* Freshman Rep. Nabeela Syed (D-Inverness) was asked recently by former Rep. Mike Zalewski whether she’d had any moments when she thought that maybe she shouldn’t have run for office…

I remember after the assault weapons ban passed. I didn’t vote on that. That was before I was inaugurated. And I got some messages, some letters that not only I got, but my future colleagues were getting, requesting me to burn my hijab, and they were related to the assault weapons ban. And I was looking at that, you know, they were, on one page, they were talking about how we shouldn’t support the assault weapons ban, and on the other page, they’re talking about how Nabeela Syed should burn her hijab. And that was a moment where I was like, you know, maybe I signed up for this too quickly in life. [Laughs.] But I think it comes with the job. And it was nice to get that early on because I’ve gotten some more stuff since and it’s been easier to kind of shrug it off because someone told me to burn my hijab even before I was here. [Laughs.]

She has a heckuva spirit.

* IDPH…

The department is reporting 10,772 new confirmed and probable cases of COVID-19 in Illinois in the week ending February 26, and 52 deaths. … As of last night, 921 individuals in Illinois were reported to be in the hospital with COVID-19. Of those, 113 patients were in the ICU and 41 patients with COVID-19 were on ventilators.

* Remember when Chicago vied for this turkey?…

Amazon.com Inc. is pausing construction on its sprawling second headquarters near Washington, a decision that coincides with the company’s deepest ever job cuts and a reassessment of office needs to account for remote work.

* Press release…

Vallas for Mayor is announcing its second key endorsement of the runoff campaign, this time earning the support of former Chicago School Board President, State Board of Education Chairman and mayoral candidate Gery Chico. Chico joins legendary former Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White in endorsing Vallas and reflects the growing consensus that Paul Vallas is the right choice to be Mayor.

“Paul Vallas is unequivocally the most qualified candidate to be mayor,” said Chico. “Throughout his time in city government and leading our public schools he has taken on tough challenges and delivered real results for the people of Chicago. I know Chicagoans will make the right choice on April 4th.”

Vallas and Chico worked closely together during their years of collaboration as CEO and Board President of Chicago Public Schools. That collaboration resulted in increased student test scores, labor peace with no teacher strikes, expanded enrollment by over 33,000 students and almost $1 billion in surplus for the district.

“When Gery Chico and I worked together at Chicago Public Schools we raised test scores, built new schools in underserved neighborhoods and created what President Bill Clinton at the time called a national model for public education,” said Vallas. “We’re building a broad coalition in this campaign and with leaders like Jesse White, Gery Chico and more standing beside me, I feel very proud of the team we are putting together.”

…Adding… Block Club Chicago…

Longtime Ald. Walter Burnett (27th) is backing Paul Vallas in the mayoral runoff.

The alderman told Block Club he plans on formally backing Vallas at a campaign event Saturday. The endorsement comes after Burnett’s mentor, former Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White, endorsed Vallas on Thursday.

* Tribune…

When Frank Sinatra sang in Chicago, he’d often dine afterward at Gene & Georgetti, a white-tablecloth steakhouse in River North.

Sinatra would come to dinner after hours in search of privacy, said managing partner Michelle Durpetti, whose family has operated the restaurant since 1941. Though no plaque at the oxblood leather booth commemorates Sinatra’s years holding court there, the table is in demand from those in the know, Durpetti said. So is the booth next to it, which has hosted many famous diners, including Sting, Nat King Cole and members of Fleetwood Mac.

Now, Gene & Georgetti has found a way to capitalize on those starry legacies. Diners eager to guarantee a meal at either booth can pay to reserve their spot on a booking platform called Tablz, a Toronto-based startup that allows restaurants to charge fees for desirable tables.

Maybe Saputo’s could charge extra for a certain booth in their restaurant?

* Isabel’s roundup…

* Sun-Times | Chicago mayor rivals Paul Vallas, Brandon Johnson pledge support for city’s 2024 Democratic convention bid: “We write to you today to express our steadfast support of the bid to bring the 2024 Democratic National Convention to Chicago,” Johnson and Vallas said in the letter, organized by the committee handling Chicago’s bid.

* Crain’s | After 2024 buzz, Pritzker reportedly named to Biden re-election advisory board: In addition to the three state executives, the Post reports that the group will also include other Dem politicians who, alongside Pritzker and his peers, will coordinate on a bevy of 2024 campaign issues and act as surrogates in the runup to what’s expected to be another raucous national race.

* Daily Herald | A flurry of filings as SAFE-T Act fight heads to state Supreme Court: Among those weighing in was Chicago Fraternal Order of Police Lodge #7, which called the SAFE-T Act “a recipe for increases in crime, recidivism, dysfunction in the criminal prosecution system, and danger to police officers and the communities they serve.”

* Daily Herald | FBI: Highland Park suspect may have considered using homemade bombs: The suspect in the Highland Park parade shooting may have considered using homemade explosives during the attack, which left seven people dead and dozens more wounded, according to newly unsealed FBI affidavits.

* Politico | The 23-year-old ready to take on Illinois: Enter Nabeela Syed — the youngest Democrat in the Illinois state House — who broke barriers when voters overwhelmingly voted to send her to Springfield. At just 23 years old, Syed, the daughter of Indian immigrants, became the first Muslim woman to win a General Assembly seat and did so by flipping a district held by two-term GOP state Rep. Chris Bos. She’s one of two new youngest lawmakers in the Assembly.

* Tribune | State Rep. Tim Ozinga legislation aims to help Tinley Park buy former mental health center for redevelopment: The shuttered Tinley Park Mental Health Center and adjacent Howe Developmental Center comprise 280 acres northwest of the intersection of Harlem Avenue and 183rd Street.

* Sun-Times | How the CTU marched from picket lines to political powerhouse: From its battles between ex-Mayor Rahm Emanuel and its late leader Karen Lewis in 2012, the Chicago Teachers Union is now hoping to help homegrown candidate Brandon Johnson win the runoff to be Chicago’s mayor.

* Tribune | City Council winners and losers: How special interests, unions and super PAC-backed candidates fared in the election: The stakes are high, as the cash and manpower these groups can bestow could help swing many of the 14 remaining head-to-head contests in which they opt to get involved.

* NPR Illinois | Illinois offers guide explaining reproductive rights under state law: The guidance covers scenarios and examples of discrimination in a variety of settings, including in the workplace, housing, health care, schools, retail and service establishments, and other public accommodations. It is intended to help Illinois residents, employers, housing providers, and the business and health care communities better understand their rights and responsibilities concerning reproductive autonomy and how to avoid engaging in discrimination.

* Center Square | Illinois 4th in percentage of small businesses that couldn’t pay full rent in February: The small business network Alignable surveyed thousands of business owners from across the country and found that 35% of small businesses in Illinois couldn’t afford their rent last month, the fourth highest in the country.

* Tribune | Lightfoot appoints new Board of Education member before next mayor takes over Chicago Public Schools in May: A few days after failing to advance to the April 4 runoff, Lightfoot said she was “thrilled” to appoint Miquel Lewis, former chair of the Noble Network of Charter Schools and acting director of Cook County’s probation services, to the board overseeing Chicago Public Schools.

* WBEZ | Community activists are claiming a majority of wins in new police oversight council elections: A coalition of activists, faith-based organizations and labor groups celebrate their success drafting candidates who won election to the newly formed Chicago police district councils.

* Block Club | Ald. Walter Burnett Endorses Paul Vallas In Mayoral Runoff: Burnett, an ally to Mayor Lori Lightfoot, said Paul Vallas has helped him with important projects in his ward over the years — and fully supports the Chicago casino project.

* Tribune | Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s signature Invest South/West program is 3 years old. But some of its big projects were already planned when she took office.: Some of the largest investments were already on the launchpad when Lightfoot took office. Others were for standard repairs to existing buildings. And many of the projects are still in the conceptual phase and have not even begun to be built. Of the more than $750 million that the city counts as part of the public spend for Invest South/West, more than half has been allocated toward those kinds of expenditures rather than new or groundbreaking projects, the Tribune found.

* WTTW | Why Will County Residents Are Fighting a Major Logistics Hub — and Why Backers Say It’s Needed: Opponents of the project also said increased truck traffic will mean more wear and tear on some already bumpy roads, and fear there won’t be enough new money coming in for needed repairs to streets and bridges.

* Pantagraph | Neoga native, Illinois State alum Allie Keck to appear on NBC’s ‘The Voice’: The Lake Land College and Illinois State University alumnus also asked fans to speculate on which of the four celebrity coaches might “turn their chair” in support of her: Kelly Clarkson, Niall Horan, Chance the Rapper and Blake Shelton.

* SJ-R | Windy, rainy conditions causing power outages in central Illinois: The outages have come about thanks to a large, dynamic storm system moving through much of the state, bringing with it severe weather. The National Weather Service in Lincoln said that 0.92 inches of rain have fallen in Springfield since the storm began, with 1.5-2 inches on the way once the storm ends.

* WGEM | Several local Illinois fire departments and EMS providers awarded grants: The program provides grants up to $26,000 for the purchase of small firefighting and ambulance equipment. 296 applications were received for this grant period and 64 fire departments and EMS providers were awarded across the state. Seven local departments were selected as recipients.

* The American Prospect | The Useful Idiots Fueling the Right-Wing Transphobia Panic: Many centrist and liberal journalists are doing the same thing, only in a passive-aggressive fashion. The repeated front-page investigations in The New York Times over the past year are, just like Reed’s article, based almost entirely on anecdotes—some of them from openly transphobic organizations that are not identified as such—rather than actual studies, which have overwhelmingly found that transition is quite rare, detransition relatively unlikely, the regret rate of gender affirmation surgery low, and treatment difficult and expensive to access.

* WREX | ‘House Hunters’ television show episode features Rockford: The IMDb synopsis of the episode reads: “A young couple looks to buy their first home together after relocating for work to Illinois. He’s looking for a newer ranch-style house with a big yard, but she’s hoping for an older Craftsman with unique details.”

* Herald-Whig | ‘You definitely can grow ginger in Illinois’: “It’s just another crop that farmers are adding to their palette of fruits and vegetables they sell and offer to their customers,” he said. “If we’re able to offer a local source, it’s going to become more a part of our diet.”