A drawing shows the Chicago Bears’ preliminary vision for the Arlington Park property. The team wants to ask for public funding to develop the “mixed use district” portion of the property but will not use public funds for the stadium. [Chicago Bears]

State officials are cold to the idea of directly giving the Chicago Bears funds to potentially add apartments, businesses and other sources of economic activity around a potential new stadium for the team in Arlington Heights.

Sen. Cristina Pacione-Zayas (D-Chicago) speaks during a news conference in Humboldt Park Wednesday. [Ben Szalinski/The Daily Line]

Latino communities need more financial help fighting gun violence, a pair of state senators and a group of Humboldt Park community members said at a townhall meeting Wednesday.

Sen. Darren Bailey (R-Xenia), left, and Gov. JB Pritzker, right, after their primary victories on June 28 

With Labor Day in the rearview mirror, Illinois campaigns are going into the home stretch with two months to go before votes are tabulated on Nov. 8 and early voting begins on Sept. 29.

While political observers have speculated a “red wave” could propel Republicans to victories this fall, such a surge could be minimal or nonexistent in Illinois as Democrats continue to out-fundraise Republicans and fend off attacks Republican candidates hope will sway voters.

Black and brown stakeholders in the cannabis industry are calling on Gov. JB Pritzker’s administration to overhaul the cannabis licensing process with a greater focus on reducing barriers for minorities to receive cannabis business licenses. And Republican nominee for governor Sen. Darren Bailey (R-Xenia) says a bill filed by Sen. Chapin Rose (R-Mahomet) repealing the SAFE-T Act is a solution to crime in Illinois.

Rep. Mark Batinick (R-Plainfield) speaks during a news conference in at the State Capitol in 2021. [Blue Room Stream]  

The voice of the House Republican caucus on the House floor Rep. Mark Batinick (R-Plainfield) is stepping aside in January after deciding not to run for a fifth term in 2022.

But while he is ready to leave legislating behind for the next few years, Batinick told The Daily Line he hopes his caucus will stay focused on important policy issues and shared his secrets for navigating debates as the minority party.

Republican nominee for governor Sen. Darren Bailey (R-Xenia), left, and Republican nominee for attorney general Tom DeVore, right. 

With about two months left before Election Day on Nov. 8 and less than a month before voters can begin casting ballots by mail and at early voting sites, Republican candidates for statewide office continue to trail Democrats in the fundraising race.

However, Republican nominee for governor Sen. Darren Bailey (R-Xenia) and Republican nominee for attorney general Tom DeVore both received financial boosts to their August fundraising numbers.

Supreme Court Statutory Court Fees Task Force Chair Steve Pflaum, left, and Lake County Circuit Court Judge Jorge Ortiz, right, speak during a hearing on Tuesday. [Illinois Supreme Court/YouTube] 

Illinois lawmakers should eliminate court fees for juveniles, advocates told members of the state Supreme Court Statutory Court Fees Task Force during a hearing Tuesday.

Illinois officials said Thursday they “welcome” migrants from Venezuela and other Latin American countries after Texas Gov. Greg Abbott sent a group of migrants by bus to Chicago Wednesday. Republican secretary of state nominee Rep. Dan Brady (R-Bloomington) pledged to digitize vehicle titles if elected. And Republican nominee for U.S. Senate Kathy Salvi announced her plans to participate in an October debate.

House Minority Leader Jim Durkin (R-Western Springs) speaks at a rally on Republican Day at the Illinois State Fair on Aug. 18. [Blue Room Stream]

House Minority Leader Jim Durkin (R-Western Springs) is hoping to bring down the House Democrats’ super majority with a record number of Republican candidates running for seats in the Illinois House on Nov. 8.

Gov. JB Pritzker speaks at a news conference Tuesday at Planned Parenthood of Illinois. [Ben Szalinski/The Daily Line]

Hours after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade at the end of June, Gov. JB Pritzker pledged to call lawmakers to Springfield within the “coming weeks” to craft a legislative response to the decision, but then hit the breaks on the special session when July arrived.

Now as Labor Day approaches and state lawmakers count down the days to the Nov. 8 election, a special session to take up abortion bills appears unlikely.