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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.
Senate Bill 2873, introduced by state Sen. Mike Simmons, would create the Illinois Health Services Program, a single, state‑administered health care system designed to replace most private insurance and expand access to care statewide. Eligibility under the plan is based solely on residency, not citizenship or immigration status.
A federal judge wrote that such rejections had been “virtually unheard of” in Chicago “until Operation Midway Blitz” last year, when grand jurors refused to hand up indictments against three known defendants charged while opposing the deportation campaign.
The pending state case that had Donald Dailey, 32, on the ankle monitor stems from an arrest last May by Chicago police, who charged him with possessing a stolen firearm and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. The ATF agent alleged that Dailey was wearing the monitor during the gun sales.
The lawsuit details the Oct. 3 encounter, which took place at Humboldt Park Health, after Fuentes was summoned by rapid response group members after ICE agents chased and arrested a man working at a nearby construction site.
The agreement also calls for the city to build or rehabilitate 2,000 new affordable units accessible to those with limited mobility as well as an additional 840 new affordable units accessible for Chicagoans with limited hearing and sight during the next 12 years, according Managing Deputy Corporation Counsel John Hendricks.
The new Regional Transit Task Force is a partnership between her office, the Cook County Sheriff’s Office, the Chicago Police Department, CTA, Metra, Pace, and several federal agencies, including the U.S. Attorney’s Office, FBI, DEA, and ATF.
The mayor wants the city — not Springfield — to control the Illinois Sports Facilities Authority, the agency that finances public stadiums. That would give Chicago more autonomy over how public stadium money is spent. It’s unlikely lawmakers would surrender that authority.
When asked if he would consider suspending his state’s gas tax, Pritzker said Illinois is a transportation hub and must be careful. “When we stop investing in our roads and our bridges and our water ports and our airports, that’s bad for our overall economy, so we have to weigh those things,” Pritzker said.
Gov. JB Pritzker also criticized the Chicago mayor when he was asked about Brandon Johnson’s suggestion that the city of Chicago could take over the Illinois Sports Facilities Authority. “We’ve seen almost nothing out of the mayoral administration here on that subject or really any other, so to show up in May and have a bunch of demands seems like late in the game, and it’s unfortunate that’s happened most years,” Pritzker said.
Nicor’s spending has significantly increased since 2015 – mostly attributed to a state law that required the replacement of old delivery pipes. Despite the law’s sunset and all replacements having been completed by 2018, critics say the company’s spending has only continued to trend upward.
State Rep. Tom Weber said he was unaware of there being any issue related to restrooms or menstrual products for women on work sites, despite having worked in the industry. Weber also pushed back on the narrative that the bill would be exclusively beneficial.
“The crisis stems from three converging pressures: Collapsing enrollment, the expiration of federal COVID-19 relief funds, and a teachers’ contract whose costs the district cannot sustain. Compounding the problem is the city’s own fiscal stress, which would severely limit Chicago’s ability to rescue the school district.”
“Too much time got wasted by Democrats when we were in control. We should move swiftly in 2029 and boldly to refocus on working families and the most vulnerable, the middle class, and to swiftly enact universal health care, to swiftly enact hiking the minimum wage, and think more broadly about how we make people’s lives easier. We can no longer move incrementally.”
When prosecutors ask a judge to detain someone during their first appearance on a new felony charge at the Leighton Criminal Courthouse in Chicago, the judge will side with prosecutors nearly 7 out of 10 times. That is, unless prosecutors are asking Judge D’Anthony Thedford.
In a statement, Illinois State Police Chief Public Information Officer Melaney Arnold said, “ISP may use image matching for an active or ongoing criminal investigation, to mitigate an imminent threat to health or safety, or when there is reasonable suspicion an identifiable individual has committed a criminal offense or is involved in or planning criminal activity, including terrorism, that presents a threat to any individual, the community, or the nation.”
Most recently, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul has said she also intends to opt her state in to the program as she is “supportive of the federal tax credit scholarship and its potential to help New York students and schools.” Colorado Gov. Jared Polis plans to opt his state into program, calling it a no-brainer.
The move is good news for students Peoria Public Schools, where 71 percent of third through eighth graders couldn’t read at grade level in the most recent state data.
“Illinois can’t tax or subsidize its way out of decline; the state’s survival depends on reversing mass immigration and restoring an American majority.”
House Bill 5776 would impose a 4 percent excise tax on short-term rentals across Illinois, with the money dedicated to a new Community Land Trust Fund to support affordable housing initiatives. The money would be used for development, staffing and technical assistance for community land trusts, which aim to create permanently affordable housing.
“Chicago is already the nation’s most desirable destination for recent college graduates, and more affordable housing options will only increase our appeal. By attracting these energetic new residents and supporting our existing ones, we can turbocharge the city’s growth. I’ve said before we can conservatively fit 400,000 more people in Chicago — but why make little plans?”
The ages of the victims range from 19 to 55, according to Chicago police.
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