Little more than two months after his inauguration, Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker is drawing mixed reviews from state residents, according to a statewide poll released Wednesday by the Paul Simon Public Policy Institute at Southern Illinois University.

At the same time, the poll found deep disapproval for the job President Donald Trump is doing as the 2020 presidential contest approaches — a point of potential concern for state Republican candidates who will be on the next general election ballot.

State lawmakers in Springfield are scheduled to discuss some of their options Thursday for tackling local governments’ pension costs.

They’re unlikely to reach any decision at the committee hearing. But preliminary, public talks there, along with meetings of a task force set up by Gov. JB Pritzker, may set the stage for future action.

The leaders of McCormick Place in Chicago are publicly pitching a major new expansion to Illinois state lawmakers. In its sprawling campus south of downtown, McCormick Place stages major conventions like the Chicago Auto Show and the upcoming comic convention, C2E2.

In a low-key appearance before legislators in Springfield on Wednesday, Lori Healey, CEO of the Metropolitan Pier and Exposition Authority which oversees McCormick Place, said the expansion includes plans to build a new 300,000-square-foot structure over Martin Luther King Drive. She said it would connect the current South and West buildings. Healey bragged the plans would create the “largest contiguous exhibition space in the world.”

Mayor Rahm Emanuel and aviation officials kicked off Wednesday a $1.2 billion expansion of Terminal 5 at O’Hare International Airport, which will help make way for the larger $8.5 billion revamp of the airport.

By 2021, the 25-year-old international terminal will have 10 new gates to accommodate large aircraft and reduce delays, and 75 percent more space for passenger amenities, including 15 new dining and retail locations, the city said.

Metra on Wednesday announced plans to buy at least 200 new rail cars, which could help cut delays on the system.

The commuter railroad is putting out a request for proposals for 200 to 400 cars that are compatible with its diesel locomotives. Currently, Metra has 848 diesel rail cars, with an average age of 30. Some cars are more than 60 years old.

Woodstock City Council on Tuesday tabled a vote on a controversial noise ordinance.

Some residents have complained that summer events at Niko’s Red Mill Tavern, 1040 Lake Ave., and Kingston Lanes, 1330 S. Eastwood Drive, lead to noise pollution in the area.