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‘Granny flats’ may be the answer to affordable housing in Chicago — but they’re illegal

A family stands on the balcony of their home

by Alex Nitkin for ILLINOIS ANSWERS PROJECT CHICAGO — For most new parents, finding last-minute child care usually means an afternoon of frantic phone calls and around $100 dropped on a trusted babysitter. For Brian and Fiona Peterman, it means walking across their backyard. In 2021, Fiona’s mother, Louise D’Agostino, was scanning pricey apartments near Brian and Fiona’s Lakeview home so she could live closer to them after she retired — until Brian learned about a new city program that would let the family build a second, smaller house on their own property.

Written on 6.13.2025.

The first cut is the deepest: RTA warns some transit impacts may be unavoidable, even if the state comes through with a bailout

This post is sponsored by Ride Illinois,

In the wake of #TransitFundingIndecision2025, the Illinois General Assembly’s failure to pass a funding and reform bill by the end of the spring legislation session, the possibility of a bailout for Chicagoland transit is far from certain. The CTA, Metra, and Pace need $771 million to fill a projected 2026 budget gap, or else the consequences could be 40 percent service cuts and 3,000 layoffs.

Written on 6.13.2025.

Michael Madigan due in court Friday for sentencing on corruption convictions

A federal judge is expected to sentence former Illinois House Speaker <a class="Link" href="https://chicago.suntimes.com/madigan-trial-news" target="_blank" >Michael J. Madigan</a> on Friday for multiple corruption convictions involving the abuse of an office he held for decades.A jury in February <a class="Link" href="https://chicago.suntimes.com/madigan-trial-news/mike-madigan-guilty-verdict" target="_blank" >convicted Madigan on 10 criminal counts</a>, including bribery conspiracy, wire fraud and other crimes. The jury delivered its verdict at the end of a four-month trial featuring more than 60 witnesses.

Written on 6.13.2025.

Edwin C. Yohnka: ICE officers should not be allowed to wear masks

Last year, students on college and university campuses across the country gathered to protest military actions by Israel against Palestinians in Gaza. Fearing retribution and targeting by universities, police and others for their speech, many of the students donned masks to cover their faces. In response, state and local legislators introduced measures to ban anyone from wearing a mask while engaging in First Amendment protected activity.

Written on 6.13.2025.

Editorial: Chicago’s Springfield delegation socks it to the city’s taxpayers with reckless pension bill

The fiscal hits just keep coming for Chicago, this time courtesy of the city’s representatives and senators in Springfield.

The latest fiasco played out in the final hours of the General Assembly’s spring session, with the passage of legislation sweetening pension benefits for Chicago police and firefighters hired beginning in 2011, the first year of less generous “Tier 2” benefits ironically meant to help the state and municipalities close their yawning pension deficits.

Written on 6.13.2025.

How JB Pritzker’s faith and Holocaust work are powering his dire warnings about Trump

As he walks through the Illinois Holocaust Museum & Education Center he helped create, Gov. JB Pritzker pauses in the very first exhibit.

The narrow hall of photos and headlines about the Nazis’ rise to power isn’t as emotionally heavy as other parts of the museum, like the German railcar of the kind used to deport people to the concentration camps, or the room of remembrance, which lists the names of some of the 6 million Jews murdered by the Nazis.

Written on 6.13.2025.

DraftKings Putting 50-Cent Fee on Illinois Sports Bets, Joins FanDuel – Covers.com

DraftKings Putting 50-Cent Fee on Illinois Sports Bets, Joins FanDuel

DraftKings, like FanDuel, plans to charge its customers a 50-cent fee in response to the per-bet tax Illinois lawmakers recently approved.

Jun 12, 2025 • 18:19 ET
• 2 min read

Photo By – Imagn Images. Chicago Cubs outfielder Kyle Tucker (30) hits an RBI single.

Written on 6.13.2025.

Pritzker, Johnson and the Trump factor

Originally published on this site

Written on 6.12.2025.

Pritzker defends Illinois’ immigration laws in theatrical congressional hearing

Capitol News Illinois

JB Pritzker speaks before the committee

Gov. JB Pritzker spent hours Thursday defending his governing record and Illinois’ immigration policies as he was peppered with questions from members of the U.S. House Oversight Committee.
Pritzker and Democratic governors Kathy Hochul of New York and Tim Walz of Minnesota were summoned to Washington, D.C., by committee Chair James Comer, R-Ky.,

Written on 6.12.2025.

Raoul’s office to receive $15.7M budget increase for operations

Capitol News Illinois

Kwame Raoul & Omar Aquino

SPRINGFIELD – In a year when many state agencies received little or no funding increase, state lawmakers this year approved an increase of $15.7 million, or 22.4%, for general operating expenses in Attorney General Kwame Raoul’s office.
That General Revenue Fund increase is significantly more than some other constitutional officers received for their operating expenses in the upcoming fiscal year.

Written on 6.12.2025.

Capitol View | June 12, 2025

WSIU’s Jeff Williams discusses Illinois politics with Charlie Wheeler and Peter Hancock.

Originally published on this site

Written on 6.12.2025.

Pension change boon to Chicago police officers, firefighters, but additional hit to taxpayers

Last-minute changes approved by Illinois lawmakers in the waning days of the session will cost Chicago taxpayers tens of millions of dollars in their first year and billions over time by giving some police officers and firefighters more lucrative pensions.

Lead sponsor Sen. Robert Martwick, a Chicago Democrat, told the Tribune the tweaks were a negotiated fix agreed to by Mayor Brandon Johnson and Gov.

Written on 6.12.2025.

Jim Dey | Bill to boost legal services to indigent on governor’s desk – The News-Gazette

Illinois legislators have created a new statewide public defender’s office, but it’s going to take a while to sort out the details.

They put the finishing touches on the “Funded Advocacy & Independent Representation (FAIR) Act” on May 31, the last day the legislature met in its spring session.

The bill now goes to Gov. J.B.

Written on 6.12.2025.

Giannoulias accuses Texas of illegally accessing Mount Prospect license plate data in abortion case

Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias accused Texas law enforcement of illegally accessing automated license plate reader data in Mount Prospect while searching for a woman who had an abortion.

Giannoulias said in May, Texas authorities searched more than 83,000 automatic license plate reader cameras nationwide to find a woman they said had given herself an abortion.

Written on 6.12.2025.

Illinois lawmakers continue to make a case to bail out mass transit

(The Center Square) – Despite failing to get a mass transit funding package passed in the Illinois legislature this spring, some lawmakers continue to present their case.

As the mass transit agencies paint a bleak picture regarding the fiscal cliff in 2026, a funding package appears far from the finish line. The Regional Transportation Authority (RTA) said it needs $770 million to keep the systems in the Chicago area running as usual.

Written on 6.12.2025.

Illinois’ sports betting tax means all bets are off – Reason Magazine

As the sports betting industry explodes in popularity, Illinois is set to slow its momentum.

As part of a $55.2 billion state budget package full of tax hikes, Illinois lawmakers passed a new tax on online sports wagering. Under the guise of filling a roughly $1 billion shortfall, the move imposes a new per-wager tax of 25 cents on the first 20 million online sports bets each fiscal year, doubling to 50 cents per bet after.

Written on 6.12.2025.

Illinois Gov JB Pritzker grilled over trans bathroom tweet

Gov. JB Pritzker was grilled Tuesday over a tweet he posted in 2017 saying “As a protest against Trump’s rescinding protections for trans kids, everyone should use the other gender’s bathroom today!” Rep. Brandon Gill (R-Texas) had dredged up the old tweet from Pritzker during a heated House Oversight Committee hearing with sanctuary state governors.

#jbpritzker #transgender #brandongill

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Written on 6.12.2025.

Watch: Pritzker says ICE shouldn’t be abolished, calls gender identity questions “political circus”

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker testified before the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee and suggested ICE shouldn’t be abolished. Pritzker was also questioned about gender identity and donations to a Muslim advocacy group.

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Written on 6.12.2025.

Chicago area transit providers plan for service cuts amid funding uncertainty

Metra riders in downtown Downers Grove wait for the BNSF Line train to leave the station. (Photos by Igor Studenkov/For Chronicle Media)

After the bill that would have bailed out Chicago area transit agencies failed to clear both chambers of the Illinois General Assembly, CTA, Metra, Pace and RTA were left with no choice but to start planning for cuts.

Written on 6.12.2025.

Gov. JB Pritzker grilled on sanctuary state policies – here are the facts

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker and New York Gov. Kathy Hochul are sworn in during a House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform hearing, Thursday, June 12, 2025, at the U.S. Capitol in Washington.
Amid a week of protests in Chicago and across the country, U.S. Rep. James Comer, R-Ky, chair of the House Oversight committee, began today’s hearing on state sanctuary policies accusing the governors of Illinois, Michigan and Minnesota of “willfully” ignoring federal law on immigration.But immigration advocates in Chicago and Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker dispute that.“Illinois follows the law,” Pritzker said in his opening statement.

Written on 6.12.2025.

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