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McLaughlin and Local Mayors to Discuss Pritzker’s Zoning Proposals Coming to Local Government Thursday

February 25, 2026 by Barrington Hills Observer

Who: State Representatives Martin McLaughlin (R-Barrington Hills), Mayors and Administration from communities of South Barrington, North Barrington, & Lake Barrington (Not Barrington Hills??).

What: This press conference will address Governor Pritzker’s recently proposed efforts to drastically change zoning authority at the municipal level. The Representative and Mayors will discuss how these proposals directly impact the ability of municipalities to govern and plan for your communities.

When: Thursday, February 26, 2026 at 2PM

Where: Village of South Barrington Village Hall | 30 Barrington Rd., South Barrington, IL 60010

With questions, please call Mark Revis at 815-557-0252

Related: “Pritzker to propose statewide zoning laws to spur homebuilding, limit local control”

Posted in Commodius Maximus, Dinky, Land Use, Lennie, Plan Commission, Politics, Press Release, Pritzker’s Rules of Order, Privacy, Property Taxes, Public Safety, Real Estate, South Barrington, Springfield, Taxes, Village Code, Village President, WTF, Zoning Board | Leave a Comment »

Editorial: Conservatives aren’t the only ones saying Democrats have a public-sector union problem

February 25, 2026 by Barrington Hills Observer

Mayor Brandon Johnson answers questions during a press conference on the fifth floor of City Hall on Feb. 3, 2026. (Eileen T. Meslar/Chicago Tribune)

By The Editorial Board | Chicago Tribune

For years now, conservative voices have railed against the outsize influence of public-sector unions on the running of American cities, with Chicago serving as one of the leading examples. Now, more left-of-center voices are sounding the alarm and saying the stakes for Democrats in charge of America’s largest cities couldn’t be higher.

The highest-profile recent example came Sunday when CNN’s Fareed Zakaria, who hosts a thoughtful Sunday show on issues of the day, aired a segment on blue cities. Pegged off New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s recent $126 billion budget, Zakaria made a stark pronouncement: “Blue cities are out of control. Promising more, spending more, delivering less and pushing off the fiscal problems to some future date.”

Sound like any city you know?

Zakaria isn’t a journalist who routinely trots out Heritage Foundation talking points. He’s a frequent and effective critic of Donald Trump.

He’s not alone. The New York Times on Monday published an op-ed by Nicholas Bagley, law professor at the University of Michigan, and Harvard visiting fellow Robert Gordon headlined, “Mamdani Will Need to Change How He Governs.” The two identify the generous pension benefits city workers receive as a key reason city taxpayers can’t afford their own municipal governments. “The question is whether one segment of workers should retire with greater security than others, at the expense of services the public depends on,” they wrote.

A rhetorical question. No reasonable person (other than maybe the members of these unions) could be in favor of that.

In other words, Democrats, the call now is coming from inside the house.

This page has been making these same arguments for years, so we quote from these sources (and there are others in the center-left lane we could cite) merely to say the alarm bells are ringing ever more shrilly for Democratic politicians like Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and, yes, Gov. JB Pritzker. Both continue to saddle taxpayers of the future with paying for the exorbitant promises of today.

Editorial continues here.

Posted in Chicago Tribune, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI), Look For The Union Label, OP/Ed, Overhead, Pension Funding, Politics, Pritzker’s Rules of Order, Property Taxes, Springfield, Taxes, Unions | Leave a Comment »

New residential development floated for Barrington’s Golden Triangle

February 24, 2026 by Barrington Hills Observer

Rendering of The Residences at Liberty Commons | Courtesy of the Barrington Development Co.

By Steve Zalusky | Daily Herald

Barrington’s Golden Triangle could be the site for another large residential development.

Michael Fleck and Nick Marrocco of the Barrington Development Co. unveiled the concept for The Residences at Liberty Commons before village trustees Monday night.

The proposal for the estimated $100 million project comes as another portion of Barrington’s Redevelopment Area #1, also known as the Golden Triangle, will undergo a facelift with a retail and residential project in the works by Joe Taylor III of Compasspoint Development.

Fleck and Marrocco, who founded Gateway Development Partners in 2012, have assembled eight parcels near the corner of Liberty and Hough streets.

The proposed site plan for The Residences at Liberty Commons | Courtesy of the Barrington Development Co.

“I really love this community. It’s wonderful. The schools are great, but I think there could be some more vibrancy to downtown,” Fleck said.

“We need to bring some density and multifamily to support the downtown area,” he said, emphasizing the transit-oriented nature of the project.

It is a half mile from the train station and within walking distance of downtown.

Article continues here.

Posted in 220, Daily Herald, EJ&E/Canadian National, Property Taxes, Real Estate, School Districts | Leave a Comment »

Barrington Area Council of Governments meets tonight

February 24, 2026 by Barrington Hills Observer

The Barrington Area Council of Governments (BACOG) Executive Board is scheduled to meet this evening beginning at 6:00 PM at the Village of Barrington, 200 South Hough St. Their meetings include:

  • 6:00 – Legislative
  • 7:00 – Executive Board

Meeting agendas are not posted by BACOG, but their website does state, “Copies of approved minutes for BACOG committee and executive board meetings are available upon request. Please submit requests by email to bacog@bacog.org.

Posted in BACOG, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI), Ethics, Open Meetings Act, Overhead, Politics, Property Taxes, Taxes | Leave a Comment »

Forest Preserves of Cook County February 2026 Newsletter

February 24, 2026 by Barrington Hills Observer

Horned larks (Eremophila alpestris) are hardy ground-dwelling birds often spotted in open fields during winter. Their tiny feather tufts, which resemble horns, give them their distinctive name. | Horned Lark, Photo by: Edward Boe

In this Issue:

  • Crack, Snap & Pop: The Surprising Sounds of Winter in the Forest Preserves
  • Lunar New Year Finds a Home in the Forest Preserves
  • Rooted in Resilience: Celebrate Black History Month Across Cook County
  • Language is Not a Barrier in the Forest Preserves; Chicago Botanic Garden’s Annual Orchid Show Opens; Don’t Miss Your Chance to Join a Conservation Corps Program; Step Onto the Ice for a Winter Fishing Adventure; The Foundation Offers Creative Way to Show Your Love
  • Upcoming Events & Programs
  • Volunteer Opportunities: Calling Frog Survey

You can find the newsletter here.

Posted in Crabtree Nature Center, FPDCC, Horizon Farm | Leave a Comment »

‘So Proud to Be American’: Jack Hughes and the New Miracle on Ice

February 23, 2026 by Barrington Hills Observer

MILAN, ITALY: Jack Hughes of Team USA celebrates after winning the Gold Medal hockey match between Canada and the United States on day 16 of the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic games. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)

By Washington Free Beacon Editors

What an end to the 2026 Olympic Games for Team USA. On the final day of competition in Milan, Italy, the Americans defeated the Canadians in an overtime, sudden-death, gold-medal game. Twenty-four-year-old Jack Hughes scored the winning goal. It was particularly sweet, and amazing, because in the third period he had his face bashed in so brutally that the Canadian thug who did it was assessed a double penalty.

“I looked on the ice and saw my teeth,” Hughes said after the game. The picture of Hughes celebrating with an American flag and a smile with a dark, bloody gap where his central incisors used to be belongs on the cover of Sports Illustrated, Time magazine, a Wheaties box—whatever. It’s a new miracle on ice.

The phrase is, of course, reminiscent of 1980, when an American team of ragtag amateurs defeated the four-time consecutive gold medalist Soviet Union, a team composed of professional players, and went on to defeat Finland to take the gold. Canada isn’t as evil as the Soviet Union was, though there have been moments recently, such as the January 16, 2026, Canadian government press release from Beijing headlined, “Prime Minister Carney forges new strategic partnership with the People’s Republic of China,” when it has seemed ominously hostile. (For the record, the final medal count in the Winter Olympics had the United States with 33 medals total and China with 15.)

The hockey boys’ Milan medal is particularly resonant for America’s Jewish community. Jack Hughes and brother Quinn, also a member of Team USA, are Jewish. They were Bar Mitzvahed. Their mother, Ellen Weinberg-Hughes, was a member of the U.S. Women’s National Team and served as player development coach for the U.S. Women’s Team that also won gold in Milan. As Sequoia Capital partner Shaun Maguire put it in a post on X, “For the last year there has been a whole lot of ‘just asking questions’ about Jewish Americans loyalty … Jack Hughes (Jewish) is the perfect metaphor. Taking a stick to the face to win Team USA gold against Canada. Then spouting pure patriotism.”

The reference was to Jack Hughes’s immediate postgame interview:

“This is all about our country right now. I love the USA. … I’m so proud to be American today. … Just a ballsy, gutsy win. That’s American hockey right there. … We’re USA. We’re so proud to be Americans. This night was all for our country. … We’re so proud to win for our country.”

Article continues here.

Posted in OP/Ed, Politics, Press Release, The Washington Free Beacon | 1 Comment »

Village Board of Trustees meets Monday

February 22, 2026 by Barrington Hills Observer

The Village Board of Trustees will be conducting their regular monthly meeting tomorrow evening, February 23rd, beginning at 6:30 PM. Topics on their agenda include:

PUBLIC HEARING

PUBLIC MEETING

A copy of their agenda can be viewed and downloaded here.

Posted in Aunt Blabby, Building Department, Dumb and Dumber, ePacket Agendas, Ethics, Finance Committee, Financial Reports, Insurance Committee, Intergovernmental agreements (IGA), Little Duck Butt, Minutes, Pension Funding, Plan Commission, Police Pension Board, Police Reports, Politics, Property Taxes, Public Hearing, Public Safety, Real Estate, Roads & Bridges Committee, Taxes, Unions, VBHPD, Village Attorney, Village Board, Village Clerk, Village Code, Village Director of Administration, Village Engineer, Village Government, Village President, Village Treasurer, Zoning Board | 1 Comment »

Pritzker suggests no matter how Indiana vs. Illinois fight goes, new Bears home won’t be in Chicago

February 21, 2026 by Barrington Hills Observer

Gov. JB Pritzker answers questions after a roundtable about housing in his ceremonial office following his annual State of the State and budget address, Feb. 18, 2026, at the Illinois State Capitol in Springfield. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune)

By Olivia Olander | Chicago Tribune

As Indiana and Illinois lawmakers spar over where the Chicago Bears should build a new stadium, even Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker acknowledged Friday that the team’s next home is unlikely to rise within Chicago’s city limits.

“I think now there’s a common understanding by most of the (Illinois) General Assembly that they’re not going to be able to build in the city of Chicago,” Pritzker said.

Pritzker’s pronouncement came a day after Indiana lawmakers took another step toward potentially luring the Chicago Bears across the border to Hammond, as a key Indiana House committee approved a plan to create an agency that would build a new stadium for the team.

The vote more firmly pits Indiana versus Illinois as the Bears weigh a move from Soldier Field, their home for more than half a century. And given the lack of movement on any stadium projects near Soldier Field or elsewhere in Chicago, Pritzker’s latest comments suggest that Illinois’ only viable option is the land the Bears own in northwest suburban Arlington Heights.

“For at least a year and a half, there has been a significant effort by the Bears as well as by Chicago lawmakers and others to try to figure out if the Bears could build what they need to build in the city of Chicago,” Pritzker said Friday. “They looked, and they, I think, gave the old college try, so to speak, to try to find a place within the city of Chicago, and they couldn’t.”

Article continues here.

Posted in Chicago Tribune, Elections, Entertainment, Politics, Pritzker’s Rules of Order, Unions | Leave a Comment »

RCBH Lecture by Laurel Bradley, Attorney: Sales, Leases, Premise Liability, and putting your horse in a trust/will – 2/22/2026 1:30-3:30pm

February 21, 2026 by Barrington Hills Observer

By Tomasz Helenowski | Riding Club of Barrington Hills

The Riding Club of Barrington Hills presents Laurel Bradley Attorney with specialty in Equine Law

Legal Topics for Horse Owners: Sales, Leases, Premise Liability, and putting your horse in a trust/will

Seats are limited. $15 Riding Club members / $20 non-members

Click here for more info and to register.

Posted in Barrington Hills Park District, Organizations, Riding Club of Barrington Hills, Topics Of Interest, Unions | 1 Comment »

(Androgynous) Illinois Democrat tries to bleep (their) way through a tough Senate primary with a new expletive-laden anti-Trump ad

February 20, 2026 by Barrington Hills Observer

Illinois Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton is out with a new anti-Trump ad. She’s running in the state’s Democratic primary for the U.S. Senate on March 17. | Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune News Service via Getty Images file

By Natasha Korecki | NBC News

As the Democratic Party wrestles with how much to focus on President Donald Trump on the campaign trail, one Senate candidate is giving a clear answer: “F— Trump.”

Juliana Stratton, the state’s lieutenant governor, is running her first TV ad beginning Friday, a spot featuring a series of people, including Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., all saying “F— Trump.”

“F— Trump, vote Juliana,” one person after another says in the ad.

Post continues here.

Posted in Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI), Elections, News Media, OP/Ed, Politics, Property Taxes, SNAFU, Springfield | 1 Comment »

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