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Though the road map Pritzker assembled is called “Fighting for Illinois: The Day One Agenda,” it has federal policy and funding recommendations that could pertain to all states. The governor began preparing the agenda in the summer, when he directed state agencies and deputy governors to go through the Trump administration’s cuts to federal programs and grants under Trump that had the greatest impact on Illinois residents and to specify how the 120th Congress could reverse the damage.
The results bring the total to 45 Illinois counties that have approved non-binding secession referendums since 2020, according to a county-by-county review of election results and local officials. For now, the growing number of referendum approvals serves as a political message to state leaders that frustration outside the Chicago area is not going away.
“There is one question I have gotten a lot in the last few months – what’s next?” Pritzker said. “The answer is simple. I’m going to ask you to continue to hope – and to wrap your hope, in courage. We climbed one mountain tonight. But we are sitting at the base of another.” The largest data center project ever proposed in Illinois is at risk of being scuttled over $1. That’s how much developer PowerHouse Hillwood offered to put up when Commonwealth Edison demanded a financial guarantee of more than half a billion dollars to protect other customers from the costs of supplying electricity to its proposed data center campus in Joliet.
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The withdrawal of support for Welch comes in light of how he handled the sexual harassment allegations against former State Rep. Harry Benton, who resigned from his seat in July.
The U.S. Department of Education and Department of Justice are challenging Illinois State Board of Education guidance that allows parents to decline student mental health screenings rather than requiring written parental consent before participation. The Department of Education gave ISBE until Nov. 13 to revise its guidance.
Americans for Prosperity Illinois Deputy State Director Brian Costin noted that Gov. JB Pritzker defeated Republican Darren Bailey by 36 points in Lake County, but the sales tax referendum lost 57 percent to 43 percent. “I think it's a warning for Lake County and some of these other counties as well that these referendums are not something that's palatable or shouldn't be taken for granted, that the people are just going to automatically side with tax hikes,” Costin said.
Businesses with fewer than 20 employees added more than 19,000 jobs in the state in 2024, accounting for 89 percent of Illinois’ new jobs. That makes the cost of starting and growing a business an issue in both employment and entrepreneurship.
Pritzker, who bankrolled many Democrats around the country as he ran for re-election in Illinois, put out a list of 200 policy proposals today.
Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul joined a coalition of Democratic AGs in asserting that if states are not constitutionally allowed to force religious schools to set aside their religious beliefs and principles on gender and sexuality, then states may instead choose to shut down the programs altogether or limit the funding only to be spent at public schools.
Jim Dey: "The failure of University of Illinois financial managers to match even average investment benchmark returns for the UI’s $3.3 billion endowment fund has cost the university an estimated $771 million over the past 10 years, according to a recent study. ... Effectively, the UI hired investment managers who failed to beat market averages."
"We have a healthcare system that we need to break down to the studs and rebuild – one where we put doctors and patients ahead of insurance companies and profits. We have an electoral system that needs real campaign finance reform – because no special interest should be able to simply buy the regulations they prefer. We have a growing group of tech. Robber. Barons, who need to be told that money does not give them the right to exist outside the rules we all live by. And we need to rescue the American dream for the next generation."
The Ammons were indicted by a federal grand jury in July. State Rep. Carol Ammons was accused of using her position in the state legislature to get state grants for organizations she and her husband, Champaign County Clerk Aaron Ammons, profited from. They were charged with wire fraud and obstruction of justice. Both have denied the allegations and pleaded not guilty.
While results are still being counted, early indicators show counties like Winnebago, McHenry, Sangamon, Jackson and Alexander counties switching their votes to Pritzker since 2022. Meanwhile, counties like Whiteside appeared to flip from Pritzker to Bailey.
The state hasn’t seen a Republican as secretary of state in nearly 30 years, as attorney general in more than 20 years or as comptroller for at least a decade. Tuesday night ensured at least four more years were tacked onto those counts.
The nearly 39 percent pay increase drew criticism from the Illinois Policy Institute. "Teachers look for support in their classrooms and representation at the bargaining table," said Mailee Smith, vice president of policy and litigation at the Illinois Policy Institute. "A nearly 39 percent raise for a leader does not help with either of those, especially when the average Illinois teacher only makes a fraction of Davis Gates’ total combined annual salary of $445,000."
The state’s victim notification system known as VINE alerts crime victims when someone is released from jail, transferred or experiences a change in custody status. A clause in that $6M contract allows Appriss to share jail records with third parties. Privacy advocates warn this creates a pathway for information collected by Illinois jails to enter commercial databases used by ICE to identify and locate people for immigration enforcement.
"Rather than advancing school choice by easing the way out of the public schools, it expands opportunities for helping students stay there. Governors who hesitate to join should consider the benefits for those children. It’s becoming harder to find a good reason to turn it down."
State Rep. John Cabello introduced House Bill 4165 in October 2025, seeking to prohibit Illinois courts and other legal bodies from enforcing foreign laws or legal provisions that violate rights guaranteed under the U.S. or Illinois constitutions. Cabello said the measure was prompted by news reports about Sharia law in parts of London and his desire to prevent similar concerns from arising in Illinois.
The budget includes no fare increases, as NITA is expecting $1.3 billion in additional revenue next year from expanding the Chicago-region sales tax and redirecting some of the state sales tax on gasoline.
In an order issued Friday, October 30, Judge Martha Pacold wrote that Illinois officials including Attorney General Kwame Raoul cannot enforce state gaming laws, including the Sports Wagering Act, illegal gambling statutes, or the ‘Internet Wagering’ provisions of the Illinois Admin Code, on the trading of swaps, including sports event contracts, that are available via Commodity Futures Trading Commission-registered companies like Kalshi.
Ted Dabrowski: "I called the Peoria School District a 'systemic failure' in 2023, but that’s not really right. The system is working just as it should under the 'white guilt' mindset. It’s how you end up with so few kids reading, the nation’s highest property taxes and a bunch of metrics meant to sugar coat the failures. That’s the harsh assessment, but it’s true."
The Party for Socialism and Liberation and the UIS Black Student Union organized the rally and march.
One central dispute involves whether parents should be informed of the biological sex of students assigned to share rooms with their children on overnight school trips. Attorneys for Community High School District 128 argued that disclosing another student’s biological sex without consent could violate the federal Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act and the Illinois School Student Records Act.
Of the $443.4 million that went to his own campaign committee, JB for Governor, nearly half has gone to media and a notable $77.2 million transferred to committees such as the Democratic Party of Illinois and Democrats for the Illinois House.
In an interview with Meet the Press, Gov. JB Pritzker says he believes that President Trump is working to make sure that “Democrats really don’t have a chance” in elections across the country just days out from the midterms.
"Democrats have condemned the attempted Republican power grab in Missouri, the way they have all over the country. One of the most prominent critics is the Democratic governor across the Mississippi River, JB Pritzker of Illinois. That’s ironic, to say the least, given what Illinois’ own hyperpartisan state legislative maps look like."
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While the 44-6 vote effectively blows a $75 million hole in the mayor's 2027 budget proposal, alders argued the funds were always intended to continue chipping away at the city's $36 billion pension debt, not to help balance next year's budget.
"Today I’d like to talk about the PPLT. It hasn’t gotten as much attention — maybe because “PPLT” sounds like some technocratic thing you don’t have to care about."
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Former Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx urges the court to release the rapper under reasonable conditions, citing his September acquittal of all charges tried in the federal murder-for-hire case, nearly two years in custody awaiting that trial, and the presumption of innocence on his remaining charges of murder in aid of racketeering and a firearms offense.
Ald. Gilbert Villegas said Chicago's mayor “can’t have it both ways” when it comes to the advisory questions approved by voters Tuesday. “When you’re touting 80 percent approval for a millionaire’s tax and it’s 72 percent for gunshot technology, you can’t say that one’s more relevant than the other,” Villegas said. “If you’re going to listen to the people, then listen to the people.
The workers are mainly corporate employees, though some facility jobs also are affected, a Medline spokesperson said. The layoffs are “part of a broader effort to simplify how we operate, reduce complexity and position the company for long-term success."
Voters - more than 1.1 million Chicagoans - may have picked a board that is, by a narrow margin, likely less open to CTU-backed proposals and more friendly toward charter schools than the current board. While this majority of board members may lean toward more fiscally conservative policies, just six of them have said they support closing schools.
The referendum does not require Johnson’s administration to restore ShotSpotter or sign a contract with another provider. But its wide margin gives aldermen and community advocates more leverage as they try to convince the mayor’s office to reverse course.
Alexi Giannoulias, Maria Pappas, Mike Quigley and George Cardenas have been in the sometimes awkward position of running for reelection while also running for Chicago mayor. Dick Simpson, a professor emeritus and former alderperson, said while it’s not unusual for candidates in Chicago or elsewhere to run for two offices at once, that mostly benefits the politicians, not voters.
After CTU-backed candidates won at least nine of 21 Chicago Board of Education seats but fell short of gaining a majority, union president Stacy Davis Gates said billionaires spent a million dollars a week to support candidates for an unpaid position, and that CTU does not just bargain for sick time and personal days. “See, I’m ok to negotiate when I know that this union will take it to the picket line if they need to lower class sizes,” Gates said.
Jessica Biggs defeated CTU-backed Hilario Dominguez for president of the board.
Support for the so-called millionaires tax was overwhelming.
From January 2023 until Sept. 28 of this year, 560 people in custody were involved in suspected intoxication incidents, the Cook County Office of the Independent Inspector General said. Illinois State Police lab results found that multiple controlled substances made it into the jail, with synthetic marijuana products most frequently seen.
"There seems to be an increasing temptation to portray every disagreement over federal policy as a moral emergency requiring resistance rather than negotiation. The language of occupation, fascism, and liberation may excite activists, but it makes ordinary compromise more difficult. Federal agents become symbols of oppression rather than public servants whose conduct should be judged on the facts. Governors and mayors become resistance leaders rather than executives responsible for delivering public services. "
Hilario Dominguez, a candidate for Chicago school board president, received $1.72 million in reported support from CTU and aligned organizations, according to data from the Illinois State Board of Elections.
Any new construction in the Cabrini footprint still has to answer to a federal consent decree. According to CHA, the court requires that 33 to 40 percent of units be designated CHA housing, with no more than 20 percent as affordable housing and no more than 50 percent as market-rate — a structure the final framework adopts directly, designating 33 to 40 percent of units as CHA housing while capping affordable units at 20 percent and market-rate units at 50 percent.
The DOJ contends the suburb’s program unlawfully distributes taxpayer benefits based strictly on race and ancestry. In its complaint, federal prosecutors allege the program violates the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment as well as the Fair Housing Act.
“One of the reasons why ShotSpotter was such a failure is because it was the antithesis of my moral standards, right?” Mayor Brandon Johnson said. He maintained that the removal of gunshot detection technology as shootings have dropped has shown the tech isn’t necessarily needed, but his administration could implement it in ways more in line with his public safety goals.
A statement from Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson’s office said the number of city buses with cameras grew to 52 last month, thanks to $1 million from the Northern Illinois Transit Authority.
White guilt liberals on Chicago's North Shore called teenagers Nazis without ever asking who they were.
"CPS’ record graduation rate is not a product of a quality education but of a system of diminished standards and abandoned accountability that socially promotes students. This is how you achieve a graduation rate of 83.4 percent when only one in five CPS students met SAT standards in reading and math, while 40 percent of high school students, including 72 percent of seniors, are truant."
The 64-unit building will adaptively reuse a 1920s bank building at an estimated cost of about $60 million. The city’s Department of Housing is contributing $11.4 million to the project, the Illinois Housing Authority is supporting the project with tax credits and the Chicago Housing Authority is providing rental assistance.
Andre Thomas, 57, was the CEO and Executive Director of Integrity & Fidelity, which works in parts of the city and south suburbs most impacted by gun violence. In a previous interview, Thomas expressed that investing money in impacted communities would be key in reducing gun violence. “No one with a 40-hour job is going out and shooting and killing,” Thomas told the Sun-Times.
Chicago’s City Council dealt Mayor Brandon Johnson a major budget setback today, voting 44-6 to divert $75 million from his proposed 2027 spending plan into a one-time payment to the city’s underfunded pensions. The overwhelming vote sets up a new confrontation between Johnson and aldermen over how to balance his $17.6 billion budget, forcing the mayor to find another $75 million in savings or revenue as negotiations over his spending plan get underway.
A 28-year-old passerby who joined a security guard’s pursuit of a suspected shoplifter was stabbed three times inside a West Side CTA station, leaving him blind in one eye and with little remaining vision, prosecutors said.
This year, there are measures to increase taxes on the rich in California, Colorado, Washington, Massachusetts and Cook County, Illinois. The states voting on taxing the rich also hold a large share of corporate America. California has 56 Fortune 500 headquarters, Illinois 29, Massachusetts 15, Washington nine and Colorado seven.
Will Mayor Brandon Johnson and the Chicago Teachers Union lose control of Chicago Public Schools? Will Republicans lose their last seat on the Cook County Board? How many votes can an independent candidate for governor pull from JB Pritzker and Darren Bailey? And how will voters respond to $158 million in sales tax referenda for school facilities?
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Glennon raised the stakes of the moment in broader civilizational terms: “This election in Illinois is not about the usual pedestrian issues… it’s about nothing less than whether Western civilization survives in our democratic republic of America because [the left], just on the open border alone, will destroy the country, and now they’re bringing in the jihadists, frankly, into the party.” Audio and summary linked here.Audio and summary linked here.
New Trier High School made national headlines nine years ago as a "canary in a coal mine" for political indoctrination in public schools. The canaries lived. 
Among the consequences of economic growth that badly lags national averages are billions of lost revenue every year. Yet denial reigns in Illinois, fueling the vicious cycle of demand for higher taxes. SIGN UP HERE FOR FREE WIREPOINTS DAILY NEWSLETTER
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To top it off, Stratton is funded mostly by Gov. JB Pritzker, who has long purported to be a rock solid supporter of Israel's right to exist. El-Sayed is anything but. 
What Pritzker doesn't tell you that it cost taxpayers billions, not millions, in higher taxes to get those upgrades, vastly exceeding the savings. 
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