It’s Thursday. Here’s the latest on the incarcerated men still at Stateville prison, a state-led initiative to erase medical debt, and more.
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Stateville Correctional Center is pictured in a file photo. (Andrew Campbell / Capitol News Illinois)
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In August, a federal judge ordered that most of Stateville Correctional Center’s population be transferred to other prisons due to derelict conditions. But one section was excluded because it “does not exhibit the risks of falling concrete that exists in the general housing units”: the health care unit.
In a letter to WTTW News, one of the men incarcerated there said they were told they’d be housed in that unit for two to four months to receive medical care, with some needing dialysis. But five months later, some of the last 21 men still housed there are living in what another man described as “third-world conditions.”
Here's what they allege:
The men wrote that they’re “kept in cells under segregation conditions with no recreational activities” and outside time “consisting of simply going outside being yard statues or ornaments” without weights or basketball courts. They don’t have a law library, educational programs or time in the chapel. And they’re getting the same food for lunch and dinner up to three days in a row, with some meals not medically prescribed.
More on the lawsuit:
Disability rights group Equip for Equality filed a lawsuit against Latoya Hughes, acting director of the Illinois Department of Corrections, alleging that she violated the Americans With Disabilities Act and the Rehabilitation Act by holding the men inside in “unduly restrictive and isolating conditions compared to prisoners without disabilities, because of their disabilities.” The lawsuit also alleges she deprived the men inside of programs otherwise available because of their disabilities.
IDOC did not respond to a request for comment.
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Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker speaks during a news conference on Feb. 26, 2025. (Courtesy of Office of the Governor live stream)
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A statewide medical debt relief pilot program has erased more than $345 million in medical debt for nearly 270,000 Illinoisans since its launch last year. The Illinois Medical Debt Relief Pilot Program, modeled after a Cook County medical debt relief program, aims to erase $1 billion in medical debt for residents statewide.
In the third and latest round of relief, the program erased more than $220 million in medical debt for approximately 170,000 individuals in the state. Recipients should receive letters in the mail within two weeks, according to Elizabeth Whitehorn, director of the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services, which administers the program.
“We started this program with a simple premise: In a healthy and functioning society, no one should fall into financial ruin simply because they got sick,” Gov. J.B. Pritzker said during a news conference.
How does it work?
The state partners with the national nonprofit Undue Medical Debt to implement the program. The nonprofit uses state funds to buy the medical debt in bulk for a fraction of the face value from hospitals, health systems and collection agencies. After the debt is acquired, it is then erased at no cost to individuals.
Illinois has spent about $2 million on the program to relieve a total of $345 million in debt for residents, according to a Wednesday news release.
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(WTTW News)
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By this time next year, Illinois will no longer charge a tax on groceries — a move Gov. J.B. Pritzker has gone out of his way to highlight, such as in his annual marquee budget address last week when he said “we lowered taxes on parents when we enacted the Child Tax Credit and permanently eliminated the state grocery tax — together saving Illinoisans more than half a billion dollars per year.” But Illinois is also giving municipalities the ability to reinstitute the 1% grocery tax locally starting in January, when the state one disappears. Municipalities are now asking the state to give them more taxing authority, including for all municipalities’ elected officials to be
able to enact a local sales tax on motor fuel to fund road and infrastructure improvements. While in Springfield on Tuesday to introduce the organization’s agenda for the legislative session, Illinois Municipal League CEO Brad Cole said so far, nearly 60 communities have voted to implement a local grocery tax, though he couldn’t immediately provide a list of which.
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More From WTTW News
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The Chicago City Council voted 26-23 to borrow $830M to repair Chicago’s crumbling streets, sidewalks and bridges.
A Chicago man who has been incarcerated since he was 17 when he was first accused of murder is now facing new charges alleging he fatally shot five other people throughout the city, all in 2020.
Chicago Park District CEO Rosa Escareño resigns.
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Back in the Day: February 27, 2005 - “Kanye West Day” Declared in Chicago
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File this “Back in the Day” under “things that didn’t age well.” On this day 20 years ago, the city celebrated what Mayor Richard M. Daley declared “Kanye West Day.” The Chicago-raised rapper and producer attended a tribute show to his music at the House of Blues. Organized by WGCI-FM 107.5 radio, the concert included local artists performing songs off West’s breakthrough album “The College Dropout.” In a prerecorded video message then-hip-hop mogul and current-alleged sex trafficker P. Diddy said, “Martin Luther King has a day. The presidents have a day. Jesus has a day. Now Kanye West has a day.” Today, while West boasts 24 Grammys and several critically
acclaimed albums, his legacy is marred by antisemitic online outbursts, failed presidential campaigns and purchasing Super Bowl ad space to sell T-shirts adorned with swastikas.
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This Week’s Arts and Culture Events
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Every Thursday, WTTW News arts correspondent Marc Vitali highlights the city’s must-see cultural events.
Say farewell to February and welcome March by embracing the seemingly limitless choices we have in the Chicago area. Don’t take ‘em for granted — if we lived in a small town, we’d have few options for art and culture. Luckily we reside in the metropolis of the Midwest, so make big plans.
“Winter Jazz Fair/Tribute to Quincy Jones” – Fine Arts Building
A great lineup of free jazz on different floors of the Fine Arts Building, including a tribute to a true musical legend, Quincy Jones (a ticketed event that supports the Jazz Institute of Chicago). The Clif Wallace Big Band performs the wide-ranging music of the Chicago-born Quincy Delight Jones Jr. Friday, Feb. 28
“Waitress” – Paramount Theatre, Aurora
The Chicago-area premiere of the hit Broadway musical is now on the menu at Aurora’s Paramount Theatre. An uplifting tale of an underdog, “Waitress” features music and lyrics by Grammy winner Sara Bareilles — including the soaring and beautiful ballad “She Used to Be Mine.” Through March 30
“Bob Marley’s Three Little Birds” – Greenhouse Theater
Stories of Jamaica fill this reggae musical for kids and families. The one-hour show presented by Young People’s Theatre of Chicago features Bob Marley classics including “Stir It Up,” “One Love” and the title song. This is the last weekend to catch it at the Greenhouse Theater in Lincoln Park. Through March 2
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The Oscars are on Sunday. What was the best movie you've seen recently?
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Email DailyChicagoan@wttw.com with your responses and your answers might be published.
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Chicago's Board of Education is set to vote on a resolution to save four of the Acero charter schools slated for closure. We’re live with the latest.
And local undocumented parents share their fears about sending their kids to school amid mass deportations.
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Newsletter Producer: Josh Terry
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