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This comes seven months after the Trump administration filed a lawsuit aimed at blocking the state from lowering the cost of college for undocumented immigrants.
Lawmakers are considering House Bill 1429. The proposal would ban local governments from arresting or fining homeless people who are doing things like sleeping, eating or resting outdoors, or anything considered to be a life-sustaining activity. Local governments would also be required to provide social services to anyone being removed if possible.
It’s an ambitious effort that could reshape housing from Chicago to Peoria and across downstate Illinois. But while Pritzker is trying to build support for a far-reaching proposal backed by housing advocates and many developers, he faces opposition from local leaders who say the sweeping approach is wrong for their communities. More Highlighted Illinois Stories
IFT spent a total of $52.3 million in 2025. Just $14.4 million of that was on representing teachers — not even 28 percent of the total. In total, IFT spent $13.4 million on its own officers and employees’ salaries.
The poll of 800 likely voters shows nearly 70 percent support the bill after a short description. That number rises to 75 percent when people hear more details. In some areas, data centers make up about 1 percent of electricity demand but are linked to a 595 percent increase in certain capacity costs. That cost pool totals about $1.7 billion, with most of it being passed to other customers.
Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works Adam Telle is directing management and execution of the Brandon Road project to be "immediately" transferred from the Corps' Rock Island District in Illinois to the Detroit District in Michigan. "Our partners in the Great Lake States can't allow one state to have undue influence and use it to play more games," Telle wrote. "This is great news for every state in the region, including Illinois."
Pritzker, who visited with the pope earlier this year in Rome, said that Leo has a “higher calling” when it comes to speaking out on moral issues, and that his remarks on the Iran conflict fit with that calling.
LaHood, a Catholic and ally of Trump, said in a statement: "Faith teaches us to show grace and respect, even when we disagree. The President's comments toward Pope Leo fell short of that mark." Other prominent Illinois Republicans, including gubernatorial candidate Darren Bailey, were also critical of Trump's remarks.
The Will County Board will soon consider the 600-megawatt Manhattan solar farm proposal - across 45 square miles of prime Illinois farmland - and a similar 260-megawatt facility in Crete. They’ll also reconsider six smaller projects they’d already rejected. They’re doing so after the solar operators involved sued, and a judge ordered the county to issue the permits.
The Civic Federation report found that Illinois has 8,923 local government units, over 3,000 more any other state in the nation.
ComEd customers in Illinois will see an average $19 monthly reduction to their electricity bills over the coming months, thanks to a policy in the state’s landmark climate bill.
Not all faculty members in the union are participating in the strike. Some professors are covered under a different collective bargaining agreement, meaning classes are continuing for many students.
From 1996 to 2016, state education spending increased by $5.4 billion. But two-thirds of that growth, or $3.6 billion, went to pensions rather than students. During that time, pension costs grew from just over 8 percent of state education spending to more than one-third. That trend has continued.
One of the proposed amendments would allocate all of the potential $4.5 billion yearly windfall toward property tax relief in the form of $1,500 rebates per property owner. A competing plan would allocate half of the millionaires tax’s proceeds to public schools and the rest toward property tax relief.
This multistate agreement bars the cruise line from deceptive disaster-era sales practices and sends $116,000 to Illinois as part of a $2 million payout to states.
Chief Tom Weitzel (Ret.): "Illinois law currently prohibits the release of any juvenile information. Not the name. Not the city of residence. Not the mug shot. Not even the basic arrest details that every community has a right to know when a violent crime occurs. It doesn’t matter if the offender is 13 or 17. It doesn’t matter if the crime is petty theft or attempted murder. The law treats all juvenile cases the same: sealed, hidden, and untouchable."
In a move to gain union support, last year’s transit bailout bill allows the Illinois State Toll Highway Authority board to implement a hike that could raise $1 billion more in tolls a year starting in 2027.
"They say that Tier 2 benefits 'may' not meet 'safe harbor' requirements that mandate that they at least equal Social Security retirement payments. They may be correct, but they may not be. Before doing anything, why not find out for sure? And if they do fall short, why not find out how much it would cost to bring them into 'safe harbor' line?"
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers said on Thursday in a news release it was still moving forward with the construction of deterrents near Joliet to block the path of the carp, but would move management of the project to Michigan.
State Sen. Darby Hills is backing Illinois Senate Bill 4182, which would require most insurance plans to cover a six-month supply of egg and peanut allergen supplements for infants when prescribed by a health care provider.
Schweizer noted that property tax reform and relief measures have bipartisan and bicameral support, yet none of the bills he has backed have been called for a vote.
"It would, as a matter of entertainment, be a shame to see this legal food fight among our black-robed rulers go without its day in court: one judge suing seven other judges in a lawsuit presided over by another judge. Observers wouldn’t be able to identify who’s who without a scorecard."
"Look beneath the surface of this bill. You will find a troubling set of facts: a sitting state senator who is simultaneously the sole officer of a private consulting corporation and a founding board officer of a nonprofit that lobbies for the very industry her legislation is designed to expand — and a network of multimillion-dollar behavioral health organizations positioned to profit from every referral the system generates."
The Illinois House unanimously passed a bill to require the state to create an online portal detailing utility charges to consumers, separate from delivery and supply charges. The website should include the statutory authority for charges remitted to the state or retained by utility companies, the amount collected each year and a detailed accounting of how funds are spent.
The proposal, Senate Bill 3353, would create the Digital Advertising Tax Act, establishing a 10 percent tax on revenue generated from digital advertising services in Illinois by companies that exceed a high revenue threshold.
House Bill 5408, backed by Rep. Anna Moeller, would create the Abortion Access Fund under the Illinois Department of Public Health, receiving 90 percent of any leftover dollars insurers are already required by the Affordable Care Act to set aside to cover abortion services for policyholders.
Among them, Lincoln College posted record-breaking enrollment in 2019, but was done in three years later by the "economic burdens initiated by the COVID pandemic" and hastened by a cyberattack. The closing of a college can impact a community from multiple angles, from loss of population base, to loss of revenues, to what to do with empty buildings.
Top Chicago Stories
"When looking for a specific car, you got plate readers. When you're looking for specific suspects that are wearing certain types of clothes, cameras can zoom in," Ald. William Hall said. "You're telling me that a social media company doesn't have the tools to zero in on certain images that are being reported to them, certain phrases that are been reported to him, or certain problematic accounts that are be identified over and over and again? So we're asking for a bigger step, not just one step."
Over the same period, inflation rose less than 91 percent, and average wages climbed about 161 percent. Cook County government itself has kept its property tax levy comparatively low, increasing just 26 percent over the 30‑year period studied. Cook County instead raised its sales tax to cover rising costs.
"Reliance on hotel taxes reflects a destructive pattern in Chicago’s fiscal policy: turning to narrow, politically convenient revenue sources instead of addressing core issues driving fiscal gaps. The city has used this approach with taxes on streaming services, sports betting, and social media to cover broader structural gaps."
More Highlighted Chicago Area Stories
Other large companies are also listed on the state's most recent WARN report, including 101 workers from the Saks Fifth Avenue department store on Michigan Avenue, which is set to close. Others include employees at Trinity Christian College in Palos Heights, which will close at the end of the academic year due to financial challenges, and more than 100 Walmart employees when the Matteson distribution center closes.
Bowman and Johnson have a great deal in common: they’re both Black former educators known for their unapologetically leftist politics who just turned 50 years old and have faced their share of negative press. Guests paid between $50 and $7,000 for a ticket enjoyed rum punch and hors d’oeuvres.
Sendy Soto was candid about one of the central limitations of her 137-page, five-year “Blueprint on Homelessness.”, namely, that there remains no dedicated funding source for homelessness services in Chicago. The city draws from a patchwork of federal grants, philanthropic dollars and line items in the corporate budget, none of them guaranteed year to year.
"May Day has a long and important history rooted in workers’ rights. But using it to disrupt classrooms crosses a line. Solidarity means standing together. Solidarity is not forcing working families to bear the burden of a political message they did not ask for and cannot afford."
The proposal from Ald. Matt Martin would ban Chicago cops from engaging in “extremist activities,” defined in the measure as any attempt to overthrow any level of U.S. government through violence or “unconstitutional means.” The prohibition also applies to the planning, execution or “material support” of hate crimes.
"The (Johnson) administration’s numbers simply don’t add up. Spending hundreds of thousands in subsidies to produce a handful of units is unsustainable. Chicago needs a cohesive plan that expands available housing by removing regulatory barriers, enabling more homebuilding, and supporting the rehabilitation of vacant properties — all while protecting residents from gentrification through property tax stability."
The Finance Committee also signed off on a $470,000 settlement to a husband and wife who were seriously injured after their motorcycle hit a pavement buckle on Lake Shore Drive near McCormick Place that had been the subject of 27 complaints to the city’s 311 emergency system in the prior two years before the 2023 accident.
That includes $1.3 million earned by officers in January, February and March to patrol what CPD lists as “planned gathering/march/civil unrest,” according to data published by the inspector general. Officers earned an additional $1 million in overtime to police the funeral of civil rights icon the Rev. Jesse Jackson Sr.
"[Owner Dawndria Murray] told me a father came up there with his son by the collar — old school. He said he saw his son in the video and wanted to personally apologize. He also made it clear she would never have an issue with his son again," businessman and philanthropist EarlyWalker wrote to his followers on social media, saying, "this is what accountability looks like."
The ages of the victims range from 14 to 46, according to Chicago police.
The protests were held Saturday outside immigration facilities in Broadview, Portland and Los Angeles, as well as the ICE headquarters in Washington, D.C.,
The car's owner said she called the Law Department for more information on the denial and was told if someone had called to report the rusty pole before it had snapped, the city would have paid her claim. CDOT said of the light pole that fell, "It was last inspected in 2017, at which time, inspectors noted no observed structural issues and a routine amount of rust."
"Why is shutting down schools for a union-led protest part of a contract discussion in the first place? In part, it’s because of a state law passed in 2021 that repealed limits on CTU’s collective bargaining powers. There are now virtually no limits on what CTU can demand at the bargaining table, which means unlimited political moves and unlimited grievances."
Sundas "Sunny" Naqvi drew national attention with claims that she and five others returned from a work trip in Turkey March 5 and were held by U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents at O'Hare International Airport for 30 hours, moved to the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in Broadview, and then transferred to the Dodge County Jail. Her supporters, including Cook County Commissioner Kevin Morrison, decried her alleged detainment before surveillance images were released to show Naqvi was able to leave O'Hare about 90 minutes after she landed.
The shooting occurred around 3:30 p.m. just down the street from Phillips Academy High School as students were let out for the day.
"In other words, Chicago’s finance team came to market with the bond deal and didn’t like the price that municipal markets were telling them they’d have to pay. Instead, they decided to defer the issuance, betting that they could get a better price in the future. That kind of bet is not generally a good idea."
Greg Richmond, superintendent of the Chicago Archdiocese, said students with disabilities who attend nonpublic schools have the right to receive federally funded academic support under the Disabilities Education Act; He said the way the law is written means federal funds are distributed by CPS, even if the child is not enrolled in public school. The archdiocese said if funding isn’t restored, they’re prepared to explore all possible remedies, including legal action on behalf of their students.
"Many on the board appeared to rely on the inaccurate claim (about the federal program) that public money will be diverted for private education. But some seemed wary of blindly following the Chicago Teachers Union, which is less popular than ever."
Vetress Boyce of the city’s Reparations Task Force suggested that reparations could include expanded educational programs in Chicago Public Schools exploring the history of racism in the United States; full tuition coverage for Black college students in Chicago; down-payment assistance for Black home buyers in Chicago to alleviate the impacts of redlining; and high-quality health care for all.
After some 27 seconds of continuous gunfire — yes, 27 seconds of continuous gunfire — at least four men enter camera view with firearms. Some of them are seen running into the street and returning fire downrange. They jog off-screen for a moment, then return and briefly mingle in front of the camera, some holding firearms in plain view, one toting a rifle, others more discreet.
David Greising, of the Better Government Association: "In 2023, Johnson sought to cut off rancorous public demonstrations at City Council meetings by banishing uninvited visitors to the upstairs gallery, behind plate glass. ... Against that backdrop, it’s bittersweet to see Johnson invoking OMA as a clout tool in his unrelenting effort to place (his crony Walter Burnett Jr., a former alderman) in the CEO’s role at the CHA."
The project is one of seven office-to-residential conversions under construction in Chicago. As of late 2025, the city has the third-largest office-to-residential conversion pipeline in the U.S., according to RentCafe.
In a petition to Mayor Brandon Johnson and the Chicago Board of Education, CTU notes the importance of schools as “centers for learning.” Yet the union regards attending class May 1 as less important than its “equity” agenda and “the autonomy of locally governed public schools.”
A city spokesman said council members were told starting in 2024 that part-time staff should work under 700 hours in order to stay below the threshold of being entitled to pension contributions, per state law. “If they elect to have a part-time staffer work more than the prescribed hours per the pension code, they are required to make allowance for that within their appropriated expense budget,” the spokesman said.
Wirepoints Research and Commentary
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. SIGN UP HERE FOR FREE WIREPOINTS DAILY NEWSLETTER
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Illinois lost another 54,000 tax filers and dependents, net, according to the IRS. Since 2000, fleeing taxpayers have taken $94 billion of annual adjusted gross income with them. 
Borrowing for current and past operating expenses, blanks for use of funds and more make Chicago's bond sale planned for next week smell mighty bad. Mark Glennon's interview is in the first ten minutes starting here.
It’s March, which means we are being subjected the dumbest annual study going about how well Chicago is doing. 
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