Ford County Chronicle hires law firm to sue state police: ‘We don’t play games’

PAXTON — The Ford County Chronicle has hired a Chicago law firm specializing in civil-rights and open-governance litigation to file a lawsuit against Illinois State Police for their failure to properly respond to a Freedom of Information Act request for records on their investigation of suspended Paxton-Buckley-Loda teacher and former coach Rob Pacey.

The Chronicle signed a formal retention agreement Friday with Loevy & Loevy, which calls itself a “national leader” in litigating First Amendment and Freedom of Information Act lawsuits.

The lawsuit is to be filed in Ford County Circuit Court once drafted.

“We have repeatedly warned state police that this was coming if they continued to play games with us,” said the Chronicle’s news editor and co-publisher, Will Brumleve. “Because of their apparent refusal to comply with the most basic requirements of state law, they have left us with no other choice. We don’t play games.”

An Illinois State Police squad vehicle is seen in downtown Paxton. (Will Brumleve/Ford County Chronicle)

As of Friday, the Chronicle had been waiting nearly three months for state police to respond to the newspaper’s amended FOIA request of May 13 that requested all documents outlining any findings of their investigation of Pacey, who is being sued in Ford County Circuit Court by six current and former female students who claim he inappropriately touched them.

Delays in receiving a response led the Chronicle to submit a request for review with the Illinois Attorney General’s Office’s Public Access Bureau in Springfield on May 29. Since then, Rhiann Martynowski, state police FOIA quality assurance manager, has twice notified Laura Harter, chief of the Public Access Bureau, that state police were finally processing the request — first on July 10 and then on July 29 — yet no response was received.

In Martynowski’s July 10 email to Harter — which was the first acknowledgment by state police that the Chronicle’s amended FOIA request, narrowed from an original April 29 request, was even received — Martynowski said she had “reviewed the requester’s narrowed scope and have forwarded a request to the (Division of Criminal Investigation) to pull any records that may be responsive.” Martynowski said a “supplemental response will be forthcoming once we hear back from the division.”

Nineteen days later, the Chronicle notified both Harter and Martynowski via email that still nothing had been received, and the newspaper warned of potential litigation.

“In my quarter-century-long career as a journalist, I have never seen poorer compliance with the state’s sunshine laws than Illinois State Police in this case here,” Brumleve said in the July 29 email. “It has been more than three months since I submitted my (initial) request for records and nearly as long since I amended my request to make things easier on them. What the hell is going on — besides the lawsuit I am about to file?”

Within an hour of Brumleve’s email, Martynowski sent an email to Harter — which Harter forwarded the next morning to the Chronicle — stating that the state police FOIA office “just received a response from the Division of Criminal Investigation” that same day.

“We’ll still need to review and redact the records DCI provided that they feel are responsive to the requester’s narrowed scope,” Martynowski said in her July 29 email to Harter. “I don’t have an estimated time frame at the moment as I’m currently filling in for (FOIA officer Sarah) Wheeler. But, (another FOIA officer) or I will obtain the records from DCI tomorrow, and we’ll do our best to work on them this week/weekend. We’ll copy you on our response to the requester.”

Six days later — on Tuesday, Aug. 4 — the Chronicle emailed both Harter and Martynowski yet another reminder.

“If I do not receive a response to my amended FOIA request before 5 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 6, I am prepared to enlist a law firm Friday morning to immediately file a lawsuit against state police in Ford County Circuit Court,” Brumleve wrote. “I have been more than accommodating.”

In previous correspondence, Harter warned that if state police failed to properly respond to the Chronicle’s request, “this office may be compelled to conclude that ISP has improperly denied the request in violation of FOIA.”

On Friday, the Chronicle asked that the Public Access Bureau issue a binding opinion that state police violated the law by improperly denying the newspaper’s FOIA request. However, Harter said in response Friday that “once you file the lawsuit, we no longer have jurisdiction over the case,” according to state law.

If a violation is determined to be willful and intentional or otherwise in bad faith, the law allows for civil penalties of $2,500 to $5,000 per violation.

The Freedom of Information Act requires a public body to “promptly either comply with or deny a request for public records within five business days after its receipt of the request, unless the time for response is properly extended.”

In this case, state police FOIA officers did respond within the legal time frame to the Chronicle’s April 29 request for all investigative reports relating to any criminal allegations made against Pacey — as a five-day extension was requested on May 6 and a response was then provided on May 13 — but its subsequent narrowed request received no reply.

In a May 13 response to the newspaper’s April 29 request, FOIA officer Sarah Wheeler said there were at least 590 pages of paper records related to the Pacey investigation but that “ISP is unable to provide any records responsive to this request without disproportionately burdening our operations.” Wheeler asked the Chronicle to narrow the scope of its request to “manageable proportions.”

The Chronicle immediately did so, amending its request to include only the number of complaints and the dates those complaints were made, along with all documents outlining any findings of the investigation into those complaints.

Lawsuits filed on behalf of six current and former PBL students allege a pattern of inappropriate touching of female students by Pacey, who was suspended last spring as a STEM and technology teacher at Clara Peterson Elementary School and remains on paid administrative leave. The lawsuits also allege that school district administrators were aware of the alleged sexual misconduct but never notified the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services as required by law and the district’s own policies. The lawsuits name Pacey, the PBL school district, PBL Junior High School Principal Josh Didier and former Superintendents Travis Duley and Cliff McClure as defendants.

Pacey, who was reassigned to the elementary school after starting his career as a teacher at PBL Junior High School, has not been criminally charged and has denied any wrongdoing, saying in a statement last summer that he is “deeply troubled” by the claims and, “without a doubt,” has done “nothing wrong.”

Cartwheel Care expands
telehealthmental health services
to 100,000 K-12 students across Illinois

$1 million grant from Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois will help Cartwheel scale access to care in rural and underserved communities through 2028

CHICAGO — August 26, 2026 — Cartwheel Care, a telehealth mental health provider for K-12 schools, today announced plans to expand access to care for up to 100,000 students across Illinois, supported by a $1 million grant from Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois (BCBSIL). The additional funding builds on an existing partnership between Cartwheel and BCBSIL, following a year of strong engagement and clinical outcomes. Cartwheel currently serves 40 Illinois school districts, and the grant will help expand services further into rural and underserved communities across the state through 2028.

Mental health needs among Illinois students remain high. According to data from Lurie Children’s Hospital, approximately 50% of Illinois youth (ages 2–17) have experienced worsening mental health symptoms in recent years. At the same time, access to care has not kept pace: more than 80 of Illinois’ 102 counties have no practicing child psychiatrist, and the shortage is most acute in rural areas, where families often wait months for an appointment or travel significant distances for care.

Cartwheel’s telehealth model is designed to remove the access barriers rural families face, like long waitlists and the need to travel to see a provider. By partnering with schools, Cartwheel provides licensed, Illinois-based clinicians with no waitlist, accepts all major insurance plans including Medicaid, and reaches kids and families where they already are, without requiring them to find or travel to an outside provider.

“Every student experiences mental health challenges differently, and there’s no one-size-fits-all approach to supporting them,” said Dr. Juliana Chen, chief medical officer at Cartwheel. “Our goal is to meet students and families where they are, with practical support that helps them build skills, strengthen relationships, and feel more confident navigating challenges at school and at home. BCBSIL’s support is what allows us to bring that care to more Illinois communities.”

“Supporting the health and well-being of Illinois youth is critical to building stronger communities,” said Brian Snell, president of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois. “The results we’ve seen through our partnership with Cartwheel demonstrate the impact that timely, accessible mental health services can have for students and families. This investment will help bring those services to even more communities across our state.”

To date, four Illinois districts have received Cartwheel’s services through this grant: Steger SD 194 in Cook County and Will County, Troy CCSD 30-C in Will County, Mattoon CUSD 2 in Coles County, and Wolf Branch SD #113 in St. Clair County.

In the first year of the program, more than 200 students were referred for care and completed more than 1,000 telehealth sessions. Appointments were scheduled in the same week with no waitlist. Sixty-eight percent of students served were covered by Medicaid or uninsured. Overall, 73% of students showed meaningful improvement in anxiety and depression symptoms on standard clinical screeners (GAD-7/PHQ-9).

Additional districts where Cartwheel services are launching this fall include Litchfield CUSD #12, Panhandle CUSD #2, Leyden High School District #212, and Regional Office of Education #40. With the support of this grant, Cartwheel expects to expand into another 30 to 50 school districts, bringing access to care to a total of 100,000 students across Illinois.

“Before this partnership, getting a student connected to care could take months,” said Jeffrey Peterson, director of student services & records at Troy CCSD 30-C. “Now our counselors can refer a student, know they’ll be seen within days, and are seeing real improvements as a result.”

Through the grant, Cartwheel provides individual and family therapy, parent guidance, psychiatric evaluation and medication management, and specialized care programs for challenges like school avoidance, social media use, and intense emotions and behavior challenges.

As reported in Illinois Policy, in 2025 about 25% of Illinois students missed at least 10% of the school year and this was more severe among low-income students, with 35.1% in that group chronically absent. Cartwheel’s school avoidance program delivers evidence-based care designed specifically for students struggling with school avoidance. In partnership with Cartwheel, Peoria Public Schools saw a 62% reduction in absences per student, along with decreases in suspensions and symptoms of depression and anxiety.

Illinois school districts that want to learn more about this opportunity for the upcoming school year should visit: www.cartwheel.org/illinois.

About Cartwheel
Cartwheel is the nation’s largest and most trusted telehealth provider for K-12 schools, students, and families. Cartwheel partners with 350 school districts across 15 states to deliver comprehensive mental health services to students, families, and school staff. Founded in 2022 by educators and clinicians, Cartwheel combines evidence-based clinical care with technology to ensure every child has access to high-quality mental health support. Cartwheel accepts all major insurance plans including Medicaid and provides care at no cost to uninsured families. For more information visit: www.cartwheel.org.

About Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois is the largest health insurer in Illinois, serving nine million members and operating in all 102 Illinois counties. BCBSIL is a division of Health Care Service Corporation, a Mutual Legal Reserve Company and an Independent Licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association. Learn more at bcbsil.com and follow us on Facebook and LinkedIn.

First-of-its-kind map shows opportunities
to improve social wellness for older adults
in Chicago

Free online tool by Mather Institute supports local planning, partnership and investments

EVANSTON, Illinois – Chicago has a new tool to help understand where neighborhood conditions support social wellness among older adults – and where thoughtful investment and partnership may expand opportunities.

Mather Institute launched a first-of-its-kind free Social Wellness Map, which scores the 77 community areas in Chicago on social wellness – a measure of feeling connected with others and with a community – for adults 55 and better. Previous research shows strong social ties are one of the most important predictors of a happy and long life, and that neighborhoods and communities shape how people interact, support one another and build shared identity. Mather Institute developed the map in partnership with NORC at the University of Chicago.

Designed as a planning and advocacy resource, the interactive map can help policymakers, community organizations, funders, planners and service providers explore local patterns, identify assets and consider where new investments may have the greatest benefit for older adults.

“Social wellness is a crucial, yet often overlooked, part of healthy aging,” said Cate O’Brien, MPH, Ph.D., chief transformation officer at Mather Institute. “Because every community contains diverse histories, people and experiences, the map is intended to inform – not replace – local knowledge. The most useful next step is conversation. When organizations bring this data together with resident voices, they can better understand what is already working and what could be most beneficial to older adults and their communities.”

The map is based on a new survey of more than 4,000 Chicago residents age 55 and better, combined with public data on community conditions, including walkability, economic factors and access to gathering places such as libraries, churches and community centers. Factors such as crime, lack of local businesses and poverty can hinder social wellness, but don’t tell the whole story.

Users can view a side-by-side comparison of communities to explore how social wellness relates to health, happiness, income and other factors.

Key findings include:

Social wellness doesn’t follow traditional geographic divides: Community areas with stronger and weaker social wellness are found throughout Chicago, suggesting income and crime do not tell the whole story of connection.

Community conditions are connected to social wellness: Social wellness tends to be stronger in areas with greater walkability, convenient access to services, a stronger sense of safety and stronger social cohesion.

Social wellness aligns with broader well-being: Community areas with stronger social wellness also tend to report better health and happiness, a greater sense of meaning in life and fewer feelings of depression, anxiety and stress.

More gathering places do not automatically mean more connection: This suggests that access to preferred gathering places might matter more than the number of nearby options.

Stability and trust are important: Social wellness tends to be stronger where residents have lived longer, more residents own their homes and neighbors trust and support one another.

“Community leaders often have deep local knowledge, but need data to support the case for programs, funding and partnerships,” said Jennifer L. Smith, Ph.D., vice president of Mather Institute. “The Social Wellness Map offers another lens for understanding older adults’ experiences and for turning local insight into action.”

High social wellness scores were not confined to one part of Chicago or to its wealthiest areas, suggesting that other factors such as neighborhood identity, belonging and longstanding social ties are also important to connection.

Chatham emerged as a notable example, with a social wellness score of 8.14 out of 10, illustrating social wellness reflects aspects of community life beyond economic and safety indicators alone. Beverly received the highest community connectability score: 100 out of 100. Beverly is notable for its low crime rates, a strong family culture and several longstanding community gathering places. Jefferson Park stood out for having community conditions that support connection such as accessible transit, retail activity and established cultural gathering places.

The map is free to use and does not require user registration. It can be explored at: https://www.matherinstitute.com/social-wellness-map/

About Mather and Mather Institute

Based in Evanston, Illinois, Mather is a not-for-profit organization founded in 1941 that is dedicated to a vision of changing the way society views aging. Mather creates Ways to Age Well℠ through programs, places and residences for today’s older adults. These include developing and operating communities that support older adults in pursuing wellness and fulfillment; sparking creativity and connections for older adults in Chicagoland and beyond; and through Mather Institute, conducting research and incubating innovation to help all live and age well.

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