The Bears might end up at Arlington Park, but the ponies won’t be there next year.

As the corporate owner of the historic suburban oval mulls bids from the Chicago Bears and other potential buyers, the deadline passed Friday afternoon for the track to apply with state regulators for a racing license in 2022 — guaranteeing there won’t be horse racing in Arlington Heights next year.

Under state law, tracks have to apply with the Illinois Racing Board by the end of July for specific racing dates the following year. No application was submitted by Arlington International Racecourse, meaning its final race day, Sept. 25, could be its last ever.

Arlington President Tony Petrillo said the inaction was “consistent” with the owner Churchill Downs’ strategy for a track that is at “an economic disadvantage in a hypersensitive market” — but he insisted the company isn’t out of the horse racing game altogether. They’re considering building another race course somewhere else in the state, according to Petrillo, who couldn’t offer any specifics.

“There’s been no decision to abandon thoroughbred racing,” he said.

Either way, there won’t be any racing at Arlington next spring.

Rich Hein/Sun-Times

Churchill Downs first signaled the end a year ago when CEO Bill Carstanjen suggested there was “a higher and better purpose” for the 326 acres containing the 93-year-old track, and refused to commit to racing beyond 2021.

After months of denying the park was for sale, Arlington was officially put on the block in February, and the Bears announced last month they’d submitted a bid in order “to further evaluate the property and its potential” as the site of a new stadium.

Carstanjen said during a quarterly earnings call Thursday that “we’re very excited” at the opportunity to “monetize” Arlington, and that the corporation is “working through the process to select the final winning bid.”

John Starks/Daily Herald via AP

Trainers and owners of horses that run at Arlington had held out hope the track would at least apply for 2022 racing dates “to preserve the possibility of future racing at the track,” but slammed what they call the corporation’s “campaign to sabotage future gaming opportunities at Arlington Park.”

“Churchill Downs is writing the book on bad faith, so this latest move is disappointing but not surprising,” Mike Campbell, president of the Illinois Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association, said in a statement.

Representatives for the corporation didn’t have any immediate comment.

The association has been viciously at odds with Churchill Downs for nearly two years since the track announced it wouldn’t apply for a newly authorized state license to operate as a “racino” with slot machines and table games. The company had lobbied for that privilege for decades to help save the shrinking horse racing industry, but it complained of high taxes and backed out after Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed a massive gambling expansion into law in the summer of 2019.

Churchill Downs also owns Rivers Casino in Des Plaines, which is a 25-minute drive away from the track — and by far the most lucrative casino in Illinois.

“Churchill’s commitment to stopping any gaming at Arlington from competing with Rivers is the worst kept secret in Illinois,” Campbell said. “It’s clear that Churchill Downs cares exclusively about corporate profit and that all other considerations are incidental.”

Petrillo confirmed the track sent out layoff notices to employees last week, but didn’t have an exact number. The Daily Herald reported about 300 people will be jobless after the season.

While the dream of a new Bears stadium has drawn the most attention, it’s still possible horse racing could return to Arlington. The only other public bidding group is led by former Arlington president Roy Arnold and also includes the downtown mega-developer Sterling Bay.

Their bid, which is backed by the horse trainers and owners, calls for a minor league hockey stadium, housing development and entertainment district alongside the track.

Sun-Times Media

Even if selected, they’d have to wait at least till next year to apply for a racing license, barring a change in state law.

It wouldn’t be the first time Arlington missed a year of racing. Former track owner Dick Duchoissois pulled the plug on the 1998 and ’99 racing seasons until the state lawmakers passed legislation giving the state’s tracks a leg up on competition from Illinois’ then-new riverboat casinos.

But if Churchill Downs passes on the Arnold-Sterling Bay offer, it could leave Illinois’ struggling horse racing industry with just two tracks: Hawthorne Race Course in Stickney and Fairmount Park in downstate Collinsville. About 10 tracks were operating in the state during the sport’s heyday in the 1940’s and ’50s.

Arlington Heights Mayor Tom Hayes said from the city’s most recent discussions with Churchill Downs, a sale decision “doesn’t seem imminent.”

“It’s unfortunate that it seems like we won’t have racing next year, but perhaps the year after that,” Hayes said. “It certainly will have an impact on our community. It’ll be different.”

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A 44-year-old man was fatally shot Thursday in Englewood on the South Side.

Angelo Williams was on the street about 5:45 p.m. in the 6100 block of South Carpenter Street when multiple people with handguns approached him and fired shots, Chicago police and the Cook County medical examiner’s office said/

Williams was struck in the back and taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead, police and said.

An autopsy released Friday ruled his death a homicide.

Area One detectives are investigating.

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Lollapalooza officially returned to Grant Park this week for four days of music and good times despite concerns about how bringing together over 100,000 people each day will affect the ongoing pandemic.

The festival, which opened Thursday with vaccination or proof of a negative COVID-19 test required for entry, represents the largest public event to date held in Chicago since the emergence of the coronavirus last March. Despite worries over the virus’ Delta variant and rising caseloads nationally, the show will go on this weekend.

Huge acts are in town luring giant crowds to the park, including Miley Cyrus, Foo Fighters, Post Malone and Tyler, The Creator. Many surrounding streets will be closed through Sunday night.

The Sun-Times will be there all four days covering the big shows and big crowds. Keep this page bookmarked for updates throughout the festival.

Photo highlights

DAY 2 highlights: Sights from Friday

Pat Nabong/Sun-Times

Check out more sights and sounds captured by our photographers on the second day of Lolla here.

DAY 2: Music reviews

For the second day, Lollapalooza audiences packed Grant Park to hear their favorite artists perform live. Here’s a look at reviews from Friday’s performances by Mick Jenkins, tobi lou and many more.

Read all the day’s reviews here.

DAY 1 highlights: Sights from Thursday

Tyler LaRiviere/Sun-Times

Tyler LaRiviere/Sun-Times

Check out more sights and sounds captured by our photographers on the first day of Lolla here.

Set reviews

DAY 1: Miley Cyrus, Black Pumas, Orville Peck, Playboi Carti, Jimmy Eat World

Starting her Lollapalooza headlining set with “We Can’t Stop” (preaching the general theme of “it’s my party and I’ll do what I want to”), Miley Cyrus set the tone early on: It would be one helluva time and she would be making all the rules. In following those two tenets, the genre-bending star dominated the festival’s opening night.

There were fireworks, some memorable covers, a motley crew of guests, moments of nearly flashing the videofeed cameras, and the artist taking a stand on the important of freeing Britney Spears. During Cyrus’ performance Thursday of her hit “SMS (Bangerz),” which features Spears, the jumbo screens next to the stage broadcast the trending #freebritney message superimposed with caricatures of handcuffs. (Cyrus recently championed Spears’ conservatorship emancipation at a show in Vegas too.)

Read all of Selena Fragassi’s reviews from Thursday here.

Lightfoot takes the stage: ‘Thank you for masking up and vaxing up’

Mayor Lori Lightfoot, who has been outspoken about her decision to keep Lollapalooza as scheduled despite the uptick in cases of COVID-19 and numerous variants spreading around the country, made a not-so-surprise appearance on the festival’s opening day.

Wearing a Black Pumas T-shirt, she introduced the group’s midday set at the T-Mobile Stage and hailed the Pumas as one of the greatest rock bands of today.

“The rate of vaccination in this crowd is off the charts,” she said.

Read the full story here.

First Lolla fans optimistic as 2021 festival kicks off amid COVID-19 precautions

Thousands of fans streamed into Grant Park Thursday marking the return of Lollapalooza after COVID-19 halted last year’s iteration of the 30-year-old music festival. While some fans said they were slightly worried about COVID-19, many expressed confidence in Lollapalooza’s new protocols.

But not everyone knew about the vaccine mandate in order to attend the music festival.

Read the full story here.

Lolla signs warn attendees they assume risk for COVID-19

The thousands of people entering Lollapalooza on Thursday are being greeted by signs explaining something that’s not included on their public health and safety website: By attending the festival, “you voluntarily assume all risks related to exposure to COVID-19,” which they mention “can lead to severe illness and death.”

Read the full story here.

Must-see acts to check out

Some of the names on the Lolla lineup are a lot bigger than others. Selena Fragassi parses through the dozens of bands and artists to break down 10 must-see acts that attendees won’t want to miss this weekend. Here’s what Fragassi says about one of the festival’s earliest performers, Orville Peck:

No one exactly knows who this incognito Canadian country singer is (his trademark look is a long, fringed mask and cowboy hat) but the boudoir-looking John Wayne has heaped tons of due praise in his few years on the scene. Both for crafting a highly contagious psychedelic outlaw sound that refreshes the genre and for being an LGBTQ iconoclast whose work with Trixie Mattel and Gaga will soon put him in a new league.

Check out all of our recommended shows here.

How to watch performances live online

Unlike past years, Hulu is the exclusive live streaming partner for Lollapalooza 2021. All Hulu subscribers will be able to watch live performances for free as part of their subscriptions. Complete streaming schedules for all four days are already up on Hulu’s website, although they warn that set times are subject to change.

How will COVID-19 affect the festival?

With coronavirus case figures rising across the country amid lagging vaccination rates and the emergence of the Delta variant, Lollapalooza put in place security measures to help make the festival safer.

For those attending the festival, a vaccination card or proof of negative COVID-19 test will be required for entry. Get more information on how that’ll work here.

Chicago’s top health official, Dr. Alison Arwady, said Tuesday that the city’s virus situation is in “good control” ahead of the festival. However, Mayor Lori Lightfoot said recently that she would not hesitate to impose measures in Chicago such as face covering requirements if the city’s daily caseload keeps rising — and Arwady said she expects “some cases” of COVID-19 to result from the festival being held.

Lineup and schedule

Complete daily schedules for Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday can be found here.

The after-show lineup includes Modest Mouse, Journey, Jimmy Eat World and Freddie Gibbs. Check out the complete list of official Lolla after-shows here.

Read More

Here are reviews of some of the sets at Day 2 of Lollapalooza 2021 in Grant Park:

Mick Jenkins

Hip-hop has a strong presence at Lollapalooza this year, including its own class of Chicago talent.

South Sider Mick Jenkins kicked things off on Friday afternoon, warming up the Bud Light Seltzer Stage before fellow born-and-raised wordsmith Polo G came on. Bolstered by a live drummer and DJ, Jenkins gifted the crowd with several firsts in his set, including new tracks from his as-to-be-named upcoming album, none more so gripping than the soul-busting track “Things You Could Die For If Doing While Black.” The title says it all, his informed lyrics referencing innocent activities like going for a jog that led to the death of Ahmaud Arbery, and selling cigarettes that unfolded in the killing of Eric Garner. “I really just want respect,” Jenkins declared several times in the song.

Jenkins is an incredible mouthpiece for a conscious rap style. He leads the collective Free Nation “that promotes creative thought without accepting narrow views imposed by the powers that be,” according to his label, Cinematic Worldwide, and it’s a message seen in his thought-provoking tracks that spread both love and truth.

Free Nation crew member Stock Marley also got his time in the spotlight during Jenkins’ set — something he almost didn’t live to see.

“I almost died last year; doctors gave me a 33% chance to live,” the West Side rapper shared, noting it wasn’t due to COVID-19 and then giving a shout out to the Loyola medical team that helped him recover from his illness.

Offering two memorable numbers, Marley cut the background track to deliver his final few verses, hoping the crowd would pay attention to his words like the true poet he is.

“It’s only worth living for if you’ll die for it,” he gave as his final pearl. The only thing missing was the mic drop. — Selena Fragassi

Black Pistol Fire

AP Photos

Some might say rock ‘n’ roll is in a tough spot as younger music consumers flock to hip-hop pomp and pop star allure — but that was all thrown out the window watching Austin, Texas-based Black Pistol Fire bring the literal heat on Friday afternoon.

“There’s just two guys up there,” one younger fan exclaimed, awestruck as were many by the mini manpower that lit up the Lolla circuit grid as curious passerbys stopped to see what all the fuss was about.

Shirtless drummer Eric Owen was the picture of primal energy as he beat his kit so furiously on tracks like the explosive opener “Pick Your Poison” that it might’ve broken some laws. He was well-paired by rhythmic ringleader and singer Kevin McKeown, whose guitar gymnastics on surf rock-leaning numbers like “Lost Cause” could be their own sport in Tokyo, while his trailing solos could match up with the best of them at Buddy Guy’s Legends across the street from the fest.

Black Pistol Fire are the type of band you want to see at a wayside hole-in-the-wall but they are also equally made for the primetime festival stage, gaining acclaim for previous sets at Riot Fest and Voodoo Fest — and certainly now at Lollapalooza.

Among all the loops and sampling and production that oftentimes drown out these festival grounds, this unassuming duo showed that flair only goes so far and sometimes the simpler, the better. As McKeown curled in furor on the stage floor, wielding his guitar like a sacrifice to the sky — and later crowdsurfed during a long jammy outro — there’s no doubt kids were already on their phones buying up new Gibsons. Rock and roll isn’t dead — it’s alive all well, it just needs bands like Black Pistol Fire to look up to and emulate. — Selena Fragassi

tobi lou

Pat Nabong/Sun-Times

When tobi lou took the Lake Shore Stage on Friday afternoon, he looked like a man with something to prove.

Clad in football pads, Oakleys and joggers, the rap and R&B artist tore into his song “Lingo Starr: RETURN OF THE DRAGON,” yelling each lyric while jumping and running across the stage.

Rap artists projecting their lyrics in a festival setting isn’t new, but it was a far cry from the usual laid-back, melodic delivery the Chicago-raised lou has become known for during his steady rise in popularity over the past few years.

The different approach took some getting used to at first, but his live vocals combined with the mellow production worked as a fresh take on his sound that still hyped up the crowd. And even though he was on home turf and faced with hundreds of fans shoulder-to-shoulder, lou acknowledged he may be unfamiliar to some festival-goers. So he worked liked an underdog athlete in a championship game, staying attentive to the crowd’s responses to his every move and putting his all into a performance to win them over — and it worked.

Lou eventually shed the shoulder pads and ran through crowd faorites like “Waterboy,” “Just Keep Going” and “Uncle Iroh” — all songs that have become staples on Spotify playlists, netting thousands of streams.

He also paid homage to Chicago’s Kanye West, rapping nearly 16 bars of West’s 2007 single “Flashing Lights” toward the end of his song “TROOP.”

“It feels so good to be home,” lou said. “Can I be super honest with y’all? This is my first time outside in almost two f—— years — and I’m here with y’all! I came home to do this s– with y’all!”

The homecoming feeling was present during performance of “Buff Baby,” when he tenderly shouted out to his mother who was standing stage left, masked up and filming her son’s performance on her phone.

Loui wrapped up his set with one of his most popular songs, “I Was Sad Last Night I’m OK Now,” and the crowd yelled every word back at him. When the beat ended, a look of accomplishment grew on his face as he gazed into the crowd.

If anyone there didn’t know who he was, they did now. — Matt Moore

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Sarah Stegner shares her tips for shopping Farmers Markets

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By Carole Kuhrt Brewer,
today at 5:23 pm

It’s Farmer’s Market season and Chicago’s eclectic line-up of markets are bursting at the seams with fresh produce.

What to buy? Where to buy it? How to pick it out?

Let  Prairie Grass Cafe‘s (601 Skokie Blvd., Northbrook). Chef and owner Sarah Stegner help you out.

As a chef and a founding member of Green City Market people often ask Sarah how to improve the quality of what they feed their families & themselves.  If you are looking for the freshest, best-tasting, most unique produce for your family and for the simplest way to prepare it here’s her advice.  

Buy local  

Local food that’s in season wasn’t picked weeks ago to be shipped across the country. It is more likely to have ripened into peak flavor.   If I left it at that, it would be unfair, because there’s a lot more to gain from shopping local farmers’ markets.  

Do a little homework before you go
(Chicago Markets often reflect their neighborhoods)  

If the market has a website, check out the mission statement and information on the farms. Is it a local farm? You might see farms described as organic and/or sustainable. To over-simplify, organic is a certification that says the farmer doesn’t use chemicals and fungicides that the government deems harmful.  Sustainable has a broad spectrum of meaning, but in this context, it’s a way of life that ensures its existence will be around for future generations.  Sustainability incorporates practices that work with nature, like protecting the water and topsoil, integrating wildlife, and paying fair wages.   

If you can’t make it to the market, know that some growers deliver, and some use various apps for home online shopping and home delivery.  The Green City Market farmers use the WhatsGood app.

At the Market  

Check out their signage. Ask the person selling the food if they are the farmer. Do they work on the farm?  How long have they worked for this farm stand or at that market?  This should help you determine if the person you are talking to has educated & informed answers. 

On a Saturday at peak time, they might not have time to talk but if they do, ask about the products they have on the table. I might ask how long the season is for the product. Is this the last week or will it be here all summer? I might also ask how long ago the produce was picked. Ask for names when you don’t recognize something. Notice how familiar foods like strawberries have different varieties like Ever Bearing and Sparkle. Why did they choose to grow that variety? What do they think is unique or special about their farm?  

Many farmers are well-versed in ideas for cooking the foods they grow.  Even as a chef, I will ask, what’s your favorite way to prepare this?   

When I decide how to build my menu, I prefer using the foods that have done particularly well this season. Try to stay flexible in your planning so you can be spontaneous.

Don’t plan your menu ahead.  Let the food at the market inspire you and guide what you and your family will eat.  

If you want to connect to the reality of farmers’ challenges, ask how the weather has affected the crops or how far they drove to reach the market.

Most farmers accept credit card payment, but it’s a good idea to bring cash. I do not haggle about price. I pay what they ask. They work incredibly hard, and I know many of them where I shop. They face extreme challenges that only escalate with weather and labor issues. In this day and age, the value of clean, responsibly grown food with abundant nutrition is priceless.  

For chefs

My best advice is to engage in conversation with farmers. Ask for what you need, and how they like to receive orders. Give them your contact info so they can send you an order list. If a farmer can work with you to highlight the special things you offer your customers, it’s a win-win situation.   

Suggest partnerships. For years, Three Sisters Garden has grown a particularly cherished variety of pumpkin just for me.  I usually end up purchasing her entire crop.  It helps me serve the delicious pumpkin pies that are a big part of my business (signature item at my restaurant).    

Listing their names and farms on your menu not only brings goodwill and raises awareness but it also shows respect for where our food comes from and what it takes to bring it to our tables.  

Let Sarah cook it for you

Love fresh produce but not cooking, Prairie Grass Cafe is seasonally driven. They work with a network of farmers–some who have been there since the beginning including 50 certified farmers from Green City Market. Check out some of their farm fresh specials and more here.

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Farmers Markets

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Lollapalooza continued Friday with lots of sun as big crowds filled up Grant Park for another day of live music.

If you missed our coverage of the festival’s first day, check out Selena Fragassi’s reviews of Miley Cyrus, Black Pumas, Jimmy Eat World and more as well as our photo highlights from Thursday.

Keep in mind there are numerous COVID safety restrictions in place for the fest. You’ll need proof of vaccination or proof a a negative COVID-19 test for entry to the festival grounds. Lolla is the largest public event to date held in Chicago since the emergence of the coronavirus last March. Despite worries over the virus’ Delta variant and rising caseloads nationally, the show will go on this weekend.

We’ve got the festival covered from every angle. For a complete guide to all things Lolla, check out our guide here. If you want our tips of the acts to catch, you can find our Top 10 picks here. And keep in mind, there are gobs of street closures in place; you can find the details here.

Pat Nabong/Sun-Times

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The NCAA Board of Governors on Friday called for a constitutional convention in November, the first step toward launching dramatic reform in the governance of college sports.

Stung for years by criticism that it is too heavy handed and out of touch, the NCAA said it wants to “reimagine” how to more effectively manage the needs of its more than 450,000 athletes at more than 1,100 schools.

“As the national landscape changes, college sports must also quickly adapt to become more responsive to the needs of college athletes and current member schools,” Jack DeGioia, chair of the Board of Governors and president of Georgetown, said in a statement. “This effort will position the NCAA to continue providing meaningful opportunities for current college athletes and those for generations to come.”

A 22-person Constitution Review Committee with university presidents, conference commissioners, athletics directors and students from Divisions I, II and III will be created to redraft the NCAA’s constitutional articles.

“This is not about tweaking the model we have now,” NCAA President Mark Emmert said. “This is about wholesale transformation so we can set a sustainable course for college sports for decades to come. We need to stay focused on the thing that matters most — helping students be as successful as they can be as both students and athletes.”

Two weeks ago, Emmert made headlines when he said it was time to consider a decentralized and deregulated version of college sports that shifted power to conferences and campuses and away from the NCAA. The idea is a sea change for an organization formed 115 years ago that is part of the bedrock of collegiate atletics.

Some conference commissioners, most notably Greg Sankey of the Southeastern Conference, followed with similar statements and said they were ready to begin the process of taking on those tasks.

The willingness to discuss an overhaul of the NCAA comes about a month after the Supreme Court ruled against the organization in what was seen as a bombshell unanimous decision, upholding a lower court ruling in an antitrust case related to caps on education-related compensation.

The Supreme Court also threw open the door for more legal challenges to the NCAA’s rules. Legal experts and college sports observers immediately wondered if the NCAA would look at other approaches to governing college sports.

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COVID-19 hospitalizations increased by 35% across Illinois during a week that saw cases jump 46%, public health officials reported Friday.

The state averaged 1,669 new cases per day over the past week, a rate that has ballooned to a level six times higher than seen just a month ago, according to the latest figures released by the Illinois Department of Public Health. The agency reported 2,348 new cases were diagnosed Thursday, the most in a day since May 7.

City health officials said they’d adopt new indoor masking guidelines set by the US. Center for Disease Control and Prevention as cases spike in Chicago, too.

Hospitals are now feeling the brunt of that spike, which experts attribute to the more infectious Delta variant of the coronavirus and its devastating spread through unvaccinated populations.

More than 900 hospital beds were occupied by COVID-19 patients across the state Thursday night, the most since early June. That number had dipped below 400 over the Fourth of July holiday weekend, the lowest mark of the pandemic.

And more of those cases are developing into severe ones. Intensive care admissions for coronavirus patients are up 24% over last week and ventilator usage is up 41%, officials said.

After more than a month of increases, the average statewide case positivity rate has held steady for three straight days, but it has soared over 9% across southern regions of the state. Chicago is up to 3% for the first time since late May.

Graph not displaying properly? Click here.

The state is still averaging about six COVID-19 deaths per day, which — like the other statewide metrics — is low compared to the peak of the crisis last year.

But any sustained move in the wrong direction is “extremely worrisome,” according to Dr. Rachel Rubin, co-lead of the Cook County Department of Public Health.

“We’re not seeing a significant number of deaths, especially compared to the same time a year ago, for sure. And this is because, generally speaking, healthier individuals are getting infected with COVID. But that doesn’t mean that they can’t spread it to somebody else that is potentially at risk for getting severe complications,” Rubin said.

The county has adopted masking recommendations advised a day earlier by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which considers Cook to be at a “substantial” risk level for COVID-19 transmission — like the vast majority of Illinois’ 101 other counties.

The Chicago Department of Public Health said Friday it would follow the new CDC guidelines, too.

“We are taking this step to prevent further spread of the very contagious Delta variant and to protect public health,” city public Health Commissioner Dr. Allison Arwady said in a statement. “This isn’t forever, but it is necessary to help decrease the risk for all Chicagoans right now.”

Under the guidelines, people are advised to wear a mask in indoor public places regardless of vaccination status, but “eventually we may end up having to make it a mandate,” Rubin said.

“That is the next step. That takes a little bit more time. It takes writing an official order, getting the appropriate legal backing in order to be able to do that,” she said. “It’s really a daunting task to be able to monitor all of these facilities, so we’re really hoping for appropriate community support from employers and management and workers and clients and guests in all of the open venues … to cooperate and to follow this guidance.”

More importantly, the CDC’s designation underscores the need to get more people vaccinated, Rubin said.

Just over 72% of eligible Illinoisans have gotten at least one dose, and 56% are fully vaccinated. Vaccination rates are barely half that in some downstate counties.

Any Chicagoan can request an in-home vaccination by calling (312) 746-4835.

For help finding a shot in suburban Cook County, visit cookcountypublichealth.org or call (833) 308-1988. To find other Illinois providers, visit coronavirus.illinois.gov or call (833) 621-1284.

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Kris Bryant is heading west. The Cubs traded the third baseman to the San Francisco Giants.

The Cubs were busy on trade deadline day, dealing Craig Kimbrel and Javy Baez. In one other deal, they sent outfielder Jake Marisnick to the Padres for RHP Anderson Espinoza. They traded Anthony Rizzo to the Yankees on Thursday.

The Cubs sent closer Kimbrel to the White Sox in exchange for second baseman Nick Madrigal. That deal came a day after the Cubs traded Ryan Tepera to the Sox.

“All good things come to an end,” Rizzo told reporters after he was dealt. “I’m just focused on going to be a Yankee now. It’s just another really cool opportunity to play for another historic franchise. This will always be home for me, but like I’ve said, my best friend leaving, Jon Lester, he did the same thing. He has two special places in his heart.

“But for these next three months, it’s going to be fun. You go right into a race. Seeing the Yankees pull the triggers like this — get (Joey) Gallo, me now, obviously — that’s what they do. And they’re excited.”

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To meet a tidal wave of unemployment claims during last year’s COVID-19 shutdown, Illinois borrowed billions from the federal government.

In fact, Illinois is among 17 states currently indebted to the federal government for more than $53 billion in unemployment benefit loans collectively.

During an interview with Capitol News Illinois reporter Jerry Nowicki, Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker was asked if he was considering paying the debt with money from President Joseph Biden’s pandemic relief package, known as the American Rescue Plan Act, or ARPA.

“You can’t actually use ARPA funds according to the rules of ARPA,” Pritzker said. “You can’t repay any debt that’s already owed to the federal government with ARPA funds.”

As Nowicki pointed out in the article and podcast following that interview, however, federal guidance issued in May by the U.S. Department of the Treasury carves out an exception to get unemployment funds back to pre-pandemic levels.

So, we reached out to Pritzker’s office to ask what the governor meant when he said federal relief can’t be used that way.

Pritzker spokeswoman Jordan Abudayyeh told us the governor mistakenly referred to an earlier version of Treasury rules and “misspoke when discussing the current version.”

Indeed, during his conversation with Nowicki about ARPA rules, Pritzker described Illinois’ unsuccessful push earlier this year to use the pandemic aid to repay another kind of federal loan the state took out during the pandemic.

At the time Pritzker misspoke during the July 21 interview, however, many other states had used or were planning to use ARPA money to replenish unemployment funds, according to a May report from the Associated Press.

And in June and early July, state business leaders and lawmakers from both parties were calling for Illinois to restore its unemployment fund with some of its approximately $8 billion in ARPA aid. Illinois currently owes the federal government $4.2 billion in unemployment advances.

Unemployment benefits are funded by payroll taxes levied on employers. Federal law allows states to borrow money if they exhaust those funds. And while federal lawmakers paused payments on those advances during the pandemic, the loans will start accruing interest again on Sept. 6.

“Such states may need to raise taxes on their employers or reduce UC benefit levels, actions that dampen economic growth, job creation, and consumer demand,” a December 2020 report from the Congressional Research Service warned.

Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times file

Whether Pritzker supports using ARPA dollars to help replenish the state’s unemployment fund, Abudayyeh did not say.

“The administration looks forward to working on a solution that considers the needs of both businesses and the Illinoisans who rely on these vital programs,” she wrote in her emailed response to our inquiry after acknowledging Pritzker’s misstatement.

We followed up asking if using ARPA dollars is among the solutions the governor is now considering, but did not hear back.

Our ruling

Pritzker said ARPA funds cannot be used to pay down state unemployment insurance fund deficits.

His office acknowledged federal guidelines released in May permit states to use that aid to replenish those funds and said Pritzker misspoke.

We rate Pritzker’s claim False.

FALSE — The statement is not accurate.

Click here for more on the six PolitiFact ratings and how we select facts to check.

The Better Government Association runs PolitiFact Illinois, the local arm of the nationally renowned, Pulitzer Prize-winning fact-checking enterprise that rates the truthfulness of statements made by governmental leaders and politicians. BGA’s fact-checking service has teamed up weekly with the Sun-Times, in print and online. You can find all of the PolitiFact Illinois stories we’ve reported together here.

Sources

Title XII Advance Activities Schedule, Treasury Direct, accessed July 29, 2021

“WITH PODCAST: Pritzker talks plans for Unemployment Trust Fund, pandemic response,” Capitol News Illinois, July 22, 2021

Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds interim final rule, Federal Register, May 17, 2021

Email: Jordan Abudayyeh, Pritzker spokesperson, July 28, 2021

“States tap federal aid to shore up empty unemployment funds,” The Associated Press, May 27, 2021

“Unprecedented unemployment deficit threatens to ‘cripple’ businesses, claimants,” Capitol News Illinois, July 9, 2021

“Illinois Budget Leaves Billions in Federal Rescue Funds on the Table,” Center for Illinois Politics, June 6, 2021

“Illinois unemployment trust fund facing $5B deficit with few solutions,” News Channel 20, July 26, 2021

The Unemployment Trust Fund (UTF): State Insolvency and Federal Loans to States, Congressional Research Service, Dec. 1, 2020

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