J.B. Pritzker is sworn into office Monday by Judge James Snyder at the Bank of Springfield Center.
It's official, J.B. Pritzker is now Illinois' 43rd governor. After taking the oath of office, he promptly dissed outgoing Gov. Bruce Rauner, without mentioning him by name. It's a day of pomp and circumstance for Pritzker; Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton, the first African-American woman to hold the post; and other state elected leaders sworn in Monday.
That includes Susana Mendoza, juggling a bid for Chicago mayor with state duties as she starts a second term as state comptroller. Did the long shadow cast by the federal attempted extortion charge against Ald. Edward Burke extend to an invite to Monday's swearing-in ceremonies in state government?
And Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle, who like Mendoza is a presumed front-runner in the still-crowded race for mayor, disagrees with the county watchdog over whether she should reimburse the government when using her taxpayer-funded county chauffeur/security when she's politicking. She argues, among other things, that the men in elected office get security 24/7, 365 days a year, so why shouldn't she?
There was pomp, circumstance and enough time amid the swearing-in pageantry for Democrat Pritzker to take a nick at his Republican predecessor, Rauner.
From the Tribune's Mike Riopell: "Without referencing his predecessor by name, Pritzker sought to suggest times were changing in Springfield after Rauner's four years marked by fights with Democrats and a long budget war.
"That starts with leadership that abandons single-minded, arrogant notions," Pritzker said. "No. Everything is not broken." Read the full story, including the hopes Democrats have now that they're firmly in control and the difficulties down the road, here.
It begins an era when Democrats will control all the levers of state government, which could mean a smooth ride if they can agree on how to solve the pension crisis and clear out that $7.4 billion pile of unpaid bills.
The governor wasn't the only show in town — meaning Springfield. WBEZ reports that Mendoza, also sworn in Monday, rescinded an invite to have Illinois Supreme Court Justice Anne Burke, a longtime mentor who is married to embattled Ald. Burke, swear her in. Read the story here.
Candidate Toni Preckwinkle speaks during a Chicago mayoral candidate forum in Chicago on Dec. 11, 2018.
From the Tribune's Gregory Pratt: "Cook County Inspector General Patrick Blanchard wrote that the county should be logging when government vehicles are used to transport Preckwinkle to political events and that she should reimburse the county for related expenses.
Preckwinkle's response: Board president spokeswoman Becky Schlikerman issued a statement that said, in part, "It's insulting for anyone to suggest that President Preckwinkle, the first African-American woman elected to this office, would be entitled to less protection than the men across the hall and the men who have previously held this office." That's a reference to Mayor Rahm Emanuel, whose fifth-floor office is just down the hall from her own in the city-county building downtown. Read the full story, including Emanuel's policy, here.
Chicago mayoral candidates LaShawn Ford and Jeremiah Joyce have a laugh while participating in a WGN-Ch. 9-hosted forum at Steinmetz College Prep on Jan. 10, 2019.
From the Tribune's John Byrne: "State Rep. LaShawn Ford's name should appear on the mayoral election ballot, the Chicago Board of Election Commissioners ruled Saturday, giving Chicagoans a look at what could be the final lineup of candidates vying to succeed Rahm Emanuel.
Things don't look good for Cook County Circuit Court Clerk Dorothy Brown and tech entrepreneur Neal Sales-Griffin, who both threw their hats in the ring. Read the story here.
Ald. Edward Burke, 14th, presides over the City Council Finance Committee meeting at Chicago City Hall on Dec. 10, 2018.
From the Tribune's Byrne: "Mayor Rahm Emanuel will use the even-greater-than-usual crisis of faith in Chicago public officials following the attempted extortion charge against Ald. Edward Burke to try to tighten up city rules on what outside jobs aldermen can hold and how they can influence City Council debate on behalf of business clients.
The case against Burke "provided two more mayoral candidates with the springboard Monday to call for City Council practices to be scrutinized and upended in order to root out corruption," Byrne writes in another piece. It's all part of burnishing their reformer bona fides. Read his story here.
Rush wants to reprimand King for 'racist' comments: Illinois U.S. Rep. Bobby Rush, a Democrat and member of the Congressional Black Caucus, says he'll introduce a resolution to formally censure U.S. Rep. Steve King, an Iowa Republican, "for his pattern of racist and xenophobic statements," Rush's office said in a news release issued Monday. Censuring is a type of reprimand. Read the Associated Press story here.
Ed Burke may be indicted next: The powerful alderman on Monday waived his right to a preliminary hearing that would have determined whether there was "probable cause for the bombshell attempted extortion charge filed against him earlier this month," the Tribune's Jason Meisner writes. "The procedural move cancels the hearing that had been set for Friday and allows prosecutors more time to seek an indictment from a grand jury." Read the full story here.
Hadiya Pendleton shooter sentenced: Cook County judge imposed a sentence of 84 years in prison for the convicted gunman in the slaying of 15-year-old Hadiya Pendleton, a death nearly six years ago that put a national spotlight on Chicago's gun violence. Read about it here.
New state program to allow medical pot instead of prescribed opioids: "The Illinois Department of Public Health is set to roll out its Opioid Alternative Pilot Program by the end January, which is expected to dramatically increase demand for medical marijuana," the Tribune's Ally Marotti reports. Read here.
Developer offers a new Lincoln Yards plan: Out is the soccer stadium and entertainment district, in are more parks and streets, the Tribune's Blair Kamin reports. Read here.
Chicago police traffic stops soar: But pedestrian stops are down, the Tribune's Jeremy Gorner reports. Read here.
Health care road bump: "The Trump administration's effort to let companies with religious or moral objections opt out of Obamacare requirements that they offer free contraception coverage in their employee health care plans hit a roadblock in a California court on the eve of the new rules taking effect," Bloomberg News reports. Read here.