as governor pritzker calls on the power grid operator to safeguard residents from costs associated with data centers, he has devoted significant time and resources to attracting resource-intensive data centers, semiconductor manufacturers, and quantum computing companies to illinois.

interestingly, the consortium of governors calls for data centers to pay the full costs of their power supplies—but only those in service after july 1, 2027. there are dozens of data centers in illinois alone in various stages of construction/operation that could come online before then.

Worth noting the Board previously tabled the very same proposal in March, essentially = a June 9 deadline. That timeline granted the Board an opportunity to wait for the state legislature to possibly address data center concerns, but board members opted to approve the proposal after just 15 days.

NEW: Heartland is now closing all four of their shelters that house unaccompanied minors coming to the U.S. This, due to funding cuts, as the U.S. Office of Refugee Resettlement isn't renewing their contracts with the nonprofit. news.wttw.com/2026/04/06/h...

Sangamon County Board members voted 17-10 to approve a $500 million data center. Board member Marc Ayers, who previously announced he was leaving his seat at the end of the meeting, called the board’s actions to limit public comment “a stain.” www.illinoistimes.com/news/sangamo...

Tomorrow is April 7, I’ll be attending the Sangamon County board meeting. The Board will have its first opportunity to revisit the data center proposal — though tabling rules mean it could technically wait for state legislation, the POWER Act, expected to be heard in committee this week.

On Monday, the Sangamon County Board needed two votes to get a hyperscale data center proposal tabled. It could be called back for a vote as soon as April 7. Here’s more from this week’s meeting: www.illinoistimes.com/news/county-...

Here's the original story by @dilpreetraju.bsky.social: www.illinoistimes.com/news/back-in...

After hours of constituents deriding the idea of a data center and a request from district board member Craig Hall for another vote to table the motion, Sangamon County board members voted 15-13 to table the CyrusOne proposal.

At the County hearing now, a motion to table the proposal until more info from the state was just voted on: 13 voted to table, 15 voted not to Not a debatable motion, Chair Andy Van Meter says, meaning there will be a vote on the proposal tonight.

@dilpreetraju.bsky.social joins the program to discuss an Illinois Times investigation into a man who is back in the spotlight after defrauding the Illinois EPA out of millions of dollars more than 10 years ago.

NEW: Chicago taxpayers have paid more than $1.76 million to defend the Chicago police officer who shot a 13-year-old boy in May 2022, leaving him permanently paralyzed, according to documents obtained by @wttw.bsky.social news.

After months of hearings and discussions, the Sangamon County Board seems poised to approve plans for the county’s first data center on March 23 despite consistent pushback from constituents. It would use 420 backup generators that have few regulations. www.illinoistimes.com/news/limited...

Following a prison sentence, environmental engineer collects nearly $1.5 million from same state agency he was convicted of defrauding. Illinois Times reviewed hundreds of public records and court filings (all listed within) for this article. www.illinoistimes.com/news/back-in...

NEW: CPD's 2026 budget sets aside more than $2.75M for its communications effort, which includes a podcast designed to reshape the department’s public image. That's an increase of more than 700% over a decade, @jaredrutecki.bsky.social reports for @wttw.bsky.social

NEW: The Supreme Court has held that IEEPA does not authorize the president to impose tariffs. www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/25p...

New from me: @govpritzker.illinois.gov will use his State of the State address to push a sweeping housing plan that’d permit multi-unit buildings on most residential lots, legalize granny flats and slash red tape that’s slowed homebuilding in recent years. capitolnewsillinois.com/news/pritzke...

last month the US secretly deported nine asylum seekers to cameroon where they’ve been trapped at a local government-owned compound until they agree to return to their home countries where they face persecution and death. none have history of violence.

Filming ICE is an act of journalism. Cell phone footage is vital source material for reporters who can’t be everywhere at once. Shooting, killing and other targeting of those documenting news is an attack on press freedom and all else that's good in the world.

You can help Bolts continue to provide crucial coverage of local elections. Here's how: - Repost this = I donate $1. - Follow @boltsmag.org = I donate $1. - Donate (link below) + tell me how much = I match your donation. (Donate monthly = I match a year's worth)

“I’m serious. That was my prayer: Please tell me this bill is not going to hit the board,” said Illinois state Sen. Doris Turner when asked about voting on an assisted dying bill that passed the statehouse late last month. www.illinoistimes.com/news/turner-...

NEW: A @propublica.org & @frontlinepbs.bsky.social analysis found dozens of cases in recent months which officers deployed "less lethal" weapons in ways that flout the government’s own rules — like aiming at someone’s head, spine or groin and deploying chemical agents near children.

#BREAKING Federal prosecutors in Chicago move to dismiss charges against Marimar Martinez, the woman shot by Border Patrol in Brighton Park, as well as her co-defendant Anthony Ruiz.

"Another source with direct knowledge said the number of Border Patrol agents currently operating in the Chicago area will go from 250 down to 100. But in March, that number could increase to 1,000 agents." chicago.suntimes.com/public-safet... w/ @jonseidel.bsky.social

Los Alamos and U of Michigan want to build a data center in the small town of Ypsilanti. The city's people don't want to help make weapons of mass destruction. The fight is only just starting

While there is uncertainty about the deployment of the National Guard in Chicago at the moment, there already is U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) activity targeted at the unhoused community. Here’s what you should know about your rights when encountering ICE agents if you’re unhoused.

NEW: I found 17 sheriffs in Illinois that have contracts to detain people for ICE through U.S. Marshals Service contracts. IL law explicitly prohibits these types of intergovernmental service agreements. news.wttw.com/2025/10/22/d...

BREAKING: Dodge Co sheriff is transporting migrants to and from a controversial Illinois ICE facility @isiahholmes.bsky.social and @henry-redman.bsky.social report wisconsinexaminer.com/2025/10/21/d...

NEW — Trump hasn’t sent the troops to Chicago, but he did send a surge of ICE and federal agents. Federal agents have been spotted across the Chicagoland area today. Here’s our roundup of ICE activity. thetriibe.com/2025/09/live...

Daniel Raab, a former UIC biology student turned IDF sniper, admitted to targeting civilians in Gaza. www.theguardian.com/world/2025/s...

Who owns ProPublica? Spoiler: No one. We don’t answer to corporate interests or advertisers, just 80,000+ readers like you who power fearless investigative journalism. Join us during our Fall Member Drive: https://propub.li/41FsQeL

"By ordering the U.S. military to summarily kill a group of people aboard what he said was a drug-smuggling boat, President Trump used the military in a way that had no clear legal precedent or basis, according to specialists in the laws of war and executive power." www.nytimes.com/2025/09/04/u...

NEW: The Illinois Department of Corrections is moving toward mail scanning instead of physical mail. news.wttw.com/2025/09/03/u...

Today marks 20 years since New Orleans police officers, in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, shot and killed Ronald Madison and James Brissette, both Black, on Danziger Bridge. Madison was 40 and had a developmental disability, Brissette was 17. Both were simply trying to survive a natural disaster.

The Guardian is tracking the chaos at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention today: www.theguardian.com/us-news/live...

Officer Carlos Baker has been stripped of his police powers. Baker fatally shot his partner Krystal Rivera and was accused of attacking a female officer this week. He's also under investigation for allegedly seeking video of that incident and claiming he was investigating it. tinyurl.com/2rdx49ms

Gov. Pritzker signed more than 270 bills into law this afternoon, and vetoed two bills: HB2682 and SB0246

Two weeks ago, CPJ reported on Anas Al-Sharif getting threats from the IDF to cease reporting. He didn’t, and now he’s dead. He’s not the only journalist getting threats from the IDF. We partnered with @theintercept.com to document this horrific practice.

The SAFE-T Act had a long list of reforms for policing standards in Illinois, some of which could be reinforced in Sangamon County by potential Massey Commission recommendations. www.illinoistimes.com/news-opinion...

A former “Alligator Alcatraz” worker says detainees are subject to “inhumane” conditions — packed by the hundreds into cages without sunlight, with overflowing toilets and limited access to showers.

I've been following GoodKids MadCity's Peacekeeper initiative for the last year. This summer, the program expanded to include 200 positions. Last week, they hosted a graduation celebration for participants who completed the six-week program. thetriibe.com/2025/08/i-ju...

Re-upping this thread after reading @dilpreetraju.bsky.social reporting in the Illinois Times that Aetna will not offer ACA plans in central Illinois >> www.illinoistimes.com/news-opinion...

Gov. Pritzker signed more than 120 bills into law today, almost one fourth of which are effective immediately. Full list here: gov-pritzker-newsroom.prezly.com/gov-pritzker...

Health insurance is going to cost a lot more for many Illinoisans next year, thanks to the expiration of federal tax credits and exit of Aetna and Health Alliance, two major health insurers. www.illinoistimes.com/news-opinion...