Chicago Police Misconduct Payout: Chicago City Council finance committee advanced a record $260.8M settlement tied to former CPD detective Reynaldo Guevara, resolving claims from 17 plaintiffs whose murder convictions were later vacated over alleged false confessions. Urbana Data Center Fight: Urbana Mayor Bill Bean unveiled a proposed settlement framework in the city’s $1B data center dispute with Thor Equities, after court-ordered mediation and a confidential process. Supreme Court Climate Liability: The U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments in a case that could determine whether local governments can sue oil and gas firms over climate-related harms, with major ripple effects for similar lawsuits. McDonald’s Antitrust Case: A federal class action in Chicago alleges McDonald’s used AI to coordinate menu prices with franchisees, violating antitrust law. Illinois Courts & Ethics: Cook County Judge D’Anthony “Tony” Thedford is releasing accused felons at nearly twice the rate of other pretrial judges, raising scrutiny of pretrial practices. Election & Schools: CPS school board president candidate Hilario Dominguez says he’ll stay in the race as CPS OIG reopens a sexual harassment investigation; meanwhile, super PAC spending is surging in the school board contest. State Policy: State Farm filed another nearly 8% homeowners insurance rate increase for Illinois, citing extreme weather losses. Local Politics: Outgoing state Rep. Stephanie Kifowit plans to run for Oswego Village Board. Public Safety: A DeSoto man pleaded guilty to murder after prosecutors say he struck an 8-year-old boy and the boy’s mother at least 117 times with a bat.