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‘They bring serious concerns’: Board votes to temporarily ban new data centers in unincorporated Lake County

Posted in AI, County, Data Center, Intergovernmental agreements (IGA), Lake, Lake & McHenry County Scanner, Land Use, Plum Farm development, Politics, School Districts, Topics Of Interest on June 20, 2026| Leave a Comment »

The Lake County Board voted to pursue a temporary data center moratorium in unincorporated Lake County during its meeting earlier this month. The T5 Data Center Campus in Grayslake, which was approved last year by the Grayslake Village Board but has not been built (rendering pictured), has sparked criticism and caused debate about data centers in Lake County. | Provided Photo

By Sam Borcia | Lake & McHenry County Scanner

The county board has voted to temporarily ban new data centers from being approved in unincorporated Lake County, with one board member saying they bring “serious concerns” and a regulatory review is needed.

The Lake County Board approved a resolution earlier this month to hold a public hearing related to data centers in unincorporated Lake County.

The resolution directs the Lake County Zoning Board of Appeals to conduct the hearing, which will be used to discuss proposed amendments to the Code of Ordinances that would both define data centers and establish an eight-month temporary moratorium on data centers.

Data centers are not currently specifically defined or regulated under county ordinances.

The county board’s action earlier this month did not actually impose the eight-month moratorium, which will take several weeks to several months to complete the actual text amendment process.

The board’s approval of the resolution did authorize the Lake County Planning, Building and Development department to pause review of data center applications for a period of up to four months.

Article continues here.

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HOFFMAN ESTATES NOTICE OF (PLUM FARMS) PUBLIC HEARING JULY 6

Posted in AI, Cook, County, Daily Herald, Data Center, EJ&E/Canadian National, FPDCC, Hoffman Estates, Intergovernmental agreements (IGA), Land Use, Plum Farm development, Politics, Privacy, Property Taxes, Public Safety, Real Estate, School Districts, South Barrington, Taxes, Topics Of Interest, Unions, Village Government on June 18, 2026| Leave a Comment »

 

(Click on image to enlarge)

Notice is hereby given that the President and Board of Trustees of the Village of Hoffman Estates, Illinois, will hold a Public Hearing pursuant to 65 ILCS 5/11-15.1-3 of the Illinois Municipal Code to consider an Annexation Agreement Amendment by and between the Village of Hoffman Estates and H.E. Holdings, LLC (Owner) related to the property located on the north side of Higgins Road between Canadian National Railway on the west and Illinois Route 59 on the east, consisting of approximately 145 acres. P.I.Ns: Lot 1 (01-28-301-004, 01-33-100-003, 01-33-100-004)

The hearing will be held on Monday, July 6, 2026, at 6:55 p.m. in the Hoffman Estates Municipal Building, 1900 Hassell Road, Hoffman Estates, IL.

The proposed Annexation Agreement Amendment would be an agreement that would terminate the Annexation Agreement dated May 1, 2017, and recorded in Cook County, Illinois, as document number 1712813016.

William D. McLeod
Village President
Board of Trustees
Published in Daily Herald June 18, 2026

Related: “‘Wrong project, wrong place’: Critics push back on rezoning plan for potential Hoffman Estates data center,” “Change.org Petition: ‘Deny Rezoning of Plum Farms In Hoffman Estates’,” “South Barrington Mayor Paula McCombie shares an update on Hoffman Estates/Plum Farms Plan Commission meeting,” “Hoffman Estates plan commission rejects rezoning request for possible data center,” “Hoffman Estates Plan Commission rejects zoning change for new data center project,” “Hoffman Estates Plum Farm June 3rd Plan Commission Meeting Essentials,” “After being rejected in Naperville, company could build data center in Hoffman Estates,” “South Barrington Mayor Paula McCombie posts information regarding June 3 Hoffman Estates (Plum Farms) Plan Commission meeting,” “(Plum Farms) NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING JUNE 3,” “Hoffman Estates could see third data center campus with sale of Plum Farms property,” “Hoffman Estates approves sewer, water for development of 185 acres west of The Arboretum,” “Hoffman Estates approves tax incentive at routes 59, 72,” “District 220 lawsuit against Hoffman Estates, Plum Farms developers dismissed,” “South Barrington residents sue over Hoffman Estates development,” “Editorial: Listen to agencies that would feel consequences of Hoffman Estates development”

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Special Closed Session Meeting of the Barrington Hills Park District Board Monday, June 22nd

Posted in Agendas, Algonquin Rd, Aunt Blabby, Barrington Hills Park District, Barrington Hills Polo Club, Big Brother, Big Red, Cellular Service, Countryside Elementary School, Deception, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI), Financial Statements, FPDCC, FRVPC, Horizon Farm, Horse Boarding, Intergovernmental agreements (IGA), Land Disconnection, Massbach Hounds, Open Meetings Act, Organizations, Overhead, Politics, Property Taxes, Real Estate, Riding Center Advisory Committee, Riding Club of Barrington Hills, School Districts, Taxes, Transparency, Unions, WTF on June 17, 2026| Leave a Comment »

The Barrington Hills Park District Board/Riding Cult of Barrington Hills will hold a closed session meeting Monday at 6:00 PM. The sole topic on their agenda is:

  • To discuss the purchase or lease of real property for the use of the public body, including meetings held for the purpose of discussing whether a particular parcel should be acquired pursuant to 2(c)(5) of the Open Meetings Act; and to discuss the setting of a price for sale or lease of property owned by the public body pursuant to 2(c)(6) of the Open Meetings Act

A copy of the agenda can be viewed here.

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Editorial: Has Chicago learned nothing from Jussie Smollett and his fake hate crime?

Posted in Chicago Tribune, Deception, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI), Ethics, OP/Ed, Politics, Snowflake Effect on June 17, 2026| Leave a Comment »

Jussie Smollett, the actor charged with lying to police about an alleged fabricated attack, is surrounded by media as he waits for a car at the Leighton Criminal Court Building in Chicago on March 26, 2019. | José M. Osorio/Chicago Tribune

By The Editorial Board | Chicago Tribune

We have some advice for Gov. JB Pritzker, Mayor Brandon Johnson, Cardinal Blase Cupich, Rev. Michael Pfleger and others who rushed out statements following images of a burning cross in Grant Park circulating online and, naturally, then being amplified by algorithms that feed like blood-thirsty vampires on controversy.

Take a breath and let the police investigate for a day or two before you trot out a statement destined to land in international media and feed someone’s need for publicity. Just tell reporters: We’re going to let the police ascertain the facts first.

Did we learn nothing as a city after the actor Jussie Smollett reported a fake hate crime that he had actually staged himself in downtown Chicago, embarrassing any number of knee-jerk politicians (few of whom later apologized), wasting police time and trashing the city’s reputation all at once? Did that not motivate our leaders to say to their eager spokespeople, “Hang on a minute and let’s find out exactly what happened here?”

Apparently not. In this case, Pritzker immediately opined that the incident “speaks to what happens when the seeds of racism and fascism grow unchecked in our country.”

Then on Monday, WMAQ-Ch. 5 interviewed a 21-year-old college student from Naperville who told the station that he had placed a MAGA hat on top of the burning cross and that he actually was protesting the policies of President Donald Trump and didn’t expect his actions to be viewed in the context in which they were reported. The police now also have a suspect in custody. In other words, the man who talked to NBC 5 said his motivation was the precise opposite of what the governor said this incident represented.

We’ve no idea if that motivation was an after-the-fact invention of the suspect, or his lawyer, or even with certainty that it was the same person (no charges had been filed at press time), but we also know that anytime you see the words “after the image circulated online” in a shocking news story — and there were many such stories about this incident in national and local media, replete with the recounting of historical American inhumanity to man — it is a cue to be suspicious that not everything is as it first might seem.

Also a cue: anything purportedly happening in Chicago involving nooses, burning crosses and the other hateful detritus of America’s shameful past, especially from the South.

Editorial continues here.

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‘Wrong project, wrong place’: Critics push back on rezoning plan for potential Hoffman Estates data center

Posted in AI, Cook, County, Daily Herald, Data Center, Elections, Hoffman Estates, Intergovernmental agreements (IGA), Land Use, Plum Farm development, Politics, Pritzker’s Rules of Order, Property Taxes, School Districts, South Barrington, Spring Creek Watershed, Springfield, Taxes on June 16, 2026| 1 Comment »

By Eric Peterson | Daily Herald

Hoffman Estates village board members Monday heard from critics of the proposed rezoning of the 186-acre Plum Farms property for a possible data center campus.

Although the issue wasn’t on the agenda, the board allowed half an hour for public comment.

Earlier this month, the village’s plan commission voted 4-2 against landowner Karis Critical of Florida’s request to rezone the site at Higgins Road and Route 59 to permit manufacturing. This classification could allow for a data center.

In January, Karis Critical’s proposal for a data center in Naperville was rejected by the city council there.

Monday’s opponents to the Hoffman Estates rezoning request included state representatives and candidates as well as the village presidents of neighboring South Barrington and Barrington Hills.

Critics from Hoffman Estates, South Barrington and Barrington Hills Monday voiced their opposition to rezoning of the 186-acre Plum Farms property at the northwest corner of routes 59 and 72 in Hoffman Estates that could allow a data campus there. Joe Lewnard/jlewnard@dailyherald.com, 2019

Republican state Rep. Martin McLaughlin of Barrington Hills spoke to infrastructure pressures like increased water and electricity demand, pointing out that even Democratic Gov. JB Pritzker had recently paused the state’s economic incentive for data centers.

“If you’ve opened up an electrical bill lately, you know increased electricity demand is one of the problems with AI centers,” McLaughlin said. “Unfortunately, this has not been planned for well by Springfield politicians. And now, with potential AI center draw, it’s a double-whammy for utility payers and I cannot support this.”

Article continues here.

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Illinois public school enrollment drop 4th-worst in U.S.


Posted in Education, Illinois Policy Institute, Pritzker’s Rules of Order, School Districts on June 16, 2026| 1 Comment »

The state saw a drop of over 10% in the period from 2014 to 2024, five times the national rate.

By Rich Witzel | Illinois Policy Institute

Illinois public schools are losing students at a faster rate than in nearly every other state.

From fall 2014 to fall 2024, public elementary and secondary school enrollment dropped 10% in Illinois, according to a recently released report by the National Center for Education Statistics. The national decline was 2%.

Public school enrollment is falling across much of the country, but some states are losing students at a far faster rate than others.

Illinois ranked fourth-worst in the nation for enrollment loss percentage in the period, behind only West Virginia, Mississippi and New Hampshire.

The struggling system

At least some of the drop can almost certainly be attributed to Illinois’ ongoing outmigration problem. Still, it is not difficult to guess why fewer Illinois families are choosing public schools for their children.

Report continues here.

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District 220 Board of Education meets tonight

Posted in 220, Agendas, Barrington Education Association, Board of Education, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI), Education, Elections, Illinois Federation of Teachers, Illinois State Board of Elections, Politics, School Districts, Snowflake Effect, Taxes, Transparency, Unions, Video Streaming, What the Ficke (Bradford)? on June 16, 2026| Leave a Comment »

 

The District 220 Board of Education meets this evening at 6:00 PM at the District Administration Center, 515 W. Main Street. Items on their agenda include:

  • FOIA Reports
  • Revised Personnel Report
  • Finance Reports
  • Consideration to Approve the Board of Education authorize the Assistant Superintendent of Business Services to approve contracts for the procurement of natural gas and electricity and to elect and designate the price terms of such contracts. The price terms of such contracts shall not exceed forty-three and ninety-three hundredths cents ($0.4193) per therm for natural gas and eight and nine hundred eighty-seven thousandths cents ($0.08987) per kilowatt hour for electricity, for periods not to exceed thirty-six (36) months.
  • Consideration to Approve Notice to Remedy
  • Consideration to Approve Action Regarding Employment Status of Educational Support Personnel Employee
  • Consideration to Approve Amended Board of Education Regular Meeting Schedule

A copy of the agenda can be viewed here. The meeting will be live streamed on the district YouTube channel.

Related: “Over $100,000 in Special Interest Funding gifted to 220 Board member’s campaign in failed bid for State Rep job,” “New Evidence of Chan Ding’s Policy Violations and Conflicts of Interest,” “The D220 Board of Ed gets another ‘F’ in accountability & transparency,” “The Real Issue in Barrington 220 Isn’t Parking or Levies — It’s Leadership Culture,” “BOARD OF ED VOTES, MEMBER CHAN DING MADE FLAGRANT POLICY VIOLATIONS – Part 2,” “BOARD OF ED VOTES, MEMBER CHAN DING MADE FLAGRANT POLICY VIOLATIONS,” “District 220’s Lack of Transparency (Updated),” “District 220’s Lack of Transparency”

 

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Barrington asks for ICC to extend deadline related to railroad crossing pedestrian safety gates

Posted in Daily Herald, METRA, Public Safety, School Districts, TRAC on June 15, 2026| Leave a Comment »

By Steve Zalusky | Daily Herald

More than two years since the death of Barrington High School student Marin Lacson, Barrington community members are still waiting for pedestrian safety gates at the Hough Street crossing where she was killed.

Barrington officials, however, insist the project is proceeding, even though the village has filed for a six-month extension of its interim order with the Illinois Commerce Commission, which is hearing the petition of the village and the Illinois Department of Transportation.

“I would say that we see continuous movement, at all of our status hearings,” Deputy Village Manager Marie Hansen said. “Whether or not that movement is as much as we would like.”

But she added the village does not control the review and approval process.

The request to extend the June 18 deadline to Dec. 18, officials said, is to make sure the village remains eligible to receive reimbursement from the state for engineering and design work at the Union Pacific crossings receiving the gates — Hough Street, Main Street, Cook Street and Hillside Avenue.

Village officials say they have spent their own funds to help move the project forward.

Report continues here.

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Hoffman Estates Village Board of Trustees meet Monday

Posted in AI, BACOG, Cook, County, Daily Herald, Data Center, EJ&E/Canadian National, FPDCC, Intergovernmental agreements (IGA), Land Use, Plum Farm development, Politics, Property Taxes, Real Estate, School Districts, South Barrington, Taxes, Topics Of Interest, Traffic, Transparency, Village Code on June 13, 2026| Leave a Comment »

The Hoffman Estates Board of trustees will meet Monday at 7 PM at 1900 Hassell Road.

As previously reported, “(The Plum Farms) data center development will not appear on the agenda of Monday’s village board meeting.” However, Friday South Barrington Mayor Paula McCombie posted:

“The Plum Farms property zoning on rt 59 and 72 across from the Woods of South Barrington is not presently on the schedule for the Village Board meeting in Hoffman Estates on Monday, but while Mayor McCleod and the Hoffman Estates Trustees decide whether or not to take the Plan Commissions recommendation against the change of zoning allowing a data center, I encourage you to attend their next meeting on Monday the 15th. This gives their leaders time to consider residents voices while contemplating the way they will vote.”

A copy of the agenda can be viewed and downloaded here. Monday’s meeting will be available live via YouTube and the link can be found here.

Related: “Hoffman Estates board won’t consider rezoning for potential data center Monday”

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Presidential poll numbers show Pritzker at 2%

Posted in Commodius Maximus, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI), Elections, Fat Bastard, Look For The Union Label, Pension Funding, Pritzker’s Rules of Order, Property Taxes, School Districts, Taxes, The Center Square on June 13, 2026| Leave a Comment »

Photo: BlueRoomStream / Screenshot

By Jim Talamonti | The Center Square

A new public opinion poll says Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker remains low on the list of voters’ preferred choices in the 2028 Democratic Party primary election for president.

The Center Square Voters’ Voice Poll was conducted by Noble Predictive Insights, a nonpartisan public opinion polling firm, from June 1-4, 2026 and surveyed registered voters nationally.

Former Vice President Kamala Harris finished first with 27% of the vote among 1,013 Democrats who responded. 17% said they were not sure.

Next was California Gov. Gavin Newsom at 14%, former U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg at 11% and New York U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez at 8%.

Pritzker and Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear both came in at 2%.

Report continues here.

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