Latest news with #Mendrick
Yahoo
10-03-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Daywatch: DuPage County, sheriff agree to $11M payout for jail death
Good morning, Chicago. DuPage County and county Sheriff James Mendrick have reached an $11 million settlement with the estate of Reneyda Aguilar-Hurtado, a 50-year-old mother who died in June 2023 after being held in the county jail for 85 days while awaiting transfer to a state-run mental health center. The settlement caps a federal lawsuit brought by Aguilar-Hurtado's daughter, Cristal Moreno Aguilar, accusing the county, Mendrick and 11 jail medical staff members or corrections officers of repeatedly failing to act as her mother's health rapidly deteriorated. A county pathologist determined her death was due, in part, to 'medical neglect.' Mendrick, who recently announced his intent to forgo a third term as sheriff and instead seek the Republican nomination for Illinois governor in 2026, declined to comment through his spokesperson. So, too, did County Board Chair Deborah Conroy. 'Reneyda's tragic death never should have happened,' said Michael Mead, an attorney for the family, in a statement. 'It was preventable and the loss that her family experienced cannot be made whole. We hope that the settlement provides justice and some closure for her family.' Read the full story from the Tribune's Jonathan Bullington. Here are the top stories you need to know to start your day. Today's eNewspaper edition | Subscribe to more newsletters | Asking Eric | Horoscopes | Puzzles & Games | Today in History As the Department of Government Efficiency continues to make cuts, one Northwest Indiana agency is affected. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' Griffith lease will be terminated, according to DOGE's website. The Griffith location's annual lease is $85,467, according to the agency, and the cancellation will lead to $370,357 in total savings. Top US health agency makes $25,000 buyout offer to most of its employees Scholars stranded in America and abroad amid funding freeze of state department programs As the five-year anniversary of the pandemic approaches, the threat of the virus has been drastically reduced, with low rates of transmission and hospitalization across much of the nation. Yet local medical experts and scientists caution against letting down the nation's guard against the ever-evolving virus as well as other health epidemics — and even another potential pandemic — that might emerge in the future. Across the Chicago area — and, indeed, the country — thousands of people are ramping up their political activity in response to the whirlwind early days of the second Trump administration. Some members of Congress are feeling the public outrage in the sheer volume of people calling their offices, attending virtual gatherings and appearing at rallies and public events. Information from hundreds of thousands of current and former Chicago Public School students has been exposed following a data breach, according to district officials. In a letter to parents Friday, they said there was no evidence suggesting any information had been misused. Gray wolves represent a success story for conservationists after the species almost went extinct in the lower 48 states by the mid-20th century due to rampant hunting and trapping. They are also an example of how the Endangered Species Act of 1973 has become a political football. Last week, Republican lawmakers in the U.S. Committee on Natural Resources argued at an oversight meeting that the Endangered Species Act was an overreach of federal authority and an ambiguous statute, as part of a broader reexamination of conservation laws. Unrivaled offers WNBA players plenty of perks — warm weather, shiny new facilities, a lucrative contract without the need to play abroad. But for Angel Reese, the league's most important benefit is the opportunity to develop her game ahead of her second season with the Sky. Reese is dominating in her comfort zone in Unrivaled, averaging 13.3 points and a league-high 12.1 rebounds. But with only one week left in the Unrivaled season, Reese faces a new question: Can that success translate to the WNBA? The Chicago Cubs enter 2025 as the consensus favorites to win the National League Central, thanks to the addition of Kyle Tucker and a general lack of offseason spending by their division counterparts. While it should be a given considering the team's many resources and big-market status, this is a new feeling for some in the organization, writes Paul Sullivan. Rule 5 draft pick Gage Workman, infielder Vidal Bruján informed they are part of Cubs' Japan roster Cubs notes from camp: Pete Crow-Armstrong shows off power — and Justin Steele's track for Tokyo start Grab your banners and get ready for some English football, Chicago. The Premier League announced it is coming to Soldier Field in July for its Summer Series exhibition tournament, the first time its storied teams will meet head-to-head in Chicago, and the latest high-profile event to put the city on the international sports stage. Actor Gene Hackman died of heart disease a full week after his wife died from hantavirus in their New Mexico home, likely unaware that she was dead because he was in the advanced stages of Alzheimer's disease, authorities revealed. Here's a timeline of events surrounding the couple's deaths. Long before women could vote, the Chicago Woman's Club was a vocal champion of social reform. In 1904, its president offered a newspaper reporter an assessment of the organization that must have seemed candid, or self-serving, depending on the eye of the beholder. 'While men's clubs spend their time drinking, smoking, telling stories, and perhaps gambling, women are planning in their organizations for the establishment of kindergartens and for caring for their unfortunate sisters,' Ellen Martin Henrotin wrote in the Tribune under the headline, 'Superiority of Women's Clubs.' With the annual St. Patrick's Day parade and Chicago River dyeing happening at 10 a.m. Saturday and the actual holiday falling Monday, the Windy City is going to be spending a long weekend celebrating its Irish heritage this year. Bars and restaurants are getting into the spirit by serving traditional food, hosting bashes with spectacular riverfront views and bottomless drinks and bringing in Irish musicians and dancers. Wear something green and celebrate St. Patrick's Day Chirish style at one of these 57 spots. 30 best corned beef sandwiches around Chicago in 2025, featuring That Jerk at The Corned Beef Hideout
Chicago Tribune
10-03-2025
- Chicago Tribune
Daywatch: DuPage County, sheriff agree to $11M payout for jail death
Good morning, Chicago. DuPage County and county Sheriff James Mendrick have reached an $11 million settlement with the estate of Reneyda Aguilar-Hurtado, a 50-year-old mother who died in June 2023 after being held in the county jail for 85 days while awaiting transfer to a state-run mental health center. The settlement caps a federal lawsuit brought by Aguilar-Hurtado's daughter, Cristal Moreno Aguilar, accusing the county, Mendrick and 11 jail medical staff members or corrections officers of repeatedly failing to act as her mother's health rapidly deteriorated. A county pathologist determined her death was due, in part, to 'medical neglect.' Mendrick, who recently announced his intent to forgo a third term as sheriff and instead seek the Republican nomination for Illinois governor in 2026, declined to comment through his spokesperson. So, too, did County Board Chair Deborah Conroy. 'Reneyda's tragic death never should have happened,' said Michael Mead, an attorney for the family, in a statement. 'It was preventable and the loss that her family experienced cannot be made whole. We hope that the settlement provides justice and some closure for her family.' Here are the top stories you need to know to start your day. DOGE cuts impact U.S. Army Corps Griffith location; lease being terminated As the Department of Government Efficiency continues to make cuts, one Northwest Indiana agency is affected. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' Griffith lease will be terminated, according to DOGE's website. The Griffith location's annual lease is $85,467, according to the agency, and the cancellation will lead to $370,357 in total savings. Five years ago, COVID gripped the world in fear. Now local scientists, doctors warn Trump's policies are weakening public health. As the five-year anniversary of the pandemic approaches, the threat of the virus has been drastically reduced, with low rates of transmission and hospitalization across much of the nation. Yet local medical experts and scientists caution against letting down the nation's guard against the ever-evolving virus as well as other health epidemics — and even another potential pandemic — that might emerge in the future. Illinois Democratic lawmakers hear from public frustrated about President Donald Trump's initiatives Across the Chicago area — and, indeed, the country — thousands of people are ramping up their political activity in response to the whirlwind early days of the second Trump administration. Some members of Congress are feeling the public outrage in the sheer volume of people calling their offices, attending virtual gatherings and appearing at rallies and public events. Data from hundreds of thousands of CPS students exposed in recent breach Information from hundreds of thousands of current and former Chicago Public School students has been exposed following a data breach, according to district officials. In a letter to parents Friday, they said there was no evidence suggesting any information had been misused. Some groups want federal protection for Great Lakes gray wolves dropped as role of Endangered Species Act examined Gray wolves represent a success story for conservationists after the species almost went extinct in the lower 48 states by the mid-20th century due to rampant hunting and trapping. They are also an example of how the Endangered Species Act of 1973 has become a political football. Last week, Republican lawmakers in the U.S. Committee on Natural Resources argued at an oversight meeting that the Endangered Species Act was an overreach of federal authority and an ambiguous statute, as part of a broader reexamination of conservation laws. Angel Reese is dominating in Unrivaled. Has the league prepared her to take the next step with the Chicago Sky? Unrivaled offers WNBA players plenty of perks — warm weather, shiny new facilities, a lucrative contract without the need to play abroad. But for Angel Reese, the league's most important benefit is the opportunity to develop her game ahead of her second season with the Sky. Reese is dominating in her comfort zone in Unrivaled, averaging 13.3 points and a league-high 12.1 rebounds. But with only one week left in the Unrivaled season, Reese faces a new question: Can that success translate to the WNBA? Column: Chicago Cubs — back as NL Central favorites again — will only go as far as their bullpen takes them The Chicago Cubs enter 2025 as the consensus favorites to win the National League Central, thanks to the addition of Kyle Tucker and a general lack of offseason spending by their division counterparts. While it should be a given considering the team's many resources and big-market status, this is a new feeling for some in the organization, writes Paul Sullivan. Premier League coming to Chicago for Summer Series at Soldier Field Grab your banners and get ready for some English football, Chicago. The Premier League announced it is coming to Soldier Field in July for its Summer Series exhibition tournament, the first time its storied teams will meet head-to-head in Chicago, and the latest high-profile event to put the city on the international sports stage. A timeline of how actor Gene Hackman and Betsy Arakawa died at their New Mexico home Actor Gene Hackman died of heart disease a full week after his wife died from hantavirus in their New Mexico home, likely unaware that she was dead because he was in the advanced stages of Alzheimer's disease, authorities revealed. Here's a timeline of events surrounding the couple's deaths. Chicago Woman's Club led the way on issues from juvenile justice reform to birth control Long before women could vote, the Chicago Woman's Club was a vocal champion of social reform. In 1904, its president offered a newspaper reporter an assessment of the organization that must have seemed candid, or self-serving, depending on the eye of the beholder. 'While men's clubs spend their time drinking, smoking, telling stories, and perhaps gambling, women are planning in their organizations for the establishment of kindergartens and for caring for their unfortunate sisters,' Ellen Martin Henrotin wrote in the Tribune under the headline, 'Superiority of Women's Clubs.' Chicago restaurants and bars with St. Patrick's Day specials With the annual St. Patrick's Day parade and Chicago River dyeing happening at 10 a.m. Saturday and the actual holiday falling Monday, the Windy City is going to be spending a long weekend celebrating its Irish heritage this year. Bars and restaurants are getting into the spirit by serving traditional food, hosting bashes with spectacular riverfront views and bottomless drinks and bringing in Irish musicians and dancers. Wear something green and celebrate St. Patrick's Day Chirish style at one of these 57 spots.
Yahoo
10-03-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
DuPage County, sheriff agree to $11 million payout for jail death
DuPage County and county Sheriff James Mendrick have reached an $11 million settlement with the estate of Reneyda Aguilar-Hurtado, a 50-year-old mother who died in June 2023 after being held in the county jail for 85 days while awaiting transfer to a state-run mental health center. Approved by a judge last month, the settlement caps a federal lawsuit brought by Aguilar-Hurtado's daughter, Cristal Moreno Aguilar, accusing the county, Mendrick and 11 jail medical staff members or corrections officers of repeatedly failing to act as her mother's health rapidly deteriorated. A county pathologist determined her death was due, in part, to 'medical neglect.' The nearly 50-page complaint, filed a month after Aguilar-Hurtado's death, cited about a dozen examples of other jail detainees — some who died while on medical watch, others who have sued the jail over health care complaints — in alleging a 'widespread practice and policy of deliberate indifference to the health and safety of critically ill inmates suffering from life-threatening conditions under their custody and control.' Mendrick, who recently announced his intent to forgo a third term as sheriff and instead seek the Republican nomination for Illinois governor in 2026, declined to comment through his spokesperson. So, too, did County Board Chair Deborah Conroy. The defendants in court filings denied any wrongdoing. 'Reneyda's tragic death never should have happened,' said Michael Mead, an attorney for the family, in a statement. 'It was preventable and the loss that her family experienced cannot be made whole. We hope that the settlement provides justice and some closure for her family.' The $11 million payout is more than three times the combined cost of seven lawsuits involving the sheriff's office that have been settled in the last three years, according to records obtained by the Tribune through a Freedom of Information Act request. The largest, at $2.5 million, stemmed from a deputy's fatal shooting of a 17-year-old boy in 2017 — a shooting prosecutors determined was justified. Additionally, legal fees related to lawsuits against the sheriff's office have exceeded $550,000 in the last three years, records show. Advocates and attorneys who work with Illinois' mental health and criminal court systems previously told the Tribune that Aguilar-Hurtado's death exposed a confluence of long-standing failures: The continued overreliance on police as first responders in a mental health crisis. The limited community-based treatment options. The scarcity of beds tied largely to staffing shortages at state mental health hospitals. All of that has forced vulnerable people like Aguilar-Hurtado into extended confinement in county jails that are often ill-equipped to care for them. And as her story laid bare, a jail's inability — or unwillingness, as her family alleged — to protect the people in its custody can shatter lives. 'People are landing in our jails in bad shape, physically and mentally, and they are too often made worse because of the conditions in jail,' Amanda Antholt, a managing attorney with the nonprofit Equip for Equality, previously told the Tribune. 'That's the problem we want to get at. We want them to be treated humanely and get the care they need to not be in jail or to survive their court process without getting hurt.' Aguilar-Hurtado, the mother of two children, had been previously hospitalized for treatment of schizophrenia when she was accused in July 2022 of kicking a woman in the leg at a grocery store near her home in west suburban Addison. She was arrested and released from custody that same day and, shortly thereafter, voluntarily entered the state-run Elgin Mental Health Center for nearly five weeks of treatment. In the six months that followed her discharge, she missed four court dates. And by March 2023, she was in DuPage County Jail on a $10,000 bond. The next month, a judge ruled she was unfit to stand trial on two misdemeanor battery counts and ordered that she return to a state mental hospital until he and doctors were satisfied she could understand the charges against her and confer with her public defender. She remained in jail for 85 days while waiting to be transferred. Advocates called the delay a symptom of a chronic issue driven in part by decades of mental health center closures, staffing shortages and limited community resources. On the morning of June 12, 2023, a DuPage sheriff's deputy opened the door to cell 1-G-04 and found Aguilar-Hurtado on her mattress. A sheriff's incident report describes her as cold and unresponsive. Medical staff at the hospital were able to revive her, a deputy coroner wrote in his report, but after she 'suffered cardiac arrest several times,' there was nothing more they could do. Weighing nearly 200 pounds at the time of her incarceration, she had lost close to 60 pounds while in jail. The county's chief forensic pathologist determined Aguilar-Hurtado died of 'multisystem organ failure' caused by 'failure to thrive due to psychotic disorder.' 'Acute esophageal necrosis, self-neglect and medical neglect contributed significantly to her death,' the pathologist wrote in her report, adding that Aguilar-Hurtado arrived at the hospital with 'physical signs of acute illness for days prior without significant medical intervention.' Aguilar-Hurtado is one of 13 DuPage County Jail detainees who died between January 2014 and September 2024, according to a Tribune review of reports the jail is required to submit to the state Department of Corrections and county coroner records. Five people whose death records were reviewed by the Tribune appear to have been on medical watch at the time of their deaths. Among them was Sebastiano Ceraulo, 21, whose Jan. 8, 2016, death resulted in a federal lawsuit settled in 2019. Another death shares similarities to Aguilar-Hurtado's. Lance Thomas, 60, had been behind bars for nearly two months when, on June 24, 2020, a deputy noticed he did not collect his lunch tray. The deputy checked on Thomas and discovered he wasn't breathing. A coroner's report notes that Thomas had been diagnosed with schizophrenia, had refused breakfast that morning, would not take his medications, and was 'markedly thin and frail and had urinated on himself.' He was supposed to have weekly weight checks but the coroner's investigator couldn't find the results. Aguilar-Hurtado's family lawsuit also included nine other examples of jail detainees who have accused the jail of providing inadequate medical care. Most stem from alleged incidents that predate Mendrick as sheriff. Five have led to settled lawsuits. 'We believe that DuPage County has recognized the systemic failures and biases that allowed this tragedy to occur,' Mead, the family's attorney, said in a statement. 'We are encouraged that officials have made real and substantial changes in how they monitor and care for detainees with mental illness, with changes to training, administrative oversight, and policies and procedures for urgently transferring detainees to hospitals.'
Chicago Tribune
10-03-2025
- Health
- Chicago Tribune
DuPage County, sheriff agree to $11 million payout for jail death
DuPage County and county Sheriff James Mendrick have reached an $11 million settlement with the estate of Reneyda Aguilar-Hurtado, a 50-year-old mother who died in June 2023 after being held in the county jail for 85 days while awaiting transfer to a state-run mental health center. Approved by a judge last month, the settlement caps a federal lawsuit brought by Aguilar-Hurtado's daughter, Cristal Moreno Aguilar, accusing the county, Mendrick and 11 jail medical staff members or corrections officers of repeatedly failing to act as her mother's health rapidly deteriorated. A county pathologist determined her death was due, in part, to 'medical neglect.' The nearly 50-page complaint, filed a month after Aguilar-Hurtado's death, cited about a dozen examples of other jail detainees — some who died while on medical watch, others who have sued the jail over health care complaints — in alleging a 'widespread practice and policy of deliberate indifference to the health and safety of critically ill inmates suffering from life-threatening conditions under their custody and control.' Mendrick, who recently announced his intent to forgo a third term as sheriff and instead seek the Republican nomination for Illinois governor in 2026, declined to comment through his spokesperson. So, too, did County Board Chair Deborah Conroy. The defendants in court filings denied any wrongdoing. 'Reneyda's tragic death never should have happened,' said Michael Mead, an attorney for the family, in a statement. 'It was preventable and the loss that her family experienced cannot be made whole. We hope that the settlement provides justice and some closure for her family.' The $11 million payout is more than three times the combined cost of seven lawsuits involving the sheriff's office that have been settled in the last three years, according to records obtained by the Tribune through a Freedom of Information Act request. The largest, at $2.5 million, stemmed from a deputy's fatal shooting of a 17-year-old boy in 2017 — a shooting prosecutors determined was justified. Additionally, legal fees related to lawsuits against the sheriff's office have exceeded $550,000 in the last three years, records show. Advocates and attorneys who work with Illinois' mental health and criminal court systems previously told the Tribune that Aguilar-Hurtado's death exposed a confluence of long-standing failures: The continued overreliance on police as first responders in a mental health crisis. The limited community-based treatment options. The scarcity of beds tied largely to staffing shortages at state mental health hospitals. All of that has forced vulnerable people like Aguilar-Hurtado into extended confinement in county jails that are often ill-equipped to care for them. And as her story laid bare, a jail's inability — or unwillingness, as her family alleged — to protect the people in its custody can shatter lives. 'People are landing in our jails in bad shape, physically and mentally, and they are too often made worse because of the conditions in jail,' Amanda Antholt, a managing attorney with the nonprofit Equip for Equality, previously told the Tribune. 'That's the problem we want to get at. We want them to be treated humanely and get the care they need to not be in jail or to survive their court process without getting hurt.' Aguilar-Hurtado, the mother of two children, had been previously hospitalized for treatment of schizophrenia when she was accused in July 2022 of kicking a woman in the leg at a grocery store near her home in west suburban Addison. She was arrested and released from custody that same day and, shortly thereafter, voluntarily entered the state-run Elgin Mental Health Center for nearly five weeks of treatment. In the six months that followed her discharge, she missed four court dates. And by March 2023, she was in DuPage County Jail on a $10,000 bond. The next month, a judge ruled she was unfit to stand trial on two misdemeanor battery counts and ordered that she return to a state mental hospital until he and doctors were satisfied she could understand the charges against her and confer with her public defender. She remained in jail for 85 days while waiting to be transferred. Advocates called the delay a symptom of a chronic issue driven in part by decades of mental health center closures, staffing shortages and limited community resources. On the morning of June 12, 2023, a DuPage sheriff's deputy opened the door to cell 1-G-04 and found Aguilar-Hurtado on her mattress. A sheriff's incident report describes her as cold and unresponsive. Medical staff at the hospital were able to revive her, a deputy coroner wrote in his report, but after she 'suffered cardiac arrest several times,' there was nothing more they could do. Weighing nearly 200 pounds at the time of her incarceration, she had lost close to 60 pounds while in jail. The county's chief forensic pathologist determined Aguilar-Hurtado died of 'multisystem organ failure' caused by 'failure to thrive due to psychotic disorder.' 'Acute esophageal necrosis, self-neglect and medical neglect contributed significantly to her death,' the pathologist wrote in her report, adding that Aguilar-Hurtado arrived at the hospital with 'physical signs of acute illness for days prior without significant medical intervention.' Aguilar-Hurtado is one of 13 DuPage County Jail detainees who died between January 2014 and September 2024, according to a Tribune review of reports the jail is required to submit to the state Department of Corrections and county coroner records. Five people whose death records were reviewed by the Tribune appear to have been on medical watch at the time of their deaths. Among them was Sebastiano Ceraulo, 21, whose Jan. 8, 2016, death resulted in a federal lawsuit settled in 2019. Another death shares similarities to Aguilar-Hurtado's. Lance Thomas, 60, had been behind bars for nearly two months when, on June 24, 2020, a deputy noticed he did not collect his lunch tray. The deputy checked on Thomas and discovered he wasn't breathing. A coroner's report notes that Thomas had been diagnosed with schizophrenia, had refused breakfast that morning, would not take his medications, and was 'markedly thin and frail and had urinated on himself.' He was supposed to have weekly weight checks but the coroner's investigator couldn't find the results. Aguilar-Hurtado's family lawsuit also included nine other examples of jail detainees who have accused the jail of providing inadequate medical care. Most stem from alleged incidents that predate Mendrick as sheriff. Five have led to settled lawsuits. 'We believe that DuPage County has recognized the systemic failures and biases that allowed this tragedy to occur,' Mead, the family's attorney, said in a statement. 'We are encouraged that officials have made real and substantial changes in how they monitor and care for detainees with mental illness, with changes to training, administrative oversight, and policies and procedures for urgently transferring detainees to hospitals.'
Yahoo
03-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Jim Dey: Multiple Republicans contemplate challenging Pritzker in 2026
Mar. 2—However dire the circumstances, hope springs eternal. It's hard to explain. But some people instinctively perceive that an onrushing train is really a light at the end of the tunnel. Here's proof: Multiple Republicans are making noises about running for governor of Illinois in 2026. Far be it for reality to rain on some people's parade, but that's a tough climb. No Republican has been elected on a statewide basis in Illinois since Bruce Rauner in 2014. He lasted one controversial term before multibillionaire Democrat J.B. Pritzker used his fortune to blow away his primary opponents and then coast to a blowout win in the 2018 general election. Since then, it's been one blowout defeat after another for Republicans running statewide for governor, U.S. senator, treasurer, secretary of state, etc. Politicians like to think in dramatic terms about the years they spend ignored by the general public. They use grandiose phrases like "wilderness years," and they really have been experienced by high-profile career politicians who made dramatic comebacks — Richard Nixon and Winston Churchill to name just two. But Illinois Republicans are not lost in the wilderness. They're trapped in the political equivalent of the Gobi Desert, surrounded by mirages but nary an oasis. Despite that, however, Rich Porter, a Republican who is prominent in GOP circles but nowhere else, has been making noises that he might run. Just this week, DuPage County Sheriff James Mendrick announced that he's in it to win it. "Our culture is being eliminated by senseless laws created by our current government that persecutes cops and empowers criminals. I'm here to stop the bleed. To do this, we must have strong leaders with actual law-enforcement experience," said Mendrick. There's another would-be candidate out there who's even less well known than Mendrick. Aaron Del Mar, who was Republican candidate Gary Rabine's running mate in the 2022 GOP gubernatorial primary, is telling political audiences of his intention to seek "higher office." "That's not something that's been a big secret. We're evaluating all the different opportunities and putting together a team statewide," Del Mar told one news outlet. "We're going to each of the 102 counties in Illinois and listening to see what the issues are." One name to cross off the list of potential candidates is Peoria U.S. Rep. Darren LaHood. With a safe U.S. House seat, he's too pragmatic to waste his time on a quixotic run for governor of Illinois. One irony is that the fewer credible GOP candidates there are, the more long-shot dreamers are attracted to get in the race. It's ancient history now, but six candidates ran in the 2022 Republican primary. Whether driven by ego or principle, they all dream, creating in their mind long-shot scenarios that will end in triumph. Meanwhile, on the other side of the partisan line, Pritzker is keeping his plans to himself. His real interest is in seeking the White House in 2028, but he needs to retain a platform, most likely the governor's office. With unlimited funds, solid Democratic turf to run on and a statewide GOP that borders on irrelevant, Pritzker appears invincible if he chooses to seek re-election. But no one should waste their time telling any of the would-be GOP candidates the facts of life. They're too busy thinking about what could be.
