* Block Club Chicago…

As calls to oust the leader of the struggling Chicago Transit Authority grow louder, Mayor Brandon Johnson appointed a politically connected pastor who has no professional transportation experience to the CTA’s oversight board last week. […]

Eaddy served on the Chicago Police Board for a decade until last fall, when the Community Commission for Public Safety and Accountability didn’t recommend retaining him. He also serves on the Illinois Medical District Commission, a post he was appointed to by Gov. JB Pritzker. He supported Johnson in the mayoral election.

Calls and emails to Eaddy’s church weren’t returned Friday. The Mayor’s Office didn’t respond to questions about how Eaddy was identified for the position and how his background helps the CTA. […]

Out of more than 50 appointments to the CTA board over the past 40 years, only three were transportation experts, Block Club reported. The city and governor’s office won’t explain how they identify and interview prospective board members.

Eaddy replaces Rev. Johnny Miller of Mt. Vernon Baptist Church, whose term had expired. Miller was appointed to the CTA board by former Mayor Rahm Emanuel in 2016.

* Healthy Illinois…

The Healthy Illinois Campaign is releasing a report on The Benefits of Health Coverage for Immigrants in Illinois that shows how two state programs for uninsured immigrant adults and seniors, provide financial, health and social benefits to individuals, their communities and society at large. The research briefing by the Great Cities Institute at the University of Illinois Chicago, which authored the data review report, will be presented at an in-person event hosted at the North Lawndale Employment Network. GCI’s presentation will be followed by a panel discussion on the report’s contents, its significance and next steps.

WHO: Program Presentation: Samantha Sepulveda, UIC Great Cities Institute
Panel Moderator: Ere Rendon, vice president of Immigrant Justice, The Resurrection Project
Panelists:

- IL State Rep. Lilian Jimenez, D-4
- IL Senate District 20 Democratic nominee Graciela Guzman
- Glo Choi, organizer, HANA Center
- Edith Avila Olea, MPP, policy manager, Illinois Coalition for Immigrant & Refugee Rights

WHEN & WHERE: 8:30 a.m., Friday, April 26, Registration & Light refreshments
- Program 9:00 a.m. - 10:30 a.m
- North Lawndale Employment Network, - 1111 S. Homan Avenue, Chicago
- The briefing will also be accessible online. To attend either one, register here.
WHY: The report analyzes data that demonstrates the value of health coverage programs for immigrants excluded from federal Medicaid. Providing health coverage benefits not only individuals who can’t get coverage, but their children, their families, the communities where they live and the state healthcare infrastructure.

The report found that Illinois was once a state that led in providing health coverage to low-income immigrants, including being the first state to expand coverage to undocumented children in 2006. But the state’s pause in enrollment for immigrants ages 42-64 and capped benefits for those 65 and older take away Illinois’ recent status as a nation-leading state in providing these benefits to immigrants, regardless of their immigration status.

* WICS…

The Illinois State Fair invites the public to a 100 Days Out celebration on Tuesday, April 30 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Reisch Pavilion on the Illinois State Fairgrounds.

The celebration will be a preview into the food and drinks sold at the Illinois State Fair, which will run August 8-18. […]

Discounted State Fair mega passes, jumbo passes, admission booklets and parking passes will also be available for purchase during the event.

“We are proud to showcase the Illinois State Fairgrounds following a $58 million investment in improvements,” said Jerry Costello II, Director of the Illinois Department of Agriculture. “This 100 Days Out celebration offers a preview of the 2024 Illinois State Fair, which promises to be the biggest and best yet.”

* Capitol News Illinois | Pritzker says state ‘obviously’ needs to change 2010 law that shrunk pension benefits: “We need, obviously, to make some changes to Tier 2 to make sure that we’re meeting the Social Security Safe Harbor,” the governor said at an unrelated news conference late Thursday night in his Capitol office. “We don’t yet really know what that’s going to cost.” Earlier in the day, Pritzker’s top budget advisor, Governor’s Office of Management and Budget Director Alexis Sturm, told a House committee that the governor was “open to that conversation” about increasing the cap on Tier 2 pension earnings to match Social Security.

* Cook County sheriff Tom Dart | I support Karina’s Bill to help police protect domestic violence survivors: Orders of protection, also called restraining orders, suffer from one obvious shortcoming: They do not allow police to search for and seize firearms; instead, they usually rely on the subject to voluntarily turn them in to police or give them to someone else. That is why I strongly support Karina’s Bill, legislation drafted by domestic violence advocates that provides police with real authority to remove firearms from the subject of an order of protection.

* Tribune | Kroger and Albertsons propose selling off more Illinois stores in bid for merger approval: In September, the grocery companies said they planned to sell off the Mariano’s brand name and 14 Kroger-owned grocery stores in Illinois. At the time, a spokesperson for Kroger-owned Mariano’s confirmed that at least some Mariano’s stores would be sold. On Monday, the company said its Illinois divestitures would include a total of 35 Kroger and Albertsons-owned stores. […] The companies now plan to sell a total of 579 Kroger and Albertsons stores in markets where they overlap to C&S Wholesale Grocers, a New Hampshire grocery supplier and operator, for $2.9 billion. Under the initial divestiture plan, announced in September, C&S had planned to purchase 413 stores for $1.9 billion.

* Crain’s | J&J, Kenvue ordered to pay $45M to Illinois family in baby powder suit: Jurors hearing the case in Chicago late Friday concluded Kenvue was 70% responsible for the death of Theresa Garcia, a mother of six and a grandmother, who died in 2020 after developing mesothelioma, a type of cancer linked to asbestos exposure. Her family alleged J&J and Kenvue’s predecessor firm sold their talcum-based baby powder knowing it was tainted with asbestos, according to court filings.

* SJ-R | Passover begins April 22. Here’s everything you need to know about the 8-day celebration: Passover commemorates the Israelites’ exodus from Egypt as told in the Torah, or the first five books of the Old Testament. The name “Passover” comes from the Israelites marking the doors of their homes with lamb’s blood so an avenging angel, sent by God, would know to pass over them.

* 21st Show | Earth Day 2024: The current state of our environment: To start our show off, we’ll cover the current state of Illinois’ environment, followed by the biggest environmental challenges we’re facing worldwide. We’ll also look back to the 70s and see how environmentalist movements have changed since then, and learn if nuclear energy is considered green energy. To close off our show, we’ll hear from our guests if doomers are right about Earth’s future, or if you should remain optimistic.

* ABC Chicago | Registration for Aurora free electronics recycling event opens Monday: Mandatory registration for the recycling drive starts Monday at 9 a.m. The city says registration capacity is typically reached in 24 hours. The first 2,000 people to register will get a spot in the drive-thru, which is happening on May 4 at the Route 59 Metra Station.

* NBC Chicago | Earth Day: How one grocery shopper takes steps to avoid ‘pointless plastic’: Nature wraps bananas and oranges in peels. But in some modern supermarkets, they’re bagged or wrapped in plastic too. For Judith Enck, that’s the epitome of pointless plastic. The baby food aisle is similarly distressing for her, with its rows and rows of blended fruits, vegetables and meat in single-use pouches that have replaced glass jars. Less than 10% of plastic is recycled. Most is buried, burned or dumped. Recycling rates for glass, aluminum and cardboard are far higher. And cardboard or paper packaging is biodegradable.

* Students: Earth Day was born on college campuses. Now our universities must divest from fossil fuels: The fight against fossil fuels is a fight against the cycles of injustice that uphold and are sustained by extractive industries, including the military-industrial complex, which is fueling the genocide in Gaza, and prisons and jails — which are in the 90th percentile or more for pollution-related cancer risk and proximity to hazardous waste. We follow in the footsteps of the first Earth Day, not to repeat it but to reclaim it. We are building a multiracial, cross-class movement to destroy fossil fuel influence in our politics and institutions and center the communities most affected by the climate crisis.

* Block Club | UChicago Promised $15 Million For South Side Violence Prevention. It’s Given Less Than $3 Million: The Violence Intervention Fund — launched following the deaths of three students — was a commitment to groups that organize youth activities, mentorship and more. Two years in, grantees say the university stopped communicating about the program.

* Crain’s | With the DNC approaching, Johnson puts Dems in a tight spot on Gaza: “We have not experienced any rift with the mayor’s office,” DNC Chair Minyon Moore said when asked whether there was a rift between the official party platform and the host mayor when it comes to the war in Gaza. “They have been great partners to us,” she added. “And we expect that to go on to the end of the cycle.”

* Block Club | $70 Million More For Migrant Housing, Services Approved By City Council: Alderpeople on Friday voted 30-18 in favor of the added spending, which will come from the city’s “assigned fund balance reserve” from 2022, according to budget officials. The allocation follows a joint $250 million pledge in February from the state of Illinois and Cook County for shelter and other services for migrants coming to Chicago and Illinois.

* Block Club | Police Watchdog Defends Handling Of Dexter Reed Case Amid Criticism From City’s Top Cop: Following the release of body camera footage of the shootout earlier this month, Civilian Office of Police Accountability Chief Administrator Andrea Kersten has commented publicly on the incident multiple times, including during an appearance on a sports commentator’s show. Her comments — some of which raised questions about the officers involved — have come as her agency leads the investigation into the fatal shooting. The body cam footage, released April 9 by COPA, shows police stopping Reed’s car in Humboldt Park March 21 before a gunfight ensues. Reed shot first, injuring an officer, the agency said. Four other tactical officers on the scene returned fired, shooting 96 bullets in 41 seconds, including three shots after Reed was laying “motionless” on the ground outside his car, Kersten said.

* WTTW | Taxpayers Spent at Least $5.6M to Settle, Defend Lawsuits Accusing CPD Officers of Misconduct During Protests, Unrest in 2020: Analysis: Nearly $2 million of that toll went to pay private lawyers to defend the conduct of CPD officers from late May until mid-August 2020, one of the most tumultuous periods in Chicago history, according to records obtained by WTTW News through a Freedom of Information Act request. Chicago taxpayers paid a premium to hire private attorneys to defend the conduct of CPD officers even though two probes found officers beat protesters with batons, doused their faces with pepper spray, used racial slurs and mocked the push for racial justice and police reform. In many cases, that conduct violated protesters’ First Amendment rights and involved unjustified and excessive force, according to the probes.

* Block Club | Off-Duty Officer Luis Huesca Fatally Shot In Gage Park: “Our city is grieving, and our condolences go out to their entire family as well as Luis’ fellow officers and community,” Mayor Brandon Johnson said in a statement. Snelling said Huesca was on his way home after working. He was in his uniform, though wearing something that “covered it up,” Snelling said.

* CBS Chicago | Chicago Police Officer Luis Huesca, shot and killed Sunday, had eulogized fallen colleague last year: Just a year ago, Huesca eulogized one of his best friends – a fellow Chicago Police officer who was shot and killed in the line of duty. It was just last year when Officer Huesca appeared in a tribute video for his good friend and colleague, Officer Andrés Mauricio Vásquez Lasso, who was shot and killed while responding to a domestic violence call on Spaulding Avenue near 53rd Street March 1, 2023.

* Tribune | Chicago police officer killed in Gage Park had spoken just last year at memorial for fellow officer: According to Tribune reports, Huesca is the third Chicago police officer to be shot — and the first fatally — this year. On Jan. 8, a veteran police officer was shot in the leg during an exchange of gunfire with a burglary suspect in the Gold Coast neighborhood. On March 21, an officer was shot by a civilian who was also critically wounded during an “investigatory stop” in Humboldt Park.

* Crain’s | Housing affordability in Chicago lowest it’s been in 17 years and likely longer: For condos and townhouses, aka attached housing, the index showed affordability was at its second-lowest on record. But combined with a dip of several points in the affordability of houses, it brought the city’s housing market overall to a 17-year low. It’s likely that the March figure is also lower than affordability was in the years before CAR’s data, because mortgage interest rates, a key component of affordability, have been higher in recent months than any other time since early 2000.

* Crain’s | Ex-Citadel exec’s trading firm expanding, moving to revamped Loop tower: The lease adds to recent momentum for a Canadian developer Onni Group, which is in the middle of a bold $140 million overhaul of the Randolph Street tower, recently rebranded as The Bell. Onni bought the historic 853,000-square-foot Illinois Bell building in late 2021 for $166 million, then began a massive renovation to add new amenities and lease it up, despite office demand getting hammered by the pandemic-fueled remote work movement. The downtown office vacancy rate recently topped 25% for the first time ever.

* WGN | Answering questions about climate change using exhibits at Chicago’s Museum of Science & Industry: Great Lakes ice was the lowest ever recorded at only 3% for the season, a stunning value considering the average since 1973 has been about 40% coverage. The chance of a white Christmas is going down, and both this year and last, the seasonal snowfall total has been about half of the average.

* Crain’s | Could Chicago become the next backdrop for the iconic Sundance Film Festival?: The city’s tourism arm, Choose Chicago, announced a partnership with Sundance set to take place in June that will include free and paid programming as well as four film screenings. With the partnership, the organization says that it seeks to elevate and highlight Chicago’s film community and bring more cinema enthusiasts to show the city “as an essential hub for independent film,” the organizers said of the event.

* Daily Southtown | LGBTQ+ students, parents frustrated about Prairie State College’s graduation venue: On its website, the church writes that it does not recognize marriage that is not between a man and a woman, believes “the Bible teaches that homosexuality is a sin,” and does not “condone the homosexual lifestyle.” When she found out in December that her school had chosen to hold graduation at a venue that opposes non-heterosexual relationships, graduating student Rebecca Fassbender filed a complaint with the school’s Department of Equity and Inclusion. “I received what I see as a generic response and quite dismissive,” said Fassbender, of Park Forest, who identifies as lesbian and is president of Prairie State College’s Pride Club. “It included some things about their budget and that this location needed to be within district and within their budget.”

* ABC Chicago | Cook County Democratic Party accepting County Clerk applications following death of Karen Yarbrough: The Cook County Democratic Party has told interested candidates to email their resume by Wednesday. The party will then host a meeting on Friday to hear from the candidates and take two votes. One vote will be for an interim clerk, and another vote will be to place a Democratic candidate on the November ballot to serve the final two years of Yarbrough’s unexpired term.

* Daily Herald | ‘Like losing a friend’: Shoppers say goodbye to Stratford Square Mall on final day: Officials now hope to redevelop the 275-acre property with restaurants, entertainment venues, retail outlets, housing and pedestrian-friendly green spaces. The village is working with an architect to develop a plan and officials say they will incorporate community feedback in their decisions.

* Crain’s | Wayfair opening its first-ever retail location in Wilmette: The 150,000-square-foot store in Wilmette — about half the size of an average Ikea — will be located in Edens Plaza at 3232 Lake Ave. and will feature an on-site restaurant called The Porch, the company announced. The space will also include a design studio, where customers can get home design advice, according to the company’s website.

* ABC Chicago | Arlington Heights square dancing club celebrates 75 years: “It’s phenomenal that a club has lasted for 75 years,” Arlington Squares President Denise Hopkins said. “We started in 1948. We’ve been continuously dancing since then. We’re actually the longest continually dancing club in the state of Illinois.” On the occasion , the nationally-renowned Jet Roberts called the shots, which was a treat even for those who’ve danced for decades. “Well I’ve been dancing for over 40 years, and I love the caller,” square dancer Cynthia Suchy said. “He’s fantastic. His voice is great. He’s exciting.”

* WCIA | ‘A very emotional day’: Arcola pays tribute as lost sailor finally laid to rest: Charles D. Brown enlisted in the Navy in 1938. He was just 19 years years old when he started working aboard the U.S.S. West Virginia. Brown was among the 2,400 men that were killed during the attacks on Pearl Harbor in 1941. The U.S. Navy was unable to identify him, so he was buried in Hawaii as an unknown. In 2022, a Department of Defense search resulted in a DNA match: Charles Darling Brown of Arcola, Illinois.

* WSIL | Over 140,000 people visit Poplar Bluff during eclipse: The Poplar Bluff Chamber revealed that 145,000 people visited Butler County in four days surrounding the eclipse. The day of the eclipse accounted for 45,900 of those people. The Chamber partnered with a company to use geofencing and cell phone data to come up with these numbers. Poplar Bluff further reported it saw a $9.6 million boost to the economy from the increased tourism.

* WCIA | EIU announces plans to offer direct admission to more high school seniors: More schools in Central Illinois have agreed to allow Eastern Illinois University to guarantee direct admission for its “high-achieving” students after completing six semesters. University officials announced an agreement with the Regional Office of Education District #12 on Monday. ROE #12 includes schools in Clay, Crawford, Jasper, Lawrence, and Richland counties.

* NYT | Justices Appear to Side With City Trying to Regulate Homeless Encampments: The justices appeared split along ideological lines in the case, which has sweeping implications for how the country deals with a growing homelessness crisis. The conservative majority appeared sympathetic to arguments by the city of Grants Pass, Ore., that homelessness is a complicated issue that is best handled by local lawmakers and communities, not judges.

* Politico | Tax breaks to hire local journalists approved in New York, a national first: Lawmakers and independent media companies praised the tax break, which will designate $30 million a year to the program, called the Local Journalism Sustainability Act. “A thriving local news industry is vital to the health of our democracy,” bill sponsor Sen. Brad Hoylman-Sigal, a Manhattan Democrat, said in a statement. “It’s our responsibility to help ensure New Yorkers have access to independent and community-focused journalism.”

* WaPo | They fled Venezuela — and transformed D.C.’s food delivery scene: For most, food delivery offers far more autonomy over their schedules and pay than other industries. But they acknowledged numerous hurdles — for instance, the lack of access to health insurance, which heightens the financial risks of any accident. Expenses such as “renting” food-delivery accounts and financing mopeds add to their burdens. And while some drivers say that their ability to deliver food quickly has been praised by customers and restaurants, some D.C. residents have publicly expressed frustration at what they say is erratic and unsafe behavior on the mopeds.

* WSJ | States Aim to Combat Private-Equity Healthcare Takeovers: Statehouses across the country are enacting laws to curtail private-equity healthcare acquisitions, part of a political backlash against corporate consolidation in the medical sector. More than a dozen states have passed laws to require corporate buyers such as private-equity firms to notify states of planned healthcare acquisitions. In some cases, these laws let state authorities block deals if they consider them against the public interest.

* WaPo | California wants Big Tech to pay for news. Google is fighting back: Now, Google is taking its resistance a step further, by completely blocking news links for California-based news organizations from showing up in search results for some Californians. Google won’t say how many people it is blocking news for, but called the move a “short-term test” in a blog post announcing it earlier this month. Politicians and news publishers have shot back. “This is a dangerous threat by Google” that is “clearly an abuse of power and demonstrates extraordinary hubris,” said Mike McGuire, a Democratic state senator in California who is sponsoring the bill.