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Syed vs. Hills suburban state legislative race is one of the most expensive ever

Posted in Chicago Sun*Times, Deception, Democratic Socialists of America, Elections, Ethics, Fat Bastard, Fat Man Walking, Look For The Union Label, Politics, Pritzker’s Rules of Order, Unions on November 3, 2026| Leave a Comment »

Republican Senator Darby Hills and Democrat Rep. Nabeela | Photos by Jerry Nowicki

Democrat Nabeela Syed is outraising Republican Darby Hills two to one in an Illinois Senate race that’s already fetched $6.5 million in contributions.

By Brett Chase | Chicago Sun*Times

Republicans are not expected to make a dent in Democrats’ supermajority in the Illinois General Assembly, but a multi-million-dollar suburban legislative race has turned into a fiery, closely watched contest in the lead-up to Election Day Tuesday.

In that race, state Rep. Nabeela Syed, a Democrat from Inverness, is challenging incumbent Republican Darby Hills of Barrington Hills for the Illinois Senate 26th District seat.

The $6.5 million raised makes it one of the most expensive contests in the history of the General Assembly, said Alisa Kaplan, executive director of Reform for Illinois.

Syed received at least $4.7 million in contributions, much of it from her party, while Hills has raised $1.8 million, said Kaplan, whose organization runs the Illinois Sunshine Database.

“The Democratic leadership wants to flip this seat, and it shows,” Kaplan said.

Syed raised more than $3 million from the Democratic Party of Illinois and the Illinois Senate Democratic Fund, which is controlled by Illinois Senate President Don Harmon. She’s also raised substantial amounts of money from unions.

Darby’s last big contribution from her party was in August when the Illinois Senate Republican Campaign gave her $300,000.

Report continues here.

Related: “A sound reason for Barrington Hills residents to vote for McLaughlin and Hills,” “Another sound reason for residents to vote for Hills and McLaughlin,” “Wealth and Party Machine Are Buying the Northwest Suburbs Votes,” “Editorial: Darby Hills for Illinois 26th Senate District” and “Who really funds Nabeela Syed?”

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Handful of competitive suburban races rev up November General Assembly elections

Posted in Chicago Sun*Times, Democratic Socialists of America, Economy, Education, Elections, Illinois Federation of Teachers, Immigration, Look For The Union Label, Politics, Pritzker’s Rules of Order, Property Taxes, School Districts, Springfield, Taxes on October 17, 2026| Leave a Comment »

Republican State Sen. Darby Hills is being challenged by State Rep. Nabeela Syed, a Democrat, for the 26th Senate District seat representing northwest suburbs in the Nov. 3 general election.

By Brett Chase | Chicago Sun*Times

A pair of suburban races for Springfield lawmakers are competitive fights heading into the Nov. 3 election, even as many incumbent politicians across the state are running unopposed.

Among the races to watch, Rep. Nabeela Syed, a Democrat from Inverness, is challenging incumbent Republican Darby Hills of Barrington Hills, who was appointed to the 26th District state Senate seat in early 2025. The northwest suburban district includes parts of Cook, Lake, McHenry and Kane counties.

The Illinois Democratic Party is spending heavily to help Syed with her campaign. In September alone, the party and a committee led by Illinois Senate President Don Harmon — with the aim of bolstering Democrats’ majority — contributed almost $1 million to Syed, records show.

Hills, a former prosecutor and 2021 Mrs. Illinois America, was a Barrington Hills trustee before being appointed to McConchie’s seat. She has campaigned for public safety, especially related to children, lower taxes and controls on spending.

“Illinois doesn’t have a revenue problem,” Hills says, “it has a spending problem.”

Republican Party-political committees contributed more than $80,000 to Hills in September after giving her more than $300,000 in August, according to state campaign disclosure reports.

Report continues here.

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Woman alleges in new lawsuit she was sexually abused as a teen in 1990s at the Willow Creek megachurch

Posted in Chicago Sun*Times, South Barrington, Willow Creek Community Church on September 28, 2026| Leave a Comment »

Shown is a woman who recently filed a lawsuit against Willow Creek Community Church, alleging she was sexually abused by a man while she was working at the congregation as a teenager in the 1990s. She agreed to be photographed with the condition her identity not be revealed. | Candace Dane Chambers / Sun-Times

Church officials knew about it, never told police and allowed the man accused of the misconduct to keep working at the suburban evangelical congregation, the lawsuit says. It marks the latest troubling accusation to involve the church that previously settled claims of child sex abuse involving another man for more than $3 million.

By  Robert Herguth | Chicago Sun*Times

Willow Creek Community Church in South Barrington, one of the country’s largest and best-known evangelical congregations, doesn’t just aim to fix souls, it also fixes vehicles through what’s called the “C.A.R.S. Ministry.”

Vehicle owners in financial need can qualify for low-cost repairs through the program, which stands for Christian Automotive Repair Service and involves mechanics working in an auto shop on church property.

Donated vehicles are also accepted, fixed up and sold or given away, with eligibility for a freebie “based on but not limited to income level, intended use of vehicle and involvement at Willow,” according to a church website.

A man named Robert John Condon was working there in the 1990s when a girl, 15 or so at the time, was hired by the church to handle clerical tasks for the C.A.R.S. Ministry.

A resident of the northwest suburbs, she and her family attended Willow Creek, at the time run by the charismatic founding pastor Bill Hybels.

What started out as an exciting job — and somewhat challenging, as she was told she would have to learn to drive stick-shift vehicles — quickly turned dark, as Condon began allegedly grooming her over a number of months and eventually sexually abused her.

That’s according to a recent lawsuit the woman filed in Cook County court against Willow Creek, in what’s the latest in several troubling misconduct allegations involving the church over the last decade.

Article continues here.

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Illinois suburbs halt Flock use, suspend officers and review policy amid alleged improper use

Posted in Big Brother, Chicago Sun*Times, Deception, Ethics, Flock Cameras, Politics, Property Taxes, Taxes, TMI, Transparency, Unions, Village Government, WTF on September 2, 2026| Leave a Comment »

Homer Glen announced Monday that it was suspending the use of Flock cameras within its borders pending an investigation after a Will County sheriff’s deputy was placed on administrative leave amid allegations he misused the database of license plate-tracking data.

By Violet Miller | Chicago Sun*Times

Several suburban municipalities are reviewing the use of Flock cameras and placing police officers on leave amid a growing epidemic of alleged police abuse of the vast surveillance system.

Homer Glen announced Monday that it was suspending the use of Flock cameras within its borders “pending final determination of the investigation and review of the Sheriff’s ALPR protocol” after a Will County sheriff’s deputy was placed on administrative leave amid allegations he misused the technology.

“The Village understands that the investigation has to take its course and remains committed to public safety,” it wrote in a statement Monday. “However, given the limited information that has been reported to date, and the privacy concerns at issue, the Village has suspended the utilization of Flock ALPR cameras located within the Village of Homer Glen, pending final determination of the investigation and review of the Sheriff’s ALPR protocol.”

West Chicago is also reviewing its use of Flock cameras after officials announced Tuesday that city police officers may performed unauthorized searches between late 2024 and early 2025 using the technology. The Channahon Police Department is also making a similar review after an investigation found that its officers may have also made unauthorized searches. Officers accused of wrongdoing in each case were placed on administrative leave.

At West Chicago’s request, the DuPage County state’s attorney’s office is investigating alongside an internal inquiry into the officer’s conduct and a review of the safeguards around use of the system, according to a statement from the city.

“[West Chicago] recognizes the broader public concern surrounding the use of automated license plate readers,” the city said in a statement. “These tools have provided important public safety benefits, but their use must be balanced with appropriate safeguards, clear policies, meaningful oversight, and accountability.”

Report continues here.

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DOJ announces more than 175 charges, 300 fugitive arrests in Chicago area crime sweep

Posted in Chicago Sun*Times, Cook, County, Crime, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI), Dumb Bunny, Elections, Immigration, Look For The Union Label, Politics, Preckwinkle's Rules of Order, Pritzker’s Rules of Order, Public Safety, Taxes, Unions on July 5, 2026| 1 Comment »

Flanked by federal law enforcement officials, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois Andrew Boutros speaks during a news conference at the Dirksen Federal Courthouse on Thursday, where he discussed the results of Operation New Dawn. | Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times

Editorial note: It is worth noting the coincidentally just one day before the crime sweep was reported, “Chicago police boss Larry Snelling announces retirement: ‘He’s leaving big shoes to fill’.”

By  Kade Heather | Chicago Sun*Times

Justice Department officials on Thursday announced the arrests of 300 fugitives as well as sweeping prosecutions against more than 175 people accused of violent crimes — all part of a massive federal law enforcement collaboration over the past two months.

U.S. Attorney Andrew Boutros called the effort, which he created, “Operation New Dawn.”

“A new dawn of crime fighting is underway in Chicago,” Boutros, U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, said alongside other federal law enforcement leaders at a news conference Thursday at the Dirksen Federal Courthouse. He said the announcement was timed to coincide with the country’s 250th anniversary July 4.

The size of the joint effort was “an experiment,” Boutros said — and something that “had not been done before here in Chicago” and which “worked very, very well.”

In all, charges were filed against 179 people in 140 new cases, while 305 fugitives were arrested and 24 children who had been kidnapped or lost were returned home.

“Eleven federal agencies worked arm-in-arm as one cohesive, unified group to arrest dangerous criminals responsible for some of the most serious offenses,” Boutros said.

The 60-day operation was focused on the Chicago area and the Northern District of Illinois. It included partnerships between 11 federal agencies, among them the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; the Federal Bureau of Investigations; the Drug Enforcement Agency; U.S. Marshals Service; and Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Report continues here.

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Chicago’s Black cowboys celebrate Juneteenth with South Side horseback ride

Posted in Chicago Sun*Times, Horse Boarding, Topics Of Interest on June 20, 2026| Leave a Comment »

Larry Geans rides south on Cottage Grove Avenue in Bronzeville on Friday. Fellow members of the Broken Arrow Riding Club call him Cowboy Hawk. | Kieran Stover/Sun-Times

By  Kade Heather | Chicago Sun*Times

Before leading a group of equestrians on a Juneteenth horseback ride through Chicago’s South Side, Murdock circles them up at Washington Park for a pep talk.

The 78-year-old horseman, who goes by Murdock — just Murdock, no first name — is president of the Broken Arrow Horseback Riding Club.

He reminded the group of around 20 riders about the rules of the road. Illinois law allows horseback riding on roads, but not highways. Murdock told them to stay to the right side of the road, be mindful of cars and that they have the right of way. He told them to work together as a team.

Finally, he said: “Can I get a yeehaw?” The group responded with, “yeehaw!”

He then said a prayer. It ended with, “amen” — followed by a louder, “yeehaw!”

The Broken Arrow’s Juneteenth ride was a way to celebrate and inform younger people about the holiday commemorating June 19, 1865 — the day when the last enslaved Black Americans, living in Galveston, Texas, learned they had been freed — two years after the Emancipation Proclamation had been issued.

Broken Arrow Riding Club member Jada Washington, 18, (left) with club president Murdock, 78 on Friday. | Kieran Stover/Sun-Times

Friday’s ride began at Washington Park, proceeded north on Martin Luther King Drive, then east on 35th Street. From there, riders turned south on Cottage Grove Avenue back to Washington Park.

Murdock led the group in a pickup truck, affixed with an African-American flag. Another pickup pulling a horse trailer followed the 20 horses. Drivers honked in support, construction workers recorded videos as the horses strolled by and a group of holiday celebrants yelled “Happy Juneteenth,” waving a Juneteenth flag.

“What’s more important is that we, as cowboys, represent to show the reflection of our heritage from years past,” Murdock said.

Chicago has a rich history of Black cowboys and horsemanship. Buffalo Bill’s “Congress of Rough Riders” first introduced cowboys of color to the city for performances at the 1893 World’s Fair. Thyrl Latting, described as Chicago’s original Black cowboy, brought horseback riding to Chicago’s inner-city youth in the 1950s. In 1964, Latting started the Thyrl Latting Rodeo Spectacular at the since-demolished International Amphitheater.

Greg Hollywood Adrow with his horse, Big Blue, in Washington Park on Friday. Adrow says riding a horse is like being “seven feet closer to God.” | Kieran Stover/Sun-Times

Murdock grew up on the South Side, eventually living near a stable at 61st Street and Evans Avenue. That’s where he “got bit by the bug,” and would watch the horses galloping through the park.

Article continues here.

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Has Facebook begun the long slide toward ruin?

Posted in Chicago Sun*Times, OP/Ed on May 20, 2026| Leave a Comment »

Young people increasingly view Facebook as a folly of the old. I’m starting to agree with them. | AP Photo/Noah Berger, File

By Neil Steinberg | Chicago Sun*Times

So another grandchild, born this week — maybe to me, maybe to somebody else. Who can say? I really shouldn’t be more specific than that.

Certainly no word of the news, if there is any news, breathed on Facebook. I … or, um, another person very much like myself … would sooner sell a child to the circus than post its photos, or any identifying details, on any sort of social media. As for what the potential harm of that could be, beyond strong and immediate rebuke, I’m afraid to ask. Maybe X snatches their images and does unspeakable things with them.

As it is my … well, somebody’s … adult children view Facebook the way I, when young, would look at my grandfather’s dentures falling into the soup: as an embarrassing lapse of age. Worse. It’s like yanking the dentures out of your own mouth and flinging them into the soup, with pride. Not an accident, an intention.

Facebook is no longer hip, or the bomb, or dope, or fire, or whatever the current term for coolness might be. “Slow death” is the phrase encountered online. The young might have an account, allowing Facebook to pretend it’s reaching the sweet spot demographic. But the 20-somethings I know never use it and mock those who do. The cracks are starting to show. On May 20, Meta, the parent of Facebook, is laying off 8,000 workers — 10% of its workforce. Last week, The New York Times, in an opinion piece, declared Meta “at the start of a long, slow decline.”

The plan is that artificial intelligence will do the jobs of the freshly fired, even though AI is part of what’s wrecking Facebook, all those blocks of regurgitated history lite and random pop culture factoids. And that rash of ads. God forbid you buy shoes, as I have. Facebook will dangle the shoes you just bought under your nose for a month, hoping you’ll buy a second pair. And this is the super-intelligence that would rule us.

Opinion continues here.

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Obama Presidential Center helped by $123 million in public infrastructure improvements

Posted in Chicago Sun*Times, Cook, County, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI), Look For The Union Label, Politics, Taxes on May 11, 2026| Leave a Comment »

The former Cornell Drive, which ran between the Obama Presidential Center’s museum tower and the lagoon, was removed as part of the campus’ publicly-funded infrastructure improvements. | Anthony Vazquez/Sun-Times

By Lee Bey | Chicago Sun*Times

When the Obama Presidential Center opens next month, and its funders are honored and congratulated, there are two major financial contributors worthy of a bow or two: Chicago and Illinois taxpayers.

The Chicago Department of Transportation said it has spent $123.3 million since 2022 on capital projects aimed at remaking the roadways and green space in Jackson Park and around the center.

And there’s still more work to be done. The final public infrastructure costs are likely to approach $200 million.

The costs are not part of the presidential center’s privately-funded $850 million price tag.

“The Chicago Department of Transportation has delivered a series of roadway and mobility improvements in and around Jackson Park in coordination with the Obama Presidential Center,” CDOT said in a statement to the Sun-Times.

One major change included ripping up a half-mile of Cornell Drive between Midway Plaisance and Hayes Drive. The center’s landscape architect, Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates, turned what was an obtrusive six-lane highway ripping through Jackson Park into walkable green space that links the Obama campus to the park’s historic lagoon to the east.

Other projects included adding a third southbound lane on DuSable Lake Shore Drive between 57th and Hayes drives; reworking Hayes Drive east of Stony Island Avenue that involved reconfiguring intersections at Cornell, Richards and DuSable Lake Shore drives; and adding a pump station to help fix flooding at the 59th Street pedestrian underpass.

Article continues here.

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Mayor Johnson determined to block Bears’ move to Arlington Heights

Posted in Chicago Sun*Times, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI), Dumb Bunny, Look For The Union Label, New Normal?, Overhead, Politics, Property Taxes, Public Safety, Real Estate, Springfield, Taxes, The Chicago Way, Unions on May 6, 2026| Leave a Comment »

Rendering of the proposed Chicago Bears stadium in Arlington Heights. | Provided by Manica Architecture

By Fran Spielman | Chicago Sun*Times

Mayor Brandon Johnson on Tuesday mounted the legislative equivalent of a goal-line stand against the Bears’ quest for the property tax break needed to pave the way for a domed stadium in Arlington Heights.

Johnson questioned why any lawmaker from Chicago would even think about providing a massive tax break for a professional sports team valued at nearly $9 billion, while ignoring the need for what he calls progressive revenue to increase school funding and help working people struggling to make ends meet.

“If we’re asking anyone to tighten the belt, we should look at whose belt is exploding — and that’s the ultra-rich. As their bellies get fat and our people are starving, this is not the time to balance the budget off the backs of working people,” the mayor said at his weekly news conference.

“The type of tax structure that they would set up for large corporations and billionaires without a clear pathway to provide certainty as well as equity for everyday working people, I believe that’s a mismatch there. And quite frankly, the infrastructure they’re even discussing in the suburbs — those infrastructure needs have been present on the lakefront for a very long time.”

Hours before joining fellow Chicago-area mayors in Springfield, where he has had little success, Johnson made it clear that he would use whatever political muscle he has to block the so-called megaprojects bill now before the Illinois Senate after clearing the Illinois House on April 22.

Though Chicago is no longer part of the conversation to build a domed stadium needed to keep the Bears in Illinois and stave off a move to Northwest Indiana, Johnson is still holding out hope to keep the Bears in the city.

Article continues here.

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Top Illinois Democrats call U.S. Supreme Court ruling on voting rights a ‘crushing blow to our democracy’

Posted in Chicago Sun*Times, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI), Elections, Immigration, Politics, Pritzker’s Rules of Order, Springfield on April 30, 2026| Leave a Comment »

Gov. JB Pritzker is speaking out about the U.S. Supreme Court striking down a voting map in Louisiana, which opens the door for other states to redistrict their maps. | Anthony Vazquez/Sun-Times

Illinois Senate President Don Harmon said on Wednesday that a proposed state constitutional amendment on redistricting will not advance this legislative session so that legal experts can review the ruling and evaluate the best response for Illinois.

By Tina Sfondeles | Chicago Sun*Times

Former President Barack Obama and key Illinois Democrats, including Gov. JB Pritzker and Sens. Dick Durbin and Tammy Duckworth, are condemning Wednesday’s U.S. Supreme Court decision to dilute a Voting Rights Act provision, which is likely to lead to redistricting across the country and could help Republicans continue to control the House.

The Supreme Court struck down a majority-Black congressional district in Louisiana, diluting a Civil Rights-era law aimed at increasing minority representation in Congress and elsewhere. In the 6-3 ruling, the court’s majority found the Louisiana district represented by Democrat Cleo Fields relied too heavily on race. Justice Samuel Alito called the map “an unconstitutional gerrymander.”

The ruling is likely to impact elections in 2028, since many filing deadlines for this year’s elections have passed, including in Illinois. Louisiana may have to change its redistricting plan to comply with the ruling, however.

Illinois Senate President Don Harmon, D-Oak Park, said on Wednesday a proposed state constitutional amendment on redistricting will not advance this legislative session so that legal experts can review the ruling and evaluate the best response for Illinois.

Obama said the ruling “effectively guts a key pillar of the Voting Rights Act, freeing state legislatures to gerrymander legislative districts to systematically dilute and weaken the voting power of racial minorities — so long as they do it under the guise of ‘partisanship’ rather than explicit ‘racial bias.’”

The former president said in a statement that the conservative majority on the Supreme Court is “abandoning its vital role in ensuring equal participation in our democracy and protecting the rights of minority groups against majority overreach.”

Article continues here.

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