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“I get the concept, and we’re open to it,” Burr Ridge Mayor Gary Grasso said in an interview about efforts to encourage more housing options in towns like his. “What we’re not open to, absolutely not open to, is the state telling us how to zone and take away the due process rights of our residents.”
"The fight over who gets to decide where renewable energy goes is far from over."
"Indiana has remained in the top 10 of the Rich States, Poor States index since 2014 and seen consistent in-migration since 2018. The Hoosier State is more competitive than Illinois across nearly every critical economic policy variable, including right-to-work protections, a 2.95 percent personal income tax, no estate tax, and a 4.9 percent corporate income tax (4.6 points lower than Illinois)."
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The Illinois Revenue Alliance is made up of several organizations in the state...including labor unions like SEIU Healthcare Illinois, Chicago Teachers Union, and community and advocacy groups. Their mission is to advocate for programs to help low and moderate income families thrive. “We have to only raise taxes on the wealthiest individuals in the population,” their spokesman said.
Corbett has enlisted Carolyn Schofield of Crystal Lake to be his running mate. Schofield is a former Republican McHenry County Board member who ran for lieutenant governor in 2022 alongside former Republican State Sen. Paul Schimpf. She also recently left her job as a staff assistant for the Illinois Senate Republican caucus.
One of the clearest red flags in the budget process is the growing divide between Gov. JB Pritzker’s revenue assumptions and more cautious projections from the General Assembly’s Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability (COGFA) and Pritzker’s own Governor’s Office of Management and Budget (GOMB). COGFA and GOMB estimates this month predict revenue will be $720 million to $900 million short of what Pritzker has forecast.
In 2011 Illinois enacted the largest income tax hike in state history. At least some of that increase could have offset rising property taxes, but instead the state kept 100 percent of the additional money, decreasing the percentage given to local governments. Since Gov. JB Pritzker took office, total property taxes in Illinois have risen 27 percent, from $31.8 billion in 2018 to $40.37 billion in 2024.
"As you know, we now are one of the best states in the country for infrastructure but that is because were are making the investments that come from the motor fuel tax that gets imposed," Pritzker said. "I think we have enough here so we could make some sort of pause, but I think that is something the legislature is going to consider over the coming week. We will see."
The legislation would require firearm manufacturers to be licensed in Illinois. Money collected from licensing fees would go into a victim fund for related expenses. Funds would then be available for people hurt by guns and their families, covering medical bills, lost wages, funeral costs, and more.
Former U.S. Secretary of Energy Dan Brouillette: "Reliable energy is not built on aspiration. It is built on physics, fuel and steel in the ground."
One of the proposals could legalize a wider range of middle housing types such as duplexes, triplexes and four flats in lots currently zoned for single-family use. Similar legislation could allow faith-based organizations to develop affordable mixed-use and multifamily homes on their property by exempting them from strict zoning requirements. A separate bill would ban housing authorities and private owners of subsidized housing from mandating work requirements or time limits on residents who do not meet work requirements.
State Rep. Daniel Didech said the measure specifically requires the biggest AI companies to create and publish protocols on how their organizations will prevent and manage harm as a result of their products. The lawmaker also said the bill includes measures to protect whistleblowers in the event an employee seeks to come forward with safety concerns.
As part of the program, participating hospitals and clinics typically charge a patient’s insurance the market-rate of a prescription drug they bought at a discount – leading to a wider profit margin. A bill to require transparency on how that revenue is used by healthcare providers was discussed in the House Executive committee Tuesday, sponsored by state Rep. Camille Lilly.
Americans for Prosperity Illinois Deputy State Director Brian Costin said House Bill 910 exposes taxpayers outside of megaproject districts. “As it stands right now, the bill is extremely dangerous for other taxpayers. It explicitly enables local governments to raise their property tax levies based on the untaxed value of the mega projects,” Costin said.
An apprenticeship generally would require more hours than school, but the apprentice must be paid at least minimum wage. The bill also requires participating businesses to display a sign noting that an apprentice works there.
By law, public school teachers in Illinois must contribute 9 percent of their salaries toward their pensions with the Illinois Teachers’ Retirement System. But many school districts pay part or all of that as an employee benefit.
Raoul and the coalition argue that data and analyses are crucial for the U.S. Department of Education and interested stakeholders to identify whether students with disabilities or students with disabilities who are of a particular racial or ethnic group are disciplined more often than their peers. They also argue the data can show if students of a particular race or ethnic group are disproportionately identified in specific disability categories.
Seth Lewis, budgeteer for the Senate Republican Caucus: "We need stronger leadership from the governor to protect the economic tools that help create jobs and attract investment. Especially as the progressive socialist wing of the Democratic Party continues to push a narrative that economic growth equals corporate greed, we need our governor to boldly and decisively push back against efforts to eliminate or weaken tools that have helped create thousands of jobs and attract billions in investment."
"Many of those attempted assassins on Donald Trump have regurgitated those very same words — ‘Nazi, threat to democracy’—that people like Governor Pritzker used when they tried to kill the president. So they need to stop doing it," said U.S. Rep. Steve Scalise, who in 2017 was shot in the hip during an attack targeting Republican lawmakers during practice for the annual Congressional Baseball Game for Charity.
The controversy intensified after a recent report detailed accusations that Thaddeus Jones threatened to withhold $250,000 in state funding after criticism over municipal spending.
Congressman Darin LaHood said the conflict has led to higher energy costs, but argues the U.S. response is necessary for national security and stability in the region. “What we’ve done to Iran is going to be better for the U.S., it’s going to be better for the Middle East, it’s going to be better for the world in terms of taking out their nuclear capabilities, taking out their hyper sonic abilities, taking out their ballistic missiles, taking out their navy,” he said.
The Illinois Supreme Court has again turned away another challenge to Illinois' gun owner licensing regime, this time declaring a man who had his FOID card suspended after he was charged with a crime, but then had it reinstated when the charges were dropped, can't sue the state for violating his Second Amendment rights.
The University of Illinois College of Medicine is promoting a web page that encourages professors to adopt “Equitable Assessments & Grading Practices.” “Equitable assessments and grading practices emphasize the process of learning versus performance outcomes and the attainment of grades,” the page, linked on the college’s website emphasizes. One of the listed benefits of grading according to equity is that the practice allows professors to “respect the diversity of students’ social identities as well as the diversity of student interests.
“One of the main concerns is the fact that we discovered about a year and a half ago that (the Illinois Department of Human Services) has been mailing non-citizens who are applying for state benefits forms to register to vote that are already pre-filled out to the county clerks,” state Sen. Steve McClure said. “At the confirmation hearing, the Secretary’s only response was that, yes, this is happening."
"None of the politicians — statewide, city of Chicago or even the suburbs — want to be known as the ones responsible for sinking this ship. So they're seizing upon anything that floats now, like lack of a traffic study for towns outside Arlington Heights or an Indiana slag heap story in the Tribune conveniently breaking as the possibility of an Indiana stadium looms."
Ten things to know about the 556-page bill.
“Ninety-five percent of food consumed in the state of Illinois is imported,” said Rep. Sonya Harper. “If there were any type of natural disaster, Illinois only has enough food that will last us for three days.” Top Chicago Stories
Cook County Chief Judge Charles Beach's office said the three most common crimes for someone who's gone AWOL while on electronic monitoring are retail theft (24 people), theft (18 people) and aggravated battery (18 people). That doesn't include 59 people who violated restrictions on where they can go because of a domestic violence charge.
The study notes there were already five projects with price tags over $100 million under construction last year in Chicago’s Loop and Near West Side alone, not to mention the long-floated One Central development near Soldier Field and a possible new stadium for the White Sox.
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Of the incumbent board members, only Sean Harden, the current president who was appointed by Mayor Johnson, is not running. Two current board members — Jessica Biggs and Jennifer Custer — are giving up district seats to run for president.
But Ald. Peter Chico, a former Chicago police officer, said that data would not change his firm belief that residents of his ward would be safer if a gunshot detection system covered the ward. “What about when there are no calls?”
"Almost half (44 percent) describe the city’s condition as excellent or good, but just a quarter say the same about (Mayor Brandon) Johnson’s performance, and not quite half say it’s been fair or poor. That gap matters. Voters are not saying Chicago is in a doom loop. They are saying the city has potential that is not being translated into capable governance that would make their hometown flourish even more."
Rebecca Weininger, 0f the Anti-Defamation League Midwest, said of Chicago's mayor, “He is cherry-picking Jewish voices that are acceptable to him — either because they are anti-Zionist or because they are willing to go along with any crumbs that he is willing to feed them." She believes Johnson’s strained relationship with the Jewish community is either based on “abject ignorance or intentional exclusion” of those she called the “mainstream Jewish community.”
Shunza Walker, a tattoo artist who was born and raised on the West Side, was driving his black Maserati less than a mile away from the intersection where Reed would die after Chicago police officers stopped him 15 days later. Walker’s lawsuit claimed that traffic stop violated his constitutional rights and left him scared to drive anywhere in Chicago, a feeling that intensified after Reed’s killing made headlines across the city, igniting a firestorm over CPD’s use of traffic stops.
Emmanuel Andre, Chicago’s Deputy Mayor for Community Safety, says he believes added investment from the city is paying off. However, concerns are rising that the pendulum could shift in the wrong direction as the billions in federal COVID relief money the city was able to spend on those initiatives have dried up. "Resources are finite and it causes us to make some really difficult decisions as to what and where should money be invested,” Andre said.
Thirteen people, ages ranging from 14 to 28, received felony charges for possessing a weapon and battery. Police said charges are pending against one more person. Officers confiscated dozens of weapons, including tasers, guns, knives, and bear mace.
“Just as he is using his pulpit, I’m using the executive order pen to protect all of Chicago," Johnson said. The roughly 50-member delegation headed to Rome includes business leaders, Johnson’s deputy mayor for economic development, his sustainability officer, advisor Jason Lee, and top council ally Jason Ervin, as well as non-Catholic faith leaders to represent Chicago’s religious diversity.
"As teen takeovers grow increasingly brazen, and with the summer approaching likely to spiral out of control, Chicago is in need of penalties for those who engage in violent mob actions. Make no mistake, these public disturbances are a direct product of city leadership refusing to ensure that there are consequences for the disruption, damage to property, and the disrespect and often endangerment of police. The mayor's talk of 'systemic causes' is nonsensical excuse-making."
CPD said officers were on foot trying to shut down the incident when a blue sedan ran into five of them. After hitting the officers, police said the car drove over the curb and came to a stop after crashing into a CPD vehicle, pole and a fence.
"He has said, you can never arrest your way out of issues in neighborhoods to solve crimes," Ald. Ray Lopez said, referencing remarks Johnson delivered Thursday. "And that message reverberates with these teens who are now erupting in neighborhoods all across Chicago, trying to become social media famous at the behest of the mayor who supports their antics." Local lawmakers are now pushing to criminally charge parents whose children were tied to the crimes, but Johnson has stopped short of endorsing the proposal.
The ordinance, filed last week by Aldermen Raymond Lopez, Anthony Beale, James Gardiner, Anthony Napolitano and Brendan Reilly, cites the continuing existence of a city hiring freeze implemented by Mayor Brandon Johnson’s administration last summer.
CPS took out $1.6 billion in those short-term loans for fiscal 2026 operating costs such as payroll and basic expenses, plus a $246 million loan to support the Chicago Teachers’ Pension Fund. That borrowing is expected to cost $34 million in interest, according to a March report to the Chicago Board of Education.
As of 8 p.m. Monday, the sole death of the weekend — which runs from 5 p.m. Friday through 5 a.m. Tuesday — came after a toddler fatally shot himself Sunday, according to Chicago police. At least 26 others were shot and injured over Memorial Day weekend, an uptick after 2025 saw the city’s least overall violent Memorial Day weekend since at least 2010.
"With news of an agreement for the city’s parking meter lease to change hands, Chicago has the chance to revisit one of the worst public asset deals in its history. ... Earlier legal efforts faced steep odds partly because the long-term harms were still theoretical. They no longer are."
Part of DuSable Lake Shore Drive was shut down for some time. Cameras captured two officers escorting another officer and loading him into an ambulance.
When it opens June 19, it will set at least three modern-era records for a former White House occupant: time taken to be completed, project cost and the price to get inside.
Neighbors described the scene in the early hours of Sunday morning as restless and chaotic, saying they were caught off-guard by the size of the crowd and struggled to feel safe or get any sleep overnight. “Cars were parked illegally,” one neighbor said. “You saw no tow trucks whatsoever. I mean, they were loud, disrespectful. It was unreal.”
Johnson in his statement called on parents and guardians to "know where their children are and to help ensure they are safe and accounted for. ... There also must be accountability for the individuals who participated in the violent and reckless behavior. My administration is creating opportunities and safe spaces for young people, but families, communities, and city leaders all have a role to play in keeping our young people safe."
"For the last decade, (Stacy Davis) Gates and her allies have been building a political machine fueled by members’ dues. Teachers just sent the bill back."
Along 53rd Street in Hyde Park, hotels are busy with bookings this summer, especially around the time when the center opens. "There are now active tourists on the South Side. They aren't just staying downtown. They aren't staying in the Loop. They are actually able to experience the full city," said Courtney Woods with Pen & Paper: A Joint Creative.
The union wanted to increase dues by as much as $800 a year to fund even more political activities. In an FAQ provided to members ahead of the vote, the union also admitted to being investigated by the U.S. Internal Revenue Service and audited by the U.S. Labor Department. But according to union leadership, with about 80 percent of schools counted, it appeared that “roughly 60 percent of members” voted no on the increase.
"Should Johnson succeed in sending the Bears into the arms of Hammond, he will have made his relationship with Pritzker that much worse, harming the chances of striking future deals in the city’s interest so long as these two are involved. The governor has deemed a Bears stadium in Arlington Heights a top priority, and a fellow Democrat is trying to scotch it. Politics in this state doesn’t get much rougher than that."
Mayor Thaddeus Jones explained the budget shortfall, saying the community's tax revenues from Cook County were late, and additional revenue streams haven't reached expectations.
Shortly before 6 p.m. Thursday, a 35-year-old woman was riding the bus when Morris Love, 36, sat down next to her, grabbed her, held her down, and sexually abused her on the bus, according to police. Other passengers intervened and freed her from Love, police said. Love then followed the woman off the bus, stole her property, and tried to grab her again, according to police.
A number of takeovers occurred on Chicago's West Side overnight Saturday into Sunday. Not only did multiple teenagers end up in the hospital as a result of large gatherings, but five police officers were also taken to the hospital after a car plowed through one of the crowds and hit them. Wirepoints Research and Commentary
With $162 billion more from taxpayers, couldn't you deliver a few bond upgrades, too 
Audio and summary 
A largely unasked question is becoming glaring: Is Illinois doing all it should to use artificial intelligence to make government cost less and work better? So far, the evidence says no.
Everybody needs a side hustle these days, and mine is Ukraine, where I am now.
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If this bill passes, say goodbye to local control over all Illinois parks and expect to see open drug and alcohol use, needles, no sanitation and fire hazards, but no ordinary park users.
Chicago’s political leadership is floating a pension buyout program as evidence it is seriously addressing the city’s thirty-six-billion-dollar unfunded pension liability, but Mark Glennon, founder of the Illinois policy research organization Wirepoints, said that the proposal moves debt from one column to another rather than reducing it, and that the broader fiscal picture facing the city continues to deteriorate across every measurable dimension. Audio here.
Expect no retraction or apology. This what they do. 
The state's existing buyout program for its own pensions is the precedent for Chicago, which should be a warning: Look out for similar exaggerated claims and shoddy analysis. 
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