Illinois’ population stayed fairly flat into 2025, following a national trend of low growth due to a historic decrease in net international immigration, according to new figures released on Tuesday by the Census Bureau.

The state’s population increased by 16,108, or 0.001%, to 12,719,141, from July 2024 to July 2025, keeping it the sixth most populous state.

Nationwide, the population grew by 1.8 million, or 0.5%, the slowest rate since the historically low growth rate of 0.2% during the COVID pandemic in 2021. The slowdown also comes after a bump in growth in 2024, when the country added 3 million people and grew by 1%, the fastest annual population growth rate since 2006.

“With births and deaths remaining relatively stable compared to the prior year, the sharp decline in net international migration is the main reason for the slower growth rate we see today,” said Christine Hartley, assistant division chief for Estimates and Projections at the Census Bureau.

Net international migration was 1.3 million, a drop of more than half from 2.7 million the year before, due primarily to the Trump administration’s crackdown on immigration, experts said. If current trends continue, net international migration is projected to drop by 1 million more by July 2026.

“The big story nationally is about international immigration being down,” said Christine Percheski, associate professor of sociology and faculty fellow at Northwestern University’s Institute for Policy Research in Evanston. “We see that in Illinois as well.”

People walk along North Michigan Avenue while snow falls on Jan. 25, 2026, in Chicago’s Loop. The state’s population increased slightly from July 2024 to July 2025, keeping it the sixth most populous state. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune)

While Illinois has typically had more residents move out to other states than move in in recent years, international immigration has made up for most of the loss.

But with the administration of President Donald Trump restricting legal immigration and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and U.S. Customs and Border Protection ramping up arrests of people accused of illegal immigration, fewer foreigners are arriving.

“Population growing or shrinking isn’t necessarily bad, it’s about how we respond,” Percheski  said. “Stability is fine. It’s really big changes in population in a short time that creates big challenges. But we’ve been seeing modest changes in Illinois for quite a while.”

The Midwest was the only region where all states gained population. After experiencing population decline in 2021 and small growth in 2022, the Midwest’s population grew solidly in the past three years, census officials said.

The Midwest also saw slightly positive net domestic migration for the first time this decade — a turnaround from substantial losses in 2021 and 2022.

South Carolina was the fastest-growing state, gaining almost 80,000, driven by domestic net migration, followed by Idaho, North Carolina, Texas and Utah.

The immigration crackdown is likely to deter more immigrants from participating in the census, reducing federal funding to the state for essentials like roads, schools and libraries, said Dr. Kathleen Yang-Clayton, senior visiting scholar and civic invitation fellow at the Chaddick Institute at DePaul University in Chicago.

She urged working now to gain immigrants’ trust in participating in the census.

“The hard-to-count folks are most impacted by an undercount,” she said. “In the end, laying eyes on people … is going to take a lot more trust because of what’s happening with ICE.”

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/01/27/illinois-population-census/ 

Indiana’s national title defense will include back-to-back matchups with the schools that won the previous two championships.

The Big Ten released its 2026 conference schedule Tuesday. Indiana will host Ohio State on Oct. 17 and visit Michigan on Oct. 24.

Michigan won the national title in the 2023 season. Ohio State’s 2024 team won it all.

That Oct. 17 Indiana-Ohio State clash will be a rematch of this past season’s Big Ten championship game, which the Hoosiers won 13-10. Indiana then went on to win the College Football Playoff, defeating Miami 27-21 in the final.

There’s another intriguing Big Ten matchup Oct. 17, as Michigan State coach Pat Fitzgerald faces his former team when the Spartans host Northwestern. Fitzgerald posted a 110-101 record at Northwestern from 2006-22.

The Wildcats will open their conference schedule Sept. 26 at Indiana, while Illinois visits Ohio State the same day in its Big Ten opener.

Notably, Northwestern said in its release that it will announce “information pertaining to Northwestern’s home venues for 2026” at noon Feb. 3. The rebuilt Ryan Field is scheduled to open for the 2026 season.

The Wildcats begin the season with two nonconference home games against South Dakota State and Colorado, then host Penn State on Oct. 3 in their first Big Ten home game.

The first two conference games are scheduled for Sept. 19, when UCLA hosts Purdue and USC visits Rutgers. The Big Ten championship game is Dec. 5 in Indianapolis.

Some games currently scheduled to take place on a Saturday could end up getting shifted to a Friday or other days, including the Sunday before Labor Day or Black Friday, to accommodate television schedules.

Kickoff times will be announced later.

Illinois 2026 schedule

Dates subject to change; times TBA

Sept. 5 vs. UAB
Sept. 12 vs. Duke
Sept. 19 vs. Southern Illinois
Sept. 26 at Ohio State
Oct. 3 vs. Purdue (homecoming)
Oct. 10 at Michigan State
Oct. 17 off
Oct. 24 vs. Oregon
Oct. 31 at Maryland
Nov. 7 vs. Nebraska
Nov. 14 at UCLA
Nov. 21 vs. Iowa
Nov. 28 at Northwestern

Northwestern 2026 schedule

Dates subject to change; times and home venues TBA

Sept. 5 vs. South Dakota State
Sept. 12 off
Sept. 19 vs. Colorado
Sept. 26 at Indiana
Oct. 3 vs. Penn State
Oct. 10 vs. Ball State
Oct. 17 at Michigan State
Oct. 24 vs. Rutgers
Oct. 31 at Oregon
Nov. 7 vs. Iowa
Nov. 14 at Ohio State
Nov. 21 at Minnesota
Nov. 28 vs. Illinois

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/01/27/big-ten-2026-football-schedule/ 

Retired Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago President and CEO Michael Moskow and his wife, Suzanne, in October sold their four-bedroom, 3,940-square-foot condominium near the top of a Streeterville building for their $2.75 million asking price.

Moskow, 88, retired as head of the Chicago Fed in 2007 after almost 13 years in the job. He later was vice chairman and distinguished fellow on the global economy at the Chicago Council on Global Affairs.

In Streeterville, the couple paid $2.92 million in 2008 for the unit, which is on the 15th floor of the 16-story, 41-unit Belvedere building. The couple first listed it in May 2025 for $2.95 million and then cut their asking price to $2.75 million in June. They found a buyer in mid-July.

The unit has 3-1/2 bathrooms, a foyer leading to a wide gallery, two private terraces, a kitchen with high-end appliances and a breakfast room, a primary bedroom suite with a fireplace and custom built-ins, and a library. The condo also has hardwood floors, custom millwork and crown moldings, and it comes with three parking spaces.

Listing agent Caroline Druker declined to comment on the sale or why the Moskows sold the unit. Records show that the Moskows continue to own a 4,573-square-foot house in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida that they bought in 2000 for $650,000.

The condo had a $43,478 property tax bill in the 2024 tax year — way down from its $62,459 property tax bill in the prior year. It also comes with an additional $4,599 a month in homeowners association dues.

The Moskows aren’t the only bold-faced names attempting to sell in the Belvedere. Former Chicago Blackhawks right winger Marian Hossa has his 14th-floor condo — which is directly below the Moskows’ now-former unit — on the market and under contract at a $2.199 million asking price. That’s below the $2.35 million that he paid for it in 2010, and it’s less than half the almost $4.5 million that he first listed it for in 2018.

Hossa’s condo has been on and off the market ever since. Like the Moskows’ condo, Hossa’s condo saw a substantial recent property tax drop — from $62,320 in the 2023 tax year to $43,381 the following year — that came as part of a building-wide reduction in property assessments by the Cook County Assessor’s office.

Goldsborough is a freelance reporter.

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/01/27/retired-chicago-fed-chief-sells-streeterville-condo-for-2-75m/ 

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/01/27/daily-horoscope-for-january-28-2026/ 

Patel Says FBI Has Discovered Groups Funding Minnesota Protests

Tyler Durden
Tue, 01/27/2026 – 18:50

https://www.zerohedge.com/political/patel-says-fbi-has-discovered-groups-funding-minnesota-protests 

Tether Launches USAT, A Federally Regulated, Dollar-Backed Stablecoin For The US Market

Tyler Durden
Tue, 01/27/2026 – 18:25

https://www.zerohedge.com/crypto/tether-launches-usat-federally-regulated-dollar-backed-stablecoin-us-market 

Illinois could soon opt into the first federal school voucher program — an initiative long-championed by private school advocates and religious conservatives — but Gov. JB Pritzker has yet to weigh in.

Under the program, part of the Republican “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” donors can get a dollar-for-dollar tax credit of up to $1,700 for giving to scholarship-granting nonprofits. Those scholarships can go to private school tuition, transportation and other education-related expenses.

Supporters say the program will expand parental choice, and allow low-income students to receive a better or specialized education outside of their neighborhood school.

But critics argue that the program pulls money away from public schools, and undermines the tradition of American public education. Dozens of public school advocates gathered outside of the Governor’s Office in the West Loop Tuesday morning, demanding that Pritzker choose not to participate.

“We believe that as a public good, public dollars should fund public schools,” said Huu Nguyen, a board member at Illinois Families for Public Schools. “School voucher programs that take tax dollars to fund private education are the antithesis of public policy that supports the common good.”

Huu Nguyen, a board member at Illinois Families for Public Schools, stands with supporters outside of the Office of the Governor in the West Loop, Jan. 27, 2026, as she calls on Gov. JB Pritzker to opt Illinois out of a new federal school voucher program. (Eileen T. Meslar/Chicago Tribune)

The group intended to deliver a letter to Pritzker signed by 46 advocacy, civil rights and labor organizations, including the Illinois Federation of Teachers and the League of Women Voters of Illinois. But they were stopped at the building’s entrance by a security guard, who instructed them to mail the letter instead.

A spokesperson for Pritzker wrote in a statement that the Governor’s Office is still reviewing the tax credit.

“We will evaluate the issue through a lens focused on affordability for working families and what best supports Illinois students, families, and public schools,” according to the statement.

In a July email, however, Pritzker’s office criticized the program, noting that it could “potentially (reduce) state and federal funding for public schools.”

“It’s millions of kids that suffer in the state of Illinois that suffer due to lack of resources in public schools,” said Antwain Miller, a community organizer with the nonprofit Lugenia Burns Hope Center. “How can we make sense of public school dollars to privatized schools?”

Less than half of Illinois’ 850-plus public school districts are considered adequately funded by the state.

Under the state’s Evidence-Based Funding formula, which aims to deliver equitable funding for schools in low-income communities, Chicago Public Schools is only funded at 73% adequacy. District officials estimate that CPS needs an additional $985 million to meet the state’s adequacy target of 90% next fiscal year.

In states participating in the federal voucher program, taxpayers can claim credits beginning in 2027. Scholarship eligibility is limited to students whose family income does not exceed 300% of their area’s median income. It’s a relatively high threshold: In Cook County, the cap would be $359,000 for a four-person household, according to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Conservatives have long fought for a federal school voucher-style program. Until now, all major school choice programs have emerged only at the state level. Earlier drafts of the “One Big Beautiful Bill” included larger tax credits and mandated state participation, rather than allow governors to opt in.

The American Federation for Children, a prominent national advocacy group for private-school choice, called the tax credit “a new opportunity for governors to embrace educational freedom for families and students” in a statement earlier this month.

“This is a no-brainer for governors, and states, to create incredible new opportunities that can benefit the next generation of American leaders,” wrote CEO Tommy Schultz. “States that fail to opt in risk forfeiting millions in charitable support for their own students.”

Andrew Broy, the president of the Illinois Network for Charter Schools, said that the nonprofit supports the program, though it remains unclear whether charter school students would be eligible for scholarships. He pushed back on the idea that the initiative diverts local education dollars.

“It’s a federal tax credit, so it doesn’t take any state or local resources,” Broy said.

Previously, Illinois had its own, similar tax credit initiative, Invest In Kids, from 2018 to 2023. The program offered a 75% income tax credit to people who contributed to scholarships for low-income students to attend private schools. But state lawmakers ultimately chose not to renew it, facing intense opposition from public school advocates and teachers’ unions.

About a third of Illinois counties will see the school voucher program on the primary ballot March 17. But it is ultimately Pritzker who will decide whether Illinois adopts the program.

The debate comes as fewer families opt to send their children to CPS. A recent report found that the district’s share of the city’s school-aged children fell from 75% to 71% from 2018 to 2023, while private school enrollment remained steady.

Declining birth rates have also jolted Illinois public schools. CPS, for example, has lost 28% of its enrollment since 2002 — about 122,000 students. That’s significant because enrollment determines how much federal and state funding a district receives.

“For rural districts, even a small loss of students to private schools have devastating fiscal consequences for school district budgets,” said Becky Simon, president of the League of Women Voters of Illinois. “We urge school district leaders to speak up, and we urge Governor Pritzker to fully fund public education.”

To be sure, many private schools have been subject to the same demographic pressures.

The Archdiocese of Chicago announced the closure of five Catholic schools this week, citing dwindling enrollment and financial strain. St. Stanislaus Kostka Academy, a Catholic elementary school in West Town, also announced its closure earlier this month.

Tribune reporter Olivia Olander contributed.

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/01/27/federal-voucher-program/ 

Mayor Brandon Johnson defended his top aide’s involvement in U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett’s Senate campaign on Tuesday, arguing that the firebrand Texas Democrat’s election would be vital to his Chicago agenda as well.

Asked whether Jason Lee should be spending time on an out-of-state political campaign given all the pressing issues facing Chicago, Johnson said the nation and its third-largest city need Crockett in the U.S. Senate.

“I’m grateful that there are volunteers across this country and across the state of Texas that have aligned themselves with congresswoman Crockett, because I do believe she is absolutely what this country needs in this moment,” Johnson said at a City Hall news conference. “I recognize as mayor of the city of Chicago that we’re going to need … people who are close to me that will support and endeavor for a woman like Jasmine Crockett to become a United States senator in the state of Texas. Could you imagine the power that that would provoke?”

Lee confirmed to Punchbowl News this week that he’s helping Crockett, who is challenging state Rep. James Talarico in the Democratic primary, as a “supporter” after the outlet reported on a Jan. 22 donor call in which Lee outlined her campaign’s “very robust communication strategy.” He included a focus on Latino voters via YouTube ads.

A Crockett campaign spokesperson did not immediately respond to request for comment Tuesday. Lee later called a Tribune reporter to clarify he does not travel to Texas for the campaign nor does he have a contract or receive pay for his work.

“I don’t do any of that stuff. What I can do is have conversations and understand strategic things,” Lee said, stressing that in Chicago, “I’m involved in everything. I’m there, I’m always on the phones. I’ve got my finger on the pulse of what I’m supposed to be doing.”

Mayor Brandon Johnson talks with senior adviser Jason Lee, center, between meetings with lawmakers at the Illinois Capitol on April 30, 2025, in Springfield. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune)

Lee, who is the son of the late U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, has sparked controversy before over his roots in Texas politics. In 2024, the Tribune reported that he voted in Texas during the November election

Chicago requires government employees to reside in the city and affirm their residency via an affidavit, but Lee denied that he misled either Chicago or Texas officials on his residency. On Tuesday, Johnson reiterated that Lee is his full-time staffer and a Chicago resident.

However, a Jan. 23 filing from Texas Majority PAC, an organization Lee co-founded before he joined the mayor’s office, again listed him as the campaign treasurer with a Houston address. The Tribune last asked Lee after his involvement with that committee in December 2024, to which he said, “I’m not working for them. It’s just a perfunctory thing, because I don’t do anything for it.”

Campaign finance records show Texas Majority PAC did pay Lee $67,500 in July 2023, which he did not disclose on his economic interest statement with the city of Chicago that year. Lee told the Tribune that money covered work he did up until April 30 of that year, and that he never received compensation from the PAC once Johnson took office May 15.

Lee again said Tuesday that he does not work for the PAC and remains “on the paperwork because I was one of the founders.”

Lee, one of the top aides in the mayor’s inner circle, has been the center of other controversies since Johnson assumed office. Most recently, Chicago Inspector General Deborah Witzburg recommended he be fired last fall and placed on a do-not-hire list for failing to cooperate with an investigation into City Hall’s handling of a negotiation with an alderman.

Johnson declined to fire Lee and in October denied that his senior adviser failed to cooperate with the investigation.

Crockett’s decision to run in the Senate primary has divided Democrats over whether she might make a tough race for the party more difficult due to concerns over her general election appeal — she has had to walk back comments that Latino Trump supporters have a “slave mentality,” for one — or whether Democratic insiders should let primary voters decide for themselves.

Texas has not elected a Democrat to statewide office in the last three decades. Johnson on Tuesday pointed to Republican Texas Gov. Greg Abbott sending buses of Venezuelan migrants to Chicago throughout 2023 and 2024 as a reason he needs an ally such as Crockett in the Senate.

Lee, for his part, said Crockett is a friend and his mother thought very highly of her: “I found her to be one of the most courageous leaders on the nation’s level that we have.”

Chicago Tribune’s Jake Sheridan contributed.

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/01/27/mayor-brandon-johnson-aide-texas-u-s-senate-race/ 

Yale Goes Tuition-Free For Middle-Class As Dartmouth Prez Pushes ‘Protections For Unpopular Views’

Tyler Durden
Tue, 01/27/2026 – 18:00

https://www.zerohedge.com/political/yale-goes-tuition-free-middle-class-dartmouth-prez-pushes-protections-unpopular-views 

Judge Gina Jones rejected Stuart Roane’s plea deal Tuesday, ordering him to undergo a mental competency evaluation before the case goes forward.

Roane, 59, of Marion, Indiana, was charged after allegedly slamming into a mother’s vehicle in September 2023 at 117 mph near U.S. 30. The impact ripped the vehicle apart, sending a baby’s car seat flying.

Everyone survived.

He pleaded guilty Nov. 12 to criminal recklessness, a Level 6 felony, and misdemeanor reckless driving. Court documents allege he had cocaine in his system.

The mother, Amanda Wartman, who was extracted, barely remembered the aftermath and was sent to the hospital with multiple injuries. The baby had bruises and scrapes.

Jones told lawyers she was concerned that Roane was not fully owning up to the criminal recklessness part of the plea. Rather than make the call to accept the entire plea, she was more comfortable potentially having a jury decide at trial.

His trial was set for Aug. 10.

Earlier in the hearing, Wartman told the court she took her 15-month-old daughter out for a ride to get her to go to sleep.

The woman said she would “never be the same.”

If someone saw a picture of the crash and learned everyone survived, “no one would believe you,” she said.

At the hospital, she could hear the screams of a nearby gunshot victim. She never got to see her daughter, who was promptly transferred to the University of Chicago Comer Children’s Hospital, her husband later told the court.

Wartman was left with three broken ribs, a punctured lung, an injured spleen and a broken hand.

Today, she is still scared to drive. Her other son could have been killed if he had been in the vehicle with them.

The fact that they survived “should not give (Roane) grace,” she said. “Maybe I was out there to save someone else.”

Derek Wartman, her husband, said he opposed the plea, saying it was too lenient and they wanted to go to trial. The girl seemed fine, but they couldn’t rule out long-term consequences.

“For the rest of my life, I will wonder what he broke in her,” he said.

When he went to Comer, he thought, “I left Amanda to die.”

Roane “should have killed half my family,” he said, later adding, “He deserves to go to jail.”

Deputy Prosecutor Maureen Koonce asked for the maximum 2.5-year sentence in jail under the plea. A toxicology report found Roane had traces of cocaine in his system, but they couldn’t prove he was high at the time of the crash.

The fact he was still driving was “all the more troubling,” she said. “It’s almost like this guy thought he was a race car driver.”

Defense lawyer Kirk Marrie said he knew of the case before it was assigned to him.

“I remember thinking, this monster,” he said.

His impression evolved as Roane met with him in his office. He was a U.S. Navy veteran and intelligent, but held back.

“He’s not a bad man,” the lawyer said.

Marrie argued Roane’s vehicle was a “projectile” and Wartman, by being the vehicle he hit, may have “saved other people.”

Jones cut him off.

“I’m going to need you to stop this line,” she said. “Go onto something else.”

Minutes later, Jones nudged him again.

Marrie asked for “whatever kind of grace” Jones could give his client.

Roane said he was “regretful” for the crash.

“I never intended any harm,” he said, later adding, “I feel terrible about what happened.”

“This whole case bothered me,” Jones told the court.

“I’m not getting (he’s admitting) recklessness,” she said. “I’m getting, there’s mental issues (Marrie spoke of).”

There was a “constant denial” without Roane admitting his recklessness, she said.

After a brief recess, Jones said she would reject the plea deal.

A status hearing is in April, with a pretrial conference in July.

Police responded at 8:48 p.m. Sept. 23, 2023, to the intersection of U.S. 30 (Lincoln Highway) and Burr Street in Schererville.

A witness said Roane blew a red light going east on U.S. 30 at a “really high rate of speed.” He hit the woman in the intersection, the charging affidavit alleges. The man estimated Roane was going 75-80 miles per hour.

Another witness said the Malibu went by “in a flash” and the crash sounded like an “explosion.” The mother was “awake” and “crying out for her baby,” but there was “no back seat…anymore”, the witness told investigators.

Other women who were checking the scene heard a baby crying and saw the car seat flipped on its side 20 feet from the car’s rear half on the grass. The child had blood on her face, mouth and ear.

A different witness told police two cars passed him — like they were “street racing” — on the U.S. 30’s left shoulder near a Jaguar dealership, before one got into the crash.

A crash reconstruction investigator estimated Roane’s Malibu was traveling at 120 miles per hour, while the airbag data showed 117 miles per hour. The woman’s car was going about 16 per hour.

mcolias@post-trib.com

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/01/27/judge-rejects-plea-deal-in-117-mph-crash-that-split-vehicle-near-u-s-30-sent-baby-flying-in-car-seat/