Supermajority Democrats in the Illinois House moved quickly Wednesday to push through a change to state election laws that partially limits ballot access and adds three nonbinding referendums to the 2024 general election ballot.

It’s a move that caused minority party Republicans to vote “present,” then walk off the House floor without even debating the measure, while four Democrats voted against the bill that would amend ballot laws for the election cycle that is already underway.

Most suburban residents in the collar counties will begin receiving their property tax bills in the mail this week, though some are arriving slightly later than expected.

Bills were mailed out on time by treasurers in Kane and Lake counties on May 1, but a software issue delayed mailings in DuPage County by a few days. DuPage bills are expected to be mailed Friday and Saturday, Treasurer Gwen Henry said. In all three counties, property tax bill information was available online by May 1 or earlier.

The city of Chicago has been so vague about its security plan for the Democratic National Convention that it may be unprepared for the throngs of protesters who will descend on the city in August, according to the ACLU of Illinois.

The civil liberties group lobbed that accusation Thursday as it filed a federal lawsuit on behalf of Bodies Outside of Unjust Laws, a left-leaning activist group whose preferred protest route on the Magnificent Mile was shot down by the city.

Illinois state employees fabricated hair salons, paid others to inaccurately fill out forms and drastically inflated income numbers for their side businesses in an effort to fraudulently receive pandemic-era Paycheck Protection Program loans, according to recently released reports from the Office of Executive Inspector General.

One Department of Human Services employee said on a PPP application that his car-washing business made $110,000 in a year but later acknowledged the venture had no customers or income, according to one report. Asked why he listed that amount, the report says he told investigators: “I just randomly put it in to see what I could get; I wanted to try my business again and wanted to go mobile with it.”

Wineries across the state are pushing for a bill in the Illinois capitol that would allow their workers to expand their operations.

Right now under Illinois law, the maximum amount of wine wineries can produce is 25,000 gallons. Wineries can also only self-distribute 5,000 gallons.

The union representing school support staff came to a tentative agreement with Chicago Public Schools Wednesday night, ending a year of contract negotiations.

The four-year deal would create a baseline salary of $40,000 for all full-time workers represented by Service Employees International Union Local 73. The tentative agreement also calls for a 4% pay increase the first two years and a 4% to 5% increase the last two years of the contract. It will cover the current school year and expire at the end of the 2026-27 school year.

Gov. JB Pritzker (D-Ill.) on Thursday announced a $827 million investment to expand Rivian’s facility in Normal to build its newest model.

The investment comes from the state’s REV Fund, an incentive program from the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity to bolster clean energy manufacturing in Illinois. The expansion is expected to cost $1.5 billion.