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Touch A Truck 2026!
Tuesday, May 19, 9:30 AM – Noon | Drop In
Barrington Area Library, 505 N. Northwest Highway
With the Village of Barrington’s Public Works Department
All ages w/caregiver (Anna)

“Get your hard hat, put on a mustache, and get to work exploring the Barrington Public Works department’s fleet of awesome vehicles! Blow the horn, turn the steering wheel, and see what it’s like to drive a BIG rig! Join in a construction-themed story time, and join us in filling a truck with non-perishable food for the Public Works food drive for our two local township food pantries. Hats and mustaches while supplies last!

This event is VERY popular, so consider walking, carpooling, or exploring nearby public parking options. Thanks for your patience – we look forward to seeing you!”

Posted yesterday, May 15:

“This week, I attended the Northwest Municipal Conference meeting where one of the major topics discussed was a status update regarding the proposed Build Illinois Act (BUILD).

As many of you know, the Governor and state legislators are working to advance legislation that could significantly impact local zoning authority throughout Illinois. If passed, the BUILD Act would allow the State greater control over zoning and development decisions that have historically been managed at the local level by municipalities and their residents.

While supporters argue the bill is intended to address housing shortages and increase development opportunities, many communities, including ours, are concerned about the potential loss of local control and the one-size-fits-all approach the legislation could create.  Every community has unique infrastructure, traffic patterns, environmental considerations, and development goals, and many believe these decisions are best made locally rather than mandated at the state level.  One of the things the Bill requires is that municipalities allow up to 8- unit multi-family buildings in all single-family zoning districts while drastically reducing the minimum lot sizes and setback requirements.

Below are some of the examples and challenges on this part of the bill that communities may face should this bill pass.

Both the Illinois Municipal League (IML), representing 1,294 municipalities statewide, and the Metropolitan Mayors Caucus, representing approximately 275 cities, towns, and villages, oppose the bill in its current form. For those concerned, I encourage all residents to contact your Legislators and Governor’s office and make your voices heard regarding your concerns with this proposed legislation.

Darby Hills, State Senate
Springfield Office: 217-782-8010, District Office: 224-662-4544

Marty McLaughlin, State Representative
RepMcLaughlin@gmail.com
Springfield Office: 217-782-1517, District Office: 224-634-8300

Nabeela Syed, State Representative
info@repsyed.com
Springfield Office: 217-782-3696, District Office: 773-916-6553

Governors Office

Springfield
817-782-6830 or 217-782-6831
Chicago
312-814-2121 or 312-814-2122

IMPORTANT AND HELPFUL LINKS BELOW:

  • Full Building Up Illinois Act HERE
  • Informative presentation put together by the City of Peoria with more examples of what the suggested changes could look like in our community: LINK HERE

Thank you so much, Mayor McCombie!

Related:Pritzker’s affordable housing plan gets Senate hearing as municipalities remain opposed,” “Village of Barrington President shares perspectives on Pritzker’s BUILD plans,” “(Ignoring public opinion) Pritzker says of BUILD Plan for homes would not cost taxpayers,” “Gov. JB Pritzker’s ambitious housing plan for Illinois: More four-flats, looser rules,” “Pritzker to propose statewide zoning laws to spur homebuilding, limit local control,” “McLaughlin’s press conference video recording regarding Pritzker’s proposed municipal zoning powers grab posted,” “It’s just a bad idea’: Suburban officials oppose Pritzker’s plan to reduce local control over residential It’s just zoning

Rich Hein, Ashlee Rezin Garcia/Sun-Times file

Quick Hits | The Center Square

Former Illinois House Speaker Mike Madigan – from federal prison over corruption charges – penned an op-ed this week calling on Gov. J.B. Pritzker to accept the Federal Scholarship Tax Credit Program.

The program, which Pritzker has been reluctant to opt the state into, would allow people to deduct up to $1,700 from their federal taxes if they donate to a qualifying K-12 scholarship granting program.

Republicans in Springfield also called on Pritzker to opt in this week.

Both Madigan and the Republicans argued the governor is putting politics over the needs of citizens.

Find more news here.

The University of Chicago campus. | E. Jason Wambsgans/Chicago Tribune, via ZUMA Press Wire

By Vimal Patel | The New York Times

The University of Chicago will provide free tuition to students of families earning less than $250,000 a year, creating one of the most generous financial-aid offers in the nation at a moment when lawmakers and parents are scrutinizing the value of a college degree.

Colleges have been in a race to raise the income limits for free tuition in recent years. The university’s announcement on Wednesday explained the move as a way to make an institution with a $98,000-per-year sticker price more accessible to students from modest backgrounds.

“By deepening our commitment to affordability, we are helping to ensure that the brightest minds can join us,” Paul Alivisatos, the university’s president, said in a statement.

Chicago joins Princeton in raising its threshold for tuition to $250,000. Other selective schools have raised their income limits for free tuition to $200,000 in recent years, including Harvard, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the University of Pennsylvania.

Article continues here.

AI data centers are helping drive up costs for consumers as demand is beginning to threaten the power supply. | Image courtesy ComEd/Shutterstock

By Brett Chase | WBEZ Chicago

ComEd electric customers will see at least a 12% jump in monthly charges starting in June as big data centers increase demand for power and an unrelated consumer credit ends.

The average monthly residential bill is $107, according to ComEd, but that charge will jump to at least $120 as more high-tech operations suck up electricity. A credit related to nuclear power and renewable energy that was a temporary relief from high rates is also set to end at the end of this month.

The majority of the monthly increase is due to the credit expiring, but as much as a quarter of that jump in cost is due to the high demand of power and prices set by a multistate grid operator known as PJM Interconnection.

The upcoming increase follows a double-digit spike in electric bills a year ago credited almost entirely to the rise of data centers, most of which are powering artificial intelligence applications.

And the data center trend doesn’t appear to be slowing.

ComEd says there are more than 80 data centers in Northern Illinois using massive amounts of power. In a state filing last year, the utility said there were another 75 proposed commercial projects in the region that also would be large electricity users.

The estimated power use for those proposed operations is far more than the electricity currently being produced, ComEd said. It’s not clear how many of those proposed operations will actually go forward.

Article continues here.

By Alicia Fabbre | Daily Herald

Algonquin-based Community Unit District 300 is being sued by a parent who claims her constitutional rights were violated when the district aided her child’s gender transition without parental involvement.

The lawsuit was filed this week in federal court on behalf of the mother of a high school student.

“This case challenges a public school district’s policies, practices and customs of subjecting minor students to psychological and identity-based interventions, while deliberately excluding their parents from participation, consent and even knowledge,” according to the lawsuit, which was filed by Naperville attorney Ajay Gupta.

The lawsuit, which refers to the mother only by her initials, seeks class action status to include other District 300 parents who dealt with similar situations.

District 300 officials did not return repeated calls for comment this week. When reached by phone, two District 300 school board members declined comment and directed calls to the district’s communications team.

Gupta also did not return calls for comment.

The lawsuit was filed less than two weeks after the U.S. Department of Justice announced an investigation into more than three dozen Illinois school districts, including Crystal Lake-based Community High School District 155, over policies and curricula related to gender and sexuality.

According to the lawsuit, District 300 “socially transitioned minor students at school” while withholding information from parents.

Report continues here.

“Illinois received zero points for balance sheet transparency”

By Jim Talamonti | The Center Square

A new report ranks Illinois 46 out of 50 states for financial transparency, partly due to the state’s slow fiscal reporting.

Truth in Accounting’s Financial Transparency Score 2026 report evaluates how effectively each state discloses its true financial condition through audited reports.

Truth in Accounting founder & CEO Sheila Weinberg said Illinois taxpayers are not given information on a timely basis.

“The voters and the elected officials are making budget decisions and other financial decisions without the most recent data,” Weinberg told The Center Square.

Illinois’ 2026 financial transparency score of 51 ranked 46th in the country on a report that evaluates audit quality, timeliness, pension reporting and accounting practices.

Weinberg said Illinois improved from a disclaimer opinion to a qualified opinion.

“They still can’t get their act together on their unemployment trust funds, so that’s why they received a qualified opinion,” Weinberg said.

Read on here.

Damaged vehicle after a car crash with airbag deployment, May 5, 2025. | Photo: Carleen Johnson / The Center Square

By Jim Talamonti | The Center Square

The Illinois Senate has approved legislation to regulate auto insurance rates, but a former Illinois Department of Insurance director says the proposal will result in higher premiums.

After adding a second amendment to Senate Bill 714 on Wednesday, state Sen. Ram Villivalam, D-Chicago, said his legislation prohibits auto insurance rates from being excessive or discriminatory.

The Illinois Secretary of State’s office expressed support for the bill at a Senate Insurance Committee hearing on Tuesday.

Amy Williams, senior legal advisor at the secretary’s office, said more than 630,000 Illinoisans per year are driving without auto insurance required by law.

“Drivers in Illinois are facing hardships due to increasing automobile insurance rates, and they want oversight to ensure that their rates are not excessive or unfairly discriminatory,” Williams said.

Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias launched a campaign last summer to prevent insurers from setting rates based on age, credit score or zip code and to allow more state oversight.

“We’re going to treat this like a political campaign,” Giannoulias said at the time.

Article continues here.

Surveillance video captured a half-dozen suspects forcing entry to ReStyle Designers of Barrington, 121 South Cook Street in Barrington, and stealing nearly all of the products in just a minute early in the morning on December 28. | Background: Screengrab; Inset: Provided

By Sam Borcia | Lake & McHenry County Scanner

Police have announced charges against one of six masked suspects who allegedly ransacked a boutique retailer in Barrington, stealing over $100,000 worth of merchandise in December.

The Barrington Police Department responded around 5 a.m. on December 28 to ReStyle Designers of Barrington, 121 South Cook Street, following reports of a disturbance.

Barrington Police Chief David Daigle said a resident living above the business called 911 after hearing multiple males yelling loudly outside and witnessing two vehicles speeding away from the scene.

Officers discovered that the front door of ReStyle Designers had been forced open.

The business owner, who was notified of the incident, responded to the scene and provided officers with surveillance footage that captured a burglary, Daigle said.

ReStyle Designers of Barrington said nearly all of the store’s inventory was stolen, leading to years of hard work and trust “gone in seconds.”

“We are devastated, but we are not giving up. This store has always been about community, and our clients and consignors are more than customers, you are our family,” the store owners said.

“We are grateful to the Barrington Police Department for their prompt response and ongoing assistance,” the store said.

The police department announced the arrest of Jeremiah K. Brown, 21, on Wednesday and said he was charged with burglary, a Class 2 felony, following an investigation.

Report and video can be found here.

By Brennan Park | Illinois Policy Institute

Illinoisans continue to pay the highest combined state and local tax rate in the country, according to WalletHub.

Effective state and local tax rates totaled almost 17% for a median Illinois household last year, compared with the national average of just over 11.02% and higher than No. 2 New York, at 14.95%.

The median amount of state and local taxes for an Illinois household was $12,538 last year, fourth-highest in the country. The national median was around $8,949. (These amounts use a different household measurement.)

Illinois’ burden is driven by property, sales and excise taxes that exceed national averages and those in neighboring states.

Property taxes are especially high, with an effective rate of 1.92% of the value of a typical home, more than double the national median of 0.89%.

Sales taxes are also elevated in Illinois, with a 6.25% state rate and a nearly 9% combined state and local rate on average.

Article continues here.