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* Sun-Times…
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents weren’t wearing body cameras during the deadly shooting of a Mexican immigrant last week in the suburbs because a program requiring them was scrapped by the Trump administration.
In late 2021, ICE launched a $25 million body camera pilot program that was discontinued soon after President Donald Trump took office, Jason Houser, chief of staff for ICE from 2021 to 2023, said in an interview Tuesday.
“It would have put cameras on all 6,200 deportation officers,” Houser said. “So if they would have carried through with the timeline we had in place, they would all be wearing them.”
Two ICE agents weren’t wearing body-worn cameras when one of them fatally shot Silverio Villegas Gonzalez in a traffic stop Friday in Franklin Park, according to a federal official who asked not to be identified.
* Jim Nowlan | Jim Edgar was proud to be governor of the state he loved: A teetotaler, Jim pushed successfully as secretary of state for drunken driving alcohol limits. He carried his abstemiousness into the governorship, where not a whiff of alcohol ever wafted through the grand rooms of the Executive Mansion. An invitation to the Governor’s Mansion was, shall we say, not the hottest ticket in town, and over eight years, it probably cost Jim a few social points, important in politics. But that was Jim Edgar. In his run for governor in 1990, Jim supported what was in effect a tax increase. Several years prior, the legislature had passed a temporary income tax increase, which was to expire in 1991. Jim’s opponent loudly called for terminating the tax increase. Not Jim, who knew state government inside out and also knew the revenue would be needed for education, a priority of his, and to balance the budget. That could well have been the end of Jim’s political career, but he won, in a squeaker.
* Tribune | Porter McNeil, Illinois political consultant admired by those in both parties, dies at 65: “Porter’s passing leaves an irreplaceable hole in the community he loved so fiercely,” Gov. JB Pritzker said in a statement. “His infectious enthusiasm and fervent dedication to his family, his friends, and to doing the right thing for the neighbors he represented should serve as a guiding light for all public officials to follow.” McNeil spent time working for the political firm headed by David Axelrod, who went on to become senior adviser to President Barack Obama. Axelrod, now a senior political commentator for CNN, said that McNeil “had a great talent for communications and tremendous passion for politics but always as a vehicle to help improve the lives of his community and hard-working people.”
* Tribune | Aaron Jaffe, former Illinois lawmaker, judge and head of state gaming board, dies at 95: Jaffe’s role overseeing the state’s gambling control board involved overseeing legal riverboat casinos and video gaming terminals. “He was an excellent chairman of a very important board, to make sure that we had honesty and integrity when it comes to gambling in Illinois,” said former Gov. Pat Quinn, who reappointed Jaffe as the board’s chair. “He was an exemplary legislator, judge and regulator and he just did everything with great integrity, and I think everyone in Illinois owes a permanent debt of gratitude to his public service.”
Because of his principled leadership and lifelong commitment to service, Governor Jim Edgar remains one of the most revered and respected leaders in Illinois history.
It was a privilege to honor his life and legacy on the House floor.
Rest in Peace, Governor Edgar. pic.twitter.com/9OaFznyWwN
— Darin LaHood (@RepLaHood) September 16, 2025
* Bob Kustra | Jim Edgar’s tenure as Illinois governor is a reminder of politics’ better days: As his lieutenant governor for eight years, I saw him up close and personal when he reached the pinnacle of his service to the people of Illinois after his election to the state legislature and as secretary of state, when he led a successful fight to crack down on drunken driving. He struck me as a mediator in the office of governor, always willing to listen to both sides of an issue and then make a call based on his own keen judgment of what worked best for the people of Illinois. Jim knew how to balance a budget, a lost art in our nation’s capital where deficits prevail. Upon his election in 1990, he inherited what was then the largest deficit in the state’s history requiring him to make hundreds of millions of dollars in budget cuts. But he never wavered in approving the Illinois Board of Higher Education budget year after year. It would be one of his proudest accomplishments.
* Daily Herald | Jim Edgar, 1946-2025: In these dark political times, we all may miss the former governor’s legacy of decency more than we know: While a close colleague of both, Edgar in actuality was a protégé of long-ago legislative power W. Russell Arrington. When as a young man Edgar interned for the suburban president pro tem of the Illinois Senate, Arrington famously counseled him, “We’re not here just to get reelected. We’re here to solve problems.” With a record of historic legislative achievement, Arrington embodied those words, and they inspired Edgar throughout a half-century career in Illinois politics.
* University of Illinois | Jim Edgar’s contributions to higher education, good government lauded by U of I System leaders: “Gov. Edgar was the ideal of collaborative and civil leadership, both as an elected leader and throughout his life. He led with vision and demonstrated a deep appreciation for higher education and its role in promoting social mobility and maintaining a stable society,” U of I System President Tim Killeen said. “His legacy here at the University of Illinois System lives on through the Edgar Fellows Program, training future generations of political leadership to address our state’s needs.”
* Press Release | Villivalam invites residents to a transit town hall: The transit town hall will be held Saturday, Sept. 20 at noon at Harry S. Truman College – McKeon Lobby, located at 1145 W. Wilson Ave., Chicago. Villivalam is hosting the event alongside State Senators Sara Feigenholtz, Graciela Guzmán and Mike Simmons, and Alders Angela Clay, Maria Hadden, Leni Manaa-Hoppenworth, Matt Martin and Andre Vasquez, where they will provide updates about transit, answer residents’ questions and hear about how transit is essential in their communities.
* Oak Park Journal | Illinois’ first lady tells story of remaking governor’s mansion : MK Pritzker, the first lady of Illinois, will tell the backstory of how she worked to update the governor’s mansion in Springfield when she visits the Nineteenth Century Charitable Association on Sept. 29. […] Gertrude Johnson, a club member, was the driving force in inviting Pritzker to speak. Porucznik says that Johnson, “read the book cover-to-cover and was so taken with it, she thought that Mrs. Pritzker would make a great speaker.”
* Tribune | Mayor Brandon Johnson’s budget group announces familiar ideas to plug budget gap: After months of closed door meetings and zipped lips from its members, a working group appointed by Mayor Brandon Johnson to give him ideas to to plug next year’s $1.15 billion budget gap is rolling out a bunch of largely familiar, in some cases improbable options for Chicago officials to consider. The report is a mix of revenue increases and cuts, but it omits bolder ideas backed by progressive groups like a payroll expense tax on corporations, the mass cancellation and sweeping of special taxing districts, or major cuts to the Chicago Police Department budget.
* Crain’s | Task force floats $2B menu of fixes for Chicago’s budget gap: The report identifies 39 options to fetch between $630 million and $1.65 billion in annual revenue through new or adjusted taxes, fines and fees, pegging some streams, including property taxes, to inflation. The city has not increased the property tax to keep pace with inflation since 2023. The 2026 inflationary increase is estimated to be $56 million, if approved, but Johnson has ruled out including a property tax increase in his proposal after the City Council unanimously rejected a $300 million hike last year.
* Bloomberg | Chicago fronts cash to pension funds amid property tax delay: The city’s decision helps lessen the risk that its four pensions would need to sell assets from their portfolios, which include stocks, bonds, real estate and private equity, to raise cash after a glitch in setting up a new county computer system is delaying hundreds of millions of dollars in property tax earmarked for the funds.
* Crain’s | Measure legalizing video gambling in Chicago advances over Johnson’s objection: Saying the Bally’s temporary casino has failed to bring in the tax revenue promised when it was approved in 2022, Ald. Anthony Beale, 9th, introduced the measure claiming the “sin tax” could bring in $60 million to $100 million in annual revenue. “It’s better . . . than to hit people with property taxes, fines and fees. Speed camera tickets and things like that. This is something that a person has to opt into, they have to want to go” gamble, Beale told Crain’s ahead of the meeting.
* Tribune | Mayor Brandon Johnson orders police to work with protesters if Trump ‘tramples constitution’: But when reporters pressed him Tuesday about how the order will change the way Chicago police respond to federal agents cracking down on protests against deportations, Johnson offered no specifics. He simply reiterated that protesters in Chicago should be able to express their First Amendment rights, without saying whether police officers would seek to stop federal agents from removing protesters or using “less lethal” anti-crowd weapons like tear gas or rubber bullets against them.
* Daily Herald | Border Patrol agent who led immigration crackdown in Los Angeles arrives in Chicago: “Well, Chicago, we’ve arrived!” Gregory Bovino said in a post on X that included footage of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement vehicles and agents under Chicago street signs and views of downtown. “Operation At Large is here to continue the mission we started in Los Angeles.” President Donald Trump has promised for weeks that Chicago would see a surge in deportations and National Guard troops over the fierce of objections of local leaders and residents.
* Block Club | Pro-Trump Chicago Restaurateur Heads To Washington To Urge President To Slow Deportations: Amid ICE’s local efforts, Sanchez said he continues to carry his passport everywhere in case he is stopped. “I’m not lying to you — I have my passport in my pocket right now,” Sanchez said. “Is that what we have come to?”
* Block Club | ICE Arrested Nearly 400 In Chicago, Nearby States In The Days After Trump’s Inauguration: Records: Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents arrested nearly 400 people in Chicago and neighboring states during the 10 days after Trump’s inauguration, according to records released to Block Club Chicago — after we sued to get them. At least 122 of those 393 arrests occurred in Illinois, including at least 53 in Chicago, the records show.
* Crain’s | Advocate Illinois Masonic unveils $645M tower designed for patient and staff respite: During tours of the $645 million facility expansion, the nurses’ excitement was palpable as they showed off state-of-the-art, private patient care spaces, staff respite rooms with views of Wrigley Field and plans for their virtual backup, remote nurses, to take care of everything from documentation to monitoring patients via in-room cameras.
* Block Club | Bridgeport’s Formerly Polluted Riverfront Park Is Now Thriving And Could Be Expanded: The Park District is close to wrapping a $500,000 makeover of Park No. 571, 2828 S. Eleanor St. along Bubbly Creek, adding two fishing stations and a nature play space this summer. Landscaping is still ongoing to convert turf grass into a sprawling native prairie habitat, spokesperson Michele Lemons said in a statement. Park 571, also known as the Eleanor Street Boathouse, could also expand dramatically thanks to further environmental remediation planned along the Chicago River.
* Daily Herald | Homeland Security chief at Elgin immigration arrest Tuesday: According to members of a CASA DuPage volunteer People’s Patrol, people started calling them around 5:30 a.m. to report the raid. One of them, who declined to give her name, said agents pointed rifles at them and told them to leave. […] Ismael Cordova-Clough, an Elgin activist, posted on Facebook that agents knocked down the front door and that four people were arrested. He also posted, later in the morning, that federal agents had arrested people at the Kane County Judicial Center in St. Charles. State Rep. Anna Moeller of Elgin wrote, on Facebook, that she had heard of several arrests Tuesday morning in Elgin.
* Shaw Local | Rep. Underwood: 250 people taken into custody in federal immigration crackdown: A federal immigration enforcement operation in Illinois has led to 250 people being taken into custody, according to U.S. Rep. Lauren Underwood. Underwood, D-Naperville, was briefed on Wednesday regarding ”Operation Midway Blitz” by the leadership of the U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement.
* Shaw Local | ICE silent on reported Joliet enforcement during Operation Midway Blitz: Federal officials have yet to disclose whether they’ve been involved in reports of immigration enforcement activity in Joliet, including one that was alleged to have occurred at the Will County Courthouse. When The Herald-News contacted U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement about whether they’ve been involved in one these incidents last Thursday in Joliet, a spokeswoman requested more information.
* Tribune | US citizen says he was briefly detained in latest Chicago-area ICE blitz: Joe Botello, 37, recalled being jolted awake before 6 a.m. by his home shaking and the sounds of yelling upstairs on the main floor. He said masked and armed agents were calling out the name of another man in Spanish and had forcibly entered his house in the 900 block of Chippewa Drive, destroying a front door and glass patio door in the process. “I’m just blessed that I’m still alive,” Botello said. “I’ve been hearing it and seeing it through social media. But it never crossed my mind that it was going to happen here at the house… where I live.”
* Tribune | Protesters call for justice in Franklin Park after fatal ICE shooting; border patrol chief announces arrival in Chicago: As questions continue to surface over how U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents came to fatally shoot a man in Franklin Park on Friday, community members called for justice at a rally and march. Silverio Villegas Gonzalez, 38, was shot and killed after he allegedly tried to flee a traffic stop and struck an ICE officer with his vehicle.
* Sun-Times | Elmwood Park fire chief resigns after allegedly punching employee of local bar, locking him in beer cooler: The incident, which happened the same weekend as the suburb’s annual family festival, led to criminal charges against 55-year-old Michael Terzo, who’s due in court this week. Why did he allegedly beat the 24-year-old man? “He disrespected me,” Terzo said, according to police records.
* Tribune | Senate candidates Robin Kelly, Juliana Stratton make their pitches at Oak Park forum: While Kelly stressed her experience in Congress and her role in passing legislation, Stratton said that the current situation demands much more than that. “I don’t see my role as your next United States senator just to pass legislation, although that’s a big part of the role,” Stratton said. “I do not see my role as your next United States senator to just have a bully pulpit and to speak with moral clarity although I believe that that is my role, I also see my role to push our party to be courageous and bold.”
* Tribune | Northbrook passes 1% grocery tax rather than lose $1.8 million in revenue: Northbrook has joined a long line of municipalities enacting their own 1% grocery tax when the state’s 25-year-old tax for the same amount ends Jan. 1. Officials said without creating the village’s own tax, Northbrook would lose up to $1.8 million in revenue annually. “We would need to make up that lost revenue elsewhere, most likely through an increase in property taxes or other new taxes and fees,” Trustee Robert Israel said.
* WAND | EIU’s international enrollment down 50% amid federal immigration hurdles: International enrollment at Eastern Illinois University has dropped over 50% from fall 2024. Many students are concerned about the impact this will have on their college experience. “Every day I wake up and I say, ‘God, my funding should not be taken away from me.’ My funding should not be cut because if it happens, it means that I cannot continue to study here in the U.S,” said Eric Senyo, an EIU graduate student.
* WAND | Sangamon County Sheriff signs 10 Shared Principles with NAACP: The 10 Shared Principles were developed by the Illinois Association of Chiefs of Police and the Illinois NAACP State Conference, designed to strengthen relationships between law enforcement and communities. Sheriff Crouch said, “Law enforcement works best when it works together with the community. I am proud to sign onto these principles alongside the NAACP as a pledge to work hand-in-hand with our community to continue building confidence in how we serve. This is about listening, treating all people with fairness, and strengthening our relationships.”
* WGLT | Town of Normal shows positive financial trends, passes audit from prior fiscal year: The town saw a $201 million increase in total assessed value from 2015 to 2024. Residential total assessed values alone rose by $102 million. Another $58 million came from industrial and $41 million came from commercial. Huhn said the shift in numbers has shifted the tax base, too. “If you look back at 2015 to about now, about 68% of the tax base [back then] was residential, so as that changes to more industrial and commercial, more of the tax burden is shifted away from those households to those entities,” said Huhn.
* WCIA | Decatur City Manager Gleason stepping down after returning to the role last year: Gleason formally announced his resignation in a letter to the Decatur City Council, effective no later than Oct. 31, 2025. This concludes his recent tenure leading the city since his return to the position in May of 2024. Gleason previously served as the City Manager of Decatur between 2015 and 2018. He then worked at the City of Bloomington as its city manager until his return to Decatur last year. During his tenure, Gleason oversaw city initiatives like improving infrastructure, economic development and efficiency with internal organization, as well as supporting public safety.
* WGLT | Bloomington becomes a ‘lifesaver’ for family that opens grocery in food desert: The Alzebdieh family arrived in Bloomington-Normal, a place they’d never heard of, with $16 left. This was 16 years ago. They’ve never left. They stayed for a while at the Home Sweet Home Ministries shelter, where Matt Burgess — now the CEO — helped them get settled. “Matt truly, truly saved our lives. I don’t know if my kids and everybody else feel like that, but when I came here I was in a lot of trauma after being shot,” she said.
* WTVO | Illinois Gov. Pritzker issues disaster proclamation for storm-hit Boone County: “Through the preliminary damage assessments, we’ve been able to validate the full scope of the August 16-19 storms’ impact,” said IEMA-OHS Acting Director Theodore (Ted) Berger. “The Governor’s proclamation is a critical step to expanding assistance, allowing us to submit this information to FEMA for determination of what federal assistance may be made available to residents and local governments.”
* AP | It’s ‘do or die’ for electric vehicle maker Rivian as it breaks ground on a $5 billion plant: Rivian Chief Policy Officer Alan Hoffman said the company believes it can sell electric vehicles not for environmental or tax incentive reasons, but because they’re superior. “We did not build this company based upon federal tax incentives,” Hoffman said. “And we’re going to prove that we’re going to be successful in the future.”
posted by Isabel Miller
Tuesday, Sep 16, 25 @ 2:48 pm
Previous Post: Pritzker on Trump: ‘I think he might be suffering from some dementia’
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Of course, the secret police don’t wear body cameras that would provide transparency.
Comment by Norseman Tuesday, Sep 16, 25 @ 3:14 pm
Major Johnson tells police to work with protesters. JB shoukd climb on board that comment.
Comment by Blue Dog Tuesday, Sep 16, 25 @ 3:20 pm
=Of course, the secret police don’t wear body cameras that would provide transparency.=
Are you implying the self proclaimed most transparent admin in history is in fact not transparent? The nerve./s
Comment by JS Mill Tuesday, Sep 16, 25 @ 3:21 pm
“Major Johnson tells police to work with protesters. JB shoukd climb on board that comment”
Are you giving out this kind of campaign advice for free? Be more like Brandon? Feels like you should be charging $50,000 for that kind of insight.
Comment by Larry Bowa Jr. Tuesday, Sep 16, 25 @ 3:27 pm
Mayor Johnson opposes legalizing video gambling because he gets campaign contributions from sweepstakes machine interest (the mob). Just one more day of MBJ and company’s shady machinations:
https://www.chicagobusiness.com/politics/brandon-johnson-gambling-contribution-may-violate-ethics-law
Comment by Three Dimensional Checkers Tuesday, Sep 16, 25 @ 3:38 pm
We have a serious problem with the Franklin Park killing. The sketchy bits of bystander reporting and camera work we have do not appear to confirm the initial report from ICE of what actually happened. I bet someone this morning that ICE would produce no supporting evidence for their story — but I hoped I was wrong. Now they are simply not accountable.
One man dead, another injured, and no trust in their public statements.
Comment by walker Tuesday, Sep 16, 25 @ 4:27 pm