Illinois Politics

Liam Stanton is reflecting on his bid for Chicago mayor. And, a new immigration center bill is heading to Gov. JB Pritzker's desk for consideration. We break it all down.

A new bill heading to the governor's desk would ban new immigration detention centers from being built near Illinois homes, schools and churches. Sen. Kimberly Lightford joins us.

Rep. Martin McLaughlin has a new proposal for the Bears stadium bill. 

First time candidate Liam Stanton launched his bid for Chicago mayor back in February. He's a businessman who has been active on social media, advertising his campaign. He joins us and reflects on some of his ideas.

Fox Chicago's Sammy Panayotovich talks potential legislation that could prevent the Bears stadium move to Indiana.

An Illinois state representative plans to introduce legislation aimed at keeping the Chicago Bears in Illinois after the team announced it is moving forward with plans for a potential new stadium development in northwest Indiana.

Chicago saw a violent weekend after reported shootings in the Lincoln Park and Bronzeville neighborhoods. And one year later, questions still remain in the Chicago police officer Krystal Rivera investigation. All this and more on "The Chicago Report." 

A Chicago Tribune investigation into a local plastic surgeon may lead to changes in the law. According to the Tribune, Dr. Ayoub Sayeg has been under investigation since 2020 after multiple patient deaths in a seven-year span. Tribune reporter Gregory Pratt joins us.

One year after the death of Chicago police officer Krystal Rivera, her family's attorney says they're still waiting for answers. The legal team representing Rivera's family is accusing the Chicago Police Department of stonewalling its civil investigation. 

43rd Ward Alderman Timmy Knudsen joins "The Chicago Report" to talk about the recent uptick in violence after recent shootings that occurred in Lincoln Park and Bronzeville.

The POWER Act, which would have regulated data centers in Illinois, failed to advance before the legislative deadline, leaving pending projects without new state guardrails. Meanwhile, Gov. J.B. Pritzker has paused data center tax incentives and is pushing for stricter standards on energy use, water consumption and community impact. Joining us to discuss the implications is Jen Walling, executive director of the Illinois Environmental Council.

Gov. Pritzker's Republican gubernatorial opponent Darren Bailey is weighing in after the Bears announced their stadium plans for Hammond, Indiana on Friday. 

We checked in with State Senator Willie Preston, as the megaprojects bill was making it's way out of the house to the senate.  We're bringing him back tonight, with this latest development.

A hot dog stand, is at the center of a public safety debate in Pilsen. We have Andrew Fox of the East Pilsen neighbors group here in the studio to tell us how they plan to push back. 

With the city budget finalized advocates are turning their attention to making the Clean Slate Act a reality.  The budget dedicates $5.6 million to automatically clear criminal records for nearly 2.2 million eligible Illinoisans.  The interfaith nonprofit Live Free Illinois will lead the timeline for implementation, and they are hosting regional workshops starting this week to help families navigate the new rollout.  Reverend Ciera Bates-Chamberlain and Marvin Treadwell a site leader for a community healing resource center in Morgan Park are here with me now.

The drama continues at city hall after a walkout derailed a vote yesterday.  The public safety committee had enough members for voting at a meeting initially, but after Alderman Gilbert Villegas introduced an ordinance to stiffen penalties for selling drugs near schools. An alderman left the room. That broke quorum.  And it also thereby killed a planned discussion on a ShotSpotter replacement and a new UChicago study on response times.  Alderman Villegas is accusing Mayor Johnson of pulling the strings behind the scenes, to tank his ordinance.

A hot dog stand, is at the center of a public safety debate in Pilsen. 

  There are concerns about the growing use of high speed electric bikes and scooters across the state.    So state leaders are now pushing new legislation that they say is long overdue. Sylvia has the latest on a new bill waiting for the governor's signature.