried in other states, leading to skyrocketing costs for consumers and limited options for coverage. Don’t bring California style overregulation to Illinois. Click here to learn more.
Comments Off |
|
It’s just a bill
Wednesday, Apr 15, 2026 - Posted by Isabel Miller * WGN…
* Subscribers know more. WIRED…
* Tribune…
* Yesterday, Civic Federation President Joe Ferguson sent out this letter to members of the Chicago Board of Education…
* WAND…
* More…
* Press release | Grasse Legislation Easing Pathway to Marriage for People who are Physically Impaired Passes the House: House Bill 4508 amends the Marriage and Dissolution of Marriage Act to allow eligible individuals to apply for a marriage license remotely or have a clerk come to them with medical authorization. The bill builds on policies first used during the COVID-19 pandemic and removes unnecessary barriers for people already facing profound challenges. This legislation passed the House on Tuesday and will soon be heard in the Senate. * WAND | IL Senate unanimously passes bill protecting domestic violence survivors from digital harassment: The plan would update the state’s definition of harassment to include conduct like doxxing, electronic tracking, repeated surveillance and digitally altered sexual images. Sponsors said the bill also allows survivors to request a remote order of protection hearing so they don’t have to be in the same room as their abuser. “Abusers often use technology to stalk, monitor and maintain control over their victims,” said Sen. Adriane Johnson (D-Waukegan). “That is why we must empower survivors by allowing them to use the court to hold their abusers to account.” * Capitol News Illinois | Will this be the year the state legislature approves a cellphone ban in schools?: An amendment to Senate Bill 2427, which passed the Illinois House Education Committee unanimously on March 25, would require all Illinois public and charter schools to adopt policies restricting student use of cellphones, tablets and other devices during class time. The bill still needs approval from the full House, where it’s not subject to a Friday deadline for final action, because a previous version already passed the Senate 55-0 last year. Because it was amended in the House, however, the Senate will need to approve the amended version before it can head to Gov. JB Pritzker, who’s been pushing for the measure for two years. * WAND | IL House passes bill requiring diaper ingredients transparency for consumers: This bill requires each package or box of diapers sold in Illinois to include a printed list of all ingredients for consumers. Sponsors said the Attorney General or state’s attorneys could enforce this change and collect civil penalties from companies that violate the policy. “We will be having a runoff period for packaging currently on the shelves,” said Rep. Tracy Katz Muhl (D-Northbrook). “The order that the ingredients [are] listed is from most to least with the exception that the very small 1% elements can be whatever order, as it becomes hard to distinguish at that level.” * WAND | IL bill requiring insurance coverage for preventative heart scans heads to Senate: The Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services initially opposed the bill due to the potential cost for state employee health insurance coverage. However, the current language exempts state employee insurance from the mandate. “If the cost was significant enough that the state cannot absorb it within its own health plan, it raises important affordability concerns for those in the marketplace as well,” said Kate Morthland from the Illinois Life & Health Insurance Council. * Press release | Villivalam advances measure through Senate to ensure townships may provide additional food assistance to residents: Senate Bill 3565 would allow townships to use funding received and collected for public aid to establish and administer food banks as well as pantries for people who are in need – regardless of their eligibility for general assistance. This would ensure that townships can continue to provide aid to residents, despite federal eligibility requirements for equivalent or similar programs, and that they can continue to invest funding into these services.
|
|
Credit & Debit Cards May Not Work For Tips, Starting July 1
Wednesday, Apr 15, 2026 - Posted by Advertising Department [The following is a paid advertisement.] The IFPA—the Credit Card Chaos law—could hurt Illinois’ tipped workers. Servers, stylists, rideshare drivers and other gig workers who rely on tips could see their income drop if customers can’t tip on cards and are limited to the cash they carry. Before chaos hits on July 1, lawmakers should reverse course and repeal the Interchange Fee Prohibition Act. Learn more at: guardyourcard.com/Illinois
Comments Off |
|
Isabel’s morning briefing
Wednesday, Apr 15, 2026 - Posted by Isabel Miller * ICYMI: Lawmakers grill Department of Corrections after audit shows dozens of failures. Capitol News Illinois…
- The audit found the department allows people to take a vacation day but show up to work on the same day and receive overtime pay. - Corrections officials also updated a legislative oversight committee on its progress implementing a rule allowing them to scan and digitize prison mail. It showed an increase of illegal drugs found in jails since the scanning program was implemented. Sponsored by The Association of Safety-Net Community Hospitals No Cuts. No Closures. Fund Safety-Net Hospitals. For decades, Illinois has underfunded safety-net hospitals, the lifelines for Black and Brown communities. Now, the “Safety-Net Moonshot” and the Medicaid-defunding legislation it has spawned, threatens deeper cuts to these critical health providers. Any reduction inspired by the “Moonshot” would be a killshot to the care our most vulnerable residents rely on. Weakening safety-net hospitals won’t improve care. It will slash essential services, eliminate jobs, and push entire communities into healthcare deserts and economic instability. The state cannot balance its budget on the backs of Black and Brown community hospitals. These institutions are not line items to cut, they are the foundation of care for families who have nowhere else to turn. Disinvestment will deepen inequities and worsen outcomes. When safety-net hospitals are funded, communities are healthier, workforces are stronger, and economies are more resilient. Illinois must fully fund safety-net hospitals. For the communities they serve, it is life or death. * At noon, Gov. JB Pritzker will deliver remarks at the Illinois Manufacturers’ Association Makers Madness competition in Springfield. Click here to watch. * BlueRoomStream.com’s coverage of today’s press conferences and committee hearings can be found here. * Capitol News Illinois | 7th Circuit orders release, new trial for two ‘ComEd Four’ defendants: The 7th Circuit’s decision also comes less than a week after lawyers for Madigan made arguments to a different three-judge appeals panel for the longtime Democratic power broker’s own convictions to be overturned. Madigan is six months into a 7 ½-year sentence on related bribery and other corruption charges, including for having solicited jobs for political allies at ComEd in exchange for helping advance the utility’s legislative agenda in Springfield. * WSIL | Rising Fertilizer Costs Put Pressure on Southern Illinois Farmers: Leon McClerren, a farmer from Franklin County, said farmers who did not prepay for their fertilizer are probably feeling the impacts of the higher prices. He said he was fortunate to lock in his costs early. “Fuel prices on the other hand, it’s something that’s getting us all very hard right now,’McClerren said. * Daily Herald | A United and American alliance? United CEO floats idea amid intense O’Hare rivalry: According to Reuters’ sources, “Kirby has argued to administration officials that a combined airline would be a stronger competitor in international markets and noted the Trump administration has focused on U.S. trade deficits around the globe.” But the likelihood of U.S. regulators approving a United/American union is dubious given the impact it could have on competition and ticket prices. * Gov. Pritzker is out with a new TV ad…
* Capitol News Illinois | Costs of state employee health benefits continue steep rise: Officials from the Department of Central Management Services told a legislative panel Tuesday they expect to see an increase of $380 million, or 9%, in total costs to the system in fiscal year 2027. That would bring total expenses paid by all funding sources to about $4.6 billion. That would be a slightly lower rate of inflation than the state has seen in recent years. * Daily Herald | Pritzker touts BUILD Act reforms as pushback from suburbs grows: “Significant increases in residential density without corresponding infrastructure investment could place substantial strain on these systems,” members of the DuPage Mayors and Managers Conference, Northwest Municipal Conference, Barrington Area Council of Governments, and Metro West Council of Government wrote. They also warned the legislation dilutes inspection and design provisions, which weakens safety standards. * Crain’s | Illinois to get $50 million in Jewel-Osco parent’s $774 million opioid settlement: Once final, Albertsons would pay more than $773 million in more than 35 states where it does business, Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul’s office said in a statement. In addition to the financial terms, the settlement remains contingent on injunctive relief similar to other opioid settlement terms, like monitoring, reporting and sharing data related to suspicious opioid prescriptions. * IPM News | Democratic Lieutenant Governor candidate Christian Mitchell on downstate Illinois, data centers, and future goals: “You’ve got, you know, multi-billion dollar tech corporations that are looking to build these data centers for the effectuation of their business. Since they’ve got that kind of capital, they need to put some of that capital up in order to make sure that the people of Illinois and the people of the Midwest and the nation are not overly burdened by new price increases driven by the fact that some of these data centers themselves demand as much energy as entire small towns. And so I think that asking the folks who are going to benefit the most to help solve the problem is the right way to go, so that we. Continue to move our economy forward, but not do so in a way that means that the small business owner or the everyday household is paying more for their energy.” * Tribune | NFL wants to meet with Chicago Bears after the draft for an update on their stadium project: The meeting will be held virtually, the source said, with the committee aiming to get the latest information from team officials. Bears Chairman George McCaskey is a member of the committee, which is chaired by Minnesota Vikings owner Mark Wilf and also includes owners Art Rooney II (Pittsburgh Steelers), Jed York (San Francisco 49ers), Amy Adams Strunk (Tennessee Titans), Stephen Davis (Dallas Cowboys) and high-ranking executives Sashi Brown (Baltimore Ravens) and Kevin Demoff (Los Angeles Rams). The committee’s role is ultimately to make recommendations to Commissioner Roger Goodell and the league as a whole when it comes to stadium construction, financing and renovations. * Tribune | CPD Superintendent Snelling pushes back on call to probe rising use-of-force incidents: During a status hearing in the city’s ongoing federal consent decree, Assistant Illinois Attorney General Mike Tresnowski noted the “concerning” trend to U.S. District Judge Rebecca Pallmeyer that Chicago Police Department officers are reporting uses of force more frequently, including in interactions with juveniles. CPD officials told Pallmeyer that reported use-of-force incidents fell sharply during the COVID-19 pandemic but have gradually increased each year since 2022. In 2025, CPD officers reported 3,044 such incidents — 800 more than were reported in 2023. * City and State NY | Chicago’s mayor fundraises in the Bronx with former Rep. Jamaal Bowman: Johnson is in town to speak at a National Urban League summit, so former Rep. Jamaal Bowman co-hosted a fundraiser for him at Sankofa Haus, an event space in the South Bronx. Guests who had paid between $50 and $7,000 for a ticket enjoyed rum punch and hors d’oeuvres – including miniature chicken sandwiches, vegetable spring rolls and salmon bites with spicy mayonnaise – while Bowman moderated a panel with Johnson and Working Families Party National Director Maurice Mitchell. City & State spotted congressional candidate and former Assembly Member Michael Blake among the 30 or so people in the audience. * Sun-Times | Delivery robot apologizes in new bus shelter ad after shattering glass in West Town: “Dear West Town neighbors, I took ‘breaking into the market’ too literally. I’m really sorry about the bus stop … and the dramatic entrance. I promise to do better,” the ad reads. It features a photo of the sheepish robot with a digital screen saying ‘Nasir is sorry.’ After the incident, Serve Robotics worked with JC Decaux, the advertising company that built the shelter, to clean up the damages. The shelter was fixed within a few days after the crash. * Sun-Times | Navy Pier to hold its largest July 4 fireworks display ever: At 10 p.m. July 4, viewers can expect “bigger, more extravagant” fireworks than the pier’s typical shows, said Molly Healy, a pier spokesperson. The pier’s fireworks typically blast off every Wednesday at 9 p.m. and Saturday at 10 p.m., from Memorial Day through Labor Day. But this Fourth of July display will last 15 minutes — five minutes longer than usual — and have almost twice as many fireworks compared to those shows, Healy said. * Crain’s | Medical staff, landlord ramp up efforts to oust West Suburban owner: The Chicago Medical Society and West Suburban Medical Center’s medical staff are urging Gov. J.B. Pritzker to use emergency powers to reopen the shuttered Oak Park hospital, the latest effort to pressure CEO Manoj Prasad amid mounting unpaid bills and an eviction fight with his business partner and landlord. In a letter to the governor, medical staff at the hospital, which closed last month, want Pritzker to exercise his executive authority, direct emergency funding and state resources to stabilize and restore operations, and appoint an interim management team composed of qualified health care leaders and stakeholders. * Daily Southtown | ACLU says Tinley Park police traffic stop may have violated state’s TRUST Act: Tinley Park police Officer Jason L’Amas was conducting a routine background check during a traffic stop when he found a federal warrant attached to the driver’s name, calling for the driver to be removed from the country, according to a police report obtained by the Southtown. L’Amas reported the man, along with his address, phone number, vehicle, place of employment and mother’s name to the U.S. Bureau of Immigration Aug. 27, 2025, according to the report. * Evanston Now | Council hikes fines for landlords: Evanston’s City Council Monday boosted fines for landlords who violate the city’s landlord tenant ordinance. The new schedule of fines, ranging from $100 to $1,000 per violation per day, will apply to the entire ordinance. Until now the fines have ranged from $20 and $740, as specified in the general penalties section of the city code. * Naperville Sun | Naperville weighs alternatives to IMEA as energy deadlines loom: While Naperville’s contract with its current energy provider, Illinois Municipal Electric Agency (IMEA), does not expire until 2035, the joint action agency has asked Naperville to extend its contract with it to 2055, an action to which 29 of its 32 member municipalities have agreed but which the council put on hold in August. “We’ve got 15 months before we have to make our first strategic decision and the clock will not stop,” Mayor Scott Wehrli said. * Aurora Beacon-News | Kane County Board OKs more reallocations of COVID-19 relief funds, as spending deadline nears: The measures approved Tuesday transfer a little over $400,000 in ARPA funds from one county project to another. One of the transfers reallocates $342,506 from a judicial technology modernization project by the 16th Judicial Circuit Court to the Building Management Department’s jail tower HVAC system improvement project, per the measure. Another $65,497 was allocated away from the 16th Judicial Circuit Court’s technology modernization project toward a Sheriff’s Office HVAC system renovation project. * Daily Herald | Rosemont firm run by mayor’s brother loses longstanding contracts at Allstate Arena: Bomark Cleaning, headed by Mayor Brad Stephens’ brother Mark Stephens, has had the janitorial contracts for a number of municipal-owned venues since the 1980s, when their father Donald E. Stephens was mayor. But village officials decided last October to put out a request for proposals to see if they could get a better deal. * Sun-Times | Soon-to-shutter Trinity Christian College campus up for sale: Commercial real estate firm CBRE was named the listing firm last week for the 60-acre property in Palos Heights, about 10 miles south of Midway Airport. CBRE’s Anne Rahm, Matt Ishikawa and Tom Svoboda are the listing agents. Rahm said there’s already been a “great deal of interest” in the campus from local to national buyers, including residential developers and academic institutions. * Daily Herald | ‘A lot of concerns’: Townhouse plan doesn’t sit well with Vernon Hills trustees: A consensus of trustees opposed the proposal as presented. Trustee Michael Schenk said the plan is highly condensed on a small property, too close to the railroad tracks and would come with “additional traffic that we don’t need right now.” “I’m not for this project,” he added. “I just don’t think it’s the right spot.” Trustee Nancy Forster said it is up to buyers to decide about being close to tracks but also has concerns about traffic. Metra use in Vernon Hills is low, she added. * WAND | CyrusOne data center project moves into next phase after land approval: Before any building can begin, CyrusOne must submit detailed site plans, along with updated documentation from utility providers. “In this case, it’s Apple Creek for the water, the Rural Electric Co-op for the electricity; we put that in there, that at the time of permitting, we want an updated letter that is still valid,” Harrison said. * WAND | Springfield alderman speaks up for first time since heated city council meeting: He said that while he regrets losing his temper at the meeting, he will continue to speak up for his community. “The picture is painted [so] that everything is fine, but it’s not fine. We really have a lot of work to do with racial tensions in this city,” Gregory said. The Springfield City Council approved an ordinance codifying rules and procedures for the flow of council on Tuesday night. It also specifies rules for public comment, including a five-minute time limit and a ban on profane or vulgar language. * WGLT | McLean County Clerk Kathy Michael no-shows County Board Executive Committee: Michael told the board last month she would be there in April to explain about $500,000 in budget overages last fiscal year and would supply invoices as requested by the committee. She did neither, according to board members. Last week, she also again told the board’s Finance Committee she would have to get back to them when they posed the same questions they had last month. Over the weekend, Michael took to Facebook apparently to preempt critiques. “If you hear I was not being ‘transparent’ by not attending Exec. this Monday, I was not invited to attend to answer any questions, nor have I received any questions in the last month,” wrote Michael. * WSIL | Cairo library explores Illinois’ complex Underground Railroad past: “The exhibit features the different freedom seekers and conductors who participated in the Underground Railroad in the state of Illinois,” said Toya Wilson, the library’s director. “Journey to Freedom: Illinois’ Underground Railroad” is making stops across the state, sharing powerful stories of enslaved people and the network that helped them escape. Wilson says the exhibit shares stories that have often gone untold. * WaPo | ‘That wasn’t me’: How facial recognition led to a woman being jailed for 6 months: Williams, now 57, offered to take a polygraph test and said she had family members who could provide an alibi for her, according to video of the interview from July 2021 reviewed by The Washington Post. She acknowledged that she had a history of writing bad checks, but she insisted that was in the past. “I’m not trying to waste your time,” Williams said. “I’m telling you —” “You’re telling me, but you’re not telling me the truth,” the officer interrupted. * Western Edge | ‘Everyone is Replaceable’: Death Rattles Oregon Amazon Facility: For more than an hour, several employees said, workers in the facility were instructed to continue fetching totes, picking items off shelves and loading them onto trucks for delivery as the man lay dead, and management figured out their next steps. News of the fatality quickly spread through the building, but workers say top managers did not call operations to an immediate halt. A week later, several workers said they still do not know what caused the man to die. Amazon said in a statement Tuesday that the man died from a “pre-existing medical condition.” Records indicate he was 46 years old. * WaPo | DOJ moves to undo Jan. 6 rioters’ convictions for seditious conspiracy: The request, from U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro of D.C., is likely to be granted because prosecutors have broad discretion to pursue or drop criminal charges, even after defendants have been convicted. Stewart Rhodes, the leader of the Oath Keepers and a lead organizer behind the riots, is among those whose convictions Pirro is seeking to erase. The move to undo the most serious convictions stemming from the assault on the Capitol marks the latest step in President Donald Trump’s quest to rewrite the event’s violent history. A mob of Trump supporters gathered in D.C. and disrupted Congress’s certification of Joe Biden as the winner of the 2020 presidential race, echoing Trump’s false claims that the election had been stolen.
|
|
Good morning!
Wednesday, Apr 15, 2026 - Posted by Rich Miller * One of the best-ever covers of one of my favorite songs, and it’s from just five days ago: Gillian Welch & David Rawlings… Please don’t dominate the rap, Jack Oh, man, that standup bass player. Yeah. * This is an Illinois open thread.
|
|
Protected: SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - Supplement to today’s edition
Wednesday, Apr 15, 2026 - Posted by Rich Miller
Comments Off |
|
Protected: SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - Today’s edition of Capitol Fax (use all CAPS in password)
Wednesday, Apr 15, 2026 - Posted by Rich Miller
Comments Off |
|
Selected press releases (Live updates)
Wednesday, Apr 15, 2026 - Posted by Isabel Miller
|
|
Live coverage
Wednesday, Apr 15, 2026 - Posted by Isabel Miller * Click here and/or here to follow breaking news on the website formally known as Twitter. Our Bluesky feed…
|
|
Isabel’s afternoon roundup
Tuesday, Apr 14, 2026 - Posted by Isabel Miller
Illinois is paying the price for 340B medicine markups. Through the federal 340B program, nonprofit hospitals can buy medicines for pennies, then charge huge markups – even on life-saving medicines. Those markups have become big business for large hospital systems, driving higher costs for Illinois patients, employers and taxpayers. And the problem is getting worse. The program’s lack of oversight has allowed 340B to become a revenue stream for hospitals, PBMs, private equity firms and big chain pharmacies — with no requirement that the money be used to help patients afford medicines. It’s time for Washington to hold hospitals accountable and fix 340B. Read more. * Politico…
* Capitol News Illinois | Will this be the year the state legislature approves a cellphone ban in schools?: An amendment to Senate Bill 2427, which passed the Illinois House Education Committee unanimously on March 25, would require all Illinois public and charter schools to adopt policies restricting student use of cellphones, tablets and other devices during class time. The bill still needs approval from the full House, where it’s not subject to a Friday deadline for final action, because a previous version already passed the Senate 55-0 last year. Because it was amended in the House, however, the Senate will need to approve the amended version before it can head to Gov. JB Pritzker, who’s been pushing for the measure for two years. * CBS Chicago | Rally in Springfield to support SNAP benefit bills that would counteract requirements in Trump’s budget: Advocates are urging Illinois state lawmakers to pass three bills: the first gives a one-time $600 payment to families, another expands eligibility for an existing program giving nutrition benefits to immigrants and victims of serious crimes, and the third bill would create a working group to track federal SNAP changes then develop ways to help Illinois residents. The work requirements went into effect on Feb. 1, but the benefit cutoffs start May 1. As defined in Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill,” anyone between the ages of 18 and 64 taking part in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program must meet new work requirements to keep their food stamp benefits by working, volunteering, or going to school for at least 80 hours a month to remain in the program. * WCIA | Illinois Supreme Court amends rules to combat unmet legal needs across state: Specifically, “legal deserts” have become an issue in largely rural areas across the United States. These are described as areas where there are a limited number of practicing attorneys. This issue has led to a lack of access to legal help that is effective, affordable and responsive to the needs of people in these areas, including parts of Illinois. […] The amendments to Rule 711 will extend the length of time a law graduate may qualify for a 711 license after graduating from law school by allowing a graduate who does not pass the first bar examination administered following graduation to retain their 711 license through the next administered bar exam. * Crain’s | City seeks to shut down Ford City Mall over ‘imminent’ health and safety threat: The city of Chicago is seeking a court order to vacate Ford City Mall on the Southwest Side because of a broken fire suppression system, a long-standing problem deemed an “imminent threat” to tenants and shoppers — and one that could complicate a local firm’s $150 million plan to redevelop the property. The city late last week formally asked a Cook County judge to force all tenants and occupants to vacate the shopping center at 7601 S. Cicero Ave., court records show. The emergency motion came as part of a lawsuit filed in May alleging the mall’s owner, a venture of Great Neck, N.Y.-based Namdar Realty Group, was violating the city’s building code by failing to fix its faulty system. * Crain’s | Conagra’s new CEO faces a pricing bind with no clear fix: The challenge for John Brase, according to Morningstar analyst Kristoffer Inton, is that there’s no quick fix for the bind Chicago-based Conagra has created. The company — known for Slim Jim meat sticks and Birds Eye frozen foods — held prices steady while competitors raised theirs during the pandemic. That kept customers loyal but crushed margins, and now the company is caught between alienating shoppers with price hikes or continuing to bleed profits. * Sun-Times | West Suburban’s River Forest campus faces eviction over $7.2 million in back rent: An eviction notice was recently posted to West Suburban Medical Center’s River Forest campus demanding the hospital pay over $7 million in rent owed. Both the River Forest campus and West Suburban’s main campus in Oak Park suddenly closed temporarily late last month because the owner, Manoj Prasad, couldn’t pay employees following complications with the medical center’s records system. The notice, spotted by the Sun-Times on the doors of the medical campus Tuesday morning, says Prasad had five days to pay a rent bill totaling $7,258,966.60 or else access to the property will be terminated. The notice, dated April 9, lists three addresses all roughly within a block of each other: 420 William St., 7420 Central Ave. and 7411 Lake St. * Daily Herald | ‘A unicorn event’: Allstate property could be annexed back into South Barrington ahead of redevelopment: The annexation is proposed ahead of a potential redevelopment of the roughly 67-acre site, which is on the southeast corner of Higgins and Bartlett roads. A Rosemont company called Opus wants to purchase the site and construct a light-industrial complex. The proposal is similar to the one Texas-based Hillwood Development Co. put forth in 2022. Allstate petitioned for disconnection the following year, and it was granted by a Cook County judge in February 2025. But Hillwood is out of the picture now, and Opus has a contract to purchase the land, Vasselli said. * Daily Herald | Final steps near for 91-unit apartment building near downtown Libertyville Metra station: Libertyville trustees Tuesday will consider the final step before ordinances are drawn to allow for construction of a landscape-changing, 91-unit apartment building near the downtown Metra station. The village’s advisory plan commission recommended approval of the project in October, with some conditions attached. Developer Libertyville Land LLC has been finalizing engineering and required documentation leading up to Tuesday’s consideration by the village board. * Daily Southtown | Harvey City Council may consider grant-funded solar project: The proposal is from Marquis Matilla, who said his business, Evolved Living, develops community solar projects in underserved communities. “What happens is, not everyone can get solar panels on their homes,” Matilla said. “We would develop this solar farm, and that solar farm feeds energy back to ComEd’s grid. ComEd then takes that electricity, credits it and everyone who’s a subscriber to that community solar project is basically a partial owner.” Residents would not have to pay anything to subscribe, Matilla said. * Aurora Beacon-News | Aurora employee rescues historic photos dating back to city’s founding: ‘Really precious stuff’: Saville had originally been looking for a different type of photo — those of past aldermen, which were accidently destroyed before digital scans could be made. He believed the historic photos of past mayors had also been lost. And they would have been, if not for Harden’s foresight. Saville met Harden in the aldermen’s office in Aurora on Friday morning to receive the photos she recovered. The two looked through the box together, chatting about stories they’d heard of the men who once had been mayor of Aurora. * The Daily Egyptian | Southern Illinois town in turmoil after top cop admits he shared image he ‘shouldn’t have’: At some point, a photograph was taken of the woman while she was naked, according to interviews. It remains unclear who took the photo, how it was transmitted or whether Boss obtained it as part of official police activity. […] “I think I know what this is about and it’s about the photograph and I realize I shouldn’t have shown it to the others,” the chief told the board, according to the meeting minutes, before they voted to investigate. The meeting minutes do not describe the contents of “the photograph” Boss referred to. In a March 31 phone call with the DE, he denied the allegations against him. “It’s all false,” he said, adding that he was being retaliated against for disciplinary action he took against a police officer in the department. * Wall Street Journal | Rivian’s Illinois Factory Will Run on Recycled EV Batteries: Once completed later this year, Rivian’s plant in Normal, Ill., will draw electricity from more than 100 Rivian EV batteries in an area the size of a small parking lot. It will reduce Rivian’s dependence on the power grid during peak demand hours. “It saves Rivian money on what it takes to run the plant. It reduces the demand on the grid, which is great,” Rivian Chief Executive Officer RJ Scaringe said in an interview. * STLPR | Now under city ownership, Grafton Ferry will stay open year-round: The Grafton Ferry, which transports cars between the city and St. Charles County across the confluence of the Mississippi and Illinois rivers, reopened for the season on Friday — but city officials said it won’t shut down later this fall like it normally does. The ferry will remain open year-round under new ownership by the city, Mayor Mike Morrow said Friday. “This means growth for Grafton,” Morrow said. * Bond Buyer | States jockey for priority over locals for federal transportation funds in next surface bill: State transportation officials are urging Congress to ensure that states retain control of federal formula dollars in the next surface transportation bill, arguing that small local governments “often face challenges meeting complex requirements necessary to deliver federally funded projects.” * The Hill | Anthropic’s Mythos puts DC, Wall Street on high alert: The limited release of Anthropic’s new Mythos model is putting Washington officials on high alert after the AI firm’s warning about the model’s security risks sent shockwaves through and sparked debate in the tech industry. Within days of being informed of Anthropic’s new technology, the White House ratcheted up a multipronged response involving Trump administration leaders across agencies to evaluate just how powerful AI is becoming.
|
|
Protected: SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - Update to today’s edition
Tuesday, Apr 14, 2026 - Posted by Rich Miller
Comments Off |
|
Reports: Pramaggiore, McClain convictions appear to be ‘on thin ice’ and ’shaky ground’ (Updated x2)
Tuesday, Apr 14, 2026 - Posted by Rich Miller …Adding… Wow…
…Adding… Statement…
* Tribune…
* Sun-Times…
Lots more in those links. Some play-by-play is here. Co-defendants John Hooker and Jay Doherty didn’t appeal their convictions and both have been released to halfway houses, the Tribune also noted.
|
|
It’s Time To Bring Safer Rides To Illinois
Tuesday, Apr 14, 2026 - 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 already mapping Chicago’s unique streets and traffic patterns to lay the groundwork for operations. Never tired or distracted, Waymo provides hundreds of thousands of fully autonomous rides every week across ten major U.S. cities, from Los Angeles to Atlanta — from multi-lane expressways to dense city streets, including the demands of winter weather. The data shows Waymo’s autonomous vehicles are involved in thirteen times fewer injury-causing collisions compared to humans (as of 3/20/26, see waymo.com/safety). Let’s bring safer rides to Illinois. 
Comments Off |
|
It’s just a bill
Tuesday, Apr 14, 2026 - Posted by Isabel Miller * The Labor Alliance for Public Transportation…
* WTTW…
* WICS…
* WVIK…
* WAND…
* More… * WAND | Poll shows strong bipartisan support for Illinois POWER Act: According to the survey, nearly 70 percent of likely 2026 voters support the legislation after hearing a brief description, with support climbing to 75 percent as voters learn more about the bill’s details. Backing spans across political parties, including Independents and Republicans, as well as voters outside the Chicagoland area. The measure, supported by the Illinois Clean Jobs Coalition, would require data centers to be more accountable for their energy and water use, limit so-called backroom deals, and ensure facilities supply their own clean energy. * Press release | Families USA Submits Testimony Supporting Illinois Bill To Address High Drug Costs: On April 14, 2026, Families USA submitted written testimony to the Illinois Health Care Availability and Accessibility Committee in support of HB1443/SB66. This proposed legislation would establish a PDAB with the ability to set UPLs, empowering the state to evaluate the affordability of life-saving and sustaining medications and lower the financial burden of prescription drugs for their residents. It would also ensure that all prices negotiated by Medicare are given UPLs, which is an effective way to systematically extend these savings to non-Medicare populations while minimizing state administrative burden. These reforms would allow the state to limit the amount that plans will pay for a drug that the PDAB has deemed to be unaffordable, build on the success of the Medicare Drug Price Negotiation program for more Illinoisans, and provide much needed savings for Illinois families.
|
|
Illinois Credit Unions Celebrate Financial Literacy Month
Tuesday, Apr 14, 2026 - Posted by Advertising Department [The following is a paid advertisement.] April is Financial Literacy Month, a time when credit unions across Illinois highlight the importance of financial education, empowerment, and access. As Joe Webb, President/CEO of Cooperative Choice Credit Union shared, “If a legislator came to visit us, I’d want them to actually meet with some of our members. I think they tell our stories better than we do.” Members bring real-life examples of how credit unions step up, especially during moments when a bigger institution may have placed barriers in the way. These firsthand experiences show what financial empowerment truly looks like:
• Being met with understanding instead of judgment • Accessing services designed around people, not profits Credit unions succeed because they’re large enough to provide strong financial services, yet “still small enough that we can do that one-on-one, detailed member-to-member experience.” That personalized support is a form of financial literacy. It helps members understand their options, make confident decisions, and build stronger financial futures. Learn more about credit unions at https://betterforillinois.org/ Paid for by Illinois Credit Union League.
Comments Off |
|
Illinoisans should not have to live this way
Tuesday, Apr 14, 2026 - Posted by Rich Miller * One of my top complaints about Democratic rule in this state is the super-majority party’s unwillingness to firmly step in to help some small Black-majority suburban and Downstate towns find their way to fiscal solvency. East St. Louis is just one of many…
The state suing East St. Louis with the feds over infrastructure funding just blows my mind. Illinois should be taking the lead on this. * But the list of neglected towns is long: Harvey, Hopkins Park, Ford Heights, Brooklyn and on and on and on. They’re all on the brink. Not to mention some of the poorest Chicago wards. If no progressive tax hike is approved - and even if it is - the state needs to use some of its capital money to start fixing these problems. There’s just no excuse.
|
|
340B Hospitals Support Transparency Requirements – Pass HB 2371 SA 2 To Support Patients
Tuesday, Apr 14, 2026 - Posted by Advertising Department [The following is a paid advertisement.] Legislation to protect 340B, House Bill 2371 SA 2, contains NEW transparency requirements that Illinois hospitals agree with. Reporting and audits—from patient data to charity care—are normal activities in hospitals. Ensuring 340B program integrity is no exception. Illinois hospitals consider the federal 340B program a critical resource that helps provide lifesaving medications and critical healthcare services to low-income and uninsured patients. Hospitals and Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) invest savings from 340B discounted drugs into health services benefiting underserved communities. Many patients in Illinois need 340B to survive. The hospitals need it too, as they expect to lose up to $57 billion in federal Medicaid funding over the next decade. HB 2371 SA 2 strengthens transparency and accountability while protecting the care communities rely on. Stand with patients, hospitals and FQHCs – Pass HB 2371 at NO cost to taxpayers and with NO needed budget appropriation. Learn more.
Comments Off |
|
Isabel’s morning briefing
Tuesday, Apr 14, 2026 - Posted by Isabel Miller * ICYMI: Darren Bailey blasts Trump’s remarks on Pope Leo amid controversy. NBC Chicago…
- Bailey, who also criticized Trump after he said Iran’s “whole civilization would die” in a heated social media post, said he has consciously been trying to represent all of Illinois with his remarks since winning the Republican primary for governor in March. - Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker also defended the pope in a social media post, joining a growing chorus of critics of Trump’s remarks. * Related stories… Sponsored by The Association of Safety-Net Community Hospitals No Cuts. No Closures. Fund Safety-Net Hospitals. For decades, Illinois has underfunded safety-net hospitals, the lifelines for Black and Brown communities. Now, the “Safety-Net Moonshot” and the Medicaid-defunding legislation it has spawned, threatens deeper cuts to these critical health providers. Any reduction inspired by the “Moonshot” would be a killshot to the care our most vulnerable residents rely on. Weakening safety-net hospitals won’t improve care. It will slash essential services, eliminate jobs, and push entire communities into healthcare deserts and economic instability. The state cannot balance its budget on the backs of Black and Brown community hospitals. These institutions are not line items to cut, they are the foundation of care for families who have nowhere else to turn. Disinvestment will deepen inequities and worsen outcomes. When safety-net hospitals are funded, communities are healthier, workforces are stronger, and economies are more resilient. Illinois must fully fund safety-net hospitals. For the communities they serve, it is life or death. * At 10:30 am, Gov. JB Pritzker will deliver remarks at the Illinois Realtors Association’s Capitol Conference highlighting his BUILD initiative. Click here to watch. * BlueRoomStream.com’s coverage of today’s press conferences and committee hearings can be found here. * Capitol News Illinois | High energy prices, federal dollars turn nuke subsidies into ratepayer relief in northern Illinois: Instead, the program has provided a net benefit to ratepayers exceeding $1.8 billion since 2022, as ratepayers contributed $795 million to keep nuclear plants running but saw over $2.6 billion flow back to them. The initiative has saved ComEd’s 3.8 million residential customers an average of $177 since it commenced, according to the Illinois Power Agency, which oversees procurement of the credits. The deal was not about giving a “free lunch” to the nuclear plant operators, according to Rep. Ann Williams, D-Chicago, but about supporting the grid in a “responsible and equitable” way. * Daily Herald | Rosemont’s Stephens is latest player in Bears stadium talks: * Center Square | Illinois has most government units, but consolidation brings challenges: The report author, Civic Federation Senior Policy and Research Associate Lily Padula, said Illinois statute makes it easy to create governments but difficult to consolidate or remove them. “Many of these governments were created decades ago to meet specific needs and instead of replacing them, we just added new layers,” Padula told The Center Square. * WAND | Illinois Innocence Project highlights impact, growth at 25-year milestone: Founded in 2001, the organization began as a small effort rooted in student involvement, at a time when awareness of wrongful convictions was just beginning to grow nationwide. “When the project started officially in 2001… wrongful conviction… was just becoming something that we were all aware of,” said founding director Larry Golden. Over the past two and a half decades, the project has evolved into a statewide operation, now handling cases across Illinois and employing a growing team of attorneys, paralegals, and investigators. * Tribune | Chicago video gambling terminal fight continues as aldermen try to jump-start approval: For the gambling terminals legalized in December, the decision marks a critical step toward their arrival by the hundreds in bars, restaurants and other establishments across Chicago neighborhoods. By speeding up the city’s permitting process, aldermen hope to jump-start operations delayed by the state’s slow-moving approval system — and allow the city to start earning fees and tax revenue. * Sun-Times | Council committee backs raising Chicago cab fares by 20% to save ailing taxi industry: Chicago taxicab fares could soon rise by 20% — the first rate hike in a decade — to save a once-dominant industry whose monopoly was, as one City Council member put it, “eviscerated” by Uber and Lyft. Downtown Ald. Brendan Reilly (42nd) cast the only dissenting vote as the measure won backing from the Committee on License and Consumer Protection Monday, even after he acknowledged that the city’s failure to raise cab fare rates has made it “increasingly difficult for drivers to maintain their livelihood and meet regulatory standards” imposed by the city. * Crain’s | City Hall veteran set to lead board managing Chicago’s new $135M housing loan fund: Tim Jeffries, managing deputy commissioner at the Department of Planning and Development, is leaving his role overseeing the department’s economic development team to take the reins at the Chicago Residential Investment Fund, according to sources familiar with the hire. The appointment will become official at the board’s April 14 meeting. […] Funded by Mayor Brandon Johnson’s $1.25 billion economic development and housing bond that Jeffries helped create, the nonprofit board will serve as a lender to private residential developers in deals that will eventually see the city taking ownership of property. * Fox Chicago | Chicago leaders push Meta for stronger action on teen gatherings: After meeting with Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, Ald. William Hall (6th Ward) said both sides are now focused on creating a clearer, faster response to posts that promote these events. The goal is to stop gatherings before they happen by addressing how information spreads online. City leaders said the plan could eventually be turned into law. * WTTW | First Piping Plovers Have Landed at Montrose Beach, Birders Welcome Imani and Pippin Home to Chicago: “Imani and Pipping are already right back at scrapping with each other to establish territory,” plover monitors said. According to Chicago Piping Plovers, Pippin is missing his right foot, which observers had noted was tangled in debris last year. “He has a slight limp, but otherwise appears healthy, strong and is working the beach like he owns it,” the group shared on social media. * ABC Chicago | Illinois departments probing West Suburban hospital’s finances after abrupt closure, state rep. says: This while the I-Team has learned the current CEO of West Suburban Medical Center was served an eviction notice last week from the property’s owner, citing millions of dollars in debt owed. Through a spokesperson, CEO Manoj Prasad told the I-Team the eviction notice, “is without merit,” and that he would “address this matter through the appropriate legal channels.” * Oak Park Journal | Eviction notice posted at West Suburban’s River Forest campus: The evection notice also follows a public split between Prasad and Ramco owner Reddy Rathnaker. Through a press representative, Rathnaker called for West Sub to continue without Prasad’s involvement as he reportedly courted a deal with Insight Chicago, a non-profit agency that’s taken over operations of Mercy Hospital, a failing institution in Chicago’s Bronzeville neighborhood. * Tribune | Inside an Earthrise peaker plant, a key to connecting Will County solar farms to the grid: The facilities in Will County and near Champaign are so-called peaker plants that Illinois, in an effort to limit air pollution, now allows the company to run only during times of maximum demand for electricity. For the next half century, Earthrise plans to use the peaker plants’ existing connections to the state’s power grid to ship electricity from the solar farms it’s building nearby, bypassing a lengthy approval process to connect to the grid. * Sun-Times | Remaining ‘Broadview Six’ defendants want conspiracy charge tossed, argue protesting isn’t a crime: The “Broadview Six” are now down to four, after prosecutors dropped the charges against two of the defendants last week. Those who remain say the government’s allegations of conspiracy — a felony that could lead to a prison sentence of up to six years — enhances a misdemeanor charge based on the defendants’ “exercise of their First Amendment rights of assembly and association.” * Daily Herald | With eye toward revenue sharing at Bears redevelopment, school districts to retain financial adviser: Chicago-based consultant Joe Pilewski would get a seat at the table during negotiations with the NFL club and village over revenue-sharing opportunities stemming from the stadium-anchored mixed-use district at the former 326-acre Arlington Park racetrack. Palatine Township Elementary District 15, Northwest Suburban High School District 214 and Palatine-Schaumburg High School District 211 plan to split the cost of Pilewski’s $470 hourly rate. * Crain’s | Logistics firm RJW extends suburban warehouse leasing tear: That spree comes amid a tight market for local industrial space, with vacancy near an all-time low and new supply curbed by high borrowing costs and a lack of compelling development sites. Last year was the slowest year for new Chicago-area industrial development in over a decade. RJW’s decision to build in Montgomery shows the relative scarcity of newly-built local warehouse space, adding another data point that could help push developers and lenders to kickstart new industrial projects. * WGLT | Bloomington approves ‘historic’ $370 million budget and Connect Transit transfer: The Bloomington City Council unanimously approved a $370.5 million fiscal year 2027 budget Monday night, the largest in the city’s history. The city council also approved an agreement to transfer the Market Street parking garage property to Connect Transit that will convert it into a new bus transfer center. * Journal-Courier | Jacksonville alderwoman cites health for resignation, doesn’t count out a return to council: “My husband’s not in the best of health, my father’s not in the best of health,” White-Williams said. “I have two special needs children, so everything’s on my mind, and I just want to focus on family and myself, as well.”[…] “I’m not stepping totally away from the city,” she said Monday. “I’m still going to be an active voice in this town and this ward, so I’ll still be around.” * Capitol News Illinois | Faculty strike at University of Illinois Springfield continues into second week: “The current median salary for bargaining unit members with a nine-month contract (approximately 20 workdays per month) is approximately $86,000, not including summer stipends or service-in-excess agreements, which can substantially increase an individual’s earnings,” the university said in an email to students on Sunday. “Approximately 1/3 of the faculty members in this union earn over $100,000 annually.” Powell responded that the union is fighting for the interests of its members who fall below those numbers. * SJ-R | ‘A most worthy initiative’: Complex for former homeless persons to open: The latest development that will serve as permanent supportive housing for 22 individuals exiting homelessness welcomes its first clients on the near north side of Springfield next week. Officials from Heartland Housed held an open house and ribbon cutting ceremony at Mason Street Apartments in the 200 block of West Mason Street on April 13. * WICS | Breaking down Springfield public works winter spending: This winter Fuchs said there were 4, 587 hours of overtime, for a total expense of 231,000 dollars. That’s compared to last year, with 2, 740 hours of overtime, with a total of 130,000 dollars. Fuchs said the increase in overtime was likely due to more snow events this year, especially those falling on weekends, and more snowfall. * Politico | Missouri town fires half its city council over data center deal: The rout of half the Festus City Council was fueled by a surge in voter turnout and widespread frustration with the data center approval process. “It’s really the way the deal was handled that led to this kind of uprising,” said Rick Belleville, who won the nonpartisan race for Ward 4 councilman by more than 40 percentage points over incumbent Jim Tinnin, who’d voted to approve the data center. * Bloomberg | United Airlines CEO has pitched a possible combo with rival American: US airline mergers have to be reviewed and approved by the Transportation Department, as well as the Department of Justice. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said the government would look at a number of factors when considering potential tie-ups, including the impact on competition — both domestically and globally — and ticket prices. “President Trump, he loves to see big deals happen,” Duffy told CNBC on April 7. “Is there room for some mergers in the aviation industry? Yeah, I think there is,” he said.
|
|
Good morning!
Tuesday, Apr 14, 2026 - Posted by Rich Miller
|
|
Protected: SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - Supplement to today’s edition
Tuesday, Apr 14, 2026 - Posted by Rich Miller
Comments Off |
|
Protected: SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - Today’s edition of Capitol Fax (use all CAPS in password)
Tuesday, Apr 14, 2026 - Posted by Rich Miller
Comments Off |
|
Selected press releases (Live updates)
Tuesday, Apr 14, 2026 - Posted by Isabel Miller
|
|
Live coverage
Tuesday, Apr 14, 2026 - Posted by Isabel Miller * Click here and/or here to follow breaking news on the website formally known as Twitter. Our Bluesky feed…
|
| « NEWER POSTS | PREVIOUS POSTS » |
