The big news yesterday was Gov. J.B. Pritzker's proposed budget. Today we break down exactly what was in it and how it might impact you. As you look toward the weekend, we've got some event picks.
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Gov. J.B. Pritzker delivers his budget address on Feb. 19, 2025. (Amanda Vinicky / WTTW News)
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Gov. J.B. Pritzker is making a pitch for a $55.2 billion state budget, a task made easier given an upward revision in revenue growth. Pritzker’s budget team provided a rosier projection of an extra $1.5 billion in revenue growth, meaning he has to cover a $1.7 billion budget gap to balance the budget, rather than the $3.2 billion deficit previously estimated.
Pritzker plans to cover the gap in part by bringing almost a half billion dollars more into the state’s coffers, not through general tax increases but by offering amnesty to delinquent taxpayers, increasing taxes on casino gaming — though Chicago is the sole casino exempt — and eliminating a deduction available to legal marijuana businesses.
While Pritzker has been steadfast in saying he’ll stand up for supporting immigrants as President Donald Trump prioritizes a widescale deportation effort, the governor also is proposing to eliminate medical coverage for non-citizen adults aged 42-65.
Some quotes:
“I’m proud to say this year’s budget proposal is balanced and responsible. It represents some hard sacrifices and moderated spending,” Pritzker said.
“You can’t believe any of these facts or figures that are coming out of the governor’s office,” Republican state Sen. Chapin Rose of Mahomet said on Tuesday, questioning the “miraculous” “crazy swing.”
A warning about Trump from Pritzker:
“If you think I’m overreacting and sound the alarm too soon, consider this: It took the Nazis one month, three weeks, two days, eight hours and 40 minutes to dismantle a constitutional republic,” Pritzker said. “All I’m saying is that when the five-alarm fire starts to burn, every good person better be ready to man a post with a bucket of water if you want to stop it from getting out of control."
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(WTTW News)
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Chicago taxpayers have spent $101.8 million since 2019 to resolve lawsuits brought by 26 people who were injured or on behalf of those killed during police pursuits, according to an analysis of city data by WTTW News.
The latest:
The Chicago City Council unanimously agreed Wednesday to pay $27 million to the family of a Chicago woman killed by a driver being chased by Chicago police, the latest massive settlement prompted by a police pursuit that violated department policy and ended with a bystander’s death.
Angela Parks, the mother of five children, suffered a broken neck and severed spinal column on Aug. 9, 2020, after being struck by an SUV fleeing from Chicago police while in the crosswalk at 31st Street and Wells Street in the Armour Square community area, records show. Parks, who never regained use of her arms or legs after the crash, died 18 months after the crash in February 2022.
Has it always been like this?
No. The cost of resolving police pursuits has escalated significantly since 2019, while the Chicago Police Department has been subject to a federal court order to change the way it trains, supervises and disciplines officers, according to the WTTW News analysis. Between 2008 and 2018, Chicago taxpayers spent just $30 million to resolve 52 claims and lawsuits stemming from police pursuits, city records show.
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(Patty Wetli / WTTW News)
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Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie in Will County is the site where an ambitious 1,300-acre restoration recently kicked off. It's been a year after a $1.5 million grant was announced to fund the project's first phase. While contractors like Homer Tree Care were full speed ahead doing the work, it all came to a halt this month.
On Feb. 11, Emily Reusswig, vice president of conservation and policy at Openlands, the lead grantee on the Midewin project, received an email from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, which is administering the $1.5 million America the Beautiful Challenge grant on behalf of the U.S. Forest Service. The funding account associated with the grant, the email stated, had been frozen at the federal level, part of a broader clampdown by the Trump Administration. In short, bills would not be paid.
There's now a backlog of $475,000 in unpaid invoices owed to contractors on the project.
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More From WTTW News
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Researchers and professors at the University of Illinois at Chicago on Wednesday warned federal funding cuts proposed under the Trump Administration would be devastating.
City Council voted 21–28 to reject a push to lower Chicago’s default speed limit to 25 mph
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Back in the Day: February 20, 1995 - Smashing Pumpkins Debut 26 New Songs at Double Door
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At the beginning of 1995, Chicago alt-rock band the Smashing Pumpkins were working on what would become their best-selling album “Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness,” a 28-song LP that frontman Billy Corgan referred to as “[Pink Floyd’s] ‘The Wall’ for Generation X.” Before the group entered the studio to record the new material, they decided to debut it live at Chicago’s intimate Double Door venue. On this day 30 years ago, the band started a four-show residency. Out of a 30-song setlist from that night, 26 of those had never been performed live before, including “Tonight, Tonight.” Then-Sun-Times critic Jim Derogatis, who was banned from the shows for a somewhat negative review of the Pumpkins’ full-length “Siamese Dream,” still reported on the show from a lawn chair outside the Wicker Park concert space. According to another report, during one of the four shows Smashing Pumpkins played that month, Corgan told the audience, “You can scream all you want for your old favorites, but we're not going to play any.“ “Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness” would be released on Oct. 23, 1995.
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This Week’s Arts and Culture Events
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Each Thursday, WTTW News arts correspondent Marc Vitali highlights Chicago’s must-see cultural events.
A gentle reminder: it is important to embrace the culture and free expression that define us as Chicagoans and Americans. In other words, buy a ticket and see a show. Here are three to consider:
African American Movie Posters – Koehnline Museum of Art
This small museum at Oakton Community College in Des Plaines is a reliable source of intriguing exhibitions. Here, they celebrate Black History Month with a show of African American movie posters. Original posters from the Black movie industry include “Prison Bait (1939) and “House-Rent Party” (1946). Feb 21- March 28
Arts of Life, 25th Anniversary party and book launch – Seven Star
Arts of Life has supported artists with disabilities since 2000. They celebrate 25 years of their mission at a Rogers Park venue with the launch of a new book “2wenty 5ive – Arts of Life.” It’s a place to find affordable visual art and support an uncommon artistic community. Sat. Feb. 22, 1-4 p.m.
“Our Story is One” – Ukrainian Institute of Modern Art
Another modest museum with thoughtful exhibitions, the Ukrainian Institute of Modern Art here presents “Our Story is One.” Intimate oil paintings and artifacts by artist Maryam Safajoo depict her family’s firsthand experience of persecution as members of Iran’s Baha’i community. Through April 11.
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Do you believe in Chicago's 'dibs' tradition? Why or why not?
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Email DailyChicagoan@wttw.com with your responses and your answers might be published.
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