Seizing on ongoing efforts in to bring equity to minority and female-owned businesses in Illinois, three state lawmakers on Wednesday called for the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO) to enforce a law that requires additional reporting for companies that receive tax credits.

Pritzker notes new COVID-19 death record as ‘solemn milestone’; Durkin calls for Madigan to resign, urges Democrats to support him; Illinois Commerce Commission rejects pipeline rehearing

News in brief: Willis becomes latest Democrat to reject Madigan; Pritzker supports striking nursing home workers; state announces new funding for life sciences industry; new homebuyer assistance programs launched

In the years since Illinois lawmakers approved an energy modernization law that’s central to an ongoing federal investigation, Commonwealth Edison has seen its profits skyrocket and received less scrutiny from state regulators all while ratepayers have seen little benefit, according to a new report from Illinois Public Interest Research Group (PIRG).

When Gov. JB Pritzker’s proposed income tax amendment failed earlier this month, it became the latest in a long line of ballot measures rejected by Illinois voters.

Pritzker largely blamed the failure of the amendment on billionaires and Republicans while others have said outstanding questions and increased scrutiny from the ongoing federal investigation that’s implicated House Speaker Mike Madigan (D-Chicago) were equally responsible.

Pritzker urges local governments to utilize federal COVID-19 funding program; Ezike scales back initial estimates of COVID-19 vaccines for Illinois

An early assessment of the deadly outbreak of COVID-19 at the LaSalle Veterans Home found the facility had been using the wrong hand sanitizer, employees were lax on mask use, some staff members who tested positive for the virus continued to work due to staff shortages and some workers may have attended a Halloween party.

News in brief: Pritzker reiterates call for Congressional aid; IDES director defends agency; Raoul notes recent rise in scams; unclaimed property checks forthcoming

The multi-year effort to develop a new 62-acre neighborhood on Chicago’s Near South Side moved forward this month with Gov. JB Pritzker announcing new state funding and the selection of a team of designers and engineers who will develop a cornerstone research technology hub on the site.

First unveiled by developer Related Midwest in 2017, the $7 billion “The 78” mega-development will include retail, hotel, restaurants and up to 10,000 new units of housing along the Chicago River, north of Chinatown and south of Chicago’s South Loop.

The property will also feature a University of Illinois-led collaborative innovation center known as the Discovery Partners Institute (DPI).

Last week, the Illinois Capital Development Board (CDB) selected a team of designers and engineers, which included Dallas-based design and consulting firm Jacobs Consultants, Inc., Netherlands-based architectural firm OMA*AMO Architecture, and global design company IDEO, that will lead the $250 million DPI project.

The team was selected after a rigorous process that began months ago.

During their October presentation, representatives from the winning firm team shared images of a multi-story, all glass, semi-dome shaped building that will be sustainable, including having its own rainwater collection system. It will house classrooms, open air meeting spaces, laboratories, a cafeteria and terraces throughout the building.

The design calls for a series of laboratories to be built atop one another – which seeks to ensure efficiency – on one side of the building. The other side will include a “methodical design” of office and meeting spaces that will be layered in a way that is reminiscent of a game of Jenga, with open-air spaces complete with terraces aimed at maximizing views of the city and riverfront.

The exterior of the building will feature an “insulated glass skin” that will provide cover from the outside while allowing light to enter the building and at the same time let outsiders to see inside.

The perimeter area will feature landscaping with plants native to the region and also include a “wooden paving system” that pays homage to the late 1800s, when the Chicago River helped develop the city into the epicenter of the lumber trade.

Overall, CDB received 35 submissions, which led to six firms being interviewed. A conceptual design competition took place between three finalists vying for the project, with each team having six weeks to complete their proposal.

In October, the finalists presented their ambitious visions for the research center to a 12-person selection committee. The committee included five representatives from CDB, five representatives from the University of Illinois, which included one person from the Discovery Partners Institute, a representative of Related Midwest and a local community member.

Members of the winning team said their final design sought to be “expressive and serene” while aimed at being a “center” for “interdisciplinary collaboration” with an atrium at its center that will serve as the building’s “heart.”

Speaking to the CDB last week, J. Brent Lance, the agency’s administrator of capital planning, said the decision to pick the team that included Jacobs Consultants was unanimous among the 12-member selection committee.

“That says a lot about that team’s proposal,” he said, adding that the firm’s pitch would result in a “truly iconic” building.

When the competition was announced, the firms offered pitches based on the property being able to utilize three-and-a-half acres of land. But that changed in the weeks since, with the final project site being reduced to less than one acre.

Lance, who said Jacobs Consultants’ presentation was “easily adaptable” to the smaller site, noted the inclusion of IDEO, which is focused on community engagement, took the winning team to a different level. “The winning team’s conceptual proposal was one of diversity and transparency,” he said.

OMA*AMO Architecture has previously gained recognition for its design of the Seattle Central Library.

The CDB ultimately voted unanimously in favor of the selection of the group of designers and architects. Also under consideration were Chicago-based Studio Gang Architects and London-based Foster + Partners Architects.

After the selection of the design and architecture team, Pritzker announced the release of $142 million in funding for the DPI and the Illinois Innovation Network (INN), a group of public universities and community colleges. The DPI and INN  are expected to create or fill 48,000 new jobs over the next decade according to an economic impact study. The initiative is expected to have an economic impact of $19 billion over the next 10 years.

State lawmakers are set to hold a meeting on Tuesday to discuss a deadly COVID-19 outbreak at the LaSalle Veterans’ Home that killed 27 veterans.

Last week, Sen. Tom Cullerton (D-Villa Park) announced the meeting, saying the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee will “examine” the state’s handling of the outbreak.

The current outbreak of COVID-19 has Illinois officials so concerned that they’re warning the state could see a massive spike in deaths unless residents heed warnings and follow new mitigations.

Speaking at his daily COVID-19 briefing on Nov. 17, when he announced the latest mitigation efforts that are now in effect, Gov. JB Pritzker highlighted the dire projections, which he said could occur without further intervention.

One day after U.S. Attorney John Lausch announced the indictment of four more people in connection to an ongoing corruption investigation that has implicated House Speaker Mike Madigan, the longtime lawmaker reiterated his innocence on Thursday.

The political pressure facing House Speaker Mike Madigan reached new levels on Thursday, when Gov. JB Pritzker called for him to resign unless he answers lingering questions, and enough House Democrats said they would vote against him to imperil his grip on the speakership.

News in brief: Four more House Democrats come out against Madigan; Cabello loses 2 weeks after election; doctors, workers urge stay-at-home order; Pritzker announces museum grants 

In a reflection of the growing internal divide in the Democratic Party about House Speaker Mike Madigan’s future, longtime Illinois political and communications operatives are divided on the prospects of the longtime Chicago lawmaker’s downfall.

Gov. JB Pritzker on Tuesday announced new statewide COVID-19 restrictions, including ordering museums and casinos to close and placing new limits on retail businesses, but he avoided issuing a new stay-at-home order.

News in brief: Bipartisan group of governors launches COVID-19 PSA; September sports betting figures clarified; more money for broadband equity; IDOT seeking public comment

Despite record turnout and a dramatic increase in the use of mail-in-ballots in Illinois, state election officials on Monday reported few major complications during this year’s General Election, with one notable exception related to a legislative race.

After the failure of his graduated income tax proposal, Gov. JB Pritzker might look to “across-the-board” budget cuts and eliminating corporate and business tax loopholes as part of an effort to fix the state’s financial issues, according to a report released late last week by his administration.

Faced with a small but growing number of Democrats who have broken ranks, House Speaker Mike Madigan (D-Chicago) is fighting one his toughest political battles ever.