* ICYMI: Estate tax reform ‘something that I could support,’ Pritzker says. Capitol News Illinois…

- Gov. JB Pritzker, speaking with reporters after an event with FFA and F-H students Tuesday morning, said that he would be open to signing changes to the estate tax if they hit his desk.
- “And so if we can put together a package that makes sense… then I do think it’s something that I could support as long as it includes the kind of tax break that I think is appropriate to preserving small farms and small businesses,” he said.
- State Rep. Sharon Chung, D-Bloomington, the House sponsor, told us she’s “not quite sure the future of it,” considering the state’s tight revenue picture. She also said talk of a larger estate tax reform in the Senate could complicate things.

* At 11:30, Gov. Pritzker will be in Bloomington for a roundtable discussion on advancing his Building Up Illinois Developments initiative. Click here to watch.

* BlueRoomStream.com’s coverage of today’s press conferences and committee hearings can be found here.

*** Isabel’s Top Picks ***

* Sun-Times | Judge orders federal government to unfreeze CTA funding for Red Line extension: U.S. District Judge Thomas M. Durkin granted the CTA’s temporary restraining order against the Department of Transportation, which had frozen the funds since last October while the federal government said it was reviewing CTA contracting practices for race- and sex-based discrimination. The CTA sued the Department of Transportation last week, arguing the funding freeze would soon halt the long-planned Red Line extension to 130th Street, as well as the almost-completed Red-Purple Line Modernization program. The CTA had secured a legal obligation for $2 billion in federal Red Line extension funds shortly before former President Joe Biden left office.

* Daily Herald | ‘People are being evicted’: TSA union says shutdown is pushing workers to economic brink: O’Hare International Airport screening times have been relatively normal so far. “You’ve got to remember, O’Hare is a huge airport so there’s tons of employees and tons of checkpoints,” said Christine Vitel, a TSA officer and AFGE executive for Local 777. Also, “officers are coming in because of the fear getting put on us about disciplinary actions,” for absenteeism, she noted.

*** Statehouse News ***

* WAND | Pritzker says Bears megaproject bill is in hands of state legislature: “It is a pretty good deal that’s been put on the table that I think seems to have support broadly by the Bears ownership,” Pritzker said. “So, it really now is in the hands of the House of Representatives and then the Senate to get something done in a timely fashion.”

* WAND | Farmers, students celebrate Illinois Agriculture Legislative Day: Over 650 FFA members gathered under the Capitol dome to meet with lawmakers and advocate for state investments. Illinois Department of Agriculture Director Jerry Costello said support for the industry continues to grow across the state. However, Costello said everyone must advocate for the year-round sale of E15 and expanding international markets for Illinois soybeans.

*** Chicago ***

* WTTW | Johnson Defends Proposal to Give Area Around United Center $55M Tax Break: “This is a project that is going to create thousands of jobs and opportunities for the people across the city, but particularly for development on the West Side,” Johnson said at a City Hall news conference. “This is a clear indication that the city of Chicago remains open for business, but we’re just not for sale.” With the support of 27th Ward Ald. Walter “Red” Burnett, Johnson asked the City Council to make the project eligible for $54.7 million in property tax incentives under Cook County’s Class 7b special assessment. Commercial properties in Cook County are typically taxed based on officials’ calculation of 25% of their value, records show.

* WGN | WGN Investigates: ICE’s ‘security theater’ at airports: The armed federal agents lack an airport identification badge required of all other airport personnel, including law enforcement. The photo ID’s are meant, in part, to ensure imposters can’t defeat security measures by simply wearing a police uniform and walking with a gun through a checkpoint. The ICE agents seen at O’Hare don’t wear uniforms beyond a badge on their belt and bulletproof vest with a Velcro patch, signifying their agency.

* Sun-Times | Finalist for CPS CEO courted controversy in past jobs, but defenders praise his bold vision: The other is Sito Narcisse, a former leader of Louisiana’s second-largest school district who has been linked to controversies in his previous roles, leading some to question how he made it to be a finalist to lead the third-largest school district in the country with many red flags. His work at times has been polarizing. In Baton Rouge, families sued him and the district over a controversial event he promoted. Early in his career in Boston, Narcisse was criticized for making sweeping changes at the school he led with little or no community input, a concern that would follow him.

* WBEZ | CHA Commissioner Debra Parker accused of defrauding the public housing agency: Parker, who has participated in the government’s Housing Choice Voucher housing subsidy program since 2007, currently receives a subsidy to rent a four-bedroom home on the South Side, according to the records. But the decision indicates that Parker and her son — both who are supposed to be living at the South Side home — have actually been living with the commissioner’s fiancé, Charles Bell, in a luxury high-rise in River North. Parker was being picked up from Bell’s residence, and her board materials were being sent there, the hearing officer wrote.

* Fox Chicago | Chicago mayor pushes back on claims from fired officials as City Hall shakeup continues: “I can’t speak to why someone makes a claim,” Johnson said. “As I’ve said repeatedly, the women and men who serve the city on the frontline deserve the ultimate respect, which is why I appreciate the work Superintendent [Larry] Snelling as well as [Fire Commissioner Annette] Nance-Holt have done to begin to restore relationships within community around our first responders. There’s no secret there has been some strain in the community, and it’s clear indication we’re moving in the right direction.”

* Tribune | Chicago’s human rights commissioner resigns as Mayor Brandon Johnson defends public safety leaders’ firings: Human Relations Commissioner Nancy Andrade will resign effective Wednesday from her role overseeing enforcement of the city’s human rights and fair housing laws, Johnson spokesperson Erin Connelly confirmed Tuesday. Connelly did not offer a reason for the resignation. But Andrade said in a statement that she resigned to uphold the Chicago Commission on Human Relations’ efforts to give hope to those who have experienced hate and justice to people who experienced “the humiliation and trauma of discrimination.” She also said the CCHR is the “civil rights agency for ALL of Chicago. It is my sincere hope that the CCHR and its Board continue to focus on addressing the impact of antisemitism as well as all other forms of discrimination in our city.”

* Sun-Times | Johnson says he wasn’t aware Gatewood filed IG complaint against top mayoral aides before firing him: Last week, he was summoned into a meeting with Johnson’s chief of staff Cristina Pacione-Zayas and senior mayoral adviser Jason Lee, and told the Johnson administration was “moving in a different direction.” Gatewood said Tuesday he filed a formal complaint with the inspector general’s office in October that is under investigation. He refused to discuss the nature of those allegations, but sources said the complaint accuses Lee and Pacione-Zayas of improper interference in City Hall’s contracting process. The sources also said Johnson was made aware of those contract interference concerns.

* Press release | Gov. Pritzker and Mars Snacking Announce 600 New Jobs, Expansion of Global Headquarters in Chicago: Mars Snacking will open a new North America regional office hub in Chicago’s Fulton Market district, with capacity for more than 1,000 Associates. The Accelerator division will also establish a new global office hub in downtown Chicago, taking over the former Kellanova global and North America headquarters. Together, these moves reinforce Mars Snacking’s long-standing commitment to the Chicago region, where the company supports more than 4,000 Mars Snacking jobs, produces more than 20 iconic brands and anchors the company’s Global Innovation Center – a groundbreaking R&D hub.

* WTTW | System Designed to Flag Officers With Multiple Complaints Won’t Be Ready Until 2027, Officials Say: Chicago police brass did not update Mayor Brandon Johnson and three City Council committee chairs about their progress in crafting the system until Feb. 18, two days after WTTW News reported they had failed to comply with a provision in the ordinance that implemented the city’s 2026 budget that requires monthly updates on the long-delayed efforts to craft and implement that system, according to records obtained by WTTW News through a Freedom of Information Act request.

* CBS Chicago…

For the second time in days, a delivery robot leaves glass shattered on the sidewalk after crashing into a bus shelter, this time in Old Town. Neighbors there are now saying enough is enough. Find this story on https://t.co/I1vhbJ9DR9. pic.twitter.com/pssxVQFBLG

— CBS Chicago (@cbschicago) March 25, 2026

*** Cook County and Suburbs ***

* Shaw Local | Ex-prosecutor sues Kane County, state’s attorney; claims firing was whistleblower retaliation: A former Kane County prosecutor is suing State’s Attorney Jamie Mosser and the county, alleging he was fired after exposing what the suit claimed was a common and longstanding practice of “backdating” criminal complaint filings. The whistleblower complaint, filed March 16 by former Kane County prosecutor Eric Walliser, asserts that he was trained by more senior prosecutors “to leave petitions or motions on the clerk’s desk … and the deputy clerk would process and file-stamp the document on the following business day using the prior business day’s date.”

* ABC Chicago | 2 charged with vandalizing Arlington Heights Republican office, defacing Charlie Kirk’s image: Officers took Arlington Heights residents 72-year-old Brock McNerney and 69-year-old Moisette McNerney into custody on Monday. […] Arlington Heights police said the vandalism took place at about 11 p.m. on Sunday, Jan. 25 with a suspected marker at the Republicans of Wheeling Township Office. Surveillance video from the late evening hours of Jan. 25 shows a couple, a man in glasses and a woman, both dressed in black, drawing explicit words and what ABC7 Chicago has been told were several Nazi symbols over the face of Charlie Kirk on the windows in Arlington Heights.

* Landmark | Hernandez takes narrow win in race for Cook County board: Riverside resident Miranda Hernandez has apparently won a tightly contested three-way Democratic primary race for a seat on the Cook County board. Since no Republican or Libertarian has filed to run in the 16th District the 34-year-old Hernandez appears set to join the county board after the November general election. The 16th District includes Riverside and Brookfield and runs from Cicero to Franklin Park and includes a very small slice of the city of Chicago.

* Daily Herald | DuPage County approves $4.8 million to help food pantries, ‘Farm to Pantry’ program: DuPage County Board members have approved $4.8 million in funding to continue a fresh produce program for food pantries, to boost a farm-to-pantry pipeline of vegetables and to help the largest of them expand a food distribution hub. The county will provide $2.5 million to support the Loaves & Fishes “Hub 2.0” project. The county will also provide $2 million to the Northern Illinois Food Bank over the next two fiscal years for the purchase and delivery of produce and other commodities to its member pantries. In addition, the board approved the Conservation Foundation’s request for $322,000 over two years for the growth of a “Farm to Pantry” initiative.

* Daily Herald | Family of early Schaumburg mayor applauds use of his name for updated municipal campus: The family of Schaumburg’s influential second mayor, Bob Atcher, have expressed their appreciation for the village board’s Tuesday decision to rename the 60-acre municipal campus after him. The unanimous vote of the trustees comes about a year after the demolition of the 52-year-old village hall he had once used, which was renamed the Robert O. Atcher Municipal Center around the time of his 1993 death.

*** Downstate ***

* PJ Star | Pekin reviewing real estate contract after scrapping data center: During Monday’s meeting, the council approved a resolution instructing city attorney James Vasselli to review the contract and present a memorandum on the city’s obligations, rights and contingencies by April 8. Vasselli noted that closing on the property sale was contingent on the developer obtaining zoning and site plan approvals, as well as a redevelopment agreement. “No one can site a data center at the property as currently zoned,” he said. “It is not permitted under county law, state law or local law.”

* The Southern | Carbondale council discusses homeless meeting aftermath: During public comment, Beth Libby asked whether the city has a plan to address homelessness and whether there was interest in developing a forum to find solutions She suggested getting in touch with representatives from other cities in Illinois to determine what they have found to be effective in addressing the issue “It seems to me that that might be something we could take a look at,” Libby said. “To invite the mayors of some of these communities to see if we could have a joint meeting with the public, the council and our city manager, to see if some of these solutions could be useful in our community.”

* IPM News | All top Champaign Unit 4 administrators asked to reapply for their jobs: Even interim superintendent Dan Casillas, who Board President Tony Bruno thanked for “righting the ship” between administrations, will return to the classroom unless he succeeds in winning a spot on the new cabinet. In an interview with the News-Gazette, Ponce said that he wants to create a smaller, more focused cabinet. “Dr. Ponce is the superintendent we have chosen to be here, and we are supporting his experience and his knowledge,” said Board Member Grace Kang. “He brings a wealth of that to the district. We’re supporting his vision, and this is part of his vision.”

* WMBD | Free food truck licenses for Downtown Peoria approved by council: Mayor Rita Ali said she received messages from Caterpillar and the U.S. Postal Service to support bringing food trucks back to downtown. “They want these food trucks and I think whatever we can do to incentivize them to return to downtown is going to be good,” she said. 4th District Councilman Andre Allen said when he started working downtown in 2022, he would buy hot dogs from a hot dog cart. The business owner needed to sell 54 hot dogs to make a profit, reported Allen.

* WCIA | Fighting-Illini-themed Hilton Hotel in Champaign one step closer to reality: Originally expected to be completed in 2027, “The Graduate” hotel will now be required to be completed by March of 2028. It is set to be built at the intersection of Neil and Hill Streets in downtown Champaign. “We did bump those completion dates to a more realistic timeframe,” said T.J. Blakeman, economic development coordinator. “It’ll continue to add to the vibrancy and the activity that we see in our downtown.”

* WMBD | WIRL going off the air at the end of the month: On March 31 at noon, WIRL 1290 AM will no longer be broadcasting a radio frequency, nearly 78 years after it first went on the air. Mike Wild, vice president and general manager of Midwest Communications, the company that oversees the station, said the station just doesn’t have a sustainable following anymore.

* WCIA | U of I assisting in IL Soybean Association challenge: The challenge has several state universities making proposals for new products made from soybean oil and soy protein. Helping with the process is the University of Illinois’ Associate Chancellor Kim Kidwell.

*** National ***

* Reuters | Meta ordered to pay $375 million in New Mexico trial over child exploitation, user safety claims: In a second phase of the trial in May, Torrez said ⁠his office will ask the court to order Meta to make changes to its platforms to protect children and to impose additional financial penalties. […] The jury’s decision capped a six-week trial in Santa Fe. Torrez had accused the company of allowing predators unfettered access to underage users and connecting them with victims, often leading to real-world abuse and human trafficking.

* NYT | Gregory Bovino reflects on final days with Border Patrol: ‘I wish I’d caught even more illegal aliens’: Over the past year, Bovino was caught on camera denigrating protesters and encouraging force. At one point, he told agents in Los Angeles to “arrest as many people that touch you as you want.” By the end of his national tour, one official said, Bovino was deliberately seeking out confrontations to get content for social media. Bovino said he had a master plan that was in motion before his exile back to El Centro. It would have neutralized protesters, he said, and made it possible to deport 100 million people.

* Road Track | Your Tire Pressure Monitors Are Vulnerable to Easy Tracking, Study Finds: “Most vehicle tracking today uses cameras that need clear visibility and line-of-sight to a car. TPMS tracking is different: tire sensors automatically send radio signals that pass through walls and vehicles, allowing small hidden wireless receivers to capture them without being seen. Because each sensor broadcasts a fixed unique ID, the same car can be recognized repeatedly without reading a license plate,” the study reads.

* AP | OpenAI pulls the plug on Sora, the viral AI video app that sparked deepfake concerns: OpenAI was forced to crack down on AI creations of public figures — among them, Michael Jackson, Martin Luther King Jr. and Mister Rogers — doing outlandish things, but only after an outcry from family estates and an actors’ union. Disney, which made a deal with OpenAI last year to bring its characters to Sora, said in a statement Tuesday that it respects “OpenAI’s decision to exit the video generation business and to shift its priorities elsewhere.”