* ICYMI: Illinois primary voters should send mail-in ballots by 5 p.m. Tuesday. STLPR…

- Both major political parties in Illinois are recommending their primary voters send ballots in one week before election day.
- The warning comes after changes to mail processing guidelines by the United States Postal Service (USPS) that took effect in December, which impact when mail is postmarked. Under the updated guidance, ballots may be postmarked when they are processed at a postal facility rather than when they are placed in the mail.
- Adams County Party Chair Katie Daniels, who represents the county, which includes Quincy, said this is especially important for voters in rural areas, where mail delivery can be even slower.

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*** Isabel’s Top Picks ***

* Sun-Times | Another large-scale deportation blitz hasn’t materialized in Chicago, despite warning of a spring surge: When U.S. Border Patrol Cmdr. Gregory Bovino left town last fall, Chicago’s reprieve came with a warning: The tear gas, chaos and fear associated with Operation Midway Blitz could return to the city’s streets fourfold in March. Now March is here. And President Donald Trump has fired Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, instead.

* Capitol News Illinois | Biotechnology company to invest $1.5 billion in Illinois plasma-processing plan: CSL Behring, a subsidiary of CSL, said it will invest $1.5 billion into the site expansion by 2031, adding 300 new high-skilled jobs to its existing 1,200 full-time employees, as well as around 800 construction and related local jobs needed to support the expansion. The company produces plasma therapies used in treating rare diseases and immunodeficiencies.

*** Statehouse News ***

* Center Square | Bailey camp ‘cautiously optimistic’ in final Illinois primary week: “You know, I’m cautiously optimistic,” Del Mar told The Center Square. “Our polling shows us with a very strong lead. Our message has shown a very strong lead. Nowhere in Illinois history have you had a team like Darren and I, where you have somebody that is the intersection of Clay County in Cook County, rural Illinois, in the city of Chicago, combining together for one team, for one goal.And that’s to take our state back.”

* Press Release | Dabrowski releases ad with his closing pitch to ILGOP voters: Today Ted Dabrowski, conservative reform candidate for governor, released his final ad of the primary campaign. The ad reminds GOP voters that in order to defeat J.B. Pritzker, Republicans must nominate a candidate who is both a conservative reformer and can appeal to suburban voters. Dabrowski is the only candidate who fits that bill. Bruce Rauner lost to Pritzker by 15 points in 2018 and yet still widely outperformed Darren Bailey’s 2022 vote totals – Rauner received 18 percent more votes than Bailey in DuPage, 20 percent more votes in Suburban Cook, and 24 percent more votes in Lake.

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* Aurora Beacon-News | Democratic primary in Illinois House District 84 features Ploger, Haider: The Democratic primary race for state representative in the 84th District in the March 17 primary election is between Jared Ploger and Saba Haider. The winner in the race will face Brian Scopa, who is running unopposed in the Republican primary, in the Nov. 3 general election. The incumbent, Stephanie Kifowit, is not running for re-election in the 84th District. She is a candidate in the Democratic primary for state comptroller.

* Daily Herald | Customer service, streamlined operations, voter ID key issues for Republican secretary of state candidates: Republican secretary of state candidates Walter Adamczyk and Diane Harris, who are running in the March 17 primary to face Democratic incumbent Alexi Giannoulias in November, cite customer service and streamlining operations as their top priorities. “We need better, faster service,” said Adamczyk, who also advocated for express service for veterans and seniors during a recent Daily Herald editorial endorsement interview.

*** Chicago ***

* Tribune | Property tax collection rates drop in Chicago neighborhoods with big bill hikes: In the Riverdale community area on the Far South Side, homeowners’ bills went up by 65% and collections dropped by 11.1%, to 68.5%, the analysis found. In West Garfield Park, where bills more than doubled, residential collections were down 4.1%. Some south suburban communities with traditionally low collection rates saw major improvements as well, the report found. The biggest drops countywide were in areas where the median household income was below $50,000. Those includes Englewood and North Lawndale, where collections fell by just over 3%.

* Sun-Times Chicago law firm leading push to appoint special prosecutor to target ICE, Border Patrol agents: A high-powered Chicago law firm that fought Operation Midway Blitz in federal court announced a plan Monday to push for the appointment of a special prosecutor to investigate and potentially charge the law enforcement officials who carried out the aggressive deportation campaign in the Chicago area. The firm, Loevy and Loevy, said 200 individuals and organizations are supporting a petition to install an outsider in the office of Cook County State’s Attorney Eileen O’Neill Burke, who has spent weeks saying her staff can only go so far to target the feds.

* CBS Chicago | Lawsuit claims Chicago Public Schools failed to tell police, DCFS about sex abuse of girl by security guard: The former student’s attorneys say CPS administrators knew about the accusations, but never reported them to police or the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services, which the law requires. In addition to the sex abuse allegations, the complaint says the abuser threatened to call immigration enforcement if the victim told anyone about their relationship.

* Sun-Times | Chicago sets record high temp Monday, ’severe’ storms and 40s expected for Tuesday: Temperatures drop to the 40s on Tuesday with a “severe” storm likely rolling in during the late afternoon and into the evening. That storm will likely bring rain, hail and strong winds across the Chicago area. The southern part of the metro area could also see tornadoes, Ratzer said.

*** Cook County and Suburbs ***

* ABC Chicago | Yorkville City Council to take up data center projects Tuesday: People in Yorkville are expected to show up to the city council meeting Tuesday night as it discusses data center projects. There are several projects at various stages of approval, under consideration. Tuesday night, there are two proposals up for zoning matters.

* WGN | Flooding woes continue for Flossmoor as federal funding remains on hold: The village paid $384,000 toward the $1.1 million project. Then the Trump administration halted its portion of the funding as part of a review of federally funded projects in blue states. “They’re holding back funds because they’re in disagreement with the way that the county is doing their business, and particularly the City of Chicago funding illegals,” Mitrose said. “I don’t know who’s right or who’s wrong. All I know is we’re caught in the middle and we deserve better.”

* Daily Herald | Amazon considering large-format store in Oak Brook: The Oak Brook village board will hear a preliminary presentation about the plan at its meeting Tuesday night. It proposes razing seven office buildings in the 2900 block of Butterfield Road. The site is on the south side of Butterfield, east of Meyers Road. The Amazon building would be about 225,000 square feet. The front of the store would sell groceries and general merchandise; the back would be used to fulfill individual online retail orders for pickup or local delivery.

* Tribune | Aurora working to set liquor rules for new Hollywood Casino resort: The proposed Farnsworth Bilter Entertainment District, which is planned to only include the under-construction casino and resort site, would have its own special liquor licenses that bars, restaurants and other locations within the casino could apply for. These licenses would be different than others given by the city, for instance, by allowing patrons to take their drinks with them if they stroll to another part of the resort.

*** Downstate ***

* WCIA | Sangamon Co. voters will decide if 708 Mental Health board is established: “We need critical mass when it comes to voting, new initiatives are coming into play. A lot of these things have gone on over the years because we have not voted,” said Sontae Massey, Sonya Massey’s cousin. 708 boards have been around for decades. They take taxpayer dollars and direct it to mental health services. That could help fund things like a crisis co-responder program, where social workers go out on calls with police to help those in a crisis.

* WGLT | Bloomington OKs plan to develop Carle Health medical campus on east side: The Bloomington City Council on Monday approved the agreement with Carle and Deneen Brothers Farms that paves the way for the regional medical campus on 35 acres within the Empire Business Park, behind Carle’s current facility on the southeast corner of Trinity Lane and Cornelius Drive. “This is really a wonderful, strong bookend for the Empire Street commercial corridor, to really be able to finish out what was envisioned even 20 years ago,” said Kelly Pfeifer, the city’s director of development services.

* WCIA | Electricians union demonstrates in Champaign after local workers left off project: The International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local Unit 601 demonstrated across from a construction project on the University of Illinois campus on Monday. The company, Power Construction, is using out-of-state electricians from Nashville, according to Brian Anderson, local 601’s business manager. He said these workers cost about $25-per-hour less than unionized workers in Champaign.