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* ICYMI: Chicago Bears to announce plans Wednesday for new domed stadium on lakefront. Tribune…
* Related stories…
At 11:45 am, Governor Pritzker will be at the Rockford OSF Saint Anthony Medical Center on his state-wide tour to promote the Healthcare Protection Act. Click here to watch.
* Sierra Club Chicago calls for new CTA leadership…
* Tribune | Illinois residents encouraged to destroy the eggs of invasive insects to slow spread: The spongy moth, formerly known as the gypsy moth, has been in Illinois for decades and can strip leaves and kill trees, sometimes defoliating large swaths of land. Kathryn Bronsky, a national policy manager with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, said while it’s important to stop spongy moths from killing trees in the 20 states in which they are currently established, it’s even more important to limit the insect’s expansion across the United States.
* STLPR | Pritzker, local lawmakers tout health insurance reform in Belleville hospital visit: Dr. Jennifer Neville, an internal medicine specialist based at BJC’s location in Shiloh, treats women with osteoporosis who have an increased risk of fracturing their bones. Often Neville prescribes a higher-tier medication to her patients, but it’s usually denied right away, she said. “Unfortunately, this process is the norm,” Neville said. “I spend an inordinate amount of time and resources fighting with the insurers to get the patients the care they need.”
* SJ-R | As Illinois weighs carbon dioxide pipeline moratorium, feds recommend technology: Following visits to Archer Daniels Midland facilities in Decatur and Springfield, U.S. Department of Energy Assistant Secretary Brad Crabtree touched down in the Illinois State Capitol on April 16. The state, he said, plays a major role in helping the Biden administration’s goal of net-zero carbon dioxide emissions by 2050. Carbon capture can help in its aim, Crabtree added, while not hindering manufacturing.
* Capitol Connection | Keicher gives update on Republican priorities heading into final month of session: Lawmakers are preparing to head into their last month of the Spring Legislative Session. The budget will take center stage, as the state deals with a tight fiscal year. Representative Jeff Keicher (R-Sycamore) joined Capitol Connection to talk about the rest of session, the role Republicans will play in the final days, and a couple of his own legislative priorities.
* Center Square | Bill enhancing penalties for threats against librarians stalls: Long pauses were taken by state Rep. Anne Stava-Murray, D-Downers Grove, when she was questioned by a fellow Democratic representative on the House floor Friday. The bill would enhance penalties for those who transmit lewd or offensive behavior against a librarian in any manner. State Rep. Curtis Tarver, D-Chicago, said Murray didn’t have a clear definition for lewd and offensive behavior.
* High Times | Illinois Governor Cites Cannabis Reform While Campaigning for Biden: At a campaign stop in Grand Rapids, Michigan on Saturday, Pritzker said that cannabis policy reform can have significant economic benefits in states that legalize marijuana for adults. “I wanted to come up here on 4/20, because we, too, legalized cannabis in the state of Illinois, and I know that’s been a boon to not only state revenues but also to business and job creation in the state of Michigan,” said Pritzker, according to a report from Michigan Advance.
* Daily Herald | Congressional primary winners vastly outraised and outspent their opponents: The fundraising front-runner of the group, Democratic U.S. Rep. Bill Foster of Naperville, already has raked in more than $2 million and spent more than $1 million to retain his 11th District seat. Foster’s primary challenger, fellow Naperville resident Qasim Rashid, was the only defeated candidate in either district to spend in the six-figure range. Even so, he lagged far behind Foster.
* Capitol Connection | Rape Crisis Centers in dire need of life raft from the state: The Illinois Coalition Against Sexual Assault is asking the state for $20 million dollars, which is more than double what they get from the state currently. They need additional money because the federal government cut down the amount of money going to a fund for victims of crimes. Several facilities have already closed their doors because of the shortfall.
* Austin Weekly News | Rep. La Shawn Ford spotlights opioid crisis with Harm Reduction Solidarity Week: At a news conference in Springfield April 17, Ford was joined by the director of the Illinois Department of Public Health, Sameer Vohra, and the Illinois Harm Reduction and Recovery Coalition, along with other advocates, to spotlight the crisis and efforts to stop it and to save lives. “We were educating the Springfield members, and all those that listen, about how important it is to have what you call harm reduction tools in our community,” Ford said.
* Tribune | Senators show confidence in Johnson’s O’Hare rebuild plan: Johnson wants to change the sequencing of construction on the long-awaited Global Terminal and two new satellite concourses. That idea had initially drawn pushback from the congressional leaders when first reported earlier this month. But Durbin and Duckworth rallied behind the plan Monday. “We’re in a better place. There’s been an effort to increase the conversation,” Durbin said at a groundbreaking for a separate O’Hare redevelopment project. “I think we have a proposal that will reach our goal of 25% increased capacity.”
* Sun-Times | Makeover of O’Hare’s Terminal 3 takes off as airlines mull deal on expansion, Global Terminal: The project calls for wider concourses, renovated restrooms, a revamped baggage claim area, more concession space and a host of other passenger amenities. Transportation Security Administration security checkpoints will also be reconfigured into a single screening area.
* Sun-Times | Chicago police union files notice of appeal in case that would open serious discipline cases to the public: At the Police Board’s meeting Thursday, President Kyle Cooper announced that the board would hold off on making final decisions on disciplinary matters in anticipation of an appeal. Cooper noted that 16 officers with pending disciplinary cases have filed motions to transfer their cases to arbitration.
* Sun-Times | Chicago police release photos, video of person of interest sought in probe of Officer Luis Huesca slaying: A community alert asks for help in identifying the male “subject,” noting that he “should be considered armed and dangerous.” Meanwhile, those who knew Huesca have been left reeling. Rocio Lasso said she leaned on Huesca after her own son, Andres Vásquez Lasso, was killed in the line of duty last year.
* Illinois Review | Steve Boulton Says he’s not Running for Chicago GOP Chairman After IR Exposes his Past Comments Comparing Trump to Hitler, Blames “Far Right” for his Downfall: The embattled chairman lost his election to save his 27th Ward Committeeman seat this past March after he was originally knocked off the primary ballot for submitting an “insufficient number of valid signatures.” Boulton then tried to run as a write-in candidate, but only received 24 votes – falling far short of the 111 required to remain a committeeman.
* Sun-Times | Judge OKs $12.25 million class-action settlement over Hilco’s Little Village dust storm: One resident, Elizabeth Rodriguez, told U.S. District Judge Young B. Kim that her husband still has difficulties breathing four years after the event. She and her family were left out of the agreement because she was just outside of the agreed boundaries for payouts. Rodriguez said she lives directly across the street from residents eligible for payments for either property damage or personal injury. Kim told Rodriguez that although she cannot benefit from the agreement, she is not bound by its restrictions, meaning that she can individually sue the companies because she’s not part of the class action.
* Crain’s | Raising Cane’s in talks to lease Fulton Market space: The Baton Rouge, La.-based fast-casual restaurant chain is in talks to lease the space at 820 W. Randolph St., formerly home to the Little Goat diner, according to people familiar with the negotiations. A Raising Cane’s spokesperson confirmed that the chain has “a deal moving through out process, but it is still very early to share timeline or anything involving the lease.”
* NBC Chicago | Are cicadas already emerging? Images, videos show large sightings in Chicago area: Sightings of cicadas, many still in the ground, have already been reported in numerous parts of the city and suburbs. A wall of what may be cicadas was spotted over the weekend on Wisconsin Avenue in Chicago’s Lincoln Park and Old Town Triangle neighborhoods. In Downers Grove, gardeners reported seeing several just underneath the surface in the soil.
* WBEZ | Toni Preckwinkle is unanimously re-elected head of the Cook County Democratic Party: In a brief victory speech, Preckwinkle touted how well Democratic Party-backed candidates did in the March primary, winning 21 out of 23 races — the best “win ratio” for the party in at least 25 years, she said. She acknowledged some narrowly defeated candidates, including Clayton Harris, III, whom she and the party backed for State’s Attorney. He lost to retired judge Eileen O’Neill Burke. Preckwinkle also made a nod to the preparation the party will take on for the Democratic National Convention in Chicago in August, and November’s general election.
* Daily Herald | DuPage County clerk won’t attend board meeting to discuss no-bid contracts: DuPage County Clerk Jean Kaczmarek says she will not attend a Tuesday meeting to answer questions from county board members about two no-bid contracts, totaling more than $250,000, for materials related to the April primary. In a letter sent Monday to DuPage County Board Chairwoman Deborah Conroy, Kaczmarek said she is not an employee of the county board and that she has the authority to make decisions about how she spends her budget. She also suggested that a courtroom, not the county board room, is the proper venue to discuss the issue.
* Tribune | Logistics Campus at former Allstate headquarters off to slow start, with plans for lab-grown meat plant on hold: The slower-than-expected start for the $500 million project, one of the largest urban logistics developments in the U.S., may reflect both waning post-pandemic demand for warehouse space and perhaps an overly optimistic bet on when lab-grown chicken would be ready to land on your kitchen table. In October 2022, Allstate sold its longtime north suburban corporate campus for $232 million to Dermody Properties. The Nevada-based developer is turning the 232-acre property, which was annexed by Glenview, into a 10-building, 3.2 million-square-foot industrial park dubbed The Logistics Campus.
* Route Fifty | Justices debate whether cities can make sleeping outside a crime: But much of Monday’s hearing centered on whether the city’s law punished people for who they are or for what they did. That’s because in 1962, the Supreme Court ruled that people could be punished for a discrete act, but not for their “status.” The 1962 case involved a California law that punished both drug use and drug addiction. The Supreme Court ruled that the Eighth Amendment prohibited people from being punished for their addiction because it was a status.
* USA Today | Contact restored with NASA’s Voyager 1 space probe: For the first time since November, the spacecraft is now returning usable data about the health and status of its onboard engineering systems, NASA said in a news release. The 46-year-old pioneering probe, now some 15.1 billion miles from Earth, has continually defied expectations for its lifespan as it ventures further into the uncharted territory of the cosmos.
* Illinois Humanities | Can the Public Humanities Help Prepare Us for Global Warming?: For many, Katrina was the first large-scale extreme weather event clearly borne of global warming. It also highlighted the trademark points that so many had predicted: the vulnerability of low-lying coastal communities; the heaviest burden falling on the poor; the economic disruption; the displacement that results and in many cases becomes permanent. But also the powerful role of grassroots groups and organic networks in response.
posted by Isabel Miller
Tuesday, Apr 23, 24 @ 7:52 am
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Bears say they are working with officials and stakeholders. I cannot tell from articles will anyone from mayor’s office be there? And what is a stakeholder? Maybe some random taxpayer or are all taxpayers going to end up stakeholders? What does Friends of Park say? i would think it would be see you in court for next 6 years. Bears meaning McKaskey are nuts
Comment by DuPage Saint Tuesday, Apr 23, 24 @ 8:13 am
On the Prarie State Graduation
== But when asked what he thought about the potential LGBTQ+ stoles being worn at Victory Apostolic Church, Singleton said he would have to talk to the school.
“As long as they’re not demonstrating any flags and all of this kind of stuff,” said Singleton. “They respected the church last year.”
He said he did not want there to be LGBTQ+ flags or symbols while the graduation takes place. ==
It would be a shame if a significant % of students decided to wear those things. Oh, it would be awesome if that happened.
As an Illinois taxpayer, I wouldn’t want my tax dollars to be spent on public events at venues that put speech limits on what was expressed at that venue when my $ is being spent.
You would think that HF’s fieldhouse or Auditorium might work as venues for graduation.
Comment by OneMan Tuesday, Apr 23, 24 @ 8:37 am
Billionaire Owners of sports teams or teams that are worth Billions need to pay for their own stadiums, infrastructure etc. period!!!
Perhaps the NFL would float the Bears a loan. But pay for it yourself.
Comment by Pay Your Own Way Tuesday, Apr 23, 24 @ 8:53 am
I thought Soldier Field was a historic landmark that no one could demolish. This seems like more half-baked planning from the Mayor’s Office and Bears.
Comment by Three Dimensional Checkers Tuesday, Apr 23, 24 @ 9:12 am
I still dont understand why you need to be on the lakefront if you are in a domed stadium. The entire draw of being on the lakefront is the views of the city you get while watching the game. You dont get that sitting indoors.
Comment by low level Tuesday, Apr 23, 24 @ 9:12 am
=I thought Soldier Field was a historic landmark that no one could demolish.=
I believe the stadium lost that designation after it was renovated. But I’m curious as to how a private business can announce plans for a publicly owned stadium. Shouldn’t those public owners be the ones making announcements?
Comment by Pundent Tuesday, Apr 23, 24 @ 9:17 am
If a privately owned, for profit corporation wants to build a new facility they pay for it themselves.
Comment by Jerry Tuesday, Apr 23, 24 @ 9:18 am
Misguided Reinsdorf priorities. Willing to open up his own wallet for a new stadium but unwilling to open up his wallet to get players who actually know how to play baseball.
Comment by NonAFSCMEStateEmployeeFromChatham Tuesday, Apr 23, 24 @ 9:29 am
As for the White Sox, Jerry Reinsdorf couldn’t manage a lemonade stand. He certainly should not be given yet another stadium to mess up at taxpayers expense.
Comment by low level Tuesday, Apr 23, 24 @ 9:38 am
If the Bears don’t improve, the team may as well play on the demolished ruins of Ryan Field.
Super Bowl XX was played almost four decades ago.
Comment by Gravitas Tuesday, Apr 23, 24 @ 9:55 am
Unless some deal has been worked out behind the scenes, this just looks like a way for the Bears to try to win the rumor mill - show a few stadium projections and get the people to spread the word that it’s a done deal. ESPN online ran a story Kevin Warren - likely more posturing.
This is getting so ugly.
Comment by Proud Papa Bear Tuesday, Apr 23, 24 @ 10:06 am
=I thought Soldier Field was a historic landmark that no one could demolish.=
It’s my understanding the Colonnades remain as protected.
So the outside of the field and original building would stand. The new seating bowl and associated parts the stadium would be torn down.
Comment by Cool Papa Bell Tuesday, Apr 23, 24 @ 10:22 am
The timing of the Bears announcement is odd. Why announce this 2 days before the team makes the biggest draft pick of most of our lifetimes? Draft Caleb and all bears fans will be dreaming of Super Bowls. That is when I would announce the stadium plans.
Comment by Henry Francis Tuesday, Apr 23, 24 @ 10:26 am
==Super Bowl XX was played almost four decades ago.==
Yes. Bears are another team that should not be trusted to run anything properly. Besides the 1985-86 Super Bowl win, there is nothing in their background to suggest they have the slightest clue as to how to run a franchise.
No new stadium without new ownership.
Comment by low level Tuesday, Apr 23, 24 @ 10:46 am
= It’s my understanding the Colonnades remain as protected. =
Soldier Field was delisted as a National Landmark (not that that gave any protection in the first place).
It is, however, still a city landmark. As such, the Commission on Chicago Landmarks would have to review “any proposed alteration, demolition, or new construction” affecting it as part of the permit process.
Comment by JoanP Tuesday, Apr 23, 24 @ 11:48 am
Private for-profit organizations should not rely on public money for building new stadiums. In the end, the taxpayer pays twice….once for the stadium and again for exorbitant-priced tickets to go to a game at the stadium.
Comment by Just a Citizen Tuesday, Apr 23, 24 @ 1:36 pm
Low Level hit the nail on the head. Unfortunately, despite that 7-10 record, those season ticketholders took that 8% ticket hike and said “thank you sir may I have another.” I know I’ve said it before, and perhaps some think it’s insanity when you’re talking about billions of dollars. But the Bears ownership is the minor leagues when it comes to the NFL. Literally the ONLY thing of value is the franchise. They have no outside business interests. No real estate empire. No oil conglomerate. No collection of media outlets and websites that generate untold billions every year. If they want to compare something, look at Michael Jordan and his ownership run. It was built on all of the money he saw coming in every year from the Jordan Brand/Nike. The McCaskeys sole source of revenue is the football team. Which is why they are playing checkers when everyone else is playing chess. Until they sell to an owner who has the finances and the wherewithal to truly build a winner, things will remain the same - an occasional winning season, followed by several of mediocrity. But at least they can say their last name isn’t Reinsdorf…
Comment by Just a guy Tuesday, Apr 23, 24 @ 5:30 pm