Officials in Peotone, Kankakee and Lockport responded to groups of migrants looking for shelter.

As Illinois begins transitioning people in its two health programs for immigrants to Medicaid managed care plans, Cook County Health plans to enroll nearly all the 45,000-some participants into CountyCare, beginning Jan. 1. The Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services is moving all participants in the state-funded programs, Health Benefits for Immigrant Adults and Health Benefits for Immigrant Seniors, or HBIA and HBIS, from fee-for-service to managed care in 2024.

South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott wrote in a letter to Mayor Brandon Johnson and Board of Education President Jianan Shi, “As Chair of the Congressional School Choice Caucus, I believe that every parent has the right to choose the best school for their child, regardless of their zip code, and I urge you to preserve these critical options for families…Schools like this are providing incredible opportunities for students, and families are clearly crying out for more choice—not less.”

Chicagoan George Blakemore, who is black, said the situation was untenable. He asked the City Council at a recent meeting, “What about the black children? The black workers? They compete with us.”

Thursday’s busing update comes a week after the school board passed a resolution saying it wants to bolster neighborhood schools and move away from a system of choice where families travel outside their neighborhood for school. Asked if the district’s desire to move away from school choice informed their decision to sever busing for general education students, a spokesperson said the district is following state law and board policy by prioritizing students with disabilities for transportation.

As a result of the referendum, the Forest Preserve District’s annual adopted budget increased from $137 million in FY2022 to $182.2 million in FY2023, reflecting the first year of the additional property tax funding. The increase in property tax revenue provides a recurring funding source that will enable the District to fulfill several long-term needs, including pension funding, land restoration and capital improvements.

Said former mayor Lori Lightfoot, “With this jury’s verdict, Ed Burke should rightfully be remembered as a man who elevated personal ambition and greed over doing the people’s work…I like to think somewhere, Harold [Washington] is smiling.”

Mayor Brandon Johnson appointed the commissioners of the Chicago Department of Transportation (CDOT), Department of Human Resources, and the Department of Water Management.

Lockport Police confirmed that at least one bus from El Paso discharged several dozen migrants at a Metra station in the southwest suburb Thursday. Meanwhile, the Tinley Park Village Board has enacted a new ordinance to discourage bus drivers from making unscheduled stops to drop off passengers.

“(Donald E.) Stephens and his son, Brad, have run the city for almost 70 years. It is perhaps America’s last true political machine…A bylaw reserves many jobs for residents. Some 236 city staff live locally—one for every seven households. Thus, the mayor, who knows everyone, directly controls the employment of a large share of his voters, few of whom will ever move.”

Though Judge Timothy Evans won’t talk about the findings of the PPP investigation of his office, other government agencies in Chicago have. A spokesman for Iris Martinez, clerk of the Cook County circuit court, said more than 50 of her employees were suspected of defrauding the program. Chicago Public Schools officials said 14 employees were out on the CPS inspector general’s recommendation. And City Hall Inspector General Deborah Witzburg said more than 1,000 PPP loans went to city employees and that many appeared to be fraudulent.

David Greising, of the Better Government Association: “Johnson has shown a willingness to change gears, which is appealing in its way. But the need for him to do so twice in as many weeks also is likely a warning that the upfront work he and his staff are doing is not where it needs to be.”